France Today: 2 November 2026

Pupils return to school today after the autumn holidays, and student groups say the blockades will start again with them. Diesel has also become cheaper at some pump chains, Lyon is waiting to hear whether its rent controls will continue, and Toulouse has news on prostate cancer screening.

City news

Toulouse clinic shortens the wait for a prostate cancer diagnosis

At the Clinique St-Exupéry in Toulouse, the screening process for prostate cancer has been made much faster. Prostate cancer accounts for a quarter of new cancer cases in men, and November brings awareness days on the disease every year. For men in the area, quicker screening means less time waiting for an answer.

Source: France 3 Occitanie

Strikes, protests and transport disruption

Student leader says school blockades start again on Monday

The head of a student group said the campaign of high school blockades would start again from Monday. The group’s view is that the government’s proposals do not go far enough. Families with children at a lycée (upper secondary school) should be ready for disruption.

Source: The Local France

Élysée calls for a return to class as organisations plan new blockades

On Sunday, people close to Emmanuel Macron told the press that “the time has come to return to class”. During the holidays, the blockades gave way to a series of demonstrations. Student and pupil organisations are now calling for new blockades as lessons resume.

Source: franceinfo

Clashes in Paris and other cities on a third weekend of protest

Clashes broke out in Paris and other French cities on Saturday, as hundreds of thousands of people protested against the soaring cost of living. It was the third weekend in a row of protests. Anyone living near the usual protest routes should expect them to stay a regular feature of weekends.

Source: The Local France

A risky week for the government

After three weeks of mobilisation, the protests could grow again from Monday 2 November, as schools reopen. The government, for its part, is working on possible ways out of the crisis.

Source: franceinfo Société

Pupils split over whether to keep up the blockades

After two weeks of holidays, lycée pupils are expected back in class. Some are worried about their baccalauréat, the national school-leaving exam, while others intend to keep protesting. A third group says negotiations should go on but the blockades should not.

Source: franceinfo Société

Cost of living

Lyon’s rent controls could be extended

The future of rent controls (encadrement des loyers) in Lyon now depends on the Assemblée nationale, which must examine the text before 23 November. The Sénat has already voted to extend the trial scheme by two years. Amendment 48 is at the centre of the debate: it could let individual communes refuse if their métropole, the wider metropolitan authority, decides to leave the scheme.

Source: Lyon Capitale

Living on the minimum wage in Dreux

In Dreux, in Eure-et-Loir, several employees paid the SMIC, France’s statutory minimum wage, describe how hard it is to make ends meet each month. They give up leisure, find food shopping difficult and often have to hold more than one job. Most say they struggle to live with dignity despite years of work.

Source: franceinfo Économie

November reading: wealth tax, care bills and candidates’ plans for foreigners

The Local’s roundup covers what changes in France in November and what the presidential candidates propose for foreigners. It also explains the wealth tax rules and asks whether giving your French home to family helps you avoid care bills.

Source: The Local France

Diesel prices fall, but not everywhere

The price of diesel fell sharply at some filling stations on Sunday 1 November. Drivers near those stations benefited, but the drop has not yet reached the whole of France.

Source: franceinfo Économie

Why Ardèche gains most from cheaper diesel at Leclerc and U

Leclerc and the U group cut diesel prices sharply from Sunday 1 November. This matters most in Ardèche, which has fewer TotalEnergies stations than average, and TotalEnergies has already been offering lower prices for several months.

Source: France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

What it means for foreign residents

• If your children attend a lycée, check with the school whether lessons are going ahead now that blockades are expected to resume (The Local France).
• Expect weekend protests in Paris and other cities to continue, and check your route before travelling (The Local France).
• Diesel prices now differ between chains, so compare stations before filling up (franceinfo Économie).
• Tenants in Lyon should watch the Assemblée nationale vote on extending rent controls (Lyon Capitale).

France Today is a curated digest: we summarise and link, the reporting belongs to the publications named. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.