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 A court in northern France jailed 14 members of a migrant smuggling ring https://www.thelocal.fr/20230120/french-court-convicts-14-of-migrant-smuggling Fri, 20 Jan 2023 10:24:38 +0100 french-court-convicts-14-of-migrant-smuggling French police will start hitting users of illicit drugs, especially cannabis, with on-the-spot fines starting in September, Prime Minister Jean Castex said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200725/france-to-hit-drug-users-with-200-euro-on-the-spot-fines Sat, 25 Jul 2020 16:54:06 +0200 france-to-hit-drug-users-with-200-euro-on-the-spot-fines Shops bars and restaurants are often closed on Mondays in France but one town in south west France appears to be the only one in the country where all 17, (yes 17!) pharmacies must remain closed on Mondays. It all dates back to 1973. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180313/the-strange-reason-pharmacies-in-this-french-must-all-close-on-monday Tue, 13 Mar 2018 13:03:00 +0100 the-strange-reason-pharmacies-in-this-french-must-all-close-on-monday The mayor of a town in the south of France has refused to lift a decades-old ban on UFOs. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161027/southern-french-town-upholds-ban-on-ufos Thu, 27 Oct 2016 13:26:40 +0200 southern-french-town-upholds-ban-on-ufos Four French bakers in the south west have fallen foul of France’s strict laws on opening times by selling their baguettes every day of the week. They say they will now have to lay off staff. https://www.thelocal.fr/20151006/french-bakers-fined-500-for-working-too-much Tue, 06 Oct 2015 18:46:44 +0200 french-bakers-fined-500-for-working-too-much EU attempts to tighten up regulations on chemicals have French lavender farmers and essential oil distillers angry at what they call over-zealous rules that threaten to rein in an industry considered iconic for southern France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130612/eu-calls-french-lavender-farmers-a-health-hazard Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:22:00 +0200 eu-calls-french-lavender-farmers-a-health-hazard Every country has its outdated and needless laws and France, famous for its bureaucratic vigour, is no different. A new report spelling out the desperate need to reform daft regulations, has named the top three stupidest laws. And the winner is… https://www.thelocal.fr/20130327/frances-stupidest-laws Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:07:00 +0100 frances-stupidest-laws