Who could be the next pope?

We look at some possible candidates.

Get full access to Reuters.com for just $1/week. Subscribe now. Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Linda Noakes Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, Trump's attack on Powell sparks a selloff in US assets, and Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine. Plus, how Brazil's would-be cocoa king aims to revolutionize the industry. Today's Top News   The body of Pope Francis lies in an open casket during the rite of the declaration of death. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS Death of Pope Francis Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday in St. Peter's Square, Roman Catholic cardinals decided, setting the stage for a solemn ceremony that will draw leaders from around the world. The election process that will take place once Francis is buried is highly secretive and nothing will be certain until white smoke pouring from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel tells the world that a new pope has been picked. An old Italian saying warns: "He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it as a cardinal". Here are some candidates who are being talked about. US politics Harvard University sued to block President Donald Trump from freezing billions of dollars in federal funding after the elite research institution rejected a list of White House demands that it said would undermine its independence. Pete Hegseth wanted to make waves at the Pentagon. But less than 90 days since being sworn in as US defense secretary, he appears put off balance by the very turbulence he himself created. Trump's public approval rating edged down to its lowest level since his return to the White House, as Americans showed signs of wariness over his efforts to broaden his power, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. We look at how Trump moved swiftly to punish perceived foes in his first 100 days. In other news Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time since the early days of the war, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was eager to discuss a halt to attacks on civilian targets. The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel's blockade of all supplies. Early voting in the Australian election began, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor party holding a slim lead over the conservative opposition coalition. Business & Markets   A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid European stock markets fell after Trump's attack on the Federal Reserve chair sparked a selloff of US assets, while gold hit a new record high. Trump kept up his verbal assault on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But can he fire him? Economics Editor Dan Burns looks at the options on the Reuters World News podcast. Vietnam's trade ministry has issued a directive to crack down on illegal transhipment of goods to the United States and other trading partners as it tries to avoid steep tariffs, according to a document reviewed by Reuters. US trade officials finalized steep tariff levels on most solar cells from Southeast Asia, a key step toward wrapping up a year-old trade case in which American manufacturers accused Chinese companies of flooding the market with unfairly cheap goods. Swiss pharma giant Roche said it would invest $50 billion in the United States over the next five years, creating more than 12,000 new jobs, in the latest massive investment by companies reacting to Trump's tariffs policy. US Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touted progress in talks for a trade deal between the two countries, as New Delhi rushes to avoid US tariffs. Many Canadian 'snowbirds' in US look to pack up and fly north - for good   A 'For Sale' sign at a house in Miami. REUTERS/Marco Bello The number of Canadians planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the US. "It was time to leave.... We no longer felt welcome nor safe." Read more And Finally... Moises Schmidt holds a cocoa bean. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli In the Brazilian state of Bahia, farmer Moises Schmidt is developing the world's largest cocoa farm. His plan is to revolutionize the way the main ingredient in chocolate is produced, growing high-yield cocoa trees, fully irrigated and fertilized, in an area bigger than the island of Manhattan. Read more Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters' website Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. 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