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 » Italy captures mafia initiation rites on film Secret mafia initiation rites have been caught on camera for the first time by Italian police, who on Tuesday arrested 40 suspected gangsters in raids across the north of the country. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Spain » MPs call on Spain to recognize Palestine The Spanish parliament on Tuesday passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to recognize the state of Palestine. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in France » Take the Miss France general knowledge quiz This year Miss France contestants have had to prove they have the brains as well as the beauty, by taking an obligatory general knowledge test. Do you have what it takes to be Miss France? Test yourself here. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Germany » City wants cash from anti-Nazi activist The city of Limburg has demanded almost €1,000 from an activist for spraying over neo-Nazi graffiti. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Sweden » Staff numbers to spiral at Sweden's Spotify Spotify plans to boost its staff numbers by a third, its co-founder and chief executive said on Tuesday, amid increasing competition from other technology companies. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Norway » Ten reasons why Norway is king of the world Norway has more than just government wealth making it officially the most prosperous country in the world. But The Local discovers it's far more than just oil money making this Nordic nation a world-beater. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Switzerland » Room fills with sugar beets after truck crash A freak accident on Tuesday left the living room of a home filled with sugar beets after a truck carrying the sweet crop flipped on one side in a rural village in the canton of Zurich, police said. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Austria » Former minister now a prison librarian Austria’s former interior minister Ernst Strasser, who recently started a three year prison sentence for accepting money in exchange for lobbying in Brussels, is now busy helping to run the prison library. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Denmark » New Danish citizens halved in four years Danish citizenship was granted to just 3,600 people in 2012 compared to 6,900 in 2009, statistics agency Eurostat said on Tuesday. READ »

Latest chat from: Toytown Germany » 03:07 Munich Skeptics in the Pub 02:32 Lack of security at Kindergarten/Kinderkrippe 00:19 Grocery stores in Germany 00:14 Cheapo Gyms (McFit, Superfit) 00:13 Little pension planning tool for free download		Latest chat from: English Forum Switzerland » 02:48 Bank account us citizen non swiss resiedent 02:07 Pregnancy Questions in Interviews??? 01:52 Finding work as a foreign veterinarian - what are the realities? 01:21 Employer horrors 01:20 Erdogan's 1,000 room palace