The 73-year-old incumbent, who is supported by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance coalition, has campaigned under the slogan “Modi’s guarantees”, emphasising welfare schemes that benefit hundred of millions of Indians. 

Germany’s ability to attract business investment suffered an “alarming” decline last year, when more than €135bn of foreign direct investment flowed out of the country and only €10.5bn came in, according to a leading economic institute.

Tasnim news agency, which is close to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, reported the explosion. Isfahan is home to a major base for the Iranian military.

A Boeing engineer said on Monday that extensive testing had shown “zero” evidence of fatigue stress in the composite materials that make up its 787 jet, two days before a whistleblower is due to testify to the US Congress about what he has described as “catastrophic safety risks” in its manufacturing.

The departure of Lee, the son of Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, also raises expectations for a consequential general election that could be held as soon as this year.

Taylor Swift has reinstated her music on TikTok, putting her at odds with her own record label, Universal Music, which went to war with the social media group in February, muting her songs and the rest of its vast catalogue from the platform.

Mexican officials said on Thursday that they had filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court, asking the organisation to suspend Ecuador pending a public apology for the raid last Friday on the Mexican embassy, in which officials captured Ecuador’s former vice-president, Jorge Glas.