Exit polls had begun to roll in at the end of European elections across the EU’s 27 countries, when President Emmanuel Macron delivered his bombshell moment in a televised address to a stunned French population. “I’ve decided to hand you back the choice of our parliamentary future with a vote. I am therefore dissolving the National Assembly,” he declared. The National Rally party – led by Mr Macron’s rivals Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella – was one of the big gains that Europe’s far-right parties had expected, and confirmation came with all the exit polls giving the party more than 30%, double that of Mr Macron’s centrist Renaissance. But beyond France, the broader story of Europe’s four-day vote marathon really belonged to the parties of the centre right. They tightened their grip on the European Parliament, with victories in Germany and Spain, and significant advances in Hungary, against long-dominant Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The far right did not enjoy as great a surge across Europe as many had predicted. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party came second, while Austria’s party of the same name came out as winners, but only narrowly. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #EU #EuropeanUnion #BBCNews

The UK now has Europe’s second highest coronavirus death toll after Italy, with official figures now including people who have died in care homes as well as in hospitals. But there was also some welcome news for the Government as the Prime Minister and his partner announced the birth of their first child. Europe correspondent Samantha Hawley reports from London. Read more here: https://ab.co/3aR6WrN For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY You can watch more ABC News content on iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1 Subscribe to us on YouTube: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2 You can also like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/abcnews.au Or follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/abcnews_au Or even on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abcnews

Worldwide, confirmed cases of coronavirus now top 640,000, with the death toll around 30,000. In Europe, Italy remains the hardest hit. Roxana Saberi reports.