US stocks fall on renewed eurozone fears

US stock markets opened sharply lower on Monday amid concerns that the controversial Cyprus bailout could reignite the eurozone crisis.

Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave up 97.55 (0.67 per cent) to 14,416.56.

The broad-based S&P 500, which last week appeared poised to break its all time record, declined 14.92 (0.96 per cent) to 1,545.78.

The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 34.36 (1.06 per cent) to 3,214.71.

The requirement that the 10 billion euro ($A12.62 billion) bailout include a tax on deposits in Cyprus banks has stirred anger and worries that go well beyond the tiny island nation.

"There is heightened concern that this bailout plan will force a run on banks, particularly in troubled peripheral countries, as other depositors worry about the potential of being hit with a similar tax on deposits in the future," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare.

"The structure of the bailout deal has opened a whole new can of worms, inviting talk of a possible Cyprus exit from the eurozone and reinvigorating concerns about the eurozone debt crisis," O'Hare added.

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Syrian planes bomb Lebanon border area

SYRIAN warplanes bombed the border area with Lebanon for the first time on Monday, a high-ranking Lebanese army official told AFP, reportedly targeting Syrian rebel positions inside Lebanon.

"Syrian planes bombed the border between Lebanon and Syria, but I cannot yet say if they hit Lebanese territory or only Syrian territory," the military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But a Lebanese security services official on the ground confirmed that the warplanes had fired four missiles against Syrian rebel positions on the Lebanese side of the border.

He said the attacks targeted the town of Arsal, in east Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, where many residents back the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The mountainous, desert area is also ideal for the smuggling of arms and the flow of fighters across the border.

Al-Manar television, which belongs to the pro-Syrian Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah movement, reported that the warplanes planes had targeted two barns used by rebel forces in the Wadi al-Khayl area of Arsal.

Lebanon has publicly committed itself to staying neutral in the violence engulfing Syria, but the conflict has exacerbated tensions in the country.

The country's opposition largely backs the Syrian uprising, while Hezbollah and its allies stand by Assad's regime.

Syrian rebels accuse Hezbollah of dispatching fighters to battle alongside Assad's force, while Damascus last week threatened to respond with force if "armed terrorist gangs" continued to infiltrate from Lebanon.

"Syrian forces are showing restraint by not striking these gangs inside Lebanese territory to prevent them crossing into Syria, but this will not go on indefinitely," the foreign ministry said in a message to its Lebanese counterpart.

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Carr says he was sourced incorrectly

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Bob Carr says he has been sourced incorrectly in a newspaper article about Labor ministers losing faith in Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that Senator Carr has told colleagues that he lost confidence in Ms Gillard some time ago.

The report stated that the senator was disenchanted and angered by the Prime Minister's handling of two policy decisions.

One was Australia's vote on giving UN observer status to the Palestinians and the other was her decision not to give the cabinet notice that it was going to discuss media policy last week.

But Senator Carr sent out a statement less than two hours after the article was published online, saying it was wrong.

"An article in today's Age and Sydney Morning Herald makes comment on the ALP leadership," Mr Carr said in a statement early on Tuesday morning.

"The views attributed to me in this article are incorrect and no comment was sought from my office."

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Pope eschews tradition with silver ring

POPE Francis has eschewed tradition and chosen a silver Fisherman's Ring rather than a gold one - and one designed decades ago rather than created specifically for him, the Vatican said Monday.

The gold-plated silver ring, one of the papal symbols that the new Pope will receive during the inauguration mass on Tuesday, is modelled on a ring designed by Italian sculptor Enrico Manfrini, who died in 2004, for Paul VI.

"The ring is designed by Manfrini, who created several religious works and it was presented to the Pope by the master of ceremonies who had received the model from one of Paul VI's secretaries," said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.

Nicknamed "the Popes' sculptor", Manfrini designed religious objects for several pontiffs, including Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul II.

The simple ring, customarily worn on the pontiff's right hand, depicts a bearded and haloed St Peter holding a pair of keys - an emblem of the papacy which captures the moment Peter was given the keys to heaven.

It was chosen by Francis out of three ring models presented to him, Lombardi said.

"I don't know if the ring was used by Paul VI. The design stems from that period but it is not physically the same ring. The original ring was melted down but this is a ring based on the same design."

The Fisherman's Ring originally served as both a symbol of the papacy and a seal, but these days the Pope has a separate seal with which to mark documents.

There had been a lot of speculation over what sort of ring Francis would choose, following his decision to reject the papal gold cross necklace for his own simpler one at his first appearance after his election.

"It is not the first time that a pope has chosen to have a ring made of silver," Claudio Franchi, the Roman goldsmith who crafted the elaborate ring worn by Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI, told AFP.

"It is quite unusual, however, to use a ring which already exists or has been made based on a design which already exists," he said.

