Japan-China Anti-Japanese protests continued in cities across China as Japan's foreign minister arrived in Beijing to discuss the worst crisis between the East Asian neighbors for decades. Iraq Iraqi troops rescued several Shiite hostages after battling into a town where Sunni extremists had abducted dozens of people and threatened to kill the Shiite residents there. India-Pakistan Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held "very warm" talks and agreed to boost trade and transport links as the two met to resolve their decades-old dispute over Kashmir. Vatican The Cardinals who will choose the next head of the Roman Catholic Church were isolated at their Vatican residence where they held final discussions ahead of an ultra-secret conclave on Monday. Cyprus Turkish Cypriots started voting in presidential elections that are expected to crown a supporter of reunification as successor to the man who dominated politics in their breakaway statelet for decades. Mideast The Israeli army staged its first large-scale war game to prepare for this summer's uprooting of settlers from Gaza amid a row over claims that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is already planning more withdrawals. Spain-Basques Polls opened in Spain's troubled Basque country in regional elections that may pave the way toward the ruling moderate nationalists negotiating upgraded autonomy from Madrid. Italy The Christian Democrat UDC party, after pulling out of Italy's coalition government, demanded that embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi form a new government and come up with a new program. ICoast Government and rebel military commanders in Ivory Coast announced they had reached a conditional agreement on a disarmament timetable and a withdrawal of heavy weapons from frontline areas from April 21. Indonesia A powerful undersea earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Nias causing widespread panic, officials said. IMF Top global finance ministers were warned by the head of the IMF that their policies could disrupt world markets, as they completed a day of meetings still divided on how to ease the debt burden of the poorest countries. Russia A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a three-man international crew docked at the International Space Station two days after its launch, Russia's mission control said.