HARARE - Mugabe turns up heat on foes over protest fears. Zimbabwe security forces have banned marches and detained critics in a crackdown designed to derail possible anti-government protests fuelled by a deepening economic crisis, rights group said yesterday. The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has warned President Robert Mugabe to brace for ?a winter of peaceful democratic resistance? against his 26-year rule. Mugabe in turn threatened MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, saying any effort to force him out of power would be ?dicing with death?. Security forces have been have been on high alert for political trouble since February.

ANKARA- Three detained over Turkish judge killing. Police have detained three more men for questioning in connection with the killing of a top Turkish judge, state-run Anatolian news agency said yesterday. Police were not immediately available for comment on the arrests after an attack that raised tensions between the secular establishment and the religious-minded government. A lawyer stormed into a chamber of the country's top administrative court in on Wednesday, shooting dead one senior judge and injuring four other judges while shouting he was a soldier of Allah.

ROME- Italy's Prodi says to propose withdrawal of Iraq troops. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said yesterday he would propose to parliament the withdrawal of Italy's troops from Iraq in consultation with allies. Prodi said that the war had been a ?grave error?. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government had set a date for withdrawal of Italy's some 3,000 troops by the end of 2006.

SRINAGAR - Twenty wounded in Indian Kashmir grenade attack. At least 20 people were wounded in a grenade attack by suspected Islamic militants in a busy town in revolt-hit Indian Kashmir, police said. The rebels hurled a grenade at a paramilitary vehicle but it missed its target and exploded among pedestrians in Pulwama, sending people fleeing in panic, police said yesterday. It was the third grenade attack since last Saturday in southern Indian Kashmir.

TEHRAN - Iran president to send letter to Pope. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is writing a letter to Pope Benedict, following an unprecedented letter to US President George W. Bush earlier this month, a newspaper said yesterday. The newspaper gave no details of the letter's content. Iranian officials were not available to comment.