World
Europe
First conclave vote to elect new pope fails as black smoke emerges
More than 45,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square to witness the time-honoured tradition which signified that no candidate had garnered the two-thirds majority needed to become the new pope.
- by Rob Harris
Latest
World in pictures this week, May 8, 2025
The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by The Age picture editors
Why Andrew Forrest bankrolled David Attenborough’s last great project
The mining billionaire was a nature-loving teenager when he first fell in love with Attenborough’s films.
- by Rob Harris
List: Popes of the 20th and 21st centuries
The next pope will join a storied list of past leaders of the Holy See, with the first pope of the 20th century being elected 147 years ago.
- by Bronte Gossling
Too many cardinals, not enough rooms: Vatican’s pre-conclave dilemma
With a record number of electors and not enough rooms to accommodate them, the Vatican’s highly secretive conclave is off to a crowded, chaotic start.
- by Rob Harris
Updated
World elections
Merz becomes Germany’s 10th chancellor hours after historic initial defeat
A candidate for chancellor has never failed to win on the first ballot since the end of World War II.
- by Stefanie Dazio and Kirsten Grieshaber
Who will be the next pope? Even the cardinals don’t know
A few cardinals are seen as front-runners to succeed Pope Francis, yet many of the clerics who will vote have not made up their minds.
Her final wish: A home for the son she never got to hold
As a teenager, Chrissie Tully fell in love and then became pregnant. What happened next followed a grim, tragic script in mid-century Ireland.
- by Ali Watkins
What is a conclave and how will a new pope be chosen?
Starting tomorrow at the Vatican, 133 cardinals will take part in a centuries-old secret ritual to choose Pope Francis’ successor. Here’s what to expect.
- by Nicole Winfield, Joshua McElwee and Crispian Balmer
How George Pell could shape the outcome of the papal conclave – from beyond the grave
In the final months of his life, Cardinal George Pell was quietly working on what he felt was his last great mission – to save the soul of the Catholic Church.
- by Rob Harris
Analysis
World War II
As war again rages in Europe, VE Day reminds us all what’s at stake
Eighty years on, the story of Australia’s Stanley Bruce, Winston Churchill and Victory in Europe Day remains strikingly relevant.
- by Rob Harris