http://www.thelocal.fr/ France's news in English en-us TheLocal TheLocal TheLocal RSS Feed Generator A man was arrested on Friday after causing a scare at the Cannes Film Festival, where he attacked a TV studio with a gun loaded with blanks and a dummy grenade, police and witnesses said. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/man-held-after-cannes-tv-studio-attack 2013-05-18 13:00:27 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/man-held-after-cannes-tv-studio-attack French actor and newly-minted Russian citizen Gerard Depardieu on Saturday compared President Vladimir Putin to the late Pope John Paul II and said the ex-KGB agent is what Russia needs as a leader. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/depardieu-compares-putin-to-pope-john-paul-ii 2013-05-18 12:23:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/depardieu-compares-putin-to-pope-john-paul-ii France became the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage Saturday after President Francois Hollande signed the measure into law following months of bitter political debate. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/hollande-signs-gay-marriage-bill-into-law 2013-05-18 08:38:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/hollande-signs-gay-marriage-bill-into-law Struggling French oyster farmers, whose haul has diminished in recent years, are set to receive some much needed help from their Swedish counterparts, by importing oyster spats from Sweden for the first time. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-oyster-lovers-to-munch-on-swedish-spats 2013-05-17 18:22:21 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-oyster-lovers-to-munch-on-swedish-spats France's highest court the Constitutional Council cleared the divisive gay marriage bill on Friday, paving the way for same sex unions to become legal. Francois Hollande said he would sign the bill into law as soon as Saturday. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/gay-marriage-bill-cleared-by-frances-highest-court 2013-05-17 17:12:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/gay-marriage-bill-cleared-by-frances-highest-court While many in the world of football raised a glass to David Beckham when he announced his retirement on Thursday, elements in the French media as well as PSG fans in Paris could not hide the fact they feel a little cheated by his minimal contribution on the pitch. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/beckham-brought-nothing-to-psg-on-the-pitch 2013-05-17 16:42:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/beckham-brought-nothing-to-psg-on-the-pitch Thieves have stolen Chopard jewellery worth $1 million at Cannes Film Festival, French police reported on Friday. The jewellery was due to be loaned to film stars over the coming days. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/breaking-jewels-worth-1-million-stolen-at-cannes 2013-05-17 13:08:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/breaking-jewels-worth-1-million-stolen-at-cannes Around 750 police have been stationed at schools across the French city of Strasbourg after an anonymous person, believed to be a teenager, posted a message online threatening to commit suicide and kill several pupils at a school on Friday. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-police-on-alert-after-school-massacre-threat 2013-05-17 12:00:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-police-on-alert-after-school-massacre-threat Charges of manslaughter against Martine Aubry, a leading member of France's ruling Socialist Party, were dropped on Friday by a French court. The charges related to a probe into thousands of deaths caused by exposure to asbestos. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/leading-socialist-cleared-over-asbestos-deaths 2013-05-17 11:20:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/leading-socialist-cleared-over-asbestos-deaths French companies have long had a reputation for relying heavily on unpaid interns. New figures released on Friday highlighting the staggering number of interns on the payroll at banking giant Societé General will only confirm this reputation. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-bank-employs-staggering-11000-interns 2013-05-17 11:00:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-bank-employs-staggering-11000-interns Cannes might be a film festival, but in reality it is just as much about the glitz and glamour and actresses wearing all kinds of sublime or ridiculous outfits. Find out who won The Local's Palme d'Or for "Dress of the Day" on Thursday. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/cannes-red-carpet---dress-of-the-day-photo 2013-05-17 10:08:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/cannes-red-carpet---dress-of-the-day-photo For the latest instalment in our My France series we take a trip down the Loire Valley to find out what its like to live and work in this idyllic region of France, best known for the splendour of the chateaux and quality of the its wines. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/my-france-loire-valley 2013-05-17 09:17:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/my-france-loire-valley The wait goes on. Foreign nationals living in France will have to hold on until at least 2014 to earn the right to vote in local elections, despite the proposal being a key election pledge of French President François Holland last year. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/foreigners-forced-to-wait-for-right-to-vote-in-france 2013-05-17 08:57:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/foreigners-forced-to-wait-for-right-to-vote-in-france French President François Hollande tried to steady the ship on Thursday when he face the media for his scheduled press conference. The president said he be more on the "offensive" in his second year as head of state. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/beleaguered-hollande-vows-to-go-on-the-offensive 2013-05-16 17:56:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/beleaguered-hollande-vows-to-go-on-the-offensive Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi has emerged as an original and talented film director, no longer in the shadow of her younger, more famous sister, Carla. At this year's Cannes festival, she is flying the flag for women as the only female director in competition. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/the-hope-of-women-at-cannes-this-year 2013-05-16 17:44:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/the-hope-of-women-at-cannes-this-year Former England captain and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder David Beckham announced on Thursday he would retire from all professional football at the end of the season. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/breaking-david-beckham-retires-from-football 2013-05-16 16:22:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/breaking-david-beckham-retires-from-football LIVE UPDATES: The beleaguered French President François Hollande is holding a key press conference on Thursday to 400 journalists. The most unpopular president since the War, according to polls, is expected to get a tough ride. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/live-updates-struggling-hollande-faces-press 2013-05-16 16:11:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/live-updates-struggling-hollande-faces-press Paris authorities will soon have a new weapon to employ in their daily battle to clean up the capital's notoriously dirty streets - a specially designed smartphone app. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/paris-set-to-launch-app-to-clean-up-streets 2013-05-16 14:07:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/paris-set-to-launch-app-to-clean-up-streets A man in his fifties, with a history of family problems shot himself in the head on Thursday in front of a dozen young children in the hall of a Catholic primary school in Paris. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/man-kills-himself-in-front-of-paris-nursery-school-kids 2013-05-16 13:02:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/man-kills-himself-in-front-of-paris-nursery-school-kids You might be a seasoned pro on the Paris Metro, or just visiting for a few days. Either way, you will need to watch out for ingenious pickpockets working the French capital’s underground rail network. Here's a guide on how to avoid being robbed. http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/how-to-avoid-getting-robbed-on-the-paris-metro 2013-05-16 12:07:00 http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/how-to-avoid-getting-robbed-on-the-paris-metro