Boris Johnson deliberately lied to MPs about lockdown-breaking parties during the Covid pandemic that would have seen him face a 90-day suspension had he not quit as a...

Federal prosecutors in Phoenix say a founder of the classified ad site Backpage

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Thursday told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin he wanted to deepen security

The island became a symbol of Ukraine's resistance after troops there defied a Russian order to surrender.

Oil steadied after rallying more than 2% Tuesday on Saudi Arabian and Russian production cuts. Global benchmark Brent

Republicans seek Jamaal Bowman's expulsion for setting off fire alarm to "delay" a crucial vote.

Donald Tusk hailed a new era for Poland after liberal, pro-EU opposition parties appeared poised to oust the governing conservative party in the nation’s most pivotal election in decades. A late exit poll by Ipsos published on Monday afternoon gave incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) 36.1% of the vote, which would translate into 196 seats in the lower house of parliament. Opposition parties led by Mr Tusk’s liberal Civic Coalition (KO), were projected to win a combined 249 seats based on the highest turnout since the fall of communism in 1989. In Wroclaw, polling queues were so long that voting continued until nearly 3am. PiS repeatedly clashed with the EU over the rule of law, media freedom, migration and LGBT rights since it swept to power in 2015. KO, along with New Left and the centre-right Third Way, have pledged to mend ties with Brussels and scrap reforms they say have eroded Polish democracy. Mr Tusk, a former prime minister and European Council president, told supporters: “Poland won. Democracy has won. We have removed them from power. “I have been a politician for many years. I’m an athlete. Never in my life have I been so happy about taking second place.” Polish financial markets surged on the prospect of a government led by Mr Tusk. The blue-chip WIG 20 share index was up 6.2% at lunchtime, while the zloty currency was 1.3% stronger. But even if the exit polls prove accurate, Mr Tusk and his allies may have to wait weeks or even months before getting a turn at forming a government. President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has said he would give the winning party the first chance at forming a coalition. PiS won more votes than any single party and said it would try to build a new government led by prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki. But the leader of the agrarian PSL party, a frequent kingmaker in past governments, ruled out cooperating with PiS after running with the Third Way coalition. “Those who voted for us want change, want a change of government, want PiS removed from power,” said Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Poland’s election had not been entirely free and fair. “The ruling party enjoyed a clear advantage through its undue influence over the use of state resources and public media,” said Pia Kauma, head of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly. Turnout among 18-29 year olds jumped to 71% from 46% in the last parliamentary election in 2019, according to Ipsos. In an aggressive campaign, PiS had cast the election as a choice between uncontrolled illegal migration under the rule of leaders it said were beholden to foreign interests and a government that would protect Poland’s borders and traditions. However, PiS faced accusations of democratic backsliding and undermining women’s rights after the government enforced a near-total abortion ban in 2021. PiS was also accused of using lucrative positions in state-controlled firms to reward supporters. “I expect that women will now have more rights, that they will feel safer,” said Iga Frackiewicz, 43, a banking administrator. “I also hope that nepotism will end, for example in state companies and in other places.” The outcome could also affect ties with neighbouring Ukraine, which Poland has been supporting in the war against Russia’s aggression. Good relations soured in September over Ukraine grain entering and affecting Poland’s market. Read More Poland waits for final election result after ruling party and opposition claim a win Ada Sagi was already dealing with the pain of loss. Then war came to her door Police in Warsaw seal off a large square after a man climbs a monument and reportedly makes threats The AP Interview: EU President Michel warns about spillover of Israel-Hamas war into Europe Parties running in Poland's Sunday parliamentary election hold final campaign rallies Germany is aiming to ease deportations as the government faces intense pressure on migration

Mayim Bialik accepted a response with incorrect spelling after she evicted nine-day champion over same mistake

The same day that Azerbaijan celebrated the surrender of separatist Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh, many in the breakaway region's capital spent the evening throwing stacks of paper onto a fire.

Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, the man known as the "Unabomber," has died, according to a law enforcement official.

