Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local's Emma Pearson, John Lichfield and Genevieve Mansfield to discuss the latest news from France in the first episode of the new season of the podcast.
France this week marked 10 years since the terror attack at Charlie Hebdo magazine - an event that led to an outpouring of international support and lasting changes in France itself. We take a look at what happened next, and why the tradition of mocking religion is an important one in France.
You can find Talking France on Spotify or Apple, download it here or listen on the link below
With a new government in place for the start of the new year, we take a look at their big priorities and why the new prime minister might succeed where the previous one failed.
Foreigners in France will be familiar with the dread of having to visit the préfecture - but which préfectures the longest waiting times? And why is there such a wide regional disparity?
Drivers will see some big changes in 2025 with the expansion of the CritAir scheme - we unpick what's changing, what the new rules are and why it is all so complicated.
And finally we indulge in the great French tradition of complaining - listing a complaint for each month of the year, and examining why the French have their reputation for complaining (and whether it is justified).
Extra reading:
- OPINION: Pensioners, not immigrants, are wrecking France
- OPINION: Sadly, the new year in France won't bring an end to 'la zizanie'
- MAP: The French cities with Crit'Air low emission zones in 2025
- Revealed: The waiting times at French préfectures
- Podcast: How did Jean-Marie Le Pen change France? (from April 2024)
- Quiz: Can you decipher all 12 of these French complaints?
Emma Pearson
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