The first vote of the conclave – the secretive process to choose a new pope – has failed to reach a decision. After a lengthy wait, black smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney at around 9pm local time – meaning the 133 cardinals inside have not been able to choose a new pontiff. Crowds … Read more
Three former officers charged with murder in the fatal beating of a black man that triggered nationwide protests against police brutality have been acquitted by a state jury in Memphis, Tennessee. Tyre Nichols, who was beaten during a traffic stop in 2023, died three days after sustaining numerous blows to the head, according to a … Read more
Smoke has emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney after the first ballot of the conclave – the secretive process to choose a new pope. Black smoke means more voting will take place tomorrow. If the smoke had been white a new pope would have been chosen. Follow the latest on this story here.
Aamir Peerzada Reporting from Indian-administered Kashmir BBC Badrudin said he was forced to flee Salamabad overnight as shells hit his village In the village of Salamabad in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday morning, ruined homes were still smouldering. This small settlement lies close to the Line of Control which separates Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the scene … Read more
Umer Draz Nangiana Reporting from Muridke, Pakistan EPA On Wednesday morning, dozens of people gathered on the perimeter of a sprawling complex in the Pakistani city of Muridke to see the damage for themselves. Overnight, Indian missiles had pounded buildings at this site, which lies not far from the border with India in Pakistan’s Punjab … Read more
The Pakistan-based leader of a militant group has said 10 of his relatives have been killed in a missile strike by India. Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), said his older sister and her husband, his nephew and his nephew’s wife, his niece and five children from his family were killed in a strike on … Read more
The US central bank has left interest rates unchanged again, despite pressure from President Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs. The decision keeps the Federal Reserve’s influential lending rate hovering around 4.3%, marking the third announcement in a row without action. A cut could boost the economy after Trump’s barrage of tariffs raised uncertainty, hitting … Read more
South African firebrand opposition politician Julius Malema says he has been denied a visa to attend a conference in the UK on 10 May. Malema said the UK had no “substantial justification” for its decision, and he saw it as an “attempt to silence a dissenting political perspective”. In a leaked letter to Malema’s deputy, … Read more
the Visual Journalism team BBC News BBC Fighting has raged in Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion more than three years ago. Russian forces have slowly expanded the amount of territory they control over the past year, mostly in the east of Ukraine. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day ceasefire to start at … Read more
In the early hours of Wednesday, India said it had launched a series of missile strikes on what it called “terrorist infrastructure sites” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pakistan said six locations were hit, with 26 people killed and 46 injured. Meanwhile, India’s army said 10 civilians were killed by Pakistani shelling on its side … Read more