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 With cafes, bars and museums closed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, Parisians are learning what tourists have long known -- finding a public toilet in the French capital requires some sleuthing and plenty of patience. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210502/why-paris-public-toilets-have-become-an-elusive-prize-during-pandemic Sun, 02 May 2021 16:32:46 +0200 why-paris-public-toilets-have-become-an-elusive-prize-during-pandemic A black panther rescued from rooftops near the northern city of Lille last week has been stolen from the zoo where it was taken after capture, officials said. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190924/frances-mystery-rooftop-panther-stolen-from-zoo Tue, 24 Sep 2019 15:08:03 +0200 frances-mystery-rooftop-panther-stolen-from-zoo A flock of sheep that has taken a 140-kilometre tour around Paris, nibbling on grass at historic monuments and housing blocks along the way, ended their 12-day journey on the banks of the river Seine on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190718/flock-to-paris-sheep-see-the-sites-on-tasting-tour-of-french-capital Thu, 18 Jul 2019 10:45:51 +0200 flock-to-paris-sheep-see-the-sites-on-tasting-tour-of-french-capital A team of French divers took to the sea off Marseille in a canary yellow capsule on Monday to spend a month exploring the deep waters of the Mediterranean, without decompressing until the very end. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190702/french-divers-launch-daring-deep-sea-expedition-to-uncover-lost-paradises-of-mediterranean Tue, 02 Jul 2019 10:35:52 +0200 french-divers-launch-daring-deep-sea-expedition-to-uncover-lost-paradises-of-mediterranean It turns out reports of the existence of Brexit (the cat) have been greatly exaggerated. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190320/french-europe-minister-admits-brexit-the-cat-was-a-joke Wed, 20 Mar 2019 10:41:54 +0100 french-europe-minister-admits-brexit-the-cat-was-a-joke Chickens in a poultry farm in northwest France are suspected of killing a fox who tried to sneak into their coop. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190313/gallic-chickens-team-up-to-peck-french-fox-to-death Wed, 13 Mar 2019 10:12:06 +0100 gallic-chickens-team-up-to-peck-french-fox-to-death The French police are set to blow up a World War II bomb in the north of Paris on Sunday leaving the area off limits to residents and cars, as well as disrupting train services to CDG airport and Eurostar services. This is what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190215/how-a-ww2-bomb-will-paralyse-part-of-paris-on-sunday Fri, 15 Feb 2019 18:27:32 +0100 how-a-ww2-bomb-will-paralyse-part-of-paris-on-sunday A young Frenchman who was honest enough to return an expensive package he mistakenly received to its rightful owner will get paid in gold as a reward for his actions. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190206/frenchman-given-gold-bar-as-reward-for-his-honesty Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:02:38 +0100 frenchman-given-gold-bar-as-reward-for-his-honesty A 19-year-old managed to get a bargain price for a Playstation games console at a French supermarket thanks to the help of the fruit and vegetable scales. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190131/19-year-old-pays-just-9-for-playstation-in-french-supermarket-thanks-to-fruit-and-veg-scales Thu, 31 Jan 2019 10:50:53 +0100 19-year-old-pays-just-9-for-playstation-in-french-supermarket-thanks-to-fruit-and-veg-scales Leave your coats, your pants and your inhibitions at the door: a Paris restaurant has begun serving up classic French fare to diners in the nude. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190108/beef-in-the-buff-paris-opens-first-nudist-restaurant Tue, 08 Jan 2019 11:02:36 +0100 beef-in-the-buff-paris-opens-first-nudist-restaurant A 71-year-old Frenchman has set sail across the Atlantic in a barrel-shaped orange capsule, hoping to reach the Caribbean within three months thanks to ocean currents alone. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181227/frenchman-sets-sail-across-atlantic-in-a-barrel Thu, 27 Dec 2018 16:53:29 +0100 frenchman-sets-sail-across-atlantic-in-a-barrel An animal rights charity in France is demanding that the mayor of a medieval village in the Dordogne change the name of 'Rue de la Saucisse' to a more vegan-friendly name. And the mayor said "pigs can fly". https://www.thelocal.fr/20181130/vegan-charity-wants-new-name-for-sausage-road-in-dordogne-village Fri, 30 Nov 2018 12:23:59 +0100 vegan-charity-wants-new-name-for-sausage-road-in-dordogne-village A Paris hospital which made a public appeal for stool samples for a study on intestinal diseases said Friday it had suspended the project after being inundated by donors hoping for an easy 50 euros. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181123/paris-hospital-stops-stool-study-after-poo Fri, 23 Nov 2018 17:32:14 +0100 paris-hospital-stops-stool-study-after-poo There are few worse gaffes for a French politician than making a ill-judged remark about food and one minister might be about to learn the lesson, having apparently revealed his rather expensive taste in restaurants during a speech at the Sorbonne university. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181123/french-budget-ministers-expensive-taste-in-paris-restaurants-leaves-sour-taste-in-france Fri, 23 Nov 2018 16:17:36 +0100 french-budget-ministers-expensive-taste-in-paris-restaurants-leaves-sour-taste-in-france One woman had a rather unusual journey on the Paris Metro when she was forced to deliver her bundle of joy right there in one of the carriages, but the good news for the newborn was that he was awarded free travel in Paris until the age of 25. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181123/paris-metro-delayed-after-woman-gives-birth-in-one-of-the-carriages Fri, 23 Nov 2018 10:52:52 +0100 paris-metro-delayed-after-woman-gives-birth-in-one-of-the-carriages Parisians are queuing up to take advantage of a nice little earner after a hospital advertised that it would pay €50 for each stool sample provided, in the name of scientific research. And there is a backlog of volunteers. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181122/paris-hospital-offers-parisians-50-per-poo-and-is-overflowing-by-demand Thu, 22 Nov 2018 10:34:42 +0100 paris-hospital-offers-parisians-50-per-poo-and-is-overflowing-by-demand Gare du Nord in Paris, once described as the "squalor pit of Europe" became a makeshift maternity ward on Friday when a woman had a "lightning birth" in the middle of the station. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180921/woman-gives-birth-at-gare-du-nord-in-paris Fri, 21 Sep 2018 16:12:23 +0200 woman-gives-birth-at-gare-du-nord-in-paris This Saturday thousands of people will guzzle lots of wine in the Bordeaux region - while running a marathon. Here's what you need to know about the Marathon du Medoc. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180907/marathon-du-medoc-video-photos-france-wine Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:06:11 +0200 marathon-du-medoc-video-photos-france-wine A French woman's trip to visit her parents in their tiny Provençal village turned into a nightmare when part of her finger was severed as she posted a letter in the La Poste mailbox. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180906/french-woman-loses-part-of-finger-posting-letter-in-post-box Thu, 06 Sep 2018 11:53:12 +0200 french-woman-loses-part-of-finger-posting-letter-in-post-box French police have arrested an Austrian man at a Paris airport after he flew in from Mexico with 80 small birds stashed in his hand luggage, a judicial source said Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20180802/austrian-arrested-at-paris-airport-with-80-birds-in-hand-luggage Thu, 02 Aug 2018 10:48:32 +0200 austrian-arrested-at-paris-airport-with-80-birds-in-hand-luggage