Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local’s Emma Pearson, Genevieve Mansfield and John Lichfield to discuss some big developments in France. 

First up: the ongoing farmers’ protests and the ‘siege of Paris’. We have the latest on the nationwide protests, how long they are likely to go on for and whether the French public support the farmers despite the widespread disruption.

You can find the Talking France podcast on Spotify, Apple or Google podcasts, download it here or listen on the link below

The other big news of the week is perhaps less dramatic that the farmers’ protests but will have a major impact on the lives of foreigners in France – stricter language requirements and compulsory tests. We’re talking about who is affected by the new law, who is exempt and why the government is doing this.

And we also love a foodie chat – this week we’re talking about the huge market known simply as Rungis and the very special (and slightly weird) traditions that surround France’s ‘pancake day’.

You can find all previous episodes of Talking France here, including our special episodes with listeners’ questions.