Vittorio Hernandez

When newly elected Pope Francis, previously known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, holds his installation Mass on March 19, Tuesday, he will follow tradition and wear the papal vestments that his predecessors did. That includes the skull cap and the world famous red shoes.

One week after Tourism Australia announced the revival of its Best Jobs in the World Promo, the agency was deluged with 275,000 applications from 150,000 people in 196 countries, attracted no doubt by the promise of outdoors adventure and the hefty salary offer.

The world is still recovering from the shock of the election of a non-European pope in the person of Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Martin Bergoglio, but the meme makers are not to be left behind.

Despite a slightly firmer start to the day's trade, local stocks are trading in the red at lunchtime, weighed down by weakness from the mining players.

Move over Evita Peron, Argentina has a new icon - Pope Francis or former Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

A U.S.-based porn search engine, PornMD, has identified Aussie (Gay) as the most searched porn term used in the land down under. The word is part of the portal's study on global Internet porn habits.

While the 115 cardinal electors who just elected a new pope were bound by a vow of silence and hence could not tweet during the conclave, Australian MPs are not. However, at one point, House Speaker Anna Burke was asked to consider banning the use of social media while the sessions are ongoing.

The 14 days of waiting ended on Wednesday night in Vatican City when the much-awaited white smoke finally emanated from the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the phrase "Habemus Papam!" was said. To the cheers of thousands of chimney watchers, Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was introduced to the world as Pope Francis by French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

Two rounds of voting in the Wednesday morning session of the second day of the conclave still failed to produce a new pope. The chimney followers at Vatican Square were informed of this developed with the release anew of black smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney.

Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr was hurt in a vehicular accident on Monday in Los Angeles, California. She had to undergo MRI scans and is now wearing a neck support, said Annie Kelly, her spokeswoman.

The Australian share market eased for a second session today, as big falls from the big four banks dragged on the local bourse.

The National Aerospace and Space Administration (NASA) declared on Tuesday that Mars could support life. The basis of NASA was an analysis of rock samples that the Curiosity crew drilled from the red planet.

An iPad could be used as a remote control for an old Opel Vectra, Russian computer experts have demonstrated in a home. To move the vehicle, also sold as Holden in Australia in the late 1990s, the geeks connected servo motors to metal rods that control the wheel steering and gear selection.

Rovio, the Finnish creator of the popular online game Angry Birds, will launch this weekend the TV cartoon version in a bid to widen its entertainment and merchandising reach.

The federal government of Australia announced on Tuesday that coal seam gas (CSG) projects and large coal mine ventures would require federal approval because of the potential cumulative impact of these resources projects on water supply.

The Australian sharemarket has kicked off hump day in subdued fashion, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) down by just 0.2 per cent or 9.2 pts to 5119.5.

After meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, retired American basketball star Dennis Rodman's next target is to meet the soon-to-be elected pope in a bid to help save the Roman Catholic Church battered by scandals and now without a chief shepherd after Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigned on Feb 28.

As expected, black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday night, the first day of the anticipated conclave. The smoke confirmed expectations that the 115 cardinal electors would not be able to elect a new pope and that there is no strong frontrunner at this point.

The family court feud that Australians are following like soap operas because of the huge money involved has a new twist. It seems the battle has suddenly turned lopsided in favour of the family matriarch who at one point was sued by her three adult children for their fair share of the family wealth.

The secrecy of the way the pope is elected and the not-so secret shenanigans going on in Vatican at about the same time the conclave started on Tuesday are now becoming more intense as more cartoonists make light of the situation.

The Australian sharemarket couldn't make it three consecutive sessions of gains today, with the All Ordinaries Index slipping by 0.61 per cent or 31.4 pts to 5128.6. The mining and energy sectors continue to underperform the broader market. Both industries combined account for around ¼ of the Australian sharemarket.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi hinted on Tuesday, the start of the conclave, that the papal election may not yield yet a winner. He told journalist to expect black smoke to emanate from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel by about 8 p.m.

The local share market is trading slightly lower at lunchtime in the East, despite a positive start and another record high on Wall Street overnight.

As if the Vatileaks scandal were not enough to create more anti-Curia and anti-Italian sentiments as the 115 cardinal electors start the conclave on Tuesday, March 12, a new scandal threatens to overshadow the results of the papal election.

ew Zealand clients of the big 4 Australian banks filed on Monday a class action suit over charges that the lender have collected from them $800 million in excessive default fees.

Hancock Coal and rail freight company Aurizon inked an agreement for the joint development of new rail and port facilities in Galilee Basin. The project is estimated to cost $6 million.

Despite the loss of Labor seats in the recent Western Australia state election which resulted in calls for Prime Minister Julia Gillard to step down as leader of the party, Labor is apparently not giving up power.

It is the start of the conclave today, March 12, as the 115 cardinal electors lock themselves inside Sistine Chapel until they agree who among them would succeed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Despite a flat start, the Australian share market has closed higher thanks to strong gains from financial stocks and another rise on the Japanese sharemarket.