A bogus tabloid story came out this morning that claimed Enrique Iglesias and his girlfriend of 12 years Anna Kournikova were planning to wed soon in a huge blowout wedding with “A-list” celebrity guests like Nicole Scherzinger and Eva Longoria.

Right, because the man who said, “I’ve never really thought marriage would make a difference,” is going to have a Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova "Married" 12 Times Already

We didn’t bat an eyelash at the wedding rumors. Why? Because these two have supposedly gotten “married” and divorced several times in the last 12 years.

June 1, 2003: A news report claimed they were married in secret in the Dominican Republic.

December 16, 2004: Just kidding about that first wedding, they actually got married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after Anna was overheard telling fans at a tennis event that they got hitched.

December 11, 2006: The couple host a “Hanukkah party” (didn’t know either of them were Jewish) in reports that continually refer to them as man and wife.

May 27, 2007: Enrique reportedly told a Swedish newspaper that he and Anna are divorced and he was on the prowl for a new GF.

April 19, 2008: Well, that was a short-lived divorce. Now, sources claim Iglesias has been trying to get married to Anna for years and she keeps shooting him down. Does Enrique not know they’ve already been married twice?

June 29, 2008: Enrique himself admitted that he and Anna DID get married then got divorced, but some gossip bloggers reported at the time that he liked to give BS interviews to purposefully throw off the media, so…

September 25, 2009: The couple was spotted shopping at a Cartier shop in Paris, which in Hollywood always means, “engagement ring shopping.”

November 20, 2010: Flash forward a year, and Anna is spotted wearing a giant ring on her engagement finger.

November 30, 2010: Ten days later, those engagement ring rumors turned into full-on “secret wedding” rumors.

April 14, 2011: During a concert in Moscow, Enrique introduces Anna onstage as “my wife Anna.” So they got hitched?

December 26, 2012: Despite the fact that Anna wore an “engagement ring” back in 2010, she is spotted wearing a different “engagement ring” again.

Today: They are reportedly planning an elaborate upcoming wedding. You know, just as elaborate as their previous four weddings.

[readon1 url="http://www.hollyscoop.com/enrique-iglesias/enrique-iglesias-and-anna-kournikova-dodge-marriage-rumors-decade.html"]Source:www.hollyscoop.com [/readon1]

Ireland have been dealt two serious blows ahead of the European team championships in Dublin this weekend.

Hot on the heels of Fonnuala Britton's withdrawal, comes the withdrawal of Mark English.

The double cross country is a big loss to the Irish side as she was expected to win her 5,000 meters title.

Irish team manager Patsy McGonagle also confirmed the withdrawal of Letterkenny's rising prodigy Mark English.

English who is a rising star of the Irish athletics was another team management expected a top three performance from in Dublin.

Tallaght's Anthony Leigho will replace English.

Already missing key members Ciaran O'Lionard and high jumper Deirdre Ryan, the loss of the double European cross country champion adds more woe to the iish tale.

Britton's coach Chris Jones explained "We are cautiously withdrawing Fionnuala from the team due to a chest infection, as one of our premier athletes we are not willing to take any unnecessary risks."

Kerry Harty who was surprisingly over looked in the steeplechase been drafted into replace Britton in the 5,000 meters.

[readon1 url="http://eircomsports.eircom.net/News/britton-out-of-european-team-championships.aspx"]Source:eircomsports.eircom.net[/readon1]

In early April, I wrote a column about Quinn Lessing, an 18-year-old student at Coquitlam’s Pinetree Secondary. He was looking for a car.

Not just any car: He wanted, as he put it, “a hot car that would turn heads,” and he wanted it only for one day.

He wanted to take it to his grad celebration being held Saturday at The Bayshore. He wanted it so he and his date could arrive in style.

So Quinn put an ad on Craigslist. The ad read:

“WANTED: Car for grad.

“I want to use an exotic/ classic/ unique car for one day on my grad. I am willing to demonstrate my driving skills beforehand on my own vehicle (standard or auto), and will keep a video of the entire drive to ensure that I have not been speeding or recklessly driving.

“COMPENSATION:

“I’ll fill up your tank and pay you some money depending on the car, however please do not ask a $5000 deposit and me to take over your lease as I’m a student, not a loaded 25 year old looking for a hot ride.

