White Smoke signals new Pope elected after Francis' death
Vatican City: The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope. White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening, accompanied by the ringing of St. Peter’s Basilica’s bells, signalling that the College of Cardinals has elected a successor to Pope Francis.
The announcement came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who began their conclave behind the Vatican’s ancient walls on Wednesday. At around 6:08 p.m. local time (1608 GMT), the much-anticipated white smoke confirmed that the cardinals had reached the required two-thirds majority needed to select the new pontiff.
A wave of joy and applause swept through the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square as they witnessed the historic moment. Many had been waiting for hours, watching the chimney for signs of a decision.
The identity of the newly elected pope and the name he has chosen will be officially announced from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly. He is also expected to deliver his first address and blessing to the faithful assembled in the square.
The conclave was called following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Francis, who led the Church’s 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, had left behind a mixed but impactful legacy. Known for his push for reform, he encouraged dialogue on complex issues like the role of women in the Church and greater acceptance of LGBT Catholics. His papacy was marked by a vision to modernise the Church while maintaining its core spiritual values.
Though there were no clear favourites ahead of the vote, speculation centred on Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Others considered possible candidates included French Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, Italian Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
The decision of the cardinals, who had been cut off from the outside world and sworn to secrecy during the conclave, reflects the Church’s next direction. They were tasked with choosing between continuing the progressive path laid by Francis or shifting back towards a more conservative leadership.
During the voting process, which started with an inconclusive round on Wednesday evening and continued through two more rounds on Thursday morning, the cardinals remained secluded. Their only connection with the outside world was through the colour of the smoke signals — black for no decision and white when a new pope is elected.
Traditionally, it takes an average of around seven ballots to elect a pope. Pope Francis was chosen after just five rounds in 2013. The precise number of rounds taken this time has not been disclosed yet.
The world now awaits the formal appearance of the new pope, who will step out to greet the global Catholic community and outline the tone of his papacy.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
