Jerusalem - The hardline opposition Likud party submitted a bill to parliament Monday, which if passed would make it illegal for any Israeli transitional government to conduct peace talks and give up territory.

The bill is another effort by the party to block attempts by Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to negotiate a peace treaty with the Palestinians and Syria during his final months in office at the head of a transitional government.

Chicago/Washington - US presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain planned one final race across the country on Monday as state officials braced for record turnout in Tuesday's general election.

As Chicago prepared for a throng of 1 million people at a public park in anticipation of Democrat Obama's victory Tuesday, Republicans were wishing them bad weather and a surprise electoral victory for the underdog McCain.

Berlin - For Americans in Germany, election parties this week are not likely to get really exciting until long after midnight: it will be 5 am Wednesday, local time, when the polls finally close on the US west coast.

Not that the time difference has taken any edge off the excitement over the historic choice between Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, and John McCain, the Republican contender. Obama visited Berlin in the summer and gave a speech to huge crowds. German media has closely followed the race.

Oslo/Reykjavik - Norway on Monday said it was prepared to consider extending a loan to cash-strapped Iceland, provided the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approves a 2.1-billion-dollar loan later this week.

The central bank of Norway said it has also extended a swap facility worth 500 million euros (630 million dollars) to the Icelandic central bank, or Sedlabanki.

The current loan agreement was signed in May and was due to expire in December, but will be extended to December 2009, Norges Bank said.