BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip – Thousands of Palestinians formed a human chain in the Gaza Strip on Monday in a protest against an Israeli blockade that has deepened hardship in the Hamas-controlled territory.

ANKARA – Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has postponed a planned trip to Africa this week due to a major Turkish ground offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in northern Iraq, the state Anatolian news agency said on Monday.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A blast that shook Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar on Monday, was a controlled explosion carried out by the Afghan army, officials said.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Taliban insurgents on Monday gave Afghan mobile phone operators three days to shut down their networks at night or face attack, as the rebels said international forces used the cellphones to track them down.

BELGRADE – Russia’s likely next president, Dmitry Medvedev, told Serbian leaders on Monday there would be no shift in his country’s support for Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo.

SAMARRA, Iraq – A suicide bomber in a wheelchair killed a top policeman and wounded two others when he blew himself up in the police operations centre in the Iraqi city of Samarra on Monday, police said.

BAGHDAD – A roadside bomb blast targeting Iraqis on a pilgrimage to a Shi’ite festival killed three people and wounded 15 on Monday, police said, the day after a suicide bombing also aimed at pilgrims left 40 dead.

TEHRAN (FNA) – Judiciary Spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi paid a 2.5-hour-long visit to Fars News Agency on Sunday, where he praised FNA for its sincere and tireless efforts to cover stories and inform the public of the existing realities and breaking news.

TEHRAN (FNA) – The third Green Development Festival encouraging sustainable and environment-friendly development kicked off work here in Tehran on Sunday.

TEHRAN (FNA) – A new UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions against Iran over its nuclear drive will receive a “deserving” response from Tehran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Sunday.