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 After standardising chargers for mobile phones, from Tuesday new computers sold in EU countries must also use the USB-C charging point, as the latest phase of EU anti-waste legislation comes into force. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260428/eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:16:33 +0200 eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers France’s government has completed the purchase of the supercomputing arm of IT firm Atos, which builds machines for nuclear weapons development as well as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260401/french-state-buys-nuclear-supercomputer-firm Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:49:49 +0200 french-state-buys-nuclear-supercomputer-firm President Emmanuel Macron is hoping France will become one of the first European Union countries to ban social media for under-15s, following similar moves in Australia and Indonesia. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260401/france-eyes-ban-on-social-media-for-under-15s Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:46:00 +0200 france-eyes-ban-on-social-media-for-under-15s Do you like and trust The Local? Then please take a moment to add us as a preferred source on Google to ensure our articles appear in your searches. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260216/how-to-make-the-local-your-preferred-source-on-google Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:02:08 +0100 how-to-make-the-local-your-preferred-source-on-google Supporters say it would let Europeans make online payments without relying on US payment system, but critics fear it would allow governments to surveil citizens' payments. How would the digital euro work? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260211/replacement-for-cash-how-the-new-digital-euro-would-work-for-europeans Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:58:55 +0100 replacement-for-cash-how-the-new-digital-euro-would-work-for-europeans The rollout of high-speed fibre internet across France enters a new phase this year. If you live in rural France, please take a minute to complete a quick survey to let us know how you would rate your internet connection. Has it improved or is it as slow as an escargot? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260205/tell-us-how-would-you-rate-the-internet-connection-in-you-part-of-rural-france Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:42:17 +0100 tell-us-how-would-you-rate-the-internet-connection-in-you-part-of-rural-france Ifremer, the French research institute dedicated to the ocean, announced on Monday that it had deployed its first two floats from the Argo network, in order to measure ocean currents and global warming. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260203/france-launches-its-first-ocean-bottom-floats Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:30:40 +0100 france-launches-its-first-ocean-bottom-floats French IT giant Capgemini said on Sunday it was selling its subsidiary working for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency amid international controversy over the deaths of two people in ICE operations. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260201/french-it-giant-capgemini-to-sell-us-subsidiary-after-row-over-ice-links Sun, 01 Feb 2026 10:56:12 +0100 french-it-giant-capgemini-to-sell-us-subsidiary-after-row-over-ice-links From music streaming to cloud storage, via search engines and gaming, there exist plenty of French alternatives to the big American tech giants. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260127/15-french-replacements-for-american-tech Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:43:16 +0100 15-french-replacements-for-american-tech French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260127/french-lawmakers-pass-bill-banning-social-media-for-under-15s Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:09:34 +0100 french-lawmakers-pass-bill-banning-social-media-for-under-15s The sarky, funny, English-language 'French Response' social media account is part of the French government's ongoing mission to fight online disinformation. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260123/the-french-diplomatic-account-trolling-russian-and-the-us-online Fri, 23 Jan 2026 16:31:02 +0100 the-french-diplomatic-account-trolling-russian-and-the-us-online The French government wants to ban social media for under-15s from September 2026, according to a draft law seen by AFP which will be discussed in parliament in the new year. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251231/french-government-wants-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-from-2026 Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:02:15 +0100 french-government-wants-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-from-2026 Former EU commissioner Thierry Breton has been barred from the USA over his work on regulating American tech giants - here's a look at the life and career of the straight-talking Frenchman. https://www.thelocal.fr/20231020/profile-the-frenchman-taking-on-us-tech-giants Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:09:42 +0200 profile-the-frenchman-taking-on-us-tech-giants The European Union reacted sharply on Wednesday to US visa sanctions imposed on five European figures involved in regulating tech companies, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251224/eu-strongly-condemns-us-visa-bans-against-five-europeans Wed, 24 Dec 2025 15:36:22 +0100 eu-strongly-condemns-us-visa-bans-against-five-europeans The US State Department said on Tuesday it would deny a visa to the French former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, plus four others, accusing them of "coercion" over European regulation of social media platforms. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251224/us-denies-visa-to-french-former-eu-commissioner-over-tech-rules Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:06:45 +0100 us-denies-visa-to-french-former-eu-commissioner-over-tech-rules Runaway success this year for French indie hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 could be crowned with a Game of the Year title at Thursday's Game Awards in Los Angeles, the industry's equivalent of the Oscars. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251211/french-indie-hit-vies-with-global-giants-at-game-awards Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:10:55 +0100 french-indie-hit-vies-with-global-giants-at-game-awards A French mother whose teenage son took his own life is fighting to hold social media platforms accountable, saying their algorithms pushed suicide-related content that sent the 15-year-old into a "downward spiral". https://www.thelocal.fr/20251210/downward-spiral-french-mother-blames-social-media-for-teens-suicide Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:46:47 +0100 downward-spiral-french-mother-blames-social-media-for-teens-suicide French authorities have expanded an investigation into Elon Musk's platform X to include "Holocaust-denying comments" generated by its AI chatbot Grok, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251120/french-authorities-probe-grok-holocaust-denying-comments Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:28:58 +0100 french-authorities-probe-grok-holocaust-denying-comments Modern conflicts are already being fought in space and the next wars will begin there, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, singling out the threat posed by Russia and announcing a multi-billion euro increase in spending on military activities in space. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251113/the-war-of-tomorrow-will-begin-in-space-macron Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:33:41 +0100 the-war-of-tomorrow-will-begin-in-space-macron The Local has broken down the data from the French telecommunications body, Arcep, to figure out the best mobile phone plan provider in France in terms of coverage. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251111/which-french-phone-operators-offer-the-best-coverage-around-france Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:08:46 +0100 which-french-phone-operators-offer-the-best-coverage-around-france