“This has always been my dream to roll in a beautiful car with a hot girl by my side to grad, give a guy a hand.”

In the days that followed, several readers emailed me asking if I might put them in touch with Quinn. About a dozen offers resulted, some of them bona fide, some of them suspect. One person mused about offering Quinn a Rolls-Royce. It didn’t pan out.

But he did get real offers, including:

• A 1997 BMW Z3 convertible from a woman who wrote that it had “a few scratches on the left front bumper (one put there by my son)” and who would only want as payment that Quinn clean and wax the car (she would supply the wax).

• A 1999 BMW roadster convertible from a man whose son and daughter were both Pinetree graduates, and who asked, in payment, that Quinn volunteer his time for the three-day Golden Spike Days Festival.

• A 2009 BMW “Darth Maul” M3 (a special design model with distinctive black and red colour scheme).

• A 2012 Lexus LS460 luxury sedan.

• A 1966 Beaumont convertible (which would have been my choice).

• A black Corvette ZR1, which the offerer wanted a $650 rental fee for.

• A 2010 427 Mustang convertible.

• And, finally, and most peculiarly, a 2002 Ferrari that the owner had up for sale on Craigslist, and who wrote Quinn that: “I might as well make a few bucks before my car sells. I would need to put it under your insurance. Meaning I would have to gift it to you after you pre-sign a transfer paper for returning the car, as well as signing a statement of our terms. You would have to insure it for the day, which won’t cost very much. I would also need at least 1000$. I prefer 1200$ as you could imagine this is somewhat unorthodox.” Quinn did not take him up on the offer.

Meanwhile, a man named Ian Gillespie had read my column. The 50-year-old Gillespie is a developer. Maybe you have heard of some of his buildings: the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, the Shangri-La, the Woodward’s building. Last year, Vancouver Magazine named him one of the 50 most powerful people in Vancouver.

Quinn’s story cheered him.

“I thought it was just a nice story ... and with so much bad news in the paper, it was a nice change to see. And he seemed like a sweet kid. And the paper was still lying around the house that night, so I showed the story to my son, who’s in Grade 11, and I asked him what he thought about (the idea of lending Quinn a car for the grad), and he said ‘Yeah, I think it’s a really cool thing to do.’”

Gillespie had his executive assistant contact Quinn. She asked Quinn if he would like the use of her boss’s car, for free, no strings attached.

The car? A silver Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, with a top speed of Died And Gone To Heaven.

Quinn said — and I’m paraphrasing, because I wasn’t there, but this is what I like to think his reply was — “Holy Crap, Yes!”

Anyway, he accepted Gillespie’s offer.

Quinn picked the car up on Friday. Since this column was written on Thursday, I have no idea how that went, but I told him he had better not screw this up by getting in an accident before the grad.

“That,” Quinn said, “is all I have heard from everybody I’ve talked to.”

He will set up a dashboard video to record the odometer and speedometer the entire time he has the car, to prove he won’t be going over the speed limit. He and his date will first drive over to a friend’s house for pictures, and then, at 8 p.m., they will drive up to The Bayshore, where Quinn will give his keys to the valet. He hopes to get a picture taken of that momentous occasion.

As for Gillespie:

“I just hope Quinn has fun. He was so cute about taking care of the car.”

Gillespie, by the way, missed his grad.

He was busy that night, he said.

In early April, I wrote a column about Quinn Lessing, an 18-year-old student at Coquitlam’s Pinetree Secondary. He was looking for a car.

Not just any car: He wanted, as he put it, “a hot car that would turn heads,” and he wanted it only for one day.

He wanted to take it to his grad celebration being held Saturday at The Bayshore. He wanted it so he and his date could arrive in style.

So Quinn put an ad on Craigslist. The ad read:

“WANTED: Car for grad.

“I want to use an exotic/ classic/ unique car for one day on my grad. I am willing to demonstrate my driving skills beforehand on my own vehicle (standard or auto), and will keep a video of the entire drive to ensure that I have not been speeding or recklessly driving.

“COMPENSATION:

“I’ll fill up your tank and pay you some money depending on the car, however please do not ask a $5000 deposit and me to take over your lease as I’m a student, not a loaded 25 year old looking for a hot ride.

