Israel PM denies offer made to freeze settlements

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he never told the US administration a settlement freeze would be renewed after Middle East peace talks restart this week, an official said on Monday.

“We have not presented any proposal to the Americans on an extension of the freeze … the government has not taken any decision on the issue,” the official quoted the premier as saying at a meeting of his Likud party.

Under US pressure, the Israeli government in November imposed a partial, 10 month moratorium on new construction in West Bank settlements, with the exception of east Jerusalem.

Palestinians insist the measure must be extended beyond its term on September 26, while the government faces strong pressure from the right to allow construction to resume.

“We have said the future of settlements will be taken up with other questions in

President Barack Obama Signs One-Year Extension Of Patriot Act

President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation’s main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.
The Act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks, expands the government’s ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security. Three sections of the Patriot Act that stay in force will: _Authorize court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. _Allow court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.
_Permit surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen engaged in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group. Obama’s signature comes after the House voted 315 to 97 Thursday to extend the measure. The Senate also approved the measure, with privacy protections cast aside when Senate Democrats lacked the necessary 60-vote super majority to pass them.
Thrown away were restrictions and greater scrutiny on the government’s authority to spy on Americans and seize their records.

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President Barack Obama Signs One-Year Extension Of Patriot Act was first posted on March 1, 2010 at 1:00 am.

Iran’s Pilgrims Banned To Saudi Arabia Over Swine Flu

TEHRAN: Iran has banned pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan to prevent the spread of swine flu.

Health Minister Kamaran Baghri Lankarani says the measure has been imposed because of possible outbreaks of the disease among pilgrims.

State radio quoted Lankarani as saying Thursday that the high number of pilgrims who come to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan increases the risk of infection.

Iran has registered 145 cases of swine flu, many of them linked to travels to the kingdom. The first case was a 16-year-old Iranian boy who came from the United States with his parents in late June.

About half a million of Iranians travel to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimages every year.

This year, Ramadan starts in late August.