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1 week ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Monday
Paris Air Show - fans of all things airline related will be headed to Le Bourget for the annual Paris Air Show this week.
Philosophy bac - the French baccalaureate exams get underway, so if you have any 17/18 year-olds in your life they're likely to be looking quite stressed for the next few weeks as they contemplate these crucial end-of-school exams.
As is usual, the exams begin with the Philosophy paper, which this year takes place on June 16th.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.com | Emma Pearson
Visiting some of France's biggest tourist attractions - from the Chateau de Versailles to the Arc de Triomphe - could be more expensive for visitors from non-EU countries from next year, due to extra powers given to state-run museums by president Emmanuel Macron. Macron announced in January that the Louvre would begin, from January 1st 2026, charging a higher ticket price to visitors from non-EU countries.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Why do I need to know bleuet?
Because it's a symbolic flower that is very important on two dates of the year - May 8th and November 11th.
What does it mean?
Un bleuet is the small blue flower known in English as a cornflower. It's a common and rather pretty wildflower often seen on grass verges and in gardens.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Back in 2023, French tax authorities introduced a new requirement for anyone who owns property in France - including foreign second-home owners. This is the Déclaration des biens immobiliers, also known as the déclaration d'occupation.
Completing the one-off declaration has been compulsory since 2023, but while the new system was bedding in, fines have not been issued.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
It's a truth universally acknowledged that a French politician in possession of presidential ambition must be in want of something to Get Tough on.
And if you come from the right of the political spectrum then Getting Tough on some aspect of the immigration system is a sure-fire winner.
Does it matter if you end up announcing that you're going to Get Tough by introducing rules that already exist? It seems not, judging by French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau's announcement on Monday.
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1 month ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
France's 2025 Budget - finally passed in February after much political drama - contained a provision that would have a big impact on France's self-employed people registered under the micro-entrepreneur scheme.
The budget proposed a big drop in the VAT threshold, bringing many freelancers, contractors and sole traders into the VAT threshold for the first time.
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2 months ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
The town of Pau, close to the border with Spain, has been experiencing a series of bizarre thefts for more than three years, and now the thief has struck again.
Valérie Lenoble, owner of the lingerie store Bulle (bubble), arrived one morning to find that the U in the shop name had disappeared overnight.
She told TFI Info that the crime would not have been difficult or time-consuming, saying: "He probably just used a crowbar, dislodged the letter and caught it.
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2 months ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Strikes and demonstrations are planned across France this week by doctors - with the actions set to be supported by both GPs and hospital doctors.
"We're ready to take on the fight, and the only way to do that is to block the system," Anna Boctor, president of the Jeunes Médecins union, told France Info.
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2 months ago | 
thelocal.fr | Emma Pearson
Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
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