An American pope. Cardinals elected the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church yesterday. Robert Prevost of Chicago chose to be called Pope Leo XIV. The new pontiff worked for decades in Peru and is also a Peruvian national. He focused on peace in his first brief message to supporters yesterday, while a social media account in his name was found to have posted articles defending migrants. Trump said that having an American pope was a “great honor for our country.”
India-Pakistan clashes. Indian and Pakistani officials today each said that the other side carried out new military attacks in the Kashmir region. Separately, an unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that there was high confidence that Pakistan had shot down at least two Indian fighter jets on Wednesday. Pakistan was reportedly using Chinese-made fighter jets, while at least one downed plane was French-made. Security analysts are studying what appears to be a rare case of Chinese-issued fighter jets being used in action.
Putin’s military parade. While European officials meet in western Ukraine today to affirm support for Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts heads of state for a military parade. Putin said Russia would achieve its objectives in Ukraine in a speech that did not mention Trump’s call yesterday for a thirty-day ceasefire. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s legislature voted to approve a minerals coinvestment deal with the United States. Russia and Ukraine continued to report fighting despite today being the second day of a Russia-announced ceasefire.
Nigeria pays off the IMF. The country made its final payment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $3.4 billion loan issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, exiting the lender’s debt list. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has carried out pro-market economic reforms since taking office in 2023 that have included removing controls on the country’s exchange rate. Following those changes, the local currency lost more than 70 percent of its value against the dollar.
Protests in Panama. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said yesterday he would not renegotiate a new security deal with the United States despite recent street protests against it. The deal allows U.S. troops access to Panamanian bases, a sensitive issue for some as the United States invaded Panama in 1989. Mulino and the U.S. ambassador to Panama both said yesterday that the agreement signed last month would not allow for the establishment of U.S. bases.
Talks on Gaza aid. The U.S. State Department said yesterday that an announcement was coming soon about a new arrangement to be able to deliver food aid to Gaza. Israel, which has imposed a monthslong blockade on aid, has in recent days outlined a plan in which it would guard food distribution points. However, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said today that Israel would not take part in the aid distribution itself. He said the provision of aid would not depend on there being a pause in fighting.
French-Polish military cooperation. A defense cooperation treaty the countries are signing today will open the possibility of Poland being protected by France’s nuclear shield, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said. He described the deal for mutual military assistance in conflict as “groundbreaking.” Poland plans to spend around 4.7 percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year, a record high.
Bombardment in Sudan. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the expansion of conflict into the city of Port Sudan was “alarming” amid a series of drone attacks that continued into yesterday. The city is Sudan’s temporary administrative capital and a refuge for displaced people. It has been serving as an aid hub, but the UN humanitarian service suspended flights on May 4 due to worsening conflict conditions.
