Mideast-US Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in Texas ahead of a summit at President George W. Bush's ranch that will be dominated by renewed controversy over Israel's settlements in the Palestinian territories. Iraq Kidnappers have seized a Pakistani embassy official in Baghdad, the latest victim of the spate of hostage-taking in Iraq's insurgency, as ex-prime minister Iyad Allawi's political bloc said it would join a national unity government. Japan A major earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rattled Tokyo as commuters headed to work, reviving fears of the dreaded "Big One" predicted to hit Japan in the future. Philippines-US President Gloria Arroyo rejected a US warning that the southern Philippines was becoming a "mecca" for Islamic militants and could become the next Afghanistan. Japan-China Japan called for dialogue with China to ensure relations with its key economic partner do not deteriorate further after violent anti-Japanese protests in Beijing at the weekend. China-Japan Riot police were guarding Japan's embassy in Beijing as the government appeared intent on reining in public sentiment that ran wild during a weekend of violent protests. India-China Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Beijing and New Delhi will sign an accord aimed at resolving a boundary dispute that has bedevilled relations between the Asian giants for more than four decades. Vatican-NKorea Some 100 North Korean Catholics attended a government-approved memorial mass for Pope John Paul II at the Stalinist state's only cathedral in Pyongyang, according to TV footage seen here. Mideast Israeli police prevented right-wing Jewish extremists from staging a rally at Jerusalem's disputed mosque compound as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expressed outrage at a Palestinian mortar attack. Vatican American activists planned protests in Rome to express outrage that a US cardinal who resigned in disgrace after failing to discipline priests who sexually abused children has been chosen to lead a memorial mass for Pope John Paul II.