News Archive - 4 March 2015

>WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said in a U.S. television interview on Wednesday he believed "we are very close" to a nuclear arms deal with six major world powers, but cautioned there were details that needed to be worked out."We are prepared to work round...

>“We have made some progress but have a lot of challenges yet ahead,” the official said.Kerry, who leaves later on Wednesday for the Saudi capital Riyadh, will meet French, German and British foreign ministers on Saturday, the same official said. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, writing by Tom Miles, editing...

>* Libya declares force majeure on 11 oilfields* Saudi Arabia expects oil price to stabilise (Adds quotes, updates prices)By Florence TanSINGAPORE, March 5 (Reuters) - Brent crude was flat on Thursday, managing to hold above $60 a barrel as investors brushed aside bearish U.S. inventories data to focus on...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the United States this week to take a tough line against Iran, he argued that world powers could always push for a better nuclear deal because the Islamic Republic was vulnerable to low oil prices. But the claim that lower...

>* Euro edgy before details of ECB's quantitative easing* U.S. crude oil extends overnight gainsBy Shinichi SaoshiroTOKYO, March 5 (Reuters) - Asian stocks slipped on Thursday after Wall Street continued to pull back from record highs ahead of Friday's closely-watched U.S. jobs data, while the nervous euro languished...

>Democrats objected after the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would move to begin debate and vote next week on a bill that would force President Barack Obama to seek Congress' approval of any nuclear agreement with Iran.McConnell announced his plans on Tuesday, shortly after Israeli Prime...

>* Iran reiterates opposition to nuclear deal with timelines* U.S. weekly crude stock build more than double expectations* Saudi minister says after price hike that market will balanceBy Barani KrishnanNEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. oil futures rose on Wednesday and benchmark Brent pared losses as OPEC...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the U.S. Congress generated loud applause and worldwide headlines, it is unlikely to lead to new legislation or a shift in U.S. policy toward Iran. Although Netanyahu won praise from the Republicans who invited him to speak...

>Iran, currently in negotiations with six powers, had rebuffed as unacceptable comments by U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday that any accord should last at least a decade.The ambassador, Reza Najafi, did not elaborate on how long any deal would have to be for Iran to accept it.

>Upon landing in Israel after addressing the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, a speech which Obama said the Israeli leader had offered "no viable alternatives" to a deal being worked out with Iran, Netanyahu voiced satisfaction that he had made his own message heard around the world."I proposed a...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is considering sending its THAAD missile defense system to the Middle East, a senior U.S. Army general said on Wednesday, citing what he called an urgent need to respond to foes with missile systems and the will to use them. General Vincent Brooks,...

At times, he got raucous applause during his speech in Washington on Tuesday. But the reactions to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's message that may matter most came in Israel and Iran -- where emotions ran high, both in support and in opp...

>The IAEA says Iran has been stalling its investigation while negotiations between Tehran and six world powers are continuing ahead of a March deadline for a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program. (Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) FILED UNDER: World Tweet this Link this Share this Digg...

>INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asian shares drift lower, India surprises with rate cut* MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf markets mixed on data, dividends; property stocks boost Egypt* Brent holds above $60 after Saudi price hikes* Gold treads water near $1,200 as US dollar, data in focus* Moody's expects low oil prices to pressure GCC banks'...

>* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a dramatic and highly public showdown with a U.S. president, told a joint session of Congress on Tuesday that an emerging diplomatic agreement with Iran would not only fail to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but virtually ensure it gets them.

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Tuesday that it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that could spark a "nuclear nightmare," drawing a rebuke from President Barack Obama and exposing a deepening U.S.-Israeli rift. They delivered dueling messages within hours...

The United States government has decided to temporarily relocate its Yemeni-based diplomatic staff to Jeddah. The announcement came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived here Wednesday to hold consultations with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on the emerging nuclear deal with Iran and ways to...

Police are looking for three men seen acting suspiciously before a building society was broken into in Conwy county.

The Menai Bridge is one of the landmarks featured on a new set of first class stamps.

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia lost 0-1 to Al-Sadd of Qatar in Asia soccer champions tournament at a match held in Doha today.Khalfan Ibrahim scored for Al-...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Saudi Arabia seeking to ease Gulf Arab concerns about an emerging nuclear deal with Iran as well as instability in Yemen and other nations. A day after wrapping up the latest round of Iran nuclear negotiations, Kerry...

Iran's official news agency says that special operatives have freed an Iranian diplomat abducted more than 19 months ago in Yemen.

In the past seven weeks, Brent crude has risen from a six-year low to hold above $60 a barrel despite continued concern about a global oversupply.

