On the menu for this week we'll start off by talking about France's new highly intelligent cat, which Emmanual Macron is hoping will rule the world. Don't worry, we'll explain what I'm on about shortly.

We'll also delve into France's new budget and explain how listeners will be impacted by some of the measures, including why you'll have to pay more for flights in France in the future.

You've all heard of the medieval citadel of Carcassonne but there are some other, less well-known castles in south west France that are also vying for global attention, as we'll explore.

And France's Prime Minister has said he wants to open a discussion about what it means to be French, so we're going to do exactly that.

And finally stay listening until the end to find out what you really shouldn't do on a train in France if you don't want to make international news and more importantly be hit by a steep fine.

Host Ben McPartland will be joined by The Local's editor Emma Pearson, journalist Gen Mansfield and politics expert John Lichfield.

Extra reading:

• French train passenger fined €150 for using phone on speaker
• 8 must-visit castles in south-west France (you've probably never heard of)
• OPINION: AI is unstoppable, so I'd rather it was French than American or Chinese
• How France's new eco tax will affect the cost of plane tickets
• France's PM calls for debate on 'what it means to be French'

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