A subset $X$ of a Polish group $G$ is called Haar null if there exists a Borel set $B \supset X$ and Borel probability measure $\mu$ on $G$ such that $\mu(gBh)=0$ for every $g,h \in G$. We prove that there exist a set $X \subset \mathbb R$ that is not Lebesgue null and a Borel probability measure $\mu$ such that $\mu(X + t) = 0$ for every $t \in \mathbb R$. This answers a question from David Fremlin's problem list by showing that one cannot simplify the definition of a Haar null set by leaving out the Borel set $B$. (The answer was already known assuming the Continuum Hypothesis.) This result motivates the following Baire category analogue. It is consistent with $ZFC$ that there exist an abelian Polish group $G$ and a Cantor set $C \subset G$ such that for every non-meagre set $X \subset G$ there exists a $t \in G$ such that $C \cap (X + t)$ is relatively non-meagre in $C$. This essentially generalises results of Bartoszyński and Burke-Miller.

Extending the work of Larson and Todorcevic, we show there is a model of set theory in which normal spaces are collectionwise Hausdorff if they are either first countable or locally compact, and yet there are no first countable $L$-spaces or compact $S$-spaces. The model is one of the form PFA$(S)[S]$, where $S$ is a coherent Souslin tree.

Assuming the Continuum Hypothesis, there is a compact, first countable, connected space of weight $\aleph_1$ with no totally disconnected perfect subsets. Each such space, however, may be destroyed by some proper forcing order which does not add reals.

We prove that it is relatively consistent with $\ZFC$ that in any perfect Polish space, for every nonmeager set $A$ there exists a nowhere dense Cantor set $C$ such that $A\cap C$ is nonmeager in $C$. We also examine variants of this result and establish a measure theoretic analog.