With independent, daily reporting from around Europe, The Local is a window on life in other cultures.

We capture the essence of nations by finding the stories that tell us who we are (and who those other people over there are), breaking down barriers and bringing us closer together. We are the largest English-language news network in Europe with more than 4.5 million readers every month, plus many more on our partner sites. Our entertaining blend of daily news, business and features has made the site essential reading for foreign professionals in Europe.

Latest news from: The Local in Italy » How the weak euro is boosting tourism to Italy The drop in value of the euro is expected to bring more visitors to Italy this year, with the owner of a villa complex reporting his busiest ever start to the year for bookings. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Spain » Gib chief to defy Spain with Madrid speech Gibraltar´s Chief Minister will deliver a speech in Madrid on Tuesday defying a ban from the Spanish government. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in France » Minister 'receives death threats' over reforms France's Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he had received death threats from "certain officials" furious over his plans to reform parts of the closed-shop economy. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Germany » Merkel calls for Hungary to protect civil rights Chancellor Angela Merkel used a visit to Budapest on Monday to challenge right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to end his crackdown on domestic dissenters and join other European nations in facing the Ukraine crisis. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Sweden » Banking giant probed over 'hunting trips' The CEO of Swedish banking giant Nordea is under investigation for taking free hunting trips, weeks after a similar scandal forced the resignation of another leading Swedish businessman. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Norway » Norway banishes Islamist to remote village A court in Oslo on Monday authorised police to banish Iraqi Kurd "hate preacher" Mullah Krekar to a remote Norwegian village. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Switzerland » Swiss Eurovision winner sings English song The winner of a contest to represent Switzerland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been living in England and her entry is sung in English. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Austria » Pegida demo is a damp squib Germany's Pegida "anti-Islamisation" movement held its first march in Austria on Monday but was dwarfed by a colourful counter-demonstration more than 10 times larger, according to police estimates. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Denmark » Danish crime levels 'remarkably low' in 2014 Crime was down nearly seven percent in 2014 helped largely by significant drops in burglaries and pickpocketing. But the year-end numbers show that other crime areas are increasing. READ »

Latest chat from: Toytown Germany » 00:39Patrick Ott at "C R & Cie."… 23:54Youth ice hockey around Munich 23:49Pensions and freelance English teachers in Germany 23:39Recognition of USA divorce in Germany 23:10Certificate of tax residency		Latest chat from: English Forum Switzerland » 04:04Food in Zurich? Plain mediocre 03:43SNB introduces negative interest to weaken the franc 03:32Stereo stuff? 03:13Some nice underwear coming to LIDL 03:09English Speaking Church recommendations?