Erdogan claims win in Turkish referendum

Fears that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent have sent jitters across global stock markets. In Europe, Paris's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX both fell more than 3 percent at midday. Russia's main stock market also saw a sharp decline, adding to last week's sell-off. Plus, after two years grappling with changes to their careers, a growing number of people in France are turning to the real estate sector to start a completely new job.

India is expected to launch a digital version of its currency, the rupee. The plan for the sovereign-backed digital currency comes as the popularity of cryptocurrencies is on the rise.

A new constitutional amendment will allow Russian troops and nuclear weapons to station permanently in Belarus. The amendment also gives leader Alexander Lukashenko immunity from prosecution.

On Wednesday, fire gutted shops situated under the Apongbon section of the Eko Bridge in Lagos. Now, victims of the inferno are calling on the government to offer any form of assistance to help ease the feeling of hopelessness.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared victory in Hungary's parliamentary election after partial results showed his ruling Fidesz party is comfortably ahead of their opposition rivals.

Africa's rapidly developing cannabis industry could soon supply the entire world. Uganda is already cultivating medical cannabis for the German pharmaceutical market.

With three days to go until the first round of the presidential election, French voters are uninterested and undecided, leaving paper La Croix concerned about the country's future. Is alarm over a possible far-right victory a campaign strategy of Emmanuel Macron, or is far-right contender Marine Le Pen "more of a threat than ever before"? We also look at reactions in Burkina Faso to the trial over Thomas Sankara's 1987 assassination, as well as US sanctions on Vladimir Putin's daughters and French campaign goodies.

World food commodity prices reached their highest levels ever in March, as war in #Ukraine spreads shocks through markets. The @FAO Food Price Index averaged 159.3 points in March, up 12.6% from Feb 2022 and was 33.6% higher than in March 2021.

President Macron's economic manifesto doesn't enthuse every French voter. But when it comes to the plans of his opponent Marine Le Pen, economists have said they could have severe financial consequences.

For the second election in a row, Emmanuel Macron has beaten Marine Le Pen, becoming the first French president to win a second term in 20 years. But most French papers say his victory is one "without glory," as he benefited more from a desire to keep the far right out of office than from widespread support for his policies. We also take a look at international papers' constructive criticism of Macron's re-election and what they think he can do to improve.

A victory for free speech or for disinformation? That is the 44-billion dollar question after Elon Musk's swoop for Twitter. Does it matter any more than Amazon's Jeff Bezos owning The Washington Post or all the French captains of industry whose often money-losing media purchases buy them a platform to voice their views?