Vatican World leaders began arriving for the funeral of Pope John Paul II, creating a security nightmare in a city already overwhelmed by millions of pilgrims and a diplomatic headache for the Vatican. Vatican Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, a devout Roman Catholic, defied European Union sanctions imposed after a presidential poll in 2002 when he arrived in Rome to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Iraq Former rebel leader Jalal Talabani took the oath of office as Iraq's first Kurdish president as the country's new government finally took shape more than two months after watershed elections. Lebanon Syria began the final phase of a troop pullout ending 29 years of military presence in Lebanon, as consultations for a new cabinet to oversee long-awaited legislative elections gathered momentum. Indonesia Indonesia drastically reduced the possible death toll from the December 26 tsunami, removing more than 50,000 from its total number of people listed as missing. UN UN Secretary General Kofi Annan sought to drum up support for his reforms of the world body, by warning member states that human rights had entered a "new era" focusing on their actions to respect fundamental freedoms. Britain Britain's governing Labour Party unveiled its not-so secret weapon in the general election campaign, as finance minister Gordon Brown took centre stage to remind voters about the nation's buoyant economy. North Ireland The Irish Republican Army said it was giving "due consideration" to an appeal from its political wing Sinn Fein to fully embrace politics and abandon its armed struggle in Northern Ireland. Mideast Israeli police sought to counter the increasingly virulent tactics of extremists opposed to the Gaza Strip pullout by beefing up intelligence and banning a protest due to be held in Jerusalem's disputed mosque compound. Ivory Coast Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo expressed satisfaction after the west African nation's warring sides agreed to end a ruinous civil conflict as United Nations chief Kofi Annan urged all factions to honour their pledges. India India and Pakistan exchanged bus passengers in joyous ceremonies on the heavily-guarded ceasefire line in divided Kashmir for the first time in almost 60 years, defying Islamic insurgents and bolstering a faltering peace process. China China reacted furiously to new measures taken by the European Union against imports of Chinese textiles, calling the move a potential blow to the global clothing trade. Iran An Iranian man depressed about losing his job and his imminent wedding held a group of young schoolboys hostage at gunpoint for more than two hours before being overpowered.