World in brief: Mayor denies building freeze

Washington – Jerusalem’s mayor on Tuesday denied any formal or informal freeze in Jewish housing construction in the traditionally Arab eastern part of the city, in comments that may complicate the Obama administration’s attempts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Mayor Nir Barkat told reporters in Washington that reports of a de facto halt to building Jewish homes in east Jerusalem were wrong. He said construction will continue after a temporary slowdown.

Iran opposition calls for protest

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s embattled opposition leaders are calling for a new protest march to coincide with the one-year anniversary of disputed presidential elections in an attempt to jump-start a grassroots political movement subdued by street violence and mass imprisonments, a reformist news website reported Tuesday.

Former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former parliamentary Speaker Mahdi Karroubi, both candidates against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in last year’s marred elections, called for a June 12 rally during a meeting Monday night, the website Sahamnews.org reported.

China ends AIDS travel ban

Beijing – China has scrapped a 20-year travel ban that barred people with HIV and AIDS from entering the country just days ahead of the opening of the Shanghai Expo, which hopes to welcome millions of overseas visitors.

China’s Cabinet, the State Council, said in a statement posted to its website late Tuesday that the government passed amendments on April 19, revising the Border Quarantine Law as well as China’s Law on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens. The changes were effective immediately.