W O R L D

Cardinals fail to elect new Pope in first vote
Vatican City, March 12
Black smoke rose from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Tuesday, signalling that Roman Catholic cardinals had not elected a new Pope in the first vote of their secret conclave.

Black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel after first vote on Tuesday. Reuters

India, Mauritius agree to thrash out tax agreement differences
Port Louis, March 12
Agreeing to narrow down differences over the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) permitting investments with tax breaks, India and Mauritius today agreed to find a solution to the issue.

President Pranab Mukherjee raises a toast with Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam during a banquet as his wife Veena Ramgoolam looks on, at Port Luis in Mauritius on Monday. — PTI

99.8% Falklands voters want to stay British
Stanley (Falkland Islands), March 12
An overwhelming 99.8 per cent of Falkland Islands voters have backed keeping their government just the way it is: A British Overseas Territory.







Falkland islanders react after hearing the results of the referendum in Stanley on Monday. — Reuters

Snowstorm hits northwest Europe
Brussels/Paris, March 12
An overnight snowstorm in northwestern Europe caused record traffic jams in Belgium, stalled high-speed international trains and left British and French drivers sleeping in their cars.

Traffic during a heavy snow storm near Paris on Tuesday. — AFP

Ahmadinejad under fire for hugging Chavez’s mother
Tehran, March 12
Senior Iranian clerics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for consoling Hugo Chavez's mother with a hug a physical contact considered a sin under the country's strict Islamic codes.

Cardinals fail to elect new Pope in first vote

Vatican City, March 12
Black smoke rose from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Tuesday, signalling that Roman Catholic cardinals had not elected a new Pope in the first vote of their secret conclave.

The black smoke was seen by thousands of faithful in St Peter’s Square. The 115 cardinals will now hold a new round of voting on Wednesday morning. They will remain sequestered behind the Vatican's mediaeval walls until they elect a successor to Pope Benedict, who abdicated last month.

Earlier in the day, cardinals celebrated a final Mass before sequestering themselves in the Sistine Chapel.

As a Gregorian chant filled St Peter's Basilica, the 115 cardinals participating in the conclave filed in wearing bright red vestments, many looking grim as if the burden of the imminent vote was weighing on them.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided. All of the cardinals were concelebrating with him in a show of unity among a divided group of men from around the globe who have for the past week heard about the various problems of the church and tried to decide who best among them can fix those.

When the cardinals agree on a pontiff, white smoke will rise from the makeshift chimney on the chapel roof and the bells of St Peter's Basilica will peal. — Agencies

poll procedure At the start of the conclave, all those not having anything to do with the conclave leave the Sistine Chapel and the great doors of the frescoed chapel are shut After prayers, the cardinals may decide to hold a first vote After the vote, smoke is released from the roof of the chapel. White smoke means a Pope has been elected and black smoke signals the vote is inconclusive From Wednesday, the cardinals will vote four times a day, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, until they have elected a new leader of the Roman Catholic Church If no one is elected by Friday, the cardinals will hold a day of prayer and reflection on Saturday before resuming the voting

India, Mauritius agree to thrash out tax agreement differences
KV Prasad/TNS

Mukherjee also paid a visit to the Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Memorial and the Apravasi Ghat, the place where batches of indentured labour arrived to work in sugar plantations. Later, he attended the National Day Parade as the chief guest.

99.8% Falklands voters want to stay British

Stanley (Falkland Islands), March 12
An overwhelming 99.8 per cent of Falkland Islands voters have backed keeping their government just the way it is: A British Overseas Territory.

Of the 1,517 valid votes cast, only 3 islanders voted "no" to the question: "Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?" One vote was somehow lost, officials said today.

The referendum was aimed at showing the world that the residents' self-determination must be considered in any discussion about the future of the remote South Atlantic islands that are claimed by both Britain and Argentina.

Elections officials reported a 92 per cent turnout among the approximately 1,650 Falkland Islands voters eligible to cast ballots in the referendum. International election observer Juan Henao said the process was completely normal.

The islands' 2,563 residents did all they could ahead of the vote to show their sympathies, waving Union Jack flags and dressing up in red-white-and-blue.

"The referendum will show the world how we feel, that we are British and that we wish to remain British. We don't want to have nothing to do with Argentina at all," islander Barry Nielson said as he voted. — AP

UK hails result
London: Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday called on Argentina to take “careful note” of the wishes of the people of Falkland Islands, hours after islanders voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to remain British. — PTI

Snowstorm hits northwest Europe

Brussels/Paris, March 12
An overnight snowstorm in northwestern Europe caused record traffic jams in Belgium, stalled high-speed international trains and left British and French drivers sleeping in their cars.