“This has always been my dream to roll in a beautiful car with a hot girl by my side to grad, give a guy a hand.”

In the days that followed, several readers emailed me asking if I might put them in touch with Quinn. About a dozen offers resulted, some of them bona fide, some of them suspect. One person mused about offering Quinn a Rolls-Royce. It didn’t pan out.

But he did get real offers, including:

• A 1997 BMW Z3 convertible from a woman who wrote that it had “a few scratches on the left front bumper (one put there by my son)” and who would only want as payment that Quinn clean and wax the car (she would supply the wax).

• A 1999 BMW roadster convertible from a man whose son and daughter were both Pinetree graduates, and who asked, in payment, that Quinn volunteer his time for the three-day Golden Spike Days Festival.

• A 2009 BMW “Darth Maul” M3 (a special design model with distinctive black and red colour scheme).

• A 2012 Lexus LS460 luxury sedan.

• A 1966 Beaumont convertible (which would have been my choice).

• A black Corvette ZR1, which the offerer wanted a $650 rental fee for.

• A 2010 427 Mustang convertible.

• And, finally, and most peculiarly, a 2002 Ferrari that the owner had up for sale on Craigslist, and who wrote Quinn that: “I might as well make a few bucks before my car sells. I would need to put it under your insurance. Meaning I would have to gift it to you after you pre-sign a transfer paper for returning the car, as well as signing a statement of our terms. You would have to insure it for the day, which won’t cost very much. I would also need at least 1000$. I prefer 1200$ as you could imagine this is somewhat unorthodox.” Quinn did not take him up on the offer.

Meanwhile, a man named Ian Gillespie had read my column. The 50-year-old Gillespie is a developer. Maybe you have heard of some of his buildings: the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, the Shangri-La, the Woodward’s building. Last year, Vancouver Magazine named him one of the 50 most powerful people in Vancouver.

Quinn’s story cheered him.

“I thought it was just a nice story ... and with so much bad news in the paper, it was a nice change to see. And he seemed like a sweet kid. And the paper was still lying around the house that night, so I showed the story to my son, who’s in Grade 11, and I asked him what he thought about (the idea of lending Quinn a car for the grad), and he said ‘Yeah, I think it’s a really cool thing to do.’”

Gillespie had his executive assistant contact Quinn. She asked Quinn if he would like the use of her boss’s car, for free, no strings attached.

The car? A silver Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, with a top speed of Died And Gone To Heaven.

Quinn said — and I’m paraphrasing, because I wasn’t there, but this is what I like to think his reply was — “Holy Crap, Yes!”

Anyway, he accepted Gillespie’s offer.

Quinn picked the car up on Friday. Since this column was written on Thursday, I have no idea how that went, but I told him he had better not screw this up by getting in an accident before the grad.

“That,” Quinn said, “is all I have heard from everybody I’ve talked to.”

He will set up a dashboard video to record the odometer and speedometer the entire time he has the car, to prove he won’t be going over the speed limit. He and his date will first drive over to a friend’s house for pictures, and then, at 8 p.m., they will drive up to The Bayshore, where Quinn will give his keys to the valet. He hopes to get a picture taken of that momentous occasion.

As for Gillespie:

“I just hope Quinn has fun. He was so cute about taking care of the car.”

Gillespie, by the way, missed his grad.

He was busy that night, he said.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Pete+McMartin+Quinn+Lessing+your+chariot+awaits/8496660/story.html#ixzz2VflxxP9H

LONDON - Three days before his 92nd birthday, Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was admitted to a London hospital for exploratory surgery on Friday after "abdominal investigations," the royal household said, without offering more details.

Underneath the sagebrush and droves of cattle near Newcastle, Wyo., paleontologists have potentially unearthed one of the most complete skeletons of a triceratops ever found.

A star of the Discovery Channel show “Storm Chasers,” his son and a colleague have been identified as three of the 13 people killed after an outbreak of tornadoes struck the Oklahoma City area on Friday.

A woman takes photographs along the Stanley Park seawall after many downtown buildings turned their lights off during Earth Hour in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday March 31, 2012.

TORONTO - Canadians will be joining millions of others around the globe to mark Earth Hour this evening.

