India says it targeted air defense systems in several locations in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — India says it targeted air defense systems in several locations in Pakistan. Earlier, Pakistan’s military said India fired attack drones. Pakistan said it shot several down.

Cardinals return to the Sistine Chapel to vote on a new pope after first ballot fails

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals are returning to the Sistine Chapel to continue voting for a new pope. The first conclave ballot failed to find a winner after a long voting session, sending black smoke through the chapel chimney. Some cardinals expected a short conclave to replace Pope Francis, but it may take a few rounds of voting for one man to secure the two-thirds majority needed. The secretive ritual began Wednesday with Cardinal Pietro Parolin leading the proceedings. Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square to watch the event on video screens. The cardinals are sequestered from the outside world until they find a new pope.

What to know on the second day of the conclave to elect the next pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals are meeting in a secret, sacred conclave for a second day as they seek a new pontiff to follow Pope Francis. The conclave opened at the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon but a first round of voting resulted in black smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel. Black smoke signals that no pope was chosen. One hundred and thirty-three cardinals are trying again Thursday. Here are some things to know about the election of the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion faithful across the world.

Civil rights leaders say acquittals in Tyre Nichols' death highlight the need for police reform

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — After three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, community and civil rights leaders are expressing outrage over another disappointment in the long push for police reform. Nichols’s death more than two years ago sparked nationwide protests and renewed calls for systemic change as the first post-George Floyd case that revealed the limits of an unprecedented reckoning over racial injustice in Black America. Now, Wednesday’s acquittals again show the need for reforms at the federal level, civil rights leaders say.

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's new transit and homelessness grant conditions

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from imposing new transit and homelessness grant conditions. The conditions were on millions of dollars worth of mass transit grants for the Seattle area. They also included homelessness services grants for Boston, New York and San Francisco. The lawsuit was filed last week by eight cities and counties. It said the new conditions were designed to further President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate DEI policies and assist mass deportation efforts. The judge in Seattle wrote in her decision Wednesday that the local governments had shown they were likely to win the case.

Burn patients face excruciating recovery as medicines dwindle under Israeli blockade of Gaza

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza (AP) — For burn patients, shortages of medicines in Gaza are particularly excruciating under Israel's blockade of the territory, now in its third month. Burns are painful and very susceptible to infection, but hospitals are short on painkillers, anesthetics, wound dressings and hygiene materials, aid workers say. At the same time, the number of burn patients has surged after Israel renewed its bombardment in Gaza in mid-March, with Nasser Hospital — the biggest in southern Gaza — seeing a fivefold increase in cases.

Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was meeting recently with representatives from a teachers union when things quickly devolved. Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and slamming his hands on a desk. That's according to two people who were briefed about the meeting and were granted anonymity to discuss it. Fetterman said in a statement through his office that he and the officials “had a spirited conversation" and said he will always support teachers. The interaction adds to the questions being raised about the Democratic senator's mental health and behavior barely three years after a he survived a stroke and two years after being treated for depression.

The Bank of England is expected to cut interest rates in the face of US tariffs threat

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as a result of the potential shock to growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration. Most economists think it’s a near-certainty that the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee will sanction a quarter-point reduction in the bank’s main interest rate to 4.25%. There’s some speculation that some members may opt for an even bigger half-point cut. Economists are going to be particularly interested in the bank’s accompanying economic forecasts as they will be the first since U.S. President Donald Trump made his tariff announcement in early April. Though tariffs on U.K. goods have been paused, uncertainty remains high.

80 years ago World War II in Europe was over. Celebrating V-E Day is now tinged with some dread

LONDON (AP) — Europe is marking one of its most joyous days in history. The 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on the continent was on Thursday. Hitler’s Nazi Germany had finally surrendered on May 8, 1945 after a half-decade of invading other European powers and propagating racial hatred that led to genocide, the Holocaust and the murdering of millions. There was an explosion of hope for a better life. And it is being celebrated with parades in London and Paris and towns across Europe. V-E Day is also haunted by the specter of current-day conflict in Ukraine.

The Latest: Cardinals vote in the Vatican for a second day to elect a new pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Catholic cardinals have returned to the Sistine Chapel for a second day of voting to try and elect a new pope. The 133 cardinals are to vote again on Thursday morning after having spent the night sequestered at the Vatican residences. On Wednesday evening, black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave. The cardinals have been sworn to secrecy in the centuries-old ritual to elect a new leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church. To become pope, a cardinal needs a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. This conclave is the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.