Kenyans head to the polls for presidential elections

It's expected to be a close race between Vice President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Kenyans head to the polls for presidential elections [Professor Peter Anyang Ngongo casts his vote in Kenya’s presidential election, Kisumu, Kenya, Aug. 9, 2022.] Credit: James Kayi/AP Kenya Millions of Kenyans have gone to the polls for presidential elections on Tuesday, in what is expected to be a close race between Vice President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who’s making his fifth bid for the presidency. [Top issues]( on people’s minds have been the cost of living, high unemployment and corruption. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have [hit the tourism industry]( and caused already high food and fuel prices to rise further. The lead-up to the vote has been mostly calm. People have been on edge, remembering widespread violence following the 2007 election. Cuba A fire at Cuba's [largest oil storage facility]( has killed at least one firefighter and injured many more. The blaze has been burning since the area was struck by lightning on Friday, and it’s threatening to increase the cost of fuel imports for the country, which already relies heavily on foreign oil, including transportation and the running of its entire power grid. Cuba is already facing an [energy crisis]( and fuel shortages. The fire department said that four tanks were compromised, with firefighters spraying water on the remaining tanks to keep them cool, but failing to stop the fire from spreading. Iran Russia has successfully [launched an Iranian satellite]( into orbit from its space station in Kazakhstan. It comes three weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, with both sides agreeing to further cooperation. Both Russia and Iran are being sanctioned by Western nations. The satellite has been fitted with a high-resolution camera. The US says it’s concerned that Moscow will be allowed to use the satellite for its war in Ukraine, but Iran’s space agency says it will be used for [environmental monitoring]( and will remain under Tehran's control. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Drought is killing the economy in the French Alps]( [A boy walks toward a dock across rocky terrain exposed as the Durance River in France recedes. Water levels have fallen 50 feet as the hot, dry weather continues.]( Credit: Gerry Hadden/The World ​​​​​​​The French Alps region is getting hit hard by drought, most likely exacerbated by climate change. And that's putting the entire economy there in [serious jeopardy](, because where there's no water, there are no tourists. [New US ambassador to Kenya arrives ahead of Tuesday's election]( [Meg Whitman is interviewed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Nov. 2, 2015.]( Credit: Richard Drew/AP US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has arrived in the capital Nairobi ahead of the country's heated presidential elections. She gave her [first press conference]( over the weekend. While Whitman is more known for leading Fortune 500 companies than diplomacy, she says she will leverage her experience in this new role. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A volcano erupted in Iceland (yet again!) near the capital Reykjavik and now dozens of tourists are visiting the site at the valley of Meradalir — [breathtaking views](. Children are not allowed in the area, with authorities warning of toxic gases that could affect them. 🌋 [Screenshot of Times Earth tweet]( [Credit: Twitter]( In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.