The World Wildlife Fund, the driving force behind Earth Hour, says 13-million Canadians turned off their lights for an hour last year in the symbolic event aimed at drawing awareness to climate change.

It's unclear how many Canadians will join the seventh edition of Earth Hour.

However, Earth Hour is embraced by hundreds of Canadian municipalities and many utilities have Earth Hour sections posted on their websites.

B.C. Hydro, for example, has a way for many of its customers to compare their electricity use during Earth Hour with their normal power usage.

Steven Price, a conservation director with the World Wildlife Fund, says municipalities are a driving force behind Earth Hour.

A re you suffering from poor joint support? Do your knees, hips, elbows, and hands cry out in discomfort? How often do your joints slow you down or stop you dead in your tracks?

Elaine Simmons from Massachusetts recently faced a major problem…severe discomfort in her left knee. A registered nurse for 40 years—and a serious tap dancer in her spare time—Elaine wasn't ready to slow down.

Elaine wanted to keep enjoying her important work with patients and continue to enjoy her favorite hobby.

To keep moving and enjoying her life, Elaine needed a solution…and FAST…fortunately she found a solution and you can discover more about it in a minute.

If you're like Elaine, then you know about poor joint support. Do your knees, hips, elbows, and hands cry out in discomfort? Problematic joints can slow you down or stop you dead in your tracks.

Every movement your body makes puts pressure on your joints. Over time this wear and tear can lead to discomfort and sometimes more serious mobility issues. Your joints age over time. And like the brakes in your car, joints need regular maintenance. Just like the other parts of the body, joints require the correct nutrition or 'fuel' to perform at their best.

But there's another problem that people with joint discomfort face…the market is flooded with gimmicky solutions and failed joint products. Cheap Glucosamine capsules, cut-rate Chondroitin products, and sometimes a dozen versions of the same brand. The joint market is confusing, mystifying, and for millions of people it just doesn't work.

That's why a team of nutritional developers in Cambridge, MA worked for years to create a single, complete joint solution. A product that works fast, is easy to use, and actually comforts your joints. A product created for people like Elaine who want to keep moving!

After a substantial investment of time and resources, the nutritional developers finally released a compound that actually delivers as promised. The new proprietary compound is trademarked as "Instaflex Joint Support" and offers stunning results. Fortunately, Elaine is one of the tens of thousands of people who have discovered Instaflex.

Instaflex is so effective because of a simple, but ingenious idea. Instead of tearing a product apart so a company can sell several versions of the same brand, why not create one perfectly balanced compound? No men's version, no women's version, no sports version, no adult version, no quick version, or any other knockoff versions. Just one version that actually works.

Instaflex was designed from the start to be an all-encompassing joint solution. The compound combines a wide array of carefully selected all-natural ingredients into a single once-daily dosage.

1.     Relieve and comfort your joints
2.     Improve mobility and increase flexibility
3.     Lubricate for healthy fluid movement
4.     Protect and enhance your mobility

Plus your purchase benefits the Arthritis Foundation.

There are lots of cheap joint products on the market but very few premium joint brands. Many joint companies nickel and dime you. They keep throwing out different versions of the same low-grade product. So it's understandable that joint companies were skeptical when Instaflex launched a single high-end joint product. They didn't believe people would buy a first-class joint product.

Instaflex proved them wrong. When GNC stores, the nation's largest specialty vitamin retailer, secured the exclusive retail rights to Instaflex's US launch in the summer of 2010, Instaflex had never sold a bottle in stores. In less than ten months, Instaflex became the number one selling joint product in GNC stores nationwide. Instaflex outsells not just every third-party joint product, but even GNC's own in-house brands. Over a million bottles of Instaflex have been sold globally.

The proprietary Instaflex compound includes proven joint ingredients such as Glucosamine and Turmeric Root, but it's the fast-acting White Willow Bark Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, and Boswellia Serrata Extract that provide the biggest kick. Instaflex's compound comes in three pills that are taken once daily in the mornings or evenings. Instaflex works to comfort, relieve, and support your joint function. Take Instaflex to relieve your joints now, then long-term to support your joint function.

Elaine heard about Instaflex and requested the trial sample. She saw dramatic relief and the results she was searching for. Now she's back to helping people and back to tap dancing at full speed…

…All with the help of Instaflex. It's one of the best investments she's made in her ongoing health and well-being.

