https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed France has opened an investigation into an alleged "war crime" and "torture" over Israel's treatment of French activists who took part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a prosecutor's office said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260605/france-opens-war-crime-probe-over-israel-treatment-of-flotilla-activists Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:22:38 +0200 france-opens-war-crime-probe-over-israel-treatment-of-flotilla-activists Concerns are mounting at a controversial revision of Europe's air passenger rights, as crunch talks between European Parliament and Council negotiators are expected to continue next week ahead of a June 15th deadline. https://www.thelocal.com/20260605/concerns-raised-over-air-passenger-rights-in-europe-as-crunch-talks-continue Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:20:57 +0200 concerns-raised-over-air-passenger-rights-in-europe-as-crunch-talks-continue A German serial killer already in prison for the murders of three children was found guilty by a French court on Thursday for the abduction and killing of a 10-year-old boy during a school trip in 2004. https://www.thelocal.com/20260605/german-serial-killer-found-guilty-of-murder-of-french-schoolboy Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:51:23 +0200 german-serial-killer-found-guilty-of-murder-of-french-schoolboy With the rising cost of gas and flight tickets, many people in Austria are opting to travel by train for a summer 'staycation'. Here are five destinations you should visit. https://www.thelocal.com/20260604/six-summer-holiday-destinations-you-can-reach-by-train-in-austria Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:50:35 +0200 six-summer-holiday-destinations-you-can-reach-by-train-in-austria The number of accidents involving electric scooters increased sharply last year, according to recent statistics from the Swedish Transport Agency. It is often young people involved in the accidents, and their injuries are often serious. https://www.thelocal.com/20260604/sweden-sees-big-increase-in-serious-electric-scooter-accidents Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:40:01 +0200 sweden-sees-big-increase-in-serious-electric-scooter-accidents The Talking France podcast is back, discussing how France deals with sexism, how the country is coming to terms with its involvement in the slave trade and why French football victories always seems to lead to violence. https://www.thelocal.com/20260604/podcast-will-france-pay-for-its-role-in-slavery-and-why-the-violence-after-psgs-triumph Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:51:26 +0200 podcast-will-france-pay-for-its-role-in-slavery-and-why-the-violence-after-psgs-triumph Indian nationals no longer need a visa to transfer at German airports, following a change to Germany's transit rules that took effect on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260603/germany-scraps-airport-transit-visas-for-indian-travellers Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:13:16 +0200 germany-scraps-airport-transit-visas-for-indian-travellers Almost half of European small and medium companies struggle to find workers with the skills they need but recruitment outside the EU remains “limited” and “too difficult”, a recent Eurobarometer survey published by the European Commission had shown. https://www.thelocal.com/20260603/how-companies-in-europe-are-struggling-to-recruit-workers-from-outside-the-eu Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:49:22 +0200 how-companies-in-europe-are-struggling-to-recruit-workers-from-outside-the-eu The Public Health Agency of Sweden has released the results of a survey which shows that around half of Swedes are satisfied with their sex lives, although there were variations based on age and gender. https://www.thelocal.com/20260603/half-of-swedes-are-satisfied-with-their-sex-lives-health-body-says Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:40:48 +0200 half-of-swedes-are-satisfied-with-their-sex-lives-health-body-says The Champions League win of Paris Saint-Germain football club was followed by widespread rioting with almost 900 people arrested and three deaths. John Lichfield looks at how a French football victory leads to these kind of scenes. https://www.thelocal.com/20260603/opinion-why-french-football-victories-lead-to-riots Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:10:16 +0200 opinion-why-french-football-victories-lead-to-riots France experienced its hottest spring "since records began in 1900", marked by a scorching early heatwave at the end of May, the country's weather service said Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260602/france-experiences-hottest-spring-on-record Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:13:03 +0200 france-experiences-hottest-spring-on-record Sweden's government tasked the public health agency last autumn to compile research on how parental screen use affects children. Now the results are in and the recommendations are clear: parents should stay off their phones around their kids. https://www.thelocal.com/20260602/public-health-agency-of-sweden-tells-parents-to-put-away-their-phones Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:27:59 +0200 public-health-agency-of-sweden-tells-parents-to-put-away-their-phones The European Commission on Tuesday asked nine countries in the Schengen area, including France, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Denmark and Norway to phase out internal border checks, which have been reinstated in some cases for years. https://www.thelocal.com/20260602/eu-calls-on-nine-european-countries-to-scrap-internal-schengen-border-checks Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:10:21 +0200 eu-calls-on-nine-european-countries-to-scrap-internal-schengen-border-checks A person in Sweden has been charged with participation in a neo-Nazi terror organisation that has been linked to a mosque attack, a school killing and random murders. https://www.thelocal.com/20260602/suspect-in-sweden-charged-for-participation-in-neo-nazi-terrorist-group Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:55:40 +0200 suspect-in-sweden-charged-for-participation-in-neo-nazi-terrorist-group While other European countries have seen a hike in the number of Americans moving there, with some evidence pointing to a Trump effect, what is the story in Germany? The Local obtained new figures that tell a slightly different story. https://www.thelocal.com/20260601/more-americans-are-moving-to-germany-than-the-reverse-for-the-first-time-in-years Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:58:06 +0200 more-americans-are-moving-to-germany-than-the-reverse-for-the-first-time-in-years Austria has a lot to offer foreign residents but not everyone wants to stay forever. Whether its family, taxes or politics, many foreigners reach a point when they decide it's better to leave. https://www.thelocal.com/20260120/austria-pushes-away-skilled-immigrants-the-reasons-foreigners-choose-to-leave Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:40:38 +0100 austria-pushes-away-skilled-immigrants-the-reasons-foreigners-choose-to-leave With just days left before Sweden carries out the most radical citizenship reforms in years, an administrative backlog means 100,000 long-term residents are losing the race against time. The Local speaks with some of the applicants who are watching their future plans slip away as the government continues to rewrite immigration rules. https://www.thelocal.com/20260529/its-a-gut-punch-time-running-out-for-100000-applicants-as-swedens-citizenship-deadline-nears Fri, 29 May 2026 06:32:53 +0200 its-a-gut-punch-time-running-out-for-100000-applicants-as-swedens-citizenship-deadline-nears A large group of Indian students enrolled at a private university in Berlin saw their right to residence revoked due to an accreditation issue. The Local asked Berlin's immigration authority what happened. https://www.thelocal.com/20260528/why-hundreds-of-indian-university-students-were-made-to-leave-berlin Thu, 28 May 2026 15:58:44 +0200 why-hundreds-of-indian-university-students-were-made-to-leave-berlin Companies offering 'airport concierge' services say they have seen a spike in bookings since the start of the EU's EES system of biometric passport checks - so is it worth paying extra for these? https://www.thelocal.com/20260522/can-an-airport-concierge-service-help-you-with-ees-in-france Fri, 22 May 2026 16:56:47 +0200 can-an-airport-concierge-service-help-you-with-ees-in-france The finance ministers of the European Union's six biggest economies said Friday they had agreed on steps to better integrate financial markets and make investments flow seamlessly across the bloc. https://www.thelocal.com/20260530/biggest-eu-economies-agree-on-steps-for-financial-integration Sat, 30 May 2026 16:00:27 +0200 biggest-eu-economies-agree-on-steps-for-financial-integration