Lawmakers in the United States have voted to raise the government's borrowing limit by $2.5 trillion, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic default. The Senate passed the measure 50-49. The new debt ceiling will give the US government enough space to borrow until 2023, after the midterm elections. Focus in Washington will now return to whether President Joe Biden can get his $1.75 trillion social spending plan, "Build Back Better", passed by the end of the year.

Dino Brandão is considered one of the most promising young stars on the Swiss music scene. The half-Swiss, half-Angolan musician recently released a debut EP under his own name. "Bouncy Castle" features five afro-folk tracks and is a multicultural melting pot of sunny and yet melancholic songs. Oscillating between tropical melodies and darker folk tunes, he honestly addresses physical ailments and mental issues. He speaks to FRANCE 24's Florence Villeminot about the importance of opening up.

Costa Rican voters are choosing the country's next president amid frustration over corruption scandals, the COVID-19 pandemic and poor economic conditions. Much of the electorate remains undecided.

In an interview with DW, Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy spoke about her new animated film, "Sitara: Let Girls Dream," on the issue of child marriage. She says that some 12 million girls in the world are not able to reach their potential due to early marriages.

Switzerland's second-largest bank stands accused of handling funds for dictators, drug traffickers and torturers after a whistleblower leak led to a year-long investigation by a consortium of journalists. And the United States and Britain have raised the stakes for potential sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine. Finally, Italy's famed glassblowers are cracking under red-hot energy prices.

Forced marriage is illegal in Burkina Faso, but remains common and often involves girls under 18. A shelter in the city of Kaya offers an escape for girls keen to continue their education

The Pakistani leader continues to assert that the US is behind an attempt to remove him. Meanwhile, a Pakistani general said his country should expand ties with Washington.

Ahead of the first round of France's presidential election on Sunday, the death of Jeremy Cohen, a French Jewish man, is making headlines. A viral video shows Cohen being hit by a tram as he escaped a group of attackers. The tragedy is now stirring political controversy, since it was because of a tweet by far-right presidential hopeful Éric Zemmour that the case got propelled to the headlines. Plus, FRANCE 24 attends far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon's very modern hologram rally, as well as Communist challenger Fabien Roussel's more traditional "apéritifs".

The Geneva-based Swiss newspaper Le Temps has issued a denial via one of its editors on Twitter, saying that a poll conducted in its name was not in reality ordered by the paper at all. The results of the bogus poll on the French presidential election showed that Emmanuel Macron would not make it into the second round and that far-right candidate Eric Zemmour would comfortably defeat far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the run-off. All other polls show Macron being narrowly re-elected. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Pakistan's lawmakers have voted to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from office in a vote of no confidence. The nuclear-armed Islamic nation has been in political turmoil for weeks.

The Geneva-based Swiss newspaper Le Temps has issued a denial via one of its editors on Twitter, saying that a poll conducted in its name was not in reality ordered by the paper at all. The results of the bogus poll on the French presidential election showed that Emmanuel Macron would not make it into the second round and that far-right candidate Eric Zemmour would comfortably defeat far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the run-off. All other polls show Macron being narrowly re-elected. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

And so begins a mad dash to the finish in the French presidential race. After a surprisingly sluggish start to the campaign, the first round served up the predicted outcome but also its fair share of surprises. The April 24 runoff is incumbent Emmanuel Macron's to lose, say the pollsters. But in a rematch of the 2017 second round, the centrist incumbent has his weaknesses that the far-right's Marine Le Pen astutely exploited in a campaign where she has been out pounding the flesh while Macron has been attending summits.