Vatican Pope Benedict XVI pledged to work towards Christian unity and dialogue with other religions, seeking in his first homily as pope to allay widespread fears that his papacy would be one of unflinching conservatism. Vatican World leaders showered him with praise and jubilant villagers in his German hometown celebrated, but the election of Pope Benedict XVI, a staunch conservative, also triggered deep disquiet and, in some quarters, alarm. Iraq More than 55 bodies were fished out of the Tigris river south of Baghdad as 19 Iraqi army soldiers were executed in a football stadium, in the latest carnage in violence-torn Iraq. Italy Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi tendered his resignation, but President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi asked him to consult further with his allies before forming another government, Ciampi's office said. US The White House accused opposition Democrats of fabricating charges of misconduct against its controversial nominee to be US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Iran Iran-EU nuclear talks are making progress, a senior Iranian official said, adding that the Islamic Republic still refuses to give up on uranium enirchment. US French national Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person facing US charges for the September 11 attacks, will plead guilty to some of those charges on Friday, a federal court announced. Philippines Government and rebel negotiators hailed a "breakthrough" in efforts to end a decades-old Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines. Asia Asian foreign ministers meeting in the Indonesian capital for an Asia-Africa summit were united in calls for Japan and China to resolve a bitter row over Japan's wartime past. Warcrimes Judges at the United Nations war crimes court have adjourned the trial of Slobodan Milosevic after medical reports showed the former Yugoslav president is suffering from "dangerously high" blood pressure and faces the risk of a cardio-vascular attack. Ecuador The US ambassador to Ecuador, Kristie Kenney, met with embattled Ecuadoran President Lucio Gutierrez at the presidential palace. US All samples of a deadly flu virus mistakenly sent abroad by a US institute have now been accounted for, the World Health Organisation said.