Iranian state media have reported loud explosions in the sky near the central city of Isfahan. Tehran says say its air defense systems were activated at a nearby military base and a nuclear facility.

In this week’s special edition of Access Asia, we focus on India as the country's record-breaking election gets under way. In the past few years, India's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has plummeted.

Tunde Onakoya, a chess mastermind and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, has just wrapped up a truly inspiring challenge! He attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon without a loss, aiming to surpass the existing mark of 56 hours and 9 minutes. As at 04:30 am Saturday 20th morning,…

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

India's mammoth elections are now under way, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi widely expected to win a third term. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has expanded subsidy programmes for the poor and women.

A world record of 969 million citizens are called to the polls for what some see as a referendum on one man. India is about to embark on the world's biggest election, staggered over seven weeks, with Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP expected to extend its solid lead in parliament. Modi has been pointing to a decade of unprecedented growth and power for a nation courted by the West and beyond.