Norway introduces tourist tax to tackle overtourism surge

Not so long ago, Norway could enjoy relative peace and quiet when it came to tourist traffic. It was mainly seasoned travellers who chose to explore its beauty. However, Norway has been experiencing a tourist boom for several seasons now. Following the example of other countries, Norway has also decided to tax visitors in order to curb over-tourism.more

British thriller and suspense novelist Frederick Forsyth died yesterday at the age of 86, his literary agent Jonathan Lloyd has announced.more

Iga Swiatek, who failed to defend her title at the Grand Slam French Open, has dropped from fifth to seventh place in the latest world ranking of female tennis players. Aryna Sabalenka is unthreatened at the top of the list. Hubert Hurkacz dropped from 28th to 32nd in the latest world tennis ranking. French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz remained the leader.more

Over 126,00 privately rented homes in London are failing to meet minimum standards for safety, comfort and repair. Around one in eight privately rented homes in the capital - 12% - were classed as “non-decent” in 2023, according to the latest figures from the government’s housing survey.more

All pensioners with an income of £35,000 or less a year will have the winter fuel payment restored in full, Rachel Reeves has announced, after weeks of uncertainty over the decision to make a U-turn on scrapping the benefit.more

Talks between US and Chinese delegations on a trade agreement between the two powers began today in London. This is the second such meeting, the first being held in Geneva on 12 May, AFP reported, citing the official Xinhua news agency.more

Portugal won against Spain in a series of penalty kicks 5-3 in the final of the fourth edition of the football League of Nations. It was 2-2 after extra time. Earlier in the match for third place, the French defeated the Germans 2-0.more

The crew of the Ax-4 mission with Pole Slawosz Uznański-Wiśniewski is practising the launch procedure at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, reported Dr Aleksandra Bukała of the Polish Space Agency. The astronauts are several dozen hours away from launch.more

A UK soldier stationed in Kenya has been arrested on suspicion of rape and sent back to the UK. The case is being investigated by British military police, the UK Ministry of Defence said, confirming earlier reports by the BBC.more

The deportation wars are beginning, wrote the US ‘Wall Street Journal’ on Sunday. The weekend protests in defence of immigrants in Los Angeles show what we can expect in the future, the newspaper stressed.more

The White House has warned the UK Prime Minister against allowing a Chinese embassy to be built near London's sensitive financial centres, ‘The Times’ reported yesterday.more

Deprived of his role as captain, Robert Lewandowski has resigned from playing for the Polish national team until Michal Probierz is coach. His successor with the armband is expected to be Piotr Zielinski - the result of the evening's storm surrounding the national football team as they travel to Finland for tomorrow's World Cup qualifying match.more

Russian troops attacked Ukraine on Sunday night into Monday with 499 drones and missiles; anti-aircraft defences shot down a total of 479 enemy air attack means, the Ukrainian Air Force said. In view of the situation, Polish and allied aircraft activity in Polish airspace began in the morning.more

British heir to the throne Prince William on Sunday called on world political and economic leaders to take urgent action to protect the Earth's oceans. The UN ocean conference begins today.more

With record crowds of foreign visitors in Spain, new protests against mass tourism, symbolised by water guns, are expected. The next ones are scheduled for 15 June, including in Barcelona, San Sebastian and the Balearic Islands.more

Carlos Alcaraz repeated his success from a year ago and triumphed at the French Open for the second time and a total of five times at a Grand Slam tournament. In the final in Paris, the Spaniard won against tennis ranking leader Jannik Sinner of Italy 4:6, 6:7 (4-7), 6:4, 7:6 (7-3), 7:6 (10-2).more

Sanctioned timber from Belarus and Russia continues to be illegally imported into the UK, the UK's daily 'The Guardian' reported, citing, among others, a report by the international forest protection organisation World Forest ID.more

The former chairman of Britain's opposition Reform UK party, Zia Yusuf, who resigned from his post on Thursday, announced last night that he was returning to active party membership. In early May, the anti-immigrant Reform UK won a partial local election and a parliamentary by-election.more

Popular recent drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity may reduce the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has warned.more

A survey conducted by the independent Levada Centre shows that Poland has become the most disliked country in Russia after Ukraine. In May, as many as 70 per cent of respondents showed an aversive attitude, while 16 per cent showed a positive attitude.more

Spain and its great talent Lamine Yamal or Portugal with the ‘eternally young’ Cristiano Ronaldo - one of these teams will win the football Nations League for the second time in history tonight. The final starts in Munich at 21:00 (local time) and before that Germany will play for third place against France in Stuttgart.more