March 4, 2015, 3:53 p.m. Washington: We knew before Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the US Congress that he would have nothing new to say – after more than 20 years the Israeli prime minister has wheeled out every argument there is against a nuclear Iran.

"Iran's rise is not only normal, it is actually essential to a more stable region," writes analyst and author Hillary Mann Leverett.

KIRKUK, Iraq – Concern mounted Wednesday, March 4, over the fate of civilians in Tikrit where Iraqi forces were trying to trap Islamic State (ISIS) group jihadists on the third day of a huge offensive to retake the city. Around 30,000 security forces and allied fighters launched Monday, March 2, ...

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NEW YORK — Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson expects the price of oil to remain low over the next two years because of ample global ...

Polls Wednesday suggested that Israelis preparing to vote have not flocked to the premier?s party.

At the end of long, passionate discussion about U.S.-Israel relations following Benjamin Netanyahu' s speech to Congress this week, Sean Hannity and Rudy Giuliani agreed that on the issue of Iran, they stand behind the Israeli prime minister and not behind President Barack Obama . And they suspected "most...

Geneva, March 5: US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for a third day in the Swiss lakeside resort town of Montreux for further nuclear talks before heading to Saudi Arabia.Later on Thursday

Picks of the Week - Happenings

Brian Katulis and Michael Singh: The crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations is often attributed to an ideological or personal conflict between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, but the roots of the crisis run deeper.

>NEW YORK - U.S. stocks closed down on Wednesday for the second day in a row as investors stepped back after a recent rally ahead of jobs data due later in the week.Healthcare stocks were the only bright spot in the market after a U.S. Supreme Court...

WASHINGTON - The powerful religious symbolism packed into a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to U.S. Congress would have been self-evident even to someone lacking training in Jewish theology.

RIYADH: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud emphasised on Wednesday the importance of Pakistan-Saudi relations and vowed to strengthen them in various fields.

Every generation or so, experts debate whether we need to do more to control the technologies that can be used to make fissile material for nuclear weapons or for peaceful nuclear energy. read more

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

LONDON: The chief executive of Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered will step down in June, the company said Thursday, following poor results, job cuts and fines for failing to detect possible money-laundering.

Oil prices climbed in Asian trade Thursday as signs that a refineries strike in the United States is weakening overshadowed a rise in US crude stocks, analysts said. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate ...

If you thought Obama would never let Iran keep its nuclear program, you were wrong.

I agree with Lorena Gonzalez (“Time to make cheerleading a sport,” March 1) regarding the high level of expertise and physical exercise it takes to be a cheerleader.

Meet the Bibi-sitter. Dimi Reider JAFFA, Israel — Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress has already been  dubbed  the best election ad ever. At nearly an hour long it's certainly one of the longest ones, and considering the damage it may have done to Israel's standing in the US it's probably...

MONTREUX: Simply demanding Iran’s capitulation is no way to get a nuclear deal with the country, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday as he wrapped up three days of talks with a veiled dig at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

>Total, vying with Sanofi for the crown of France's biggest listed company, said it was working on withdrawing nine of the 19 entities in countries deemed to be tax havens by the end of 2016.The group did not specify which ones, but among the subsidiaries listed were Pars LNG...

Watch Video RELATED LINKS What Islamic State gains by destroying antiquities in Iraq Identity of militant ‘Jihadi John’ unmasked Obama to call for joint efforts against violent extremism at summit JUDY WOODRUFF: And General Allen joins me now. Welcome to the NewsHour. GEN. JOHN ALLEN: It’s good to be with...

LONDON — Falling oil prices are increasing political risks in some emerging market countries, according to Aon P.L.C.'s 2015 political risk map, published Wednesday.

Jim Manley: Sen. McConnell filing for cloture on the Iran bill suggests that he cares more about shifting the political narrative about the GOP than the effect his actions may have on changing Tehran's behavior.

NEW YORK — The United States is in for some “rough sledding” in regard to cyber security, according to the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

After his address to Congress Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party sees a slight bump in the polls

Iraqi government troops are trying to re-take Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit from ISIS. Fighting alongside the Iraqi troops are Shiite militias backed by Iran. Holly Williams reports on the fight from inside Iraq.

The terrorist organization which reportedly banned sports from schools is putting an economic squeeze on the region.

The U.S. must ask: What is an ally? It is generally considered in the U.S. that Israel and Saudi Arabia are allies to the U.S. So what should happen when two countries are considered allies? A formal definition: Ally — a state formally cooperating with another for...

