Thick black smoke emerged Wednesday from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals had failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church in their first conclave vote.

Record fossil fuel production kept planet-heating methane emissions near historic highs last year, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday, warning of a surge in massive leaks from oil and gas facilities.

Roman Catholic cardinals will begin the task on Wednesday of electing a new pope, locking themselves away from the world until they choose the man they hope can unite a diverse but divided global Church.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on Tuesday in a second round of voting after an unprecedented defeat on the first attempt got his coalition government off to a wobbly start.

The upcoming conclave to elect the successor of the late Pope Francis will be the first for Suharyo since he was appointed cardinal by the Argentinian pontiff in 2019.

Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 133 cardinal electors will gather on Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel for an election that could last hours, days, or even months.

Merz, 69, who led his CDU/CSU conservatives to a federal election victory in February and signed a coalition deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), won just 310 votes in the secret ballot in the lower house, the Bundestag, six short of an absolute majority. It meant at least 18 coalition MPs had failed to back him.

Conservative Friedrich Merz is set to be sworn in on Tuesday as Germany's new chancellor at a critical juncture as the economy battles its longest post-war downturn, relations with top security ally the United States fray and the far-right surges.

Hype has been building on social media around the Catholic Church's secretive, centuries-old tradition of conclaves to elect a new pope, animating users from the White House on down.

Firefighters have installed the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel which will emit white smoke to signal the election of a new pope as preparations proceed just five days before cardinals gather for the conclave.

The admission comes just days after Moscow confirmed the North's participation, while Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday heralded the "feat" of Pyongyang's troops.

Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump said he was disappointed that Russia has continued to attack Ukraine, and said his one-on-one meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican on Saturday had gone well. 

The former president was one of four envoys President Prabowo tasked with paying his and Indonesia's respects to the late pope, which has ruffled some feathers among the public.

Francis strove for "a Church determined to take care of the problems of people and the great anxieties that tear the contemporary world apart".

The crowds, packed with young people, applauded as the pope's coffin was carried out of St Peter's Basilica by white gloved pallbearers, accompanied by more than 200 red-robed cardinals.

The entourage, which includes former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, brings a letter for the Vatican written by President Prabowo Subianto, in which he offers condolences from the government and people of Indonesia.

Shoigu's comments come as US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have warned that Washington could walk away from trying to negotiate a peace settlement in Ukraine if there is no progress on a deal soon.

Pilgrims and tourists queued for hours to file past the open coffin of the Argentine pontiff, who died on Monday aged 88.

As the global geopolitical landscape continues to veer toward unpredictability and intensifying tensions, Estonia has begun setting its sights on partnerships with Southeast Asian countries, exemplified by a recent high-level engagement with Indonesia to explore cooperation, particularly in the digital world.

President Prabowo Subianto appointed former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, former transportation minister Ignasius Jonan and some of his cabinet members to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome on April 26.

All cardinals currently in Rome have been invited to gather in the Vatican at 9 a.m., where they were expected to make funeral plans.

On Easter Sunday, the day before his death aged 88, Francis made his first prolonged public appearance since February, entering St. Peter's Square in a white popemobile to greet cheering crowds.

On Sunday, Easter day, Francis had entered St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile shortly after mid-day, greeting cheering crowds. He had also offered a special blessing for the first time since Christmas.

He was 88, and had suffered various ailments in his 12 year papacy.

Vance, a Catholic who has clashed with the pontiff over the Trump administration's immigration policies, met Francis at his Vatican residence to exchange Easter greetings, the statement said. 

The comments came as Russia and the United States forged closer ties under President Donald Trump's administration, of which billionaire SpaceX founder Musk is a key figure.

Five years after COVID-19 killed millions of people and devastated economies, a growing sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new health threats lurking, ranging from H5N1 bird flu to measles, mpox and Ebola.

About 20,000 extra troops were deployed to the region in 2022 under then-president Joe Biden, reinforcing NATO's eastern flank after Russia invaded Ukraine.

In Europe, it was the hottest March ever recorded by a significant margin, said the Copernicus Climate Change Service, driving rainfall extremes across a continent warming faster than any other.

European visitors to Britain will have to purchase an electronic permit in advance for trips from Wednesday, as the UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders.