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Former Victorian opposition leader says he will be doing everything possible' to pay the defamation costs within 21 days

The right-wing candidate narrowly beat liberal Rafa Trzaskowski, official results showedRight-wing opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki narrowly won Poland's second round presidential election, official results showed, dealing a huge blow to prime minister Donald Tusk's reform agenda.Nawrocki won Sunday's election with 50.89% of votes, the electoral commission said early on Monday on its website, ahead of his rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal Warsaw mayor and an ally of Tusk, with 49.11%. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can read our latest report on Poland's presidential election hereAny moment now...Are you ready? Continue reading...

On visit to Morocco, David Lammy commends Rabat's plan for limited self-rule in disputed territoryThe UK has thrown its weight behind Morocco's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, marking a shift in Britain's position on one of Africa's longest-running territorial disputes.Speaking during a visit to Rabat on Sunday, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Britain considered Morocco's 2007 autonomy proposal the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis" for resolving the dispute. Continue reading...

Deceased's wounds appeared self-inflicted in incident at Fairgreen mall that was attended by bomb disposal expertsA man has died after a shooting at a shopping centre in County Carlow.The PA news agency understands that it appears that the dead man's wounds were self-inflicted. Continue reading...

Review will call for war-fighting readiness' to deal with new threats, though army will not grow before next election

Most evacuated residents are from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency last weekMore than 25,000 residents in three provinces have been evacuated as dozens of wildfires remain active and affect air quality in parts of Canada and the US, according to officials.Most of the evacuated residents were from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency last week. About 17,000 people there were evacuated by Saturday, along with 1,300 in Alberta. About 8,000 people in Saskatchewan had been relocated as leaders there said the number could climb. Continue reading...

Vehicles torched in French capital and football supporters clash with police following match in MunichTwo people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid violence on the streets of France, which have marred Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory and provoked political recriminations.Cars were torched as flares and fireworks were set off while supporters clashed with police in the French capital on Saturday night after the match in Munich. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Warnings frustrated' Sikh voters could turn to Reform over failure to investigate UK's role in 1984 tragedyBritish Sikhs are threatening to no platform" Labour MPs over the lack of a public inquiry into UK complicity in the 1984 Golden Temple massacre in India, amid warnings frustrated" Sikh voters could back Reform UK.More than 450 gurdwaras, charities, associations and university societies have written to Keir Starmer demanding he honour previous promises to fully investigate the affair or risk massive consequences for the re-election of many Labour MPs". Continue reading...

Queen enthralled by Italian city's museum dedicated to poet Lord Byron, who wrote Don Juan thereIf the most satisfying thing for anyone giving a guided tour is speaking to an enthusiastic and curious listener, then Diego Saglia felt he royally hit the jackpot when he met Queen Camilla in Ravenna.The queen, who was in the northern Italian city with King Charles during a state visit to the country in early April, was so enamoured of her visit to a museum dedicated to the British poet and satirist Lord Byron that she kept her husband waiting in the courtyard. She lingered over Byron's original manuscripts, locks of his curly hair and the love letters he wrote to Countess Teresa Guiccioli. Continue reading...

Lyme Bay Winery is the first English producer to win IWC trophies for both red and white wine in the same yearThey began by producing drinks more usually associated with the rolling hills of southern England - hearty ciders, warming tipples made from hedgerow fruits and good old-fashioned mead.But Lyme Bay Winery in Devon is celebrating a bit of history having become the first English producer to win prestigious international trophies for both red and white wine in the same year. Continue reading...

Prosecutors lay out charges against former mogul but court case has little of the fanfare that characterised first trialIn comparable terms of criminal justice, Harvey Weinstein's sexual crimes retrial in a Manhattan criminal court has had little of the fanfare that meets the trial of Sean Diddy" Combs playing out just steps away in federal court.Combs's trial, on charges of sex-trafficking conspiracy and featuring lurid testimony, has been a hub for content creators, each day lining up outside to deliver their thoughts on the day's evidence. Continue reading...

Artists and legal experts are outraged over MC Poze do Rodo's detention over supposed non-violent offencesThe arrest of a well-known Brazilian funk singer on charges of allegedly inciting crime in his lyrics and an alleged connection to a major criminal gang has sparked outrage among artists, intellectuals and legal experts.MC Poze do Rodo, 26, who has 5.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, was arrested early on Thursday at his home in a luxury condominium in Rio de Janeiro's west zone. Continue reading...