Now two years after its launch, Instaflex is still the number one selling joint product in US GNC stores, and available in thousands of additional stores including Rite Aid Pharmacies and Vitamin World. Last year Instaflex became available around the world from Canada to Turkey. Instaflex is the top selling joint support product in Canadian GNC stores. Samples are available online to try right now. The samples arrive just a few days after ordering and include a full 14-day supply.

If you're suffering with joint discomfort, then try Instaflex today, and feel the benefits in person—just like Elaine, the nurse from Massachusetts. You can find Instaflex in GNC, Rite Aid, and Vitamin World stores.

A news reporter holds a bottle of hand sanitizer at a news conference,in this 2009 file photo

CALGARY -- The death of a man in an RCMP cell in southern Alberta has changed the way hand sanitizer is provided in hospitals.

Mounties took a drunken Kurt Kraus to the Vulcan Hospital in May 2010 and a doctor determined it was safe for him to be taken to a cell in nearby Gleichen to sober up.

A nurse had suspected the chronic alcoholic had ingested some hand sanitizer while at the hospital, but no one knew he had also swallowed 10 anti-depressant pills.

Within minutes of being placed in the cell, the 46-year-old stopped breathing.

A fatality inquiry in Calgary heard the man's death was caused by the combination of drugs and alcohol -- his blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal driving limit.

A judge made no recommendations, but noted that hospitals have since removed all portable bottles of hand sanitizer and replaced them with wall-mounted dispensers in public areas

[readon1 url="http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/alberta-hospitals-remove-hand-sanitizer-bottles-after-man-s-2010-death-1.1200448"]Source:www.ctvnews.ca[/readon1]

Alison Redford: Alberta's Premier Minister

OTTAWA -- Alberta's premier says a U.S. rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal would undermine the Canada-U.S. relationship.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Alison Redford says Canada and the United States have a long history of economic integration that would be fundamentally challenged by a 'No' to the pipeline.

She says turning the pipeline down would signal that the United States no longer has faith in Canada as a trusted trading partner that has common cause with Americans. But Redford doesn't think it will come to that.

She  thinks the Obama administration will approve the pipeline eventually, and both countries will soon look back on the contentious debate as a time for honest discussion about how best to expand the North American economy.

She says Alberta is raising its bar for environmental performance, and is re-orienting its economy to focus not just on oilsands but also on sustainable energy.

[readon1 url="http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-u-s-ties-would-suffer-if-keystone-rejected-alberta-premier-says-1.1200300"]Source:www.ctvnews.ca[/readon1]

Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the first pontiff from Latin America and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics

(CNN) -- From the Vatican to Buenos Aires, Catholics worldwide rejoiced when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became the new pope.

He's the first Jesuit and the first Latin American in modern times to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

But in some ways, he's just a normal guy.

Here are five things to know about Pope Francis:

1. His name says a lot about him

Unlike other recent pontiffs -- John Paul II, Benedict XVI -- Pope Francis doesn't have a numeral after his name. That's because he's the first to take the name Francis.

Why Francis?

The pope wanted to honor St. Francis of Assisi, an admirer of nature and a servant to the poor and destitute.

St. Francis of Assisi was born the son of a rich cloth merchant. But he lived in rags among beggars at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Talk Back: What kind of spiritual leader will draw people back to organized religion?

Those close to Pope Francis see similarities between the two men.

"Francis of Assisi is ... someone who turned his back on the wealth of his family and the lifestyle he had, and bonded with lepers and the poor," said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, the Vatican's deputy spokesman. "Here's this pope known for his care for AIDS patients and people who are very sick. Who is known for his concern with single mothers whose babies were refused to be baptized by priests in his diocese.

"He scolded those priests last year and said, 'How can you turn these people away when they belong to us? '"

Pope Francis, the pontiff of firsts, breaks with tradition

2. He's not actually the first pope from outside Europe

Sure, Francis is the first non-European pope in modern times. But back in the 8th century, a Syrian -- Pope St. Gregory III -- led the church from 731 to 741 A.D.

