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 If you've ever fancied owning your own island, one is now on the market - a private island off the coast of Brittany is for sale for €2.5 million. https://www.thelocal.com/20260608/private-island-for-sale-off-coast-of-france Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:16:17 +0200 private-island-for-sale-off-coast-of-france Two women have filed new complaints of sexual abuse against French pop icon Patrick Bruel, prosecutors and their lawyer said Saturday, in the latest accusations against the singer under investigation. https://www.thelocal.com/20260613/two-new-sex-abuse-complaints-against-french-star-bruel Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:26:51 +0200 two-new-sex-abuse-complaints-against-french-star-bruel Much has been said and written about the 'No to 10 million' initiative seeking to cap immigration in Switzerland. Here's when we can expect the results on Sunday 14th June. https://www.thelocal.com/20260613/when-will-we-know-the-result-of-switzerlands-no-to-10-million-vote Sat, 13 Jun 2026 14:44:44 +0200 when-will-we-know-the-result-of-switzerlands-no-to-10-million-vote 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 After the success of the swimming spots in the River Seine last year, Paris authorities have confirmed that the open-water swimming areas will return in the summer of 2026, starting July 4th. https://www.thelocal.com/20260511/seine-swimming-to-return-to-paris-this-summer Mon, 11 May 2026 09:46:37 +0200 seine-swimming-to-return-to-paris-this-summer Bernadette Chirac, who has died aged 93, stood by her late husband and French president Jacques Chirac through thick and thin during 12 years as first lady, but also forged her own, more discreet, political career. https://www.thelocal.com/20260606/bernadette-chirac-frances-dedicated-and-discreet-first-lady Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:03:34 +0200 bernadette-chirac-frances-dedicated-and-discreet-first-lady 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 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