The United States has introduced new measures to tighten security on air cargo following the recent discovery of two parcel bombs on inbound flights. In a statement, the US Secretary of State for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the ban on air cargo from Yemen would continue and be extended to cargo originating in Somalia. Several European countries introduced similar measures last week.
Washington has described as "deeply disappointing" an Israeli announcement that it will build more than 1,000 housing units for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem. The US State Department said the move was counter-productive. From Jerusalem, Wyre Davies.
Israel has been urged by many foreign governments, including the United States, to resume a partial building freeze in settlements on the occupied West Bank and to maintain an unofficial status quo in East Jerusalem in order to help the faltering peace process with the Palestinians. The news that more than 1,000 new Jewish homes have been approved in East Jerusalem could cast a shadow over a visit to the United States by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestinian officials have described the move as a sign of bad faith.
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Officials in Iraq say a car bomb in the country's second city Basra has killed at least 10 people and injured many others. The explosion ripped through a crowded shopping street in the Qibla district at the busiest time of the day. Iraqi politicians are currently intensifying their efforts to end a political deadlock that's lasted eight months.