Mideast Israeli MPs were set to approve Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza pullout plan, clearing the way for a withdrawal of Jewish settlers from Palestinian territory for the first time in history. Iraq The US military said it killed an aide to Iraq's most wanted man Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi in an air strike on rebel-held Fallujah, as Iraqi authorities vowed to punish those behind the weekend massacre of almost 50 unarmed new soldiers. Thailand At least 84 Thai Muslims died -- mainly from suffocation in the back of security force trucks -- after police and troops broke up a violent demonstration in the kingdom's troubled south, Thai officials said. Pakistan-India A national debate raged in Pakistan after President Pervez Musharraf outlined a range of bold new options for divided Kashmir that include independence, joint control with India and demilitarisation. Germany-France-Turkey Turkey was expected to insist on the unconditional backing of European Union powerhouses Germany and France for its bid to join the bloc at three-way talks, amid signs Paris is hedging its bets. US President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry hit a punishing campaign trail a week ahead of the ultra-tight presidential election, as former president Bill Clinton joined Kerry's bandwagon and missing tons of explosives in Iraq put the White House on the defensive. Sudan Delegates at peace talks to end a conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region traded bitter accusations of ceasefire violations as African Union mediators battled to keep the conference on track. Lebanon Lebanese prime minister-designate Omar Karameh held more talks on forming a new cabinet after days of backroom bargaining in the face of international criticism over Syria's role in the process. Japan Six more people died in earthquake-hit central Japan as exhaustion took its toll on tens of thousands in shelters, with rain and the fear of fresh landslides adding to their misery.