The Belgian breakdown assistance association Touring said the total length of tailbacks on highways and major roads at their rush-hour peak hit 1,670 km (1,038 miles), beating by far the previous record of 1,285 km set on February 3 last year.

On a normal Tuesday, total morning rush-hour traffic jams average 250-270 km.

Brussels' two main railway stations were closed. The high-speed Eurostar service connecting London with the French and Belgian capitals and the Thalys line linking Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Cologne in Germany were both suspended.

France's civil aviation authority cancelled 25 per cent of flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and 20 per cent at Orly.

Around 80,000 homes in northeastern France were without electricity.

It was set to be the first mid-March day since 1925 that the daytime temperature in Belgium had not risen above freezing.

In southeastern England and northern France, hundreds of drivers spent the night in their cars. Another 600 persons spent the night in public buildings opened up for them by authorities in the French coastal region of Normandy.

High winds and snowdrifts also caused traffic chaos in southern parts of the Netherlands. — Reuters

freeze frame First mid-March day since 1925 that daytime temperature in Belgium hasn’t risen above freezing Record traffic jam in Belgium France cancels 25% flights at Charles de Gaulle airport and 20% at Orly 80,000 French homes without electricity High winds cause traffic chaos in the Netherlands

Ahmadinejad under fire for hugging Chavez’s mother

Tehran, March 12
Senior Iranian clerics have criticised President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for consoling Hugo Chavez's mother with a hug a physical contact considered a sin under the country's strict Islamic codes.

The controversy follows a widely published photo showing Ahmadinejad embracing Chavez's mother at the funeral of the late Venezuelan president.

Iranian papers today cited clerics from the religious centre of Qom who described the contact as "forbidden," inappropriate behaviour and "clowning around." Iran's strict Islamic codes prohibit physical contact between unrelated members of the opposite sex. — AP

BRIEFLY

WINGED BEAUTIES: Lensman Alexander James adjusts lighting during a demonstration in London on Monday. James creates still life images underwater often using butterflies as part of the composition. — Reuters

Leadership choices Myanmar’s internal issue, says US
Washington: The US has no role in "leadership choices" in Myanmar as this is an internal issue of the country, but it would continue to play a constructive role in the democratic and economic progress in the South East Asian nation, a top presidential aide said on Tuesday. "The United States has indicated that those governments which are prepared to move forward on reform, move forward on democracy and recognition of rights will have a partner in the US," Tom Donilon, the National Security Adviser to the US President Barack Obama said. — PTI

Russian carrying 26,000 diamonds held
Moscow: A Russian citizen attempting to smuggle 26,000 diamonds, worth a staggering $1,62,000, into the country has been arrested at the Moscow airport. The diamonds with a total weight of 66 grams (830 carats) have been confiscated by the Customs officials at the Moscow Sheremetyevo international airport. — PTI

Pak poll official shot in Quetta
Islamabad: District Election Commissioner Ziaullah Qasmi was shot dead in Quetta, capital of the volatile Balochistan province, on Tuesday. Qasmi was on his way home from work on a rickshaw when two unidentified motorcyclists shot and killed him. The security situation has been volatile in Quetta for the past few months. The government had imposed Governor’s Rule in Balochistan in January after a bomb attack on Shia Hazaras in Quetta left around 90 persons dead. — TNS

10,000 hit by hand-foot-mouth disease 
Hanoi: Over 10,000 Vietnamese have been affected by the hand-foot-mouth disease, a contagious viral illness that affects mostly infants and children, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Nguyen Van Binh, head of the ministry's Preventive Health Department, said the disease has spread to 60 of the country's 64 provinces, Xinhua reported. — IANS

Afghan authorities seize 23-tonne heroin
Kabul: Afghan officials say counter-narcotics teams have seized roughly 23 tonnes of heroin and morphine and other chemicals in a helicopter raid. They said the bust on Monday was the largest so far this year. — AP

Cause of 2011 Arctic ozone ‘hole’ found
Washington: A combination of extreme cold temperatures, man-made chemicals and a stagnant atmosphere caused a significant hole in the Arctic ozone layer in 2011, NASA has found. Even when both poles of the planet undergo ozone losses during the winter, the Arctic's ozone depletion tends to be milder and shorter-lived than the Antarctic's, researchers said. — PTI