Supreme Court upholds Yahaya Bello’s election

Indian police said on Wednesday that they had killed 13 Maoist insurgents in the central state of Chhattisgarh, in the run-up to India's general election. The latest police encounter, which according to the police lasted for 14 hours, brought the total number of Maoists killed this year to 50

Nigeria has begun the rollout of the MenFive vaccine in high-risk areas, securing millions of doses to protect children from all five strains of meningitis. The potentially fatal disease poses a grave threat to young children globally, with sub-Saharan Africa being particularly vulnerable to it.

Nigeria's government says the rise will only affect 1.5 million consumers, mostly manufacturers. But analysts believe the hike will lead to higher inflation and result in job losses and closures of businesses.

A decade on, the world has largely forgotten about the Chibok girls, who were kidnapped by Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants. But for victims and their families, like Solomon Maina, who is still waiting for news about his daughter, the tragedy is ongoing.

Solomon Islanders began voting on Wednesday in a crucial election that will decide China's foothold in the Pacific region. Polling booths opened at 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2000 GMT on Tuesday), with almost 420,000 registered voters to elect 50 members of the national parliament. There are more than 1,000 polling stations scattered across the Solomons archipelago, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia's coast.

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. These programmes include measures like equipping homes with butane gas by offering free cylinders or distributing free food rations. Some 60 percent of the population benefits from Modi’s food distribution scheme, which he has pledged to renew for another five years. Another success story is the nationwide rollout of digital payment services. Meanwhile, critics say the prime minister is eroding democracy by targeting opposition parties and controlling the media.