* Turkish soldiers cross into Iraq About 300 Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq in a raid against Kurdish rebels, Iraqi officials say.

* IDF kills at least 13 Islamic Jihad, Hamas militants The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday continued its assault on Gaza Strip militants responsible for the Qassam rockets that batter southern Israel on a daily basis.

* Putin’s plan to keep power fraught with risks President Vladimir Putin’s plan to hold on to power in Russia after his term ends has pleased investors and nations who want business as usual in the Kremlin.

* Abbas: Talks threatened by settlements Israeli settlement expansion poses a serious obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said.

* World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns In an “unforeseen and unprecedented” shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels.

* PM: PA negotiators, Abbas out of sync Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has instructed Israeli negotiators to work on sealing an agreement with the Palestinians as quickly as possible.

* Black hole ‘bully’ blasts galaxy A powerful jet of particles from a “supermassive” black hole has been seen blasting a nearby galaxy, according to the US space agency (Nasa).

* Pilgrims in Arafat for Hajj rite Muslim pilgrims have poured onto Mount Arafat east of Mecca to mark the climax of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

* Rice visits Iraq’s volatile north US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made an unannounced visit to the volatile northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

* Turkey set for small step ahead in EU talks EU member states have agreed to take a small step ahead with Turkey’s EU accession talks by opening two negotiating chapters.