Israel killed 33 Palestinians on Saturday in one of its deepest and deadliest incursions into the Gaza Strip since pulling out in 2005, stoking fears of a broader conflict that could derail renewed U.S.-backed peace talks.

ANKARA – Turkey’s top general said on Saturday the Turkish armed forces withdrew its troops from northern Iraq on schedule and dismissed speculation that it had acted under pressure from its NATO ally the United States.

ISLAMABAD – A suicide bomber killed at least 38 people at a funeral of a policeman in the Swat district of Pakistan, days after the Pakistan army said it had begun to bring the mountainous region under control.

LAHORE, Pakistan – A Pakistani court acquitted the brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday in a case of unlawful killing, paving the way for him to contest a by-election, his lawyer said.

GAZA – Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians during clashes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, said hospital staff, keeping up pressure on the Hamas-ruled territory after a cross-border rocket attack killed an Israeli civilian.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Baghdad Mayor Saber al-Aisawi has asked Iranian firms’ help to upgrade level of municipal services in the capital.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran plans to invest in an oil refinery in Zimbabwe to supply fuel to the southern Africa region, Tehran’s ambassador to Harare said Wednesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al-Thani here Thursday submitted to an Iranian top official the Qatari Emir’s message to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

TEHRAN (FNA)- While President George W. Bush’s trips to Iraq have been brief and surrounded by secrecy, a visit by Iran’s president on Sunday is being heralded with much fanfare, raising US concerns it will erode American influence in the region.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran and the United States are to agree on a new date for a fourth round of talks on Iraq by mid-March, the Iraqi foreign minister said on Friday.