Police on the Champs-Elysees use teargas and pepper spray to keep order after huge crowds had gathered for gameAt least 81 people have been arrested after violent clashes in Paris after huge crowds of fans gathered to watch PSG's victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.The club's Parc des Princes stadium was transformed into a fan zone for the night to screen the match, which took place in Munich, with about 48,000 attending. Continue reading...

Rescuers discover Aziz Ziriat's body buried in snow at foot of the southern face of the Care Alto mountainThe body of a British hiker missing in the Dolomites in northern Italy since New Year's Day has been found, local rescuers said on Saturday.Aziz Ziriat, 36, from London, was discovered buried in snow by rescuers from the Trentino Alpine and speleological rescue team, the organisation said. Continue reading...

Plans for 1.5bn investment in munitions manufacturing response to government's defence review's call to boost stockpilesThe UK will spend 1.5bn on building six munitions and energetics factories to better deter our adversaries" as part of its long-awaited strategic defence review.John Healey, the defence secretary, said the funds formed part of plans for an always-on" weapons pipeline and would support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. Continue reading...

Israel and US envoy reject group's proposal to free 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in exchange for release of Palestinian prisonersHamas said on Saturday that it had submitted its response containing some amendments to a proposal presented by Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to mediators, the most concrete sign of progress towards a ceasefire since March.The Palestinian group said in a statement that under the deal, it will release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners - a change to the US's latest proposal that will make it more difficult for Israel to resume fighting if talks on a permanent ceasefire are not completed by the end of the truce. Continue reading...

Police called on Friday afternoon over concerns for the welfare of two children who had entered the riverA body has been found in the search for a girl missing in the River Thames, police said.A body was recovered from the river near Gravesend with the assistance of the RNLI at about 11.40am on Saturday. Continue reading...

Market thought to be worth more than 500m as diners seek cheaper alternatives to the pub or a meal outDessert cafes and ice-cream parlours are hoping to play a role in a revival of UK high streets and the night-time economy, as people seek an alternative to going to the pub or an expensive meal out.Their number has soared by almost 700 in the UK in the past decade, according to analysts at Green Street, formerly the Local Data Company, with outlets in places from Aberdeen to Plymouth. Continue reading...

Peng Yujiang says updraft took him nearly as high as Mount Everest but parts of flight video appear to be AI-generatedA Chinese paraglider's story of being accidentally propelled more than 8,000 metres high by an updraft has been thrown into doubt after it emerged that parts of a video of the flight appear to have been AI-generated.Peng Yujiang, who has been banned from the activity for six months, said he began from an elevation of about 3,000 metres in the Qilian mountain range in northern China, where he intended to test some secondhand equipment he bought without making a proper flight, according to an investigative report by the Gansu Provincial Aviation Sports Association. Continue reading...

Morning rain could affect Northern Ireland and Scotland but southern and eastern parts likely to remain dryTemperatures could hit 27C on Saturday, as the UK's sunniest spring on record draws to a close. But more changeable weather is forecast next week.Temperatures reached 25.7C at Heathrow on Friday - about 7C hotter than the average for the time of year - and the trend is due to continue into Saturday, with highs of 27C possible in some areas, the Met Office said. Continue reading...

MoD document expected to highlight dangers posed by Russia and China, and shortfall in UK troop numbersBritain is facing a new era of threat" with drones, artificial intelligence and other technologies changing the nature of warfare more fundamentally than at any other point in history, the government's strategic defence review is expected to conclude on Monday.The 130-page document written by three advisers to the prime minister, Keir Starmer, will warn of the immediate and pressing" danger posed by Russia and is expected to try to draw heavily on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Medecins Sans Frontieres report sparks calls for Sudan's warring parties to be held to account for rapes and attacksAs Sudan's Darfur region has been overrun by militias, women are facing the constant threat of sexual violence, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has reported.The medical charity said in the South Darfur region alone its workers treated 659 sexual violence survivors between January and March this year, more than two-thirds of whom had been raped. Continue reading...

Austria and Slovenia are exceptions in continent where just a third of militaries even know their carbon footprint

London transport body says allowing Bpas adverts on its network could bring police and City Hall into disreputeTransport for London has blocked adverts that urge people to lobby their MPs to vote to decriminalise abortion from running on its network because it claims they could bring the police and City Hall into disrepute.Parliament is expected to vote on whether to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in the coming weeks, with amendments tabled to the criminal justice bill seeking to change the law. Continue reading...

