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 Airlines will be banned from charging parents to get seats next to their children under an EU reform of passenger rights agreed on Friday that stopped short of more divisive changes, diplomats said. https://www.thelocal.com/20260613/eu-to-ban-airlines-from-charging-parents-to-sit-with-children Sat, 13 Jun 2026 10:06:35 +0200 eu-to-ban-airlines-from-charging-parents-to-sit-with-children France on Friday paid tribute to Bernadette Chirac, widow of former president Jacques Chirac, in a funeral in Paris attended by prominent figures from the worlds of politics and entertainment. https://www.thelocal.com/20260613/france-lays-to-rest-widow-of-late-french-president-chirac Sat, 13 Jun 2026 09:41:20 +0200 france-lays-to-rest-widow-of-late-french-president-chirac Workers in Sweden enjoy relatively generous rights, especially when it comes to holiday. In fact, you actually get paid a bonus for not being at work. https://www.thelocal.com/20200122/why-do-you-get-paid-more-when-you-take-time-off-in-sweden Wed, 22 Jan 2020 12:20:44 +0100 why-do-you-get-paid-more-when-you-take-time-off-in-sweden There are almost 30,000 islands and islets in the Stockholm archipelago and each one is different from the next. Here are ten worth visiting, whether you're looking for a party night, a relaxing weekend, seafood, or family fun. https://www.thelocal.com/20230720/ten-islands-to-visit-in-the-stockholm-archipelago-and-how-to-get-there Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:30:17 +0200 ten-islands-to-visit-in-the-stockholm-archipelago-and-how-to-get-there Jordan Bardella has stumbled upon reality - writes John Lichfield. A dangerous thing for a populist politician. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/opinion-the-french-pension-crisis-could-be-a-landmine-for-jordan-bardella Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:24:38 +0200 opinion-the-french-pension-crisis-could-be-a-landmine-for-jordan-bardella The Talking France podcast is back with an episode looking at the political storm that has erupted following the death of an 11-year-old girl, what France's population could look like by 2070, and which region offers the better quality of life: Normandy or Brittany. https://www.thelocal.com/20260611/podcast-70000-outstanding-complaints-france-rocked-by-scale-of-child-sexual-violence Thu, 11 Jun 2026 08:08:33 +0200 podcast-70000-outstanding-complaints-france-rocked-by-scale-of-child-sexual-violence Russia could make military 'advances' against NATO countries relatively soon if the Kremlin found the timing favourable, Sweden's parliamentary defence committee warned Friday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260612/sweden-says-russia-may-test-nato-cohesion Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:02:20 +0200 sweden-says-russia-may-test-nato-cohesion A total of 154 airlines are banned in the European Union due to safety concerns, after the 2026 update of the ‘EU air safety list’ announced by the European Commission this week. https://www.thelocal.com/20260612/which-airlines-are-banned-in-the-european-union-and-why Fri, 12 Jun 2026 12:20:05 +0200 which-airlines-are-banned-in-the-european-union-and-why Coming from North American work culture, where you're often expected to pretend to love your job, it can be a bit of a shock to find that, in Sweden, a common conversation in the workplace is how eager you are to get away from it for a whole month, writes The Local's Mandy Pipher. https://www.thelocal.com/20260612/snart-ar-det-semester-how-to-talk-about-summer-holidays-like-a-swede Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:56:35 +0200 snart-ar-det-semester-how-to-talk-about-summer-holidays-like-a-swede Sweden's public health agency announced it was recommending that parents not give children their own smartphones before the age of 13, citing several risks associated with their use. https://www.thelocal.com/20260612/swedish-public-health-agency-recommends-no-smartphones-for-children-under-13 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:46:01 +0200 swedish-public-health-agency-recommends-no-smartphones-for-children-under-13 More than 200,000 lives have been lost to the "silent killer" of extreme heat in Europe since 2022, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, after a heatwave saw some countries record their highest-ever May temperatures. https://www.thelocal.com/20260611/silent-killer-extreme-heat-claims-more-than-200000-lives-in-europe Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:08:53 +0200 silent-killer-extreme-heat-claims-more-than-200000-lives-in-europe France and Switzerland are imposing tight security for a looming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, with a demonstration to be held Sunday in Geneva serving as their first test. https://www.thelocal.com/20260611/france-and-switzerland-impose-tight-security-around-lake-geneva-for-g7-summit Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:13:09 +0200 france-and-switzerland-impose-tight-security-around-lake-geneva-for-g7-summit Sweden's government has said it will scrap a proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to 13 after the collapse of the parliament's pairing system put it at risk of a defeat. https://www.thelocal.com/20260611/swedish-government-drops-prison-for-13-year-olds-to-prevent-defeat Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:25:12 +0200 swedish-government-drops-prison-for-13-year-olds-to-prevent-defeat With the rising cost of petrol and flight tickets, many people in Germany are opting to travel by train for a summer 'staycation'. Here are five destinations you should visit. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/five-summer-holiday-destinations-in-germany-you-can-reach-by-train Wed, 27 May 2026 16:34:23 +0200 five-summer-holiday-destinations-in-germany-you-can-reach-by-train A Swedish court has delayed a ruling on a 61-year-old man accused of exploiting his "vulnerable" wife to have sex with scores of men for payment. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/swedish-court-delays-verdict-for-man-accused-of-pressing-wife-into-mass-prostitution Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:13:39 +0200 swedish-court-delays-verdict-for-man-accused-of-pressing-wife-into-mass-prostitution The Swedish economy grew by 0.5 percent in April compared to the previous month, according to the monthly GDP indicator from Statistics Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/swedish-economy-beats-expectations-with-0-5-percent-growth-in-april Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:43:48 +0200 swedish-economy-beats-expectations-with-0-5-percent-growth-in-april Only three countries have passed into national legislation new EU pay transparency rules by the June 7th deadline, MEPs and trade unions have denounced. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/only-3-countries-met-deadline-for-new-eu-pay-transparency-rules Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:12:09 +0200 only-3-countries-met-deadline-for-new-eu-pay-transparency-rules Swedes' support for adopting the euro is falling, according to the latest survey by Statistics Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/swedish-support-for-adopting-the-euro-drops-as-krona-rebounds Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:08:13 +0200 swedish-support-for-adopting-the-euro-drops-as-krona-rebounds Growing numbers of Europeans no longer see the US as an ally, with a significant minority viewing the superpower as an adversary, a new survey has revealed. https://www.thelocal.com/20260610/a-new-low-europeans-no-longer-see-the-us-as-an-ally-and-blame-trump Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:30 +0200 a-new-low-europeans-no-longer-see-the-us-as-an-ally-and-blame-trump European ferry ports have sounded the alarm about the impact of the EU's new EES checks this summer at the same time as global tourism chiefs say travellers from around the world are being put off by the prospect of long border delays in Europe. https://www.thelocal.com/20260609/tourism-chiefs-and-european-ferry-ports-sound-alarm-over-summer-border-chaos Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:24:20 +0200 tourism-chiefs-and-european-ferry-ports-sound-alarm-over-summer-border-chaos