• RFI

    Nearly a billion people to vote as India kicks off colossal elections

    India on Friday launched the largest elections in human history, with ruling Hindu nationalists expected to win a third term in power with an even larger majority than in 2019. India's opposition has been shoring up its tattered frontlines of late, with some leaders including two chief ministers in prison and dozens of MPs suspended from parliament ahead of the seven-phase polls starting this Friday in 21 of India's 28 states.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s untainted popularity has secured his ru

  • Associated Press

    Laborers and street vendors in Mali find no respite as deadly heat wave surges through West Africa

    Street vendors in Mali's capital of Bamako peddle water sachets, ubiquitous for this part of West Africa during the hottest months. This year, an unprecedented heat wave has led to a surge in deaths, experts say, warning of more scorching weather ahead as effects of climate change roil the continent. The heat wave began in late March, as many in this Muslim majority country observed the holy Islamic month of Ramadan with dawn-to-dusk fasting.

  • Reuters

    UPDATE 1-Bitcoin slides below $60,000 on reports Israel strikes Iran

    Cryptocurrencies fell heavily and bitcoin broke below $60,000 on Friday in a rush out of risky assets following reports of an Israeli missile strike on Iran. Bitcoin slid more than 5.5% to $59,961 in the Asia session as the U.S. dollar rose broadly. Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil on Friday, sources said, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel.