With inflation hitting multi-decade highs, the rising cost of living has become the most pressing issue for French voters. Both centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen have promised to help French consumers. Their proposals range from tripling the amount of a one-time tax-free bonus to scrapping income tax for under-30s. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer takes a closer look at some of the key economic pledges made by the two candidates who are through to the second round.

The past few days have delivered more reports of atrocities committed by the Russian military in Ukraine: women and girls raped, civilians locked up and shot, plus reports of chemical weapons being deployed in Mariupol. Calls continue for more to be done to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the EU, leaders have condemned the Kremlin, decrying the attacks as "war crimes".

The western city of Lviv, until recently seen by many as a safe haven, has taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees since the start of Russia's invasion with Ukraine. Under the looming threat of attacks, life goes on.

Much of the UK has been crippled by the largest rail strike in decades. Some 40,000 workers participated in Tuesday's walkout, calling for higher wages to deal with the spiraling cost of living. Experts say the disruptions will weigh on economic growth. Also in the show: EasyJet is on the frontline of the aviation industry's staff shortages, and businesses in Las Vegas will continue performing Elvis-themed weddings, after reaching a deal with the late singer's estate.

The NGO Doctors without Borders is calling for humanitarian corridors to be created for asylum seekers stuck in Libya, who often face torture and abuse in Libyan detention centres. Now safely in Niger, two former detainees spoke to our correspondents about their harrowing ordeal. They were able to leave Libya thanks to the Emergency Transfer Mechanism, a programme set up by the UNHCR to evacuate migrants to Niger. Nearly 4,000 people have been evacuated from Libya through this mechanism since 2018.

This month marks 80 years since the Vél d'Hiv roundup, when French police detained 13,000 Parisian Jews, including 4,000 children, acting on orders from occupying German forces and their French allies in the Vichy Regime. Many were first sent to the Vélodrome d'Hiver stadium, which gave its name to this sinister chapter of French history, before being deported to Auschwitz, never to return. FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin and Stéphanie Trouillard met with survivors who managed to escape.

Teachers led nationwide protests in Panama on Monday, demanding the government step in to curb inflation, and lower fuel and food prices, in the eighth consecutive day of demonstrations.

Ghana's inflation has hit nearly 30% — the highest in the last two decades — as citizens lament the skyrocketing cost of living. Could the International Monetary Fund provide a solution for the West African nation?

Food delivery firms are reducing costs and exiting unprofitable markets or making tactical moves to cope with the tougher climate produced by the cost-of-living crisis.

In June 2020, a military base was attacked by jihadists in Kafolo, in north-eastern Ivory Coast near the border with Burkina Faso, leaving 14 soldiers dead. Other attacks followed and the Ivorian authorities have been working to improve the security situation.

Pressure is piling on European governments as energy prices continue to soar. After Russia said it wouldn't deliver gas on its Nord Stream 1 pipeline until Western sanctions are lifted, Portugal announced a new support programme for households and Austria's chancellor presented a price cap on electricity. Pressure is also coming from the streets, with protests against rising prices in Germany and Italy. Plus, we look at sliced white bread's unlikely comeback in the UK.

Inflation is a word that viewers are likely now hearing almost every day. It's the term we use to talk about the cost of things that most of us regularly buy, like food and clothes, electricity bills, and the materials and resources used by businesses.