* PM: Israel won’t cause ‘crisis’ in Gaza Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday that he would not cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

* Zahar: Hamas not planning attack ahead of Annapolis summit Top Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, denied Saturday that his organization was planning a large attack against Israel in order to sabotage the upcoming Annapolis summit.

* Putin compares US shield to Cuba Russian President Vladimir Putin has compared US plans for a missile shield in Europe to the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s.

* Biofuels ‘crime against humanity’ A United Nations expert has condemned the growing use of crops to produce biofuels as a replacement for petrol as a crime against humanity.

* ‘Guard’ controls embassy in Baghdad Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is using Iran’s Embassy in Baghdad to coordinate covert operations in Iraq, an Iranian opposition group has claimed.

* Turkey rejects Iraq’s PKK offer Turkey has dismissed a range of proposals from Iraq on dealing with Kurdish rebels, saying they will take too long to work.

* Rice confers with Carter and Clinton US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sought the advice of former US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

* Turkey anger at Europe over PKK Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised EU nations for not doing more to tackle activists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

* Oil Retreats From $92 on Profit-Taking Crude futures rose to record levels on Friday, supported by worries over political tensions in the Middle East.

* ‘Australia, others will punish Iran’ Australia says ‘many nations will follow the US’ in imposing sanctions on Tehran.