Sri Lanka, May 8 -- Black smoke emanating from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City early today (8) signalled that no new Pope had been chosen to replace the late Pope Francis.

The Conclave to elect a new Pope, an event capturing global attention, commenced yesterday (7).Following a special mass held in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, the 133 Cardinals participating in the election remained within the chapel to cast their secret ballots.The black smoke billowing out of the chimney means that none of the Cardinals participating in the Conclave secured the required 89 votes needed for election in the first round of voting.

The process of voting will continue until a consensus is reached and white smoke signals the selectio...