BBC News with Jonathan Izard

Thousands of Russians have taken part in anti-corruption rallies across the country in defiance of the authorities. The biggest protests were in Moscow where activists say at least 700 people were detained. They included the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who had called for the demonstrations.

Exit polls in Germany’s regional election in the state of Saarland have given a boost to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hopes of winning federal elections later this year. The polls gave her Christian Democratic party a strong 41% of the vote. In Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, the third in four years, exit polls suggest the pro-European Union Gerb party has taken the lead. It’s predicted to win 32% of the vote.

Police in Britain say they have arrested a man as part of their investigation into last week’s attack in Westminster which left four people dead. The 30-year-old male was held in the Midlands city of Birmingham on suspicion of preparing what the police are calling a terrorist act.

A Syrian rebel alliance says its fighters have reached a key airbase held by the Islamic State group near its stronghold Raqqa. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led SDF said they had taken control of much of the Tabqa airbase some 40km west of Raqqa.

Ukrainian military say one of their helicopters has crashed in the war-affected east of the country killing all five people on board. A spokesman for the army said the helicopter appeared to have collided with a power line near Kramatorsk.

A shooting at a crowded night club in the American state of Ohio has left a 27-year-old man dead and at least 14 others wounded—some of them with life threatening injuries. Hundreds of people were in the Cameo club in the city of Cincinnati.

And the US carrier United Airlines has faced a barrage of criticism on social media after it barred two teenage girls from boarding a flight from Denver to Twin Cities for wearing leggings. A female gate agent told the girls that they could not proceed while wearing spandex, which United deems inappropriate.

BBC News