Giorgia Meloni hails ‘night of pride’ in Italian elections | First Thing

Far-right leader poised to become Italy's first female prime minister. Plus, the gallery letting insects run wild

Good morning.

The far-right party leader Giorgia Meloni has claimed victory in Italy's elections and promised to govern for all citizens, after exit polls gave her coalition a clear majority, putting her on course to create the country's most rightwing government since the end of the second world war.

What did Meloni say last night? She said Italian voters had given a clear mandate to the right to form the next government and called for unity to help confront the country's many problems. This is a night of pride for Brothers of Italy but it is a starting point, not a finish line," she told supporters.

Will the pound and dollar reach parity? On Friday afternoon, Bloomberg's options pricing model showed there was a 26% chance the pound and the dollar hitting parity within the next six months, up from 14% on Thursday.