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Part of a damaged aircraft near Srinagar, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, yesterday. Credit...Tauseef Mustafa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Will the India-Pakistan conflict escalate further? After India had conducted airstrikes on Pakistan and the Pakistani-held area of Kashmir, the Pakistani military claimed yesterday that it had downed Indian jets. Two or three Indian planes went down on the Indian side of the border, according to Indian officials and Western diplomats, as well as local media reports and witness accounts. The question now is whether Pakistan will decide that it must answer India’s strikes with an attack of its own on Indian soil.
For now, Pakistan says it is keeping all its options open. But diplomats and analysts expressed some hope that an all-out war could be averted. Pakistan’s defense minister said he would welcome further U.S. efforts to help defuse his country’s crisis with India.
The Pakistani military said more than 20 people had been killed and dozens injured after India hit six places in Pakistani-held Kashmir and in Punjab Province. Residents of the Indian side of Kashmir said at least 10 people were killed by shelling from the Pakistani side.
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Even as India hailed its “Operation Sindoor” attack on Pakistan as a victory in response to the terrorist attack in Kashmir last month that killed 26 people, evidence grew that their forces may have taken heavy losses.
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Credit...Source: Pakistani military (strike locations) By The New York Times
Perspective: My colleague Mujib Mashal, our South Asia bureau chief, explained what led to the strikes in this Times video. “The history of these two countries has really been a history of managed hostilities,” Mujib said.
On the ground: These photos and videos capture scenes from India’s strikes on Pakistan and Kashmir.
Arms flow: When it comes to weapons, India vs. Pakistan is also China vs. the U.S., illustrating the new alignments in this corner of Asia.
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Black smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, yesterday. Credit...Hannah Mckay/Reuters
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No pope was elected on the first day of the conclave Black smoke puffed from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel as the first round of voting for a new pope ended yesterday without a decision. The conclave of cardinals will meet today to try again.
The initial vote had not been expected to yield a new leader. The 133 cardinals, the most ever to gather in a papal conclave, will remain without phone or internet access and under oaths of total secrecy until a two-thirds majority agrees on a candidate. This is how a conclave works.
What’s next: There is no indication of how long the conclave will take, though decisions were reached in the last two within two days. Because the process takes place mostly in silence, one seasoned cardinal had some advice: “Bring a book.”
Quiz: Think you know the conclave? Test your knowledge on the centuries-old tradition.
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Wounded victims were rescued moments after a strike on a restaurant in Gaza City yesterday.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
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Israeli airstrikes killed dozens in Gaza Airstrikes pounded Gaza yesterday, killing at least 59 people, health officials said, as Israel’s defense minister gave some details about a plan to capture more of the enclave and force all two million Gaza residents to live in the south. The single deadliest bombing hit near a popular cafe in Gaza City where young people had gathered to use the internet, killing 33, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Speaking to the military, Israel’s defense minister said the relocation of Gazans was part of an offensive that would begin after President Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week. Until then, he said, Hamas had “a window of opportunity” to agree to new cease-fire negotiations and release Israeli hostages.
MORE TOP NEWS
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Credit...Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Syria: President Ahmed al-Shara arrived in France for his first trip to a European country since ascending to power.
Yemen: The Houthis, an Iran-backed group, vowed to continue attacking Israel a day after Trump said the U.S. would stop bombing them.
Libya: U.S. officials said that they planned to deport migrants to Libya. Both of the country’s rival governments denied that they agreed to a deal.
The war in Ukraine Fighting: Russia and Ukraine kept up attacks a day before a three-day Russian cease-fire was to take effect.
POWs: Amid happy reunions and anguish, families and loved ones in Ukraine welcomed home prisoners repatriated from Russia.
China: The country’s leader, Xi Jinping, will meet with President Vladimir Putin and be the “main guest” at a parade.
Europe: With Putin having threatened aggression beyond Ukraine, Poland has taken a bigger role in the E.U. and trained ordinary citizens in civil defense.
What else is happening Trade: Beijing said that its top trade official, He Lifeng, would meet with his U.S. counterpart in Switzerland this week.
Politics: “That’s not who we are.” Joe Biden criticized Trump in his first interview since leaving office.
Space: Kosmos-482, a half-ton Soviet spacecraft, has been adrift among the stars for 53 years. It will return to Earth this week. Nobody knows where.
Covid: A study comparing the genome of Covid with that of SARS argues that both viruses jumped from bats to wild mammals in China, and eventually to humans.
Business: Disney announced that it had reached an agreement to open a theme park in Abu Dhabi.
Germany: Friedrich Merz, the new chancellor, is facing a stalled economy, fallout from Trump’s tariffs and a political challenge from the far right.
Rwanda: The Trump administration is said to be in talks with Rwanda to take in deportees. We looked at Britain’s failed attempt to do the same.
Health: WeightWatchers, which has faced stiff competition from new weight-loss drugs, filed for bankruptcy.
Music: Smokey Robinson was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by four women who worked as his housekeepers.
Media: Netflix is overhauling its home screen for the first time in 12 years.
SPORTS NEWS
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Credit...Marco Bertorello/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Soccer: We broke down Inter Milan’s defeat of Barcelona, which may have been the greatest Champions League semifinal ever.
Formula 1: Alpine announced that Franco Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan for the next five races. This is why.
Tennis: 50 U.S. players will descend on Rome for the Italian Open as the U.S. Tennis Association tries to learn from recent Italian success.
MORNING READ
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Credit...Artwork by Kensuke Koike
When we think about the forces that shape us, our first thought might be of our parents. But our brothers and sisters can play just as big a role (if not bigger) in who we become, from school life to sports. Read more about these rivals and allies.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
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25 years of New York dining: We revisit the big restaurant moments in the city that never sleeps.
Goodbye to a dream home: Barbara Corcoran, known as the queen of New York real estate, is selling her Manhattan penthouse for $12 million.
Morocco in your 70s: Is it colonialism when Europeans retire to cheaper countries? Our columnist considers the impact.
Be Well: The Times’s Well team hosted its first major public event, speaking with doctors, experts and celebrities about happiness. Here are some of the highlights.
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ARTS AND IDEAS
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Credit...The New York Times
The year’s best books, so far We’re more than a third of the way through 2025 and our Book Review team has already written about hundreds of books. Some were good. Some were very good. And then there were the ones we couldn’t stop thinking about.
One of the favorites is “We Do Not Part,” a dreamlike novel that revisits a violent chapter in South Korean history. Another is “Careless People,” a darkly funny exposé of Facebook.
Here are more thrillers, chillers and a hare-raising memoir, big ears and all.
Awards drama: “James,” by Percival Everett, won the Pulitzer for fiction this week. But not without complications.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
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Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Cook: This Thai green curry is as flavorful as it is comforting.
Read: In “Super Agers,” the cardiologist Eric Topol lays out his tips for aging well.
Serve: See the latest in delectable tableware.
Listen: Fall in love with the jazz musician Sonny Rollins.
Create: Find Zen by building a Lego set.
Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.
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That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett
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