Scotland

Party leader wants new referendum

GLASGOW — Scotland’s leader called on supporters to increase the vote for her Scottish National Party in a May election, part of a renewed push for independence from the United Kingdom. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Saturday that strengthening Scottish Nationalist control of the Parliament in Edinburgh would set the stage for a revived independence campaign. The SNP is polling strongly ahead of the May 5 vote for the 129-seat Parliament, which the SNP has narrowly controlled since 2007. Sturgeon hopes to stage a new referendum that would overturn a 2014 vote in which 55.3 percent rejected independence. (AP)

POLAND

Thousands rally to oppose changes

WARSAW — Thousands rallied in Warsaw and other Polish cities Saturday to protest the conservative government’s refusal to accept a constitutional court ruling that strikes down government changes that have paralyzed the court. International organizations and the Constitutional Tribunal have faulted Poland’s new government for centralizing its power. The Law and Justice party government, however, insists it has a mandate from voters for its actions. (AP)