The Vatican also unveiled the coat of arms and motto Francis will use - the ones he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

The coat of arms shows three symbols on a blue background: at the top, a sun with the letters IHS in the middle - the logo of the Jesuit Society - and underneath a five-point star and a lily, symbolising the Virgin Mary and St Joseph.

The Latin motto beneath the crest is "miserando atque eligendo" - which refers to a Bible passage showing Jesus Christ's "mercy" in choosing Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples.

"The motto recalls Pope Francis's personal vocation and he wanted to keep it," Lombardi said.

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Pregnancy eating disorders revealed

ONE in 14 women have an eating disorder in the first three months of their pregnancy, according to British research.

A survey of more than 700 pregnant women by University College London (UCL) found a quarter were "highly concerned about their weight and shape".

Two per cent of those questioned were found to fast, exercise excessively, induce vomiting, and misuse laxatives or diuretics to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy.

The study - funded by the National Institute for Health Research - also found one in 12 pregnant women said they would overeat and lose control over what they ate twice a week.

Dr Nadia Micali, from the UCL Institute of Child Health, who led the study, said: "There is good evidence from our research that eating disorders in pregnancy can affect both the mother and the developing baby.

"Greater awareness of eating disorders and their symptoms amongst antenatal health care professionals would help to better identify and manage such disorders amongst pregnant women."

The researchers have called for women to be screened for eating disorders at their first antenatal check-up due to the adverse affects on the health of the mother and the baby.

Writing in the European Eating Disorders Review, they warned that many pregnant women with eating disorders are currently being left untreated.

Dr Abigail Easter, also from the UCL Institute of Child Health, added: "Women with eating disorders are often reluctant to disclose their illness to healthcare professionals, possibly due to a fear of stigma or fear that health services might respond in a negative way.

"Typical pregnancy symptoms such as weight gain and vomiting can also mask the presence of an eating disorder. Many women with eating disorders may therefore go undetected and untreated during pregnancy."

About 1.4 million women nationwide suffer from eating disorders, around four per cent of the female population.

The women answered an anonymous questionnaire at their first routine antenatal scan, which asked about their eating habits in the six to 12 months before becoming pregnant.

Any symptoms were assessed during the first three months of their pregnancy.

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UK dad and son found dead on Mont Blanc

A BRITISH man and his 12-year-old son have been found dead in the French Alps after apparently falling while hiking.

Their bodies were found a day after contact was last made with the 48-year-old father, who had called an emergency centre in Chamonix to inform them his son had fallen into a crevasse near Mont Blanc.

A helicopter spotted them at 1700 (AEDT) on Sunday at an altitude of 1600 metres.

Emergency services had attempted to trace the man's mobile phone call after launching a rescue operation, Captain Patrice Ribes told Sky News.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are urgently looking into reports that two British nationals have been found dead in the French Alps."

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UAE opens world's largest solar plant

OIL-RICH Abu Dhabi has officially opened the world's largest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant, which cost $US600 million ($A580.80 million) to build and will provide electricity to 20,000 homes.

The 100-megawatt Shams 1 is "the world's largest concentrated solar power plant in operation" said Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the head of Abu Dhabi's Masdar, which oversees the emirate's plan to generate seven percent of its energy needs by 2020 from renewable sources.

"Today, Shams 1 is the largest CSP plant in all terms," said Santiago Seage, chief executive officer of Abengoa Solar, one of the partners in the project.

Masdar now produces 10 percent of the world's concentrated solar power, he said during the official inauguration.

The solar park features long lines of parabolic mirrors spread over an area equivalent to 285 football pitches in the desert of the Western Region, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi.

Masdar owns 60 percent of the project, while France's Total and Spain's Abengoa Solar own 20 percent each.

Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest of the seven sheikdoms that make up the federation of the United Arab Emirates.

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PM facing landslide loss in new poll

THE latest Fairfax Media/Nielsen poll offers no glimmer of hope for Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her government which shows the Labor Party seemingly entrenched at a 31 per cent primary vote.

With the Tony Abbott-led coalition unchanged on 47 per cent, it represents electoral oblivion for the government at the September 14 election.

The two-party-preferred split has the government on 44 per cent and the opposition at 56 per cent - a six per cent swing to the coalition from the 50/50 result in 2010 and a landslide victory if carried through to the election.

Fairfax says a telephone survey of 1400 people taken last week also showed Ms Gillard's satisfaction rating continuing to slide and Mr Abbott's continuing to improve.

The Opposition Leader is now preferred prime minister by 49 per cent of voters against Ms Gillard on 43 per cent - down two points.

To make matters worse for the prime minister, voters prefer a Kevin Rudd-led Labor Party by two to one with 62 per cent against opting for Mr Rudd as opposed to Ms Gillard's 31 per cent.

But if Mr Rudd is not in charge there is less appetite for a change that would bring three other Labor leadership possibilities - cabinet ministers Bill Shorten, Greg Combet and Bob Carr.

Fairfax says that of the three, Foreign Minister Senator Carr had the most support with 41 per cent to Ms Gillard on 50 per cent.

