France has announced a series of controls including border checks and quarantines to stop skiers slipping over the border to Switzerland, where ski resorts are now open.

It comes as the French government became increasingly irate with the attitude from Swiss authorities.

Travel latest

By the start of the Christmas holidays France should, if the latest medical data permits, have lifted its lockdown. So if you’re planning to travel for Christmas, these are the services that are running and the rules on foreign and domestic travel.

The courts

A French court has handed a jail sentence to the hunter who shot and killed a British cyclist in the French Alps. The hunter said he had been aiming for a wild boar. Hunting accidents are unfortunately not uncommon in France – here's our guide on staying safe around la chasse. 

And a judge in Paris has summoned the Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin – this is in connection with a long-running rape investigation that the minister is the subject of.

Covid

Emmanuel Macron has laid out the timetable for France to begin its Covid-19 vaccination programme. 

Film

For readers in Australia, French cinema club Lost in Frenchlation has expanded its English-subtitled virtual film screenings to Australia, as well as France. The next showing is on Friday and tells the story of Jeanne and her ‘odd relationship’ (which is one way of putting it) with a fairground ride.

Paris

And if you know the Paris Metro system, this map of (loose) English translations of all the station names should raise a giggle.