Not all is going smoothly after Friedrich Merz's promise to build up German army and no limits' on helping UkraineWithin days of Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olaf Scholz announced a Zeitenwende, or historical turning point". The then German chancellor promised a security transformation by increasing defence spending, sending more aid to Ukraine, taking a tougher approach to authoritarian states and rapidly reducing Germany's dependence on Russian energy.It was a psychological turning point for a country haunted by its Nazi past but now expected to step up - as the biggest economic power in Europe - to a threat to the continent. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Conditions on settlement negotiations common in many industries but consumer advocates concerned they could be used to silence victims and avoid scrutiny'

Paper is likely to run into two difficulties, people and money, as personnel numbers fall and spending risesBritain may not be at war, but the backdrop to next Monday's strategic defence review is the greatest geopolitical uncertainty since 1945. A set of loosely interconnected conflicts - led by Russia's continued assault on Ukraine and its related shadow war in Europe, and Israel's seemingly unending war on Hamas, which may lead to an attack on Iran - have not at all been restrained by a skittish White House with little interest in helping to promote peace in Europe.One of the three-strong review team is Fiona Hill, who was briefly and famously an adviser to Donald Trump in his first term. She is so worried about the disintegration of postwar norms that she believes the world is drifting towards a scenario that you had in world war one" where, in the run-up to the war, suddenly all these different interests and these different conflicts became, you know, basically intertwined with each other, [and] it becomes extraordinarily hard to disentangle". Continue reading...

Existing bureau that helps with settling people in US would become new agency overseeing deportationsThe state department is seeking to create an Office of Remigration" as

Concerns raised that hefty award to politician over Spotlight episode could lead to less hard-hitting journalismFor more than half a century, Spotlight has roved a beam over Northern Ireland, illuminating dark and overlooked topics. But now the flagship BBC documentary series is itself in the glare of scrutiny.Gerry Adams' victory in a libel case on Friday dealt a heavy blow to Spotlight and the BBC and raises questions over the programme and the impact of the case on journalism in the UK and Ireland. Continue reading...

Several people remain missing in state of Niger after torrential rains submerged town of MokwaMore than 100 people have died and several others remain missing after a torrential downpour in the central Nigerian state of Niger, local authorities said on Friday.Floods submerged the town of Mokwa after the rains began on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday morning. Ibrahim Audu Hussein, a spokesperson for the state emergency management agency, said rescue efforts were still under way on Friday. Continue reading...

Radiohead frontman makes lengthy statement after he had been criticised over perceived silence on the war, and for previously performing in IsraelAfter he was criticised for his silence on the subject, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has made a statement regarding the war in Gaza, saying Benjamin Netanyahu and his Israeli administration are extremists" who need to be stopped".He also criticised Hamas, saying the organisation chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people".I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease. Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently.I believe this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden itself behind a terrified & grieving people and used them to deflect any criticism, using that fear and grief to further their ultra-nationalist agenda with terrible consequences, as we see now with the horrific blockade of aid to Gaza ... Continue reading...

The chancellor will announce billions in regional spending after rewriting Treasury investment rulesAndrew Bailey has urged the UK government to deepen ties with the EU, as he warned a breakdown in global trade would make it harder for the Bank of England to control inflation.In a speech in Dublin on Thursday, the Bank's governor said a stronger relationship between London and Brussels could minimise negative effects" of Brexit on trade.As of now, provided you are an eligible UK donor ... we are the first political party in Britain that can accept donations in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.My message to the British public, and my message particularly to young people, is to help us to help you bring our country properly into the 21st century.Let's recognise that crypto and digital assets are here to stay. Continue reading...

Draft reportedly includes release of 28 hostages in first week, 60-day ceasefire and aid for Gaza when deal signed offHamas has received Israel's response to a US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal and is thoroughly reviewing" it, even though the response does not meet any of the Palestinians' just and legitimate demands", one of the militant group's officials has said.On Thursday, the White House said Israel had agreed to the US truce proposal and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan, although it described the agreement as more biased in favour of Israel than previous proposals. Continue reading...

Critics warn the experiment will lead to low turnout, a political power grab and infiltration by organised crimeOn a heat-dazed afternoon in Culiacan, the capital of Mexico's Sinaloa state, a tannoy by the cathedral was droning through an advert for the judicial elections on loop when a plume of smoke appeared in the sky. A flicker of agitation ran through the plaza.After months of cartel conflict, Sinaloa is on edge. Yet on 1 June, it and the rest of Mexico will start to elect every judge in the country, from local magistrates to supreme court justices, by popular vote. Continue reading...

