From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Jim Bertel reporting.

Turkish warplanes attacked pro-Syrian government forces Saturday in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 36 fighters were killed.

The group says this was the third attack on the enclave in less than 48 hours.

Elsewhere in Syria, U.N. aid agencies are gearing up for the first delivery of humanitarian assistance in months to thousands of people trapped in the Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta.

U.N. officials hope this won't be the last shipment.

Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, regrets that supplies from the convoy are not enough for all 200,000 children living in Eastern Ghouta. He says he hopes the humanitarian operation will become a regular occurrence so all of the 400,000 residents, including the children in this besieged territory, can receive life-saving aid.

Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva.

China is warning about the "huge impact" on global trading if U.S. President Donald Trump proceeds with his plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

A key Chinese trade representative says the tariffs will "seriously damage multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the World Trade Organization."

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Trump's tariff plans were "absolutely unacceptable."

North Korea warned Saturday it would respond if the U.S. holds joint military drills next month with South Korea. The North contends they will hinder a recent thaw in relations between the two Koreas.

From Washington, this is VOA news.

Italian pollsters say far-right and anti-establishment parties could make big gains in Sunday's election.

Reuters Matthew Larotonda reports.

Pollsters Reuters spoke with say there's a good chance that the far-right party known as the "League" could overtake the center-right Forza Italia of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The two are part of an alliance of right-leaning groups and are expected to emerge as the largest faction when the dust settles.

But they've also agreed that the party among them that picks up the most seats in parliament will also pick the next prime minister.

And that's not their only concern.

On Thursday, officials from the alliance were caught on open microphones fretting over the advances of the anti-establishment 5-Star movement. 5-Star last polled in the high twenties, but pollsters tell us they could well jump above 30 percent.

That's still not high enough to rule on their own, but it is enough to provide a major headache for the right-wing groups as they try to form a new administration.

Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak was laid to rest Saturday nearly a week after he and his girlfriend were shot in their home.

Kuciak's last unfinished story was [the] about the activities of the Italian mafia in eastern Slovakia and their ties to people close to the prime minister.

Also Saturday, seven Italians detained in connection with the murder were released by Slovak authorities.

British Prime Minister Theresa May displayed confidence about the country's ability to leave the European Union. She has been under pressure to disclose details about how to make a smooth transition.

As Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA, the process is very complicated.

Britain faces negotiating new terms with the EU and around 60 other countries that have free trade agreements with Europe.

"About half our trade is with the EU. And about another 10 to 15 percent is with the countries that we have free trade agreements with. We're going to lose those free trade agreements because they automatically lapse as we leave the EU. The government seems to feel that we'll be able to get new and better ones. Now, I think this is very questionable ...."

Theresa May said her message to Europe was "Let's get on with it." Britain has a year to strike a deal. The odds on a so-called "hard Brexit" are shortening.

Henry Ridgwell, for VOA news, London.

Burkina Faso's president is urging the public to cooperate more closely with the country's military. This comes one day after an armed group coordinated attacks on France's embassy and cultural center and on the West African country's military headquarters in the capital of Ouagadougou.

The government says eight soldiers were killed as well as eight assailants. Eighty others were wounded.

For all the latest news around the clock, please visit us at voanews.com. I'm Jim Bertel, VOA news.

That's the latest world news from VOA.