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'Pray for me', new Pope Francis urges

POPE Francis has appeared before some 150,000 pilgrims massed in St Peter's Square for his first Angelus prayer and asked the faithful to pray for him.

"Thank you for your welcome, and for your prayers," the first Pope from Latin America said from a window of the papal apartment high above the square on Sunday. "Pray for me."

Dozens of flags from Francis' native Argentina were waving in the square, along with the Vatican's yellow and white standard, as the former cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio recited the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, the first of his papacy.

Flags from other Latin American nations including Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Mexico, could also be seen in the crowd.

One banner read: "Francis, You Are the Springtime of the Church", reflecting a groundswell of hope that the choice of a humble outsider has inspired in many Catholics weary of Vatican scandal and dysfunction.

Gabriel Solis, 33, an Argentine pilgrim, spoke of his "indescribable emotion".

"He will bring much peace because he seems more humble, more spontaneous," he said. "He seems closer to the people. We didn't feel that with the pope we had before."

The Angelus has traditionally been a moment to comment on international issues, but Francis instead used the occasion to emphasise his Italian roots.

The former Buenos Aires archbishop, whose parents hailed from Italy, said he chose to name himself after St Francis of Assisi because of his "spiritual ties with this land".

Earlier the Pope grabbed an opportunity to shake hands with well-wishers, plunging into crowds pushing against barricades outside a Vatican gate as security men and Swiss Guards stood nervously by.

Chanting "Viva Il Papa" and calling his name, the well-wishers jostled to greet the new pontiff, who has projected a common touch by breaking with many formal traditions since his surprise election to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on Wednesday.

The 76-year-old Pope's informal style is markedly different from that of his more austere 85-year-old predecessor Benedict XVI, who stunned the world last month by announcing his resignation citing his advanced age.

A million people may attend the Pope's inauguration mass on Tuesday, including world leaders who are set to begin flying into Rome on Sunday.

Among them is Argentine President Cristina Kirchner who had tense relations with Bergoglio, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, before his elevation to Pope.

US Vice President Joe Biden was also due to arrive later on Sunday.

Francis, whose Italian father was a railway worker, has already spoken to Catholic leaders about the need for spiritual renewal and evangelisation and cautioned them against worldly glories, as well as calling for a "poor Church" that should be closer to ordinary people.

Francis is a moderate conservative who is unlikely to change key doctrine but experts say that he could push for more social justice and a friendlier faith.

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Count under way after Zimbabwe referendum

ZIMBABWE is tallying the ballots from a constitutional referendum that looked set to curb President Robert Mugabe's powers and tee up crucial elections in the violence-plagued nation.

The first incomplete trickle of results pointed to landslide backing for the text, which would introduce presidential term limits, beef up parliament's powers and set polls to decide whether the 89-year-old Mugabe stays in power.

Mugabe has ruled uninterrupted since the country's independence in 1980, despite a series of disputed and violent polls and a severe economic crash propelled by hyper-inflation.

The draft constitution is part of an internationally backed plan to get the country on track. Zimbabweans' verdict on the draft is expected to be known within five days of the voting.

According to the Movement of Democratic Change, the party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, of the nearly 90,000 votes initially counted in the second city of Bulawayo only 6250 were against the draft.

Mugabe has backed the proposed constitution, which enshrines his drive to put land in the hands of black Zimbabweans. Also, the clauses are not retroactive so he could if re-elected remain president for another 10 years.

His political rival Tsvangirai has also lent his support to the text, although turnout is expected to be low.

But that has not prevented the threat of violence from looming over the vote, as party militants keep one eye on the general election.

A vote is expected to take place in July, but doubts remain about whether it can take place as planned.

Shortly before polls opened on Saturday, gunmen later identified as plain clothes police detectives, seized a member of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) from his home northeast of Harare.

Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told AFP Samson Magumura had been arrested on charges of attempted murder in connection with a recent firebomb attack that injured a Mugabe ally.

While casting his vote on Saturday, Mugabe, whom many blame for past unrest, urged Zimbabweans to ensure the referendum proceeded peacefully.

"You can't go about beating people on the streets, that's not allowed, we want peace in the country, peace, peace," he said.

Mugabe, the target of 11 years of Western sanctions over political violence and rights abuses, also used the opportunity to vow the United States and European countries would not be allowed to monitor the upcoming general election.

"The Europeans and the Americans have imposed sanctions on us and we keep them out in the same way they keep us out," he said.

Tsvangirai on Saturday expressed hope that a positive outcome would help catapult the country out of a crisis marked by bloodshed and economic meltdown.

Zimbabwe police detained three senior aides to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the wake of a key referendum, the premier's office said.

They "were arrested in Harare (on Sunday) morning," a source in Tsvangirai's office told AFP, adding that the charges were not specified.

The three were detained by plain clothes police officers at their homes.

They were named as Thabani Mpofu, Anna Muzvidziwa and Felix Matsinde.

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