Media quoted unnamed distributors who said they could not obtain copies of the magazine or that it had been bannedThe latest print edition of the Economist, which features Vietnam's top leader on its cover, has been banned in the country, the latest instance of media censorship in the communist, one-party state.The magazine carried an image of the Communist party General Secretary To Lam with stars on his eyes, alongside the headline The man with a plan for Vietnam", with an article carrying the subheading: A Communist party hard man has to rescue Asia's great success story". Continue reading...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had faced criticism from aid groups even before this week's chaotic rolloutAfter a rollout trumpeted by US officials, the US- and Israeli-backed effort that claimed it would return large-scale food deliveries to Gaza was born an orphan, with questions growing over its leadership, sources of funding and ties to Israeli officials and private US security contractors.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation had said it would securely provide food supplies to the Gaza Strip, ending an Israeli blockade that UN officials say have led to the brink of a famine. Continue reading...

Forty-year extension of North West Shelf gas project granted by environment minister, Murray Watt, will result in huge greenhouse gas emissions, putting the already degraded Indigenous rock art at risk

Alarm as Javier Milei's government curbs state supply of abortion pills and seeks to reverse landmark legalisationArgentina is being used as a testing ground" for stripping back abortion rights internationally as it cuts funding for contraceptives and ends the distribution of abortion pills, Amnesty International warned on Wednesday.Before the inauguration of President Javier Milei in December 2023, the state bought abortion pills, which were then distributed for free through the public health system. Continue reading...

Detective also tells mushroom lunch trial that phone records indicate a sim card was switched while police searched murder accused's home

South African actor gained international recognition for his role in the drama which won best foreign language filmPresley Chweneyagae, the South African actor who gained international recognition for his leading role in the 2005 film Tsotsi, which won South Africa's first ever Oscar for best foreign language film, has died. He was 40 years old.His talent agency MLA on Tuesday confirmed Chweneyagae's death and said South Africa had lost one of its most gifted and beloved actors". Continue reading...

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says lorry loads of food have been delivered to sites in Gaza but UN humanitarian agency says it is unaware if any aid has been distributed

Tom Kopke, 23, retains his title while women's race won by student raising money for refugees and the homelessThe idea of a perfect spring bank holiday for many involves lazing around at home and barely lifting a finger. For a select number of daredevils flocking to Gloucestershire, however, the day is spent chasing a wheel of cheese down a hill.The annual tradition, thought to date back to 1826, sees competitors sprint, trip and tumble down Cooper's Hill near Brockworth to try to win an 8lb wheel of double gloucester. Continue reading...

IDF says practice strictly prohibited' after report of incidents quoting both Palestinians and Israeli troopsIsrael is investigating several cases" involving soldiers who have forced Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza, sending them into buildings and tunnels to check for bombs and gunmen.The use of Palestinians as human shields, or otherwise coercing them to participate in military operations, is strictly prohibited in IDF [Israel Defense Forces] orders," the Israeli army said in a statement. Continue reading...

Supporters gather in north London to celebrate end to football club's 18-year wait for trophyFor the first time in nearly two decades, a trophy arrived in north London without any red ribbons attached. The streets were a sea of white as thousands of fans descended on the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to celebrate the team's Europa League triumph.

Two settlers under UK sanctions among those who carried out intimidation campaign under Israeli authorities' watch

Palais des Papes show is big on tunic dresses and slouchy boots as heraldry meets Glastonbury for new collectionThe pageantry and drama of the papacy is very much on trend. Hot on the heels of white smoke at the Vatican and Conclave in cinemas, the gothic Palais des Papes in Avignon, home to the popes of the 14th century, hosted a Louis Vuitton catwalk, the first fashion show at the palace in its 700-year history.There was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in the central courtyard of one of Europe's largest medieval structures, where 400 chairs with tall, arched backs and plush, cardinal-red cushions were ranked tightly for Brigitte Macron, Cate Blanchett, Pharrell Williams, a clutch of celebrities making a post-Cannes detour, and a select few of Louis Vuitton's most deep-pocketed clients. Continue reading...

Foreign minister issues warning after US intelligence reportedly understood Israel might attack if talks broke downIran has said that it will hold the US responsible for any Israeli attack on its nuclear sites in remarks that set a fraught backdrop for the fifth and probably most important round of talks between Iran and the US on the future of Iran's nuclear program.Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, issued the warning on Thursday after reports appeared in the America media claiming US intelligence understood Israel was planning an attack on Iranian nuclear sites - with or without American support - if the talks broke down. Continue reading...

Two people hospitalised and services halted between Manchester and Cardiff after incident near LeominsterA suspect has been arrested after a train collision with a tractor in Herefordshire in which two people were hospitalised, British Transport Police (BTP) have said.The 32-year-old man from Bromyard was arrested on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway after the crash at a level crossing in the Leominster area on Thursday morning, causing widespread disruption across English and Welsh rail services. Continue reading...