Vatican Pope Benedict XVI pledged to work towards Christian unity and dialogue with other faiths as he set out the priorities of his pontificate in his first homily. Vatican Pope Benedict XVI said in his first homily as head of the Roman Catholic Church that his election had taken him by surprise. Vatican World leaders showered him with praise and ecstatic villagers in his German hometown partied into the night, but the election of Pope Benedict XVI, a staunch conservative, also provoked deep disquiet and, in some quarters, alarm. Russia US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, balancing her harsh criticisms of Russia's democratic record, called Moscow a "strategic partner" and urged boosted cooperation on several fronts. Mideast The Israeli army said it had begun removing equipment from its bases in the occupied Gaza Strip in preparation for the pullout from the territory later this year. Iraq At least two Iraqis were killed in triple blasts in the capital as politicians attempted to end a stalemate over a new government that many fear could play into rebel hands. Milosevic Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is suffering from "dangerously high" blood pressure and faces the risk of a cardio-vascular attack, according to a medical report read out in court. Iran Iran warned that talks with the European Union could collapse as negotiators met in Geneva to discuss EU demands that the Islamic Republic abandon nuclear fuel work in order to guarantee it will not make atomic weapons. Italy Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will resign on Wednesday, the ANSA news agency quoted his party's top lawmaker in the senate as saying. Angola Angolan health officials said that the death toll from the Ebola-like Marburg virus was climbing still, reaching 239, but at a slower rate as more citizens were joining in a mass effort to stamp out the disease.