Indonesia's plans to execute nine foreigners convicted of drug crimes have strained relations with several countries and raised concerns about a wider diplomatic backlash.

Graham told Iowa reporters that "Sunni Arabs" looking to hurt Iran are solely responsible for falling oil prices. He's wrong.                

Alison Michelle Ernst, the Phoenix woman charged with throwing a shoe at Hillary Clinton during a speech in Las Vegas, has been sentenced to one year of supervised release.

Brent held above $60 a barrel on Wednesday supported by a hike in Saudi crude prices and strikes on oil facilities in Libya. In a move widely seen as a vote of confidence by Saudi Arabia in demand recovery, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ kingpin raised the official selling...

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:___March 4Los Angeles Times on Netanyahu and Iran debate:When Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an invitation from House Republicans to address Congress...

This time last year, Wichita State was keeping light-hearted track of its unbeaten streak with names attached to the numbers - Michael Jordan for 23 in a row, the B-29 bomber for 29-0 and so on, until the run finally...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even if Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of a private email server to conduct official business as secretary of state was not illegal, it violated Obama administration guidance and undermined his pledge of historic transparency. Clinton's reliance on hdr22@clintonemail.com for electronic communication as the nation's top diplomat...

EDMONTON — First Nations should get some of the money generated by resources on their lands, suggests a report commissioned by the federal government and the Assembly of First Nations. The study, released Tuesday by the Working Group on Natural...

Michael Singh: The implication that any nuclear deal with Iran is a good deal because it would avert military action reinforces suspicions among U.S. allies in the Middle East that we are desperate to reach an agreement.

The United States and the five world powers negotiating with Iran to curb its nuclear program are getting closer to brokering a deal, but there might not be enough time to bridge some significant differences with less than a month until a first deadline.

The year isn't all that's new for Adam Scott.

University of Southern Mississippi doctoral students Dave Krzeminski and Nadine Lippa have been awarded an international research fellowship and currently are collaborating with researchers in Australia.

President Barack Obama has signed a law funding the Homeland Security Department through the end of the budget year.

A congressional committee investigating the terror attacks on a U.S. mission in Libya was expected as early as Wednesday to subpoena the emails of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who used a private account exclusively for official...

"I take the Iranian threat seriously. But I suspect hysteria is unhelpful -- and if that's true, so is raising the specter of the Holocaust, as Netanyahu does every time he discusses this topic. " A historian on the current state of debate.

Health officials say people should eat less sugar. But that's easier said than done.

The Republican-controlled Senate has failed to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

US: US President Barack Obama has reacted scathingly to a speech by the Israeli prime minister that castigated his policy towards Iran.

The two lead Senate Democrats on a measure giving Congress oversight over any nuclear deal with Iran balked Tuesday when Senate Republicans moved to fast-track the bill through the chamber.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was traveling Wednesday to Saudi Arabia to try to assure Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members that an Iran nuclear deal would not lead to regional instability.

With questions emerging about Hillary Clinton’s reliance on a private email account during her years in the Obama administration, it's the White House that has been compelled to do the talking while the former secretary of state stays silent on the issue.

By The Associated Press 12:50 P.M.

The Journal's morning rundown of the biggest news stories and exclusive features from Washington on politics, policy, financial regulation, defense and more.

Despite intermittent rain, members of Women Wage Peace, a group formed after last year's devastating war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, were huddled a short distance from the Knesset. Israelis go to the polls on March 17, in a vote that looks set to bring rightwing Prime Minister Benjamin...

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (R) on Capitol Hill in Washington March 3, 2015. Netanyahu made an argument that many Israelis support in warning Congress on Tuesday about a potential nuclear deal with...

>Republican Senator Bob Corker, the chairman, told Reuters no vote had been scheduled on the bill. Democrats have said they object to Republicans' plans to have a vote as soon as next week on the measure, which Obama has threatened to veto as a threat to the nuclear negotiations with...

BAGHDAD [MENL] -- Iraq has asked Iran to lead an offensive against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. Copyrights 2008, Middle East Newsline. All rights reserved.

The world's oldest person says 117 years doesn't seem like such a long time.

Potential deal with Iran will be harder to sell to US Congress following Netanyahu speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's blistering attack on a US push for a nuclear accord with Iran soured ties with Washington but could boost his prospects in elections this month, experts say. Netanyahu, seeking re-election on March 17, infuriated the White House with his address Tuesday to US Congress, where...

MONTREUX, Switzerland — One burning question in the global effort to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power is this:... more »

MORE NBC LIES. Their website quotes Netanyahu as saying