At least 13 people have been killed in severe storms lashing parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. Two people have been confirmed dead and four people are missing in central Greece after torrential rain flooded homes and businesses. The body of an elderly woman was recovered close to a seaside community in the southern Pelion region near the port city of Volos on Wednesday, while 10 people were trapped in the area, Michalis Mitzikos, a local mayor, told Skai television. One man had died on Tuesday after a wall collapsed. Greece has said the weather was the most extreme, in terms of rainfall, since records have been kept. “Yesterday the rainfall was very intense, unprecedented,” said Vasilis Batsios, 44, in Volos. “For 24 hours it was non-stop and there was a lot of water; the amount of water was unbelievable.” Police issued traffic warnings for the cities of Trikala and Karditsa as the rainstorm was not expected to weaken before Thursday. Skiathos, a popular holiday island in the northwest Aegean Sea, has also been hammered by rain, leaving hundreds of British holidaymakers stranded after their flights were cancelled. Jet2, which normally operates many flights between the UK and Skiathos, has cancelled all its Tuesday and Wednesday services. Holidaymakers on the island have been left with “no way to get food” with many currently unable to get to the airport. One stranded tourist said the centre of Skiathos was “underwater” and described the situation as “horrendously scary”. Police have ordered all residents and tourists to stay off the streets and the island’s mayor has put in a request to declare a state of emergency. The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Greece, telling British tourists on the island to check the local emergency communication services for updates as the “situation can change quickly”. It comes as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the northern hemisphere experienced its hottest summer on record, fuelled by the climate crisis A flash flood at a campsite in northwest Turkey, near the border with Bulgaria, killed at least five people and and carried away bungalow homes, with three people found dead on Wednesday. Rescuers were still searching for one person reported missing at the campsite. Another two people died in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, where Tuesday’s storms inundated hundreds of homes and workplaces in several neighbourhoods. The dead in Istanbul included a 32-year-old Guinean citizen who was trapped inside his basement apartment in the Kucukcekmece district, Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV reported. The other was a 57-year-old woman who died after being swept away by the floods, the DHA news agency reported. Around a dozen people were rescued after being stranded inside a library, while some subway stations were shut down. Istanbul governor Davut Gul urged motorcyclists to stay at home. In Bulgaria, a storm caused floods on the country’s southern Black Sea coast. The body of a missing tourist was recovered from the sea on Wednesday, raising the overall death toll to three. Border police vessels and drones were assisting efforts to locate another two people still listed as missing. TV footage showed cars and camper vans being swept out to sea in the southern resort town of Tsarevo, where authorities declared a state of emergency. The Met Office said “slow-moving” Storm Daniel crossing would bring further rain to the central Mediterranean region. “Much of the area will see between 50 and 150mm of rain over the next two days from Daniel, as it’s a slow-moving system,” Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson told The Independent. “There are also strong winds and rough seas throughout the period. Daniel will gradually weaken in a few days’ time.” Greece’s weather service said a village in Pelion received 75.4cm (nearly 30in) of rain late Tuesday, by far the highest level recorded since at least 2006. It noted that the average annual rainfall in the Athens region is around 40cm (15.75in). “There is clear evidence that extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and wildfires, are becoming more frequent and more intense with climate change,” Aleksandra Kazmierczak, a climate expert with the European Environment Agency (EEA), told The Independent. “We have seen this across Europe this summer and now unfortunately also in Greece. We need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, but it is equally important that we prepare our societies for its current and future impacts.” The WMO and the European Union’s climate change service Copernicus also announced that last month was the hottest August ever recorded. The month was about 1.5C warmer than pre-industrial averages. “The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, said in a statement. “Climate breakdown has begun.” Read More Hundreds of Brits stranded in Greece as Skiathos flights are cancelled amid storms Moment Greece flooding sweeps cars into sea as roads turn into fast-flowing rivers Flights back to UK cancelled amid severe Greek island floods US lawmakers visiting The Hague say Russian President Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine ‘Sleaze buster’ Sir Chris Bryant joins Labour frontbench ‘Labour cannot be allowed to bankrupt Britain’, claims Sunak

By Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Arshad Mohammed DUBAI/PARIS The United States is holding talks with Iran to