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 » Hideout of ex-mob boss becomes police station The hideout of former Cosa Nostra boss Toto Riina was inaugurated Saturday as Palermo's new station for Italy's carabinieri armed police force, in an event attended by Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Spain » Black boxes of crashed military plane found Spanish authorities on Sunday found the two cockpit recorders of the Airbus A400M military plane that crashed near Seville airport, killing four people, as Britain, Germany and Turkey grounded their models of the aircraft. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in France » France’s Varda to get honorary Palme d’Or French arthouse movie director Agnes Varda is to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes film festival, the first female handed the coveted award, organisers said Saturday. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Germany » Merkel meets Putin for talks, snubs WWII parade Angela Merkel on Sunday met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on the situation in Ukraine. Ahead of the meeting, she paid tribute to Soviet soldiers killed in WWII in an apparent compromise for snubbing Russia’s mammoth military parade a day earlier. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Sweden » Swedish police called over airport luggage row A dispute that erupted over a family’s refusal to pay for excess luggage at a check-in counter at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport on Sunday spiralled out of control to the point that police had to be called to the scene to try to mediate. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Norway » Norway sells salmon eggs to North Korea With exports to China still struggling in the wake of the Nobel prize debacle, Norway’s salmon industry is making inroads into an unlikely Asian market: North Korea. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Switzerland » Sale of US general's watch exceeds estimates Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, a watch worn by legendary US five-star general Douglas MacArthur sold at a Geneva auction on Sunday for 70,000 francs ($75,000), far above the estimate. READ »		Latest news from: The Local in Austria » Prison thief robs Austrian entrepreneur One of Austria’s most high-profile prisoners - Austrian entrepreneur and former football club president Hannes Kartnig - has become a victim of theft in Graz’s Jakomini prison. READ »

Latest news from: The Local in Denmark » Danes offered sunny holiday for egg donation The world's largest sperm bank is circumventing Denmark's "absurd" and "discriminatory" laws on egg donation by paying for trips abroad. READ »

Latest chat from: Toytown Germany » 18:08Ways to cancel a 2 year internet contract? 17:56You know it's summer when... 17:53Move to Frankfurt with Wife & Kid 17:49Graphic design jobs in Berlin 17:16Dealing with Australian and German Tax year End		Latest chat from: English Forum Switzerland » 04:51Edible wild foods ... 03:38French VAT and Shopping in St. Louis 03:27Should I install a trailer hitch before importing my car? 02:13Children beyond discipline-Family crisis 01:40Being offered a job and now my future ex boss changed his mind. Valid?