Vatican Black smoke from the roof of the Sistine Chapel signalled that cardinals failed to elect a new pope in the first ballot of their secret conclave. Mideast The United States intensified pressure on Israel to stop expanding settlements as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon postponed its pullout from the Gaza Strip by three weeks to placate religious settlers. Italy Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi fanned a fresh political crisis when he surprised coalition allies by refusing to resign as a preamble to forming a new government. Iraq Iraqi forces regained control of a lawless town near Baghdad but failed to find any of the scores of Shiite hostages that Sunni gunmen had reportedly seized and were threatening to kill. US-Lebanon The United States said it was more determined to restore full freedom and democracy in Lebanon after an ex-Lebanese minister succumbed to wounds sustained in the February bombing that killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri. China-Japan Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura returned from China, state media said, ending a two-day visit during which he failed to get an apology for widespread anti-Japanese protests. India-Pakistan Indian newspapers hailed a declaration by Pakistan and India that their peace process was "irreversible" and expressed optimism over what they called a win-win situation for both nations. Britain Britain's Labour Party appeared to be heading for another big election win on May 5 as new surveys put the party well ahead of its rivals despite waning popularity for Prime Minister Tony Blair. Comoros Thousands of villagers living near the Mount Karthala volcano on the main island of Grand Comore in the Indian Ocean Comoros archipelago have fled their homes after it erupted, officials said. USA Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong announced here that he plans to retire from cycling following his July attempt at winning a seventh consecutive Tour de France crown. Ethiopia-Italy The first of three pieces of the famed Axum obelisk, plundered by fascist Italy nearly 70 years ago, arrived home in Ethiopia, an AFP journalist reported.