https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The French city of Orleans has for the first time named a mixed-race teenager to play folk heroine Joan of Arc for annual festivities, prompting a torrent of racist abuse from far-right social media users. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180222/frances-first-mixed-race-joan-of-arc-targeted-by-racists Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:14:38 +0100 frances-first-mixed-race-joan-of-arc-targeted-by-racists Nicolas Sarkozy reckons the real ancestors of France were the Gauls, but historians have lined up to put him in his place. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160922/where-do-the-french-really-come-from Thu, 22 Sep 2016 13:55:35 +0200 where-do-the-french-really-come-from What’s a patriotic name for a French baby girl? Joan? Marie? Brigitte? Not Zohra, according to a journalist who has stirred up France’s latest row over identities. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160915/patriotic-french-baby-names-welcome-to-the-latest-row Thu, 15 Sep 2016 13:54:27 +0200 patriotic-french-baby-names-welcome-to-the-latest-row Seven out of ten French people now believe they are suffering from a ‘collective depression’, according to a new survey published on Thursday. The economic crisis and a ‘lost sense of identity’ are blamed for the nationwide malaise. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130404/france-mired-in-collective-depression-say-french Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0200 france-mired-in-collective-depression-say-french