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 The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis". https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/europe-heatwave-a-brutal-reminder-of-climate-change Wed, 27 May 2026 15:22:09 +0200 europe-heatwave-a-brutal-reminder-of-climate-change The biggest culture shock for many foreigners arriving in Sweden comes when they are invited for a swim or a sauna and discover that everyone is expected to be naked. But this being Sweden, there are rules. https://www.thelocal.com/20230329/how-to-get-naked-in-sweden-without-embarrassing-yourself Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:54:11 +0200 how-to-get-naked-in-sweden-without-embarrassing-yourself Malmö police rushed to the city centre following reports of a corpse on a cart. Imagine their relief when they realised it was in fact a sex doll. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/malmo-corpse-triggers-major-police-operation-turns-out-to-be-sex-doll Wed, 27 May 2026 10:20:27 +0200 malmo-corpse-triggers-major-police-operation-turns-out-to-be-sex-doll With almost a year of his presidency left to run, Emmanuel Macron has effectively lost control of his government and his succession - John Lichfield looks at where it all went wrong for the young man once touted as the future for France. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/opinion-emmanuel-macron-where-did-it-all-go-wrong Wed, 27 May 2026 10:10:48 +0200 opinion-emmanuel-macron-where-did-it-all-go-wrong Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny kicks off a series of 10 concerts on Saturday in Madrid, a city with a booming Latino population now emerging as a new hub of the Latin music industry. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/how-madrid-became-europes-gateway-for-latin-music Wed, 27 May 2026 10:08:55 +0200 how-madrid-became-europes-gateway-for-latin-music Marrying your cousin is currently legal in Sweden. But that will change this summer. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/sweden-rolls-out-total-ban-on-cousin-marriage-from-july-1st Wed, 27 May 2026 09:56:32 +0200 sweden-rolls-out-total-ban-on-cousin-marriage-from-july-1st Stockholm residents for the first time enjoy the highest life expectancy in Sweden, new statistics reveal. https://www.thelocal.com/20260527/stockholmers-for-the-first-time-live-the-longest-in-sweden Wed, 27 May 2026 09:51:16 +0200 stockholmers-for-the-first-time-live-the-longest-in-sweden Europe, which is in the throes of a record-smashing heatwave this week, is the world's fastest-warming continent and stretches into an even more rapidly heating Arctic. https://www.thelocal.com/20260526/explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent Tue, 26 May 2026 21:00:20 +0200 explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent A start date has been agreed for the long-awaited direct train linking Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport with the city centre - although the cost of a ticket continues to cause controversy. https://www.thelocal.com/20260427/start-date-set-for-new-paris-airport-link Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:24:01 +0200 start-date-set-for-new-paris-airport-link Sweden is halving the price of monthly public transport tickets from July 1st until the end of the year, funded by a multibillion-kronor subsidy paid out to the regions. https://www.thelocal.com/20260526/sweden-to-cut-monthly-public-transport-tickets-by-50-in-all-regions Tue, 26 May 2026 14:19:42 +0200 sweden-to-cut-monthly-public-transport-tickets-by-50-in-all-regions A record number of German passports was issued in 2025 with almost 310,000 foreigners naturalised in Germany, according to preliminary figures collated in a media report. https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/germany-sees-historic-boom-in-number-of-naturalisations Mon, 25 May 2026 17:51:05 +0200 germany-sees-historic-boom-in-number-of-naturalisations A Swedish prosecutor has called for a 10-year prison sentence against a man on trial for allegedly prostituting out his wife to around 120 clients. https://www.thelocal.com/20260526/swedish-prosecutor-urges-prison-for-man-charged-with-prostituting-his-wife Tue, 26 May 2026 09:23:09 +0200 swedish-prosecutor-urges-prison-for-man-charged-with-prostituting-his-wife Ukrainians in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive will soon be able to apply for a different type of residence permit without leaving Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260526/sweden-opens-new-residence-permit-paths-for-ukrainians-in-sweden Tue, 26 May 2026 09:02:01 +0200 sweden-opens-new-residence-permit-paths-for-ukrainians-in-sweden Sweden has reached its target of fewer than five percent of the population smoking regularly – and is consequently considered "smoke-free". https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/incredible-milestone-reached-as-sweden-becomes-a-smoke-free-country Mon, 25 May 2026 08:36:36 +0200 incredible-milestone-reached-as-sweden-becomes-a-smoke-free-country A self-driving bus was involved in a crash with a tram on its first day carrying passengers in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/self-driving-bus-in-gothenburg-crashes-with-tram-on-first-day Mon, 25 May 2026 14:15:57 +0200 self-driving-bus-in-gothenburg-crashes-with-tram-on-first-day Air conditioning is not common in Germany, especially in private homes, but there other ways to keep yourself and your home cool during a heatwave. https://www.thelocal.com/20250813/six-ways-to-keep-your-german-home-cool-without-air-conditioning Wed, 13 Aug 2025 11:57:28 +0200 six-ways-to-keep-your-german-home-cool-without-air-conditioning More than 100,000 people gathered in the university town of Lund on Saturday to attend the student-run Lundakarnevalen, which is organised every four years. https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/in-pictures-more-than-100000-people-celebrate-university-carnival-in-lund Mon, 25 May 2026 09:59:00 +0200 in-pictures-more-than-100000-people-celebrate-university-carnival-in-lund Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson has his eyes set on roughly half of the seats in a future right-wing cabinet, including three of the following portfolios: finance, foreign, justice and defence. https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/sweden-democrats-aim-for-half-of-cabinet-seats-in-a-right-wing-government Mon, 25 May 2026 08:51:07 +0200 sweden-democrats-aim-for-half-of-cabinet-seats-in-a-right-wing-government A two-year-old boy who went missing on Sunday morning at Nyåker, 60 kilometres west of Umeå in northern Sweden, has been found alive. https://www.thelocal.com/20260525/missing-toddler-in-northern-sweden-found-alive-after-over-14-hours Mon, 25 May 2026 08:31:09 +0200 missing-toddler-in-northern-sweden-found-alive-after-over-14-hours Raising a child is expensive, but in Germany parents also get supportive benefits, as well as affordable childcare and health insurance. Here's a look at how much it really costs to raise a family here. https://www.thelocal.com/20260318/how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-children-in-germany Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:13:46 +0100 how-much-does-it-cost-to-raise-children-in-germany