Voting underway in Central African Republic

Rachele Mussolini said she wanted nothing to do with the "burden" of her surname. The far-right politician insisted her success was because of her hard work, not her family history.

With the US House of Representatives moving towards a vote on a $1.75 trillion social spending and climate package, the country could see a string of new tax hikes. Also, eco-friendly fashion designers hope to change a sector known for a heavy carbon footprint and enthusiasts of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) meet up in New York City.

President Sebastian Pinera was involved with the controversial sale of a mining company in 2010, as revealed in the Pandora Papers. If impeached, he could have faced five years in prison.

A whistleblower issues a "damning account" of the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying tens of thousands of Afghans were left behind to die. Meanwhile, there's disappointment in the US after the Justice Department closes an investigation into the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. Plus: Angela Merkel marks her last day in office, Berlin techno DJs apply for World Heritage status and the French city of Rouen votes on replacing a Napoléon statue with one of a woman.

The accused — Mahamat Said Abdel Kani — faces a slew of charges, including persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts. The alleged militia leader rose to prominence amid a coup in Bangui in 2013.

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.

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.

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka is suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Mokom is alleged to have committed the crimes in 2013 and 2014 in his role as an anti-Balaka militia leader.

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".

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.

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.