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DAY IN A NUTSHELL
The controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala is listed as a candidate in the European election, after the government fails to come up with a legal case for banning him on grounds of anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that three suspected crime bosses - currently in custody awaiting trial - are standing for the European Parliament in Dupnitsa and Varna, Bulgaria.
DAILY QUOTE
"A priest is, like his role model, everybody's servant and therefore cannot represent one particular group in society." (Finland's Orthodox Church explaining its decision to bar Mitro Repo from acting as a priest while he runs for election to the European Parliament.)
NEWS IN NUMBERS
The proportion of eligible voters taking part in European elections has fallen from 63% in 1979 to 45% in 2004 - and a Eurobarometer poll this year suggested it could slide to 34% next month. However, a
TNS poll commissioned by the European Parliament,
conducted between 4 and 15 May, now puts the proportion who say they will "probably" vote at 49% and the proportion who say they will "definitely" vote at 43%. The percentage saying they were "interested" in the election varied from 72% in Ireland and Malta, to 25% in Latvia. A separate poll published by the Hamburg-based Foundation for Future Studies finds that three-fifths of Europeans believe election promises are not kept, and nearly half believe their vote will not change anything. "People are turning away from politics, preferring to moan and complain rather than taking on responsibility," says the Foundation's Dr Ulrich Reinhardt.
DAILY PICTURE
Damien Abad, candidate for the UMP party, campaigns at a market in La Ciotat, southern France
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