We've also had popes from Bethlehem (St. Evaristus, from 97 to 105 A.D.), Jerusalem (Pope Theodore I, from 642 to 649) and modern-day Libya (Saint Victor I, from 189 to 199). Several other Syrians have also been pontiff in the last few millennia.

Of course, the majority of popes have been Italian. But with Francis' appointment, the tide could be shifting to outside Europe.

First Latin American pope 'very exciting,' faithful say

3. He's a pope of the people

In some ways, Pope Francis is just a normal guy.

"The new pope is a very humble man," said the Rev. Eduardo Mangiarotti, an Argentine priest. "He takes public transport every day."

He also chose to live in an apartment instead of the archbishop's palace, passed on a chauffeured limousine and cooked his own meals, CNN Vatican analyst John Allen wrote in a profile published by National Catholic Reporter.

In his first public act as pontiff, Pope Francis broke with tradition by asking the estimated 150,000 people packed into St. Peter's Square to pray for him, rather than him blessing the crowd first.

"He is a very simple man," said Luis R. Zarama, auxiliary bishop of Atlanta. "It's very clear from the way he approached the people and asked them to bless him and pray for him. It's a beautiful sign of closeness and humility."

The pontiff broke with another tradition by refusing to use a platform to elevate himself above the cardinals standing with him as he was introduced to the world as Pope Francis.

"He said I'll stay down here," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "He met each of us on our own level."

From public transport to popemobile: Bergoglio's journey

4. He comes with a side of controversy

Francis opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, which isn't surprising as leader of the socially conservative Catholic church.

But as a cardinal, Francis clashed with the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over his opposition to gay marriage and free distribution of contraceptives.

His career as a priest in Argentina coincided with the so-called Dirty War -- and some say the church didn't do enough to confront the military dictatorship.

As many as 30,000 people died or disappeared during the seven-year period that began with a coup in 1976.

Francis, in particular, was accused in a complaint of complicity in the 1976 kidnapping of two liberal Jesuit priests, Allen wrote. Francis denied the charge.

"The best evidence that I know of that this was all a lie and a series of salacious attacks was that Amnesty International who investigated that said that was all untrue," said Jim Nicholson, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. "These were unfair accusations of this fine priest."

But Amnesty International said it did not investigate any individual for their specific involvement.

"Our research focused on the plight of the disappeared," said Susanna Flood, media director for Amnesty International.

Opinion: Francis, open up the church

5. He faces a host of challenges ahead

Francis takes the helm of a church that has been rocked in recent years by sex abuse by priests and claims of corruption and infighting among the church hierarchy.

He may need to find a way to draw new Catholics into the church where it is in decline, said Phillip M. Thompson, executive director of the Aquinas Center of Theology at Emory University.

And he'll also need to find ways of working with shifting viewpoints among Catholics. In the United States, for example, 90% of Catholics are using contraception and 82% think it is morally permissible.

"The church has conservative positions on human sexuality, bioethics, etc., but liberal positions on issues such as economic regulation, the death penalty and immigration," Thompson said. "A church divided against itself seems unlikely to renew our political or cultural structures."

[readon1 url="http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/pope-5-things/index.html?iid=article_sidebar"]Source:www.cnn.com[/readon1]

Bergoglio is the first pope from outside of Europe in the modern era,
and the third straight non-Italian pope.

Bergoglio, the new pope, has chosen the name Francis, according to Vatican Radio. He's now appearing on the balcony.

Rome (CNN) -- Jorge Bergogolio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected pope on Wednesday, the first pontiff from Latin America to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Bergogolio, who will be known as Pope Francis, was elected by cardinals in what was apparently their fifth round of voting on the second day of their conclave.

Dressed in white papal vestments, Bergogolio first appeared to the world from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

"As you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop of Rome," he told a cheering crowd of thousands packed into St. Peter's Square.

"It seems to me that my brother cardinals have chosed one who is from faraway. ... Here I am. I would like to thank you for your embrace."

Until last year, Bergoglio was the archbishop of Buenos Aires before stepping down because of his age. He is 76.

Bergoglio is considered a straight-shooter who calls things as he sees them, and a follower of the church's most conservative wing.

He has clashed with the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over his opposition to gay marriage and free distribution of contraceptives.

[readon1 url="http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/europe/vatican-pope-selection/index.html"]Source:/www.cnn.com[/readon1]