Italy appears on course to elect its first far-right leader since the Second World War after voting closed in national elections.
Giorgia Meloni and her electoral alliance hold a big lead, according to exit polls released by state TV as the count began, and opposition leaders have started to concede.
State broadcaster RAI said Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, in alliance with the League and Forza Italia parties, appeared on course to win up to 45 per cent of the vote in both chambers of parliament.
Projections based on one-fifth of votes counted gave Ms Meloni's party 25 per cent of the vote.
The centre-left Democratic Party (PD) had 19 per cent of the vote. The Five-Star Movement was on course for third place, with Matteo Salvini's League and Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia fourth and fifth.
Forming a coalition government can take weeks and assuming Ms Meloni is successful, she would be Italy’s first female prime minister. She promoted herself as a fresh face after keeping her party out of Mario Draghi’s unity government.
"If we are called upon to govern this nation, we will do so for all Italians, with the aim of uniting the people, of exalting what unites them rather than what divides them," Ms Meloni, 45, said. "We will not betray your trust."
Her platform includes populist themes of immigration, patriotism and traditional family values, but her pro-Ukraine stance in the war with Russia sets her apart from some of her fellow nationalists in Europe.
She has also tried to distance herself from the party’s neo-fascist heritage, but there remains much concern in Europe that Ms Meloni will damage Italy’s standing.
“Centre-right clearly ahead both in the lower house and the Senate," Mr Salvini said on Twitter. "It'll be a long night but even now I want to say thanks."
RAI said the right-wing alliance would win between 227 and 257 of the 400 seats in the lower house of parliament and 111-131 of the 200 Senate seats.
The PD conceded defeat early on Monday and said it would be the largest opposition force in the next Parliament.
"This is a sad evening for the country," Debora Serracchiani, a senior PD legislator, said in the party's first official comment on the result.
"(The right) has the majority in Parliament but not in the country."
The result caps a remarkable rise for Ms Meloni, whose party won only 4 per cent of the vote in the last national election in 2018.
Provisional data pointed to turnout of just 64.1 per cent — a record low number — against 74 per cent four years ago.
Italy's first autumn national election in more than a century was sparked by party infighting that brought down Mario Draghi's broad national unity government in July.
The new, slimmed-down Parliament will not meet until October 13, at which point the head of state will summon party leaders and decide on the shape of the new government.
Full results are expected on Monday.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
SPECS
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
