1. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping have met in Moscow. The leaders have expressed their intention to further enhance bilateral relations, with the US administration of President Donald Trump in mind. At the beginning of the meeting, Putin said the bilateral ties built during the harsh war is one of the foundations of the two countries’ current cooperation. He said the bilateral relations are equal and mutually beneficial, not the kind swayed by international affairs.
2. Black smoke billowed from a chimney on the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on Thursday morning, signaling that a successor to the late Pope Francis has still not been found. A total of 133 Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world resumed voting on the second day of a conclave. They will continue to cast ballots until a candidate wins the two-thirds majority. Up to two rounds of voting will take place in the afternoon. If a new pope is elected, white smoke will billow from the chimney of the chapel. If not, black smoke will appear at the end of the afternoon votes.
3. Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, is visiting the 2025 World Expo in Osaka for the first time since the event started in mid-April. The princess visited the Japan Pavilion in the afternoon to start her planned two-day visit. Princess Aiko then went to the Skywalk deck on the roof of the Grand Ring, a huge structure built as the symbol of the expo.