Good morning. We’re covering the papal conclave and attacks against Pakistan. Plus: The world’s most beautiful gardens.
The world awaits a smoke signalScores of cardinals will file into the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel today to cast ballots for the next pope, in one of the world’s oldest dramas. They will be sequestered until a successor to Pope Francis is chosen. No one knows how long the conclave will last. “Once they are in, we’ll know practically nothing,” Jason Horowitz, our Rome bureau chief, said. “But the puffs of black smoke, which signify an inconclusive election, will tell us something, too.” “The first vote is generally symbolic, testing the strength of candidates, but if the election goes deep into the second day with only black smoke, we will know that the cardinals are having a hard time reaching a consensus,” Jason said. “Eventually the smoke will turn white and the new pope will be revealed on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.” Here’s more about how the pope will be chosen. A lot of uncertainty: The conclave is always unpredictable, but the change in the makeup of the cardinals under Francis, who began his tenure in 2013, makes this one even more so. The contenders: The Vatican’s No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is seen as a possible candidate to succeed Francis and someone who could provide continuity. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, a liberal-leaning cardinal from the Philippines, has for years been deemed a front-runner. He would be the first pope from Southeast Asia. Here are the other possible candidates. Related:
India launched attacks against PakistanIndia said early this morning that it had conducted strikes on nine sites in Pakistan and on Pakistan’s side of the disputed Kashmir region, two weeks after more than two dozen civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistani military officials said at least eight people were killed and 35 others wounded. The attack on Punjab, in Pakistani territory outside the contested region, represented an escalation in the conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries. After the attacks, India was bracing for a response from Pakistan, its neighbor and nemesis for more than seven decades. Context: The two nations have fought several wars, the most recent in 1999, and have edged to the brink more than once since then. As tensions have sharpened again, global leaders have warned of potentially dire consequences if the two sides fail to de-escalate. Here’s what to know about the latest clash.
Carney told Trump Canada was ‘not for sale’President Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada met yesterday in Washington, their first meeting since Carney won a stunning election victory on an anti-Trump platform. They sparred over the president’s talk of making Canada the 51st state. “Some places are not for sale,” Carney said. Trump replied, “Never say never.” After the meeting, Carney told reporters he felt better about Trump’s posture toward Canada, but stopped short of reporting any concrete negotiations. He said the way forward would be full of “zigs and zags,” but expressed confidence there was a trade deal to be made.
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Chrissie Tully, 93, gave birth in an Irish home for single mothers, shrouded in secrecy and shame. After 76 years, she’s still waiting for the son she never got to hold. Lives Lived: As a lawyer, Sybil Shainwald represented women who had been irreparably, and often catastrophically, harmed by poorly tested drugs and medical devices. She died at 96. |