A UK High Court judge has warned lawyers against placing too much trust in material provided by artificial intelligence. In a ruling issued on Friday, the judge warned that lawyers face penalties if they use AI products without checking, the AP reported yesterday.more

‘Pentagon disinformation fuelled US UFO mythology’ was the title of a ‘Wall Street Journal’ article about how authorities created conspiracy theories to protect military secrets.more

American Coco Gauff won the final against Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka 6:7 (5-7), 6:2, 6:4 and triumphed at the Grand Slam French Open for the first time in her career. In the three previous editions of the Paris competition, Iga Swiatek was the best.more

Physicists at the UK's Loughborough University have built the ‘world's smallest violin’, which can only be viewed under a microscope. The instrument measures 13x35 microns.more

The number of arrests of immigrants working illegally in the UK has increased by 51 per cent during the year of the Labour government. - Sky News TV reported today.more

The UK is at war with Russia and the US can no longer be treated as a reliable ally, warned Fiona Hill, co-author of the UK Ministry of Defence report, a strategic review of the country's combat readiness, in an interview with ‘The Guardian’ newspaper.more

Poland won against Moldova 2:0 (1:0) in a friendly football match. The goals at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów were scored by Matty Cash and Bartosz Slisz, while Kamil Grosicki, who played for the 95th time for the national team, officially said goodbye to the national team.more

A team of German and Portuguese police officers yesterday completed the search for traces of Madeleine (Maddie) McCann, who disappeared in 2007 when she was three years old while on holiday in the Algarve, in southern Portugal.more

According to the majority of respondents, a man should let women through the door and know how to drive a car, while a woman should be well-groomed but not have too many sexual partners, according to a CBOS survey.more

Tennis ranking leader Jannik Sinner advanced to the final of the French Open Grand Slam tournament in Paris. The Italian defeated Serb Novak Djokovic 6:4, 7:5, 7:6 (7-3). His final opponent tomorrow will be defending champion Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.more

London is undoubtedly a fantastic city, but everyone needs a change of scenery now and then. Last year, The Times unveiled its list of the best places to live in 2024, featuring a diverse mix of bustling cities and tranquil towns.more

Today's friendly match against Moldova in Chorzów will be a test for Michal Probierz's players ahead of their World Cup qualifying away bout against Finland on 10 June, and at the same time an opportunity to bid farewell to Kamil Grosicki with the national team. Kick-off is at 20:45 Polish time.more

London could be hit by a thunderstorm on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain throughout the day, the Met Office has warned. Forecasters have issued a yellow weather warning between 9am and 6pm for the south of England and parts of Wales.more

With constant headlines about rising house prices, interest rates and rents, it can be disheartening being a first-time buyer in London. But new research has uncovered areas in and around the capital with a greater choice of affordable first homes.more

David Beckham is to receive a knighthood from King Charles III, British media reported today. It is a long-awaited accolade for the English football icon.more

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday warned Israel of ‘further concrete action’ if it does not stop its offensive in Gaza and fully unblock humanitarian aid. This is another such statement by Starmer, previous ones having been met with criticism from Israel.more

The question of Barcelona's goalkeeping staff for next season remains in doubt. As commented by Spanish media, the first team goalkeeper will be Joan Garcia, who is expected to join the club soon, while Wojciech Szczesny is expected to extend his contract, but may be a reserve.more

Hundreds of artificial intelligence-generated fake sermons by Pope Leo XIV have made their way onto the internet; they have been viewed by millions of people, Ansa news agency reported. The platforms on which such fabricated recordings appeared have already removed many of them, it added.more

The installation ‘Records of Waiting’ by Jakub Gawkowski, Monika Rosińska and Maciej Siuda has been recognised at an international design exhibition in London as the most inspiring interpretation of this year's theme, according to the culture ministry.more

Pizzerias Zielona Górka from Pabianice and Warsaw's Ciao a Tutti were among the 50 best pizzerias on the Old Continent. In the annual ‘50 Top Pizza Europe’ ranking, the Polish locations took 18th and 28th place respectively. And the title of the best pizzeria was awarded to Napoli on the Road from London. The list does not include restaurants operating in Italy.more

Spain beat France 5:4 (2:0) in Stuttgart in the second semi-final of the fourth edition of the Nations League. The defending champions of the European trophy will be the rivals in Sunday's final in Munich of Portugal, who won against Germany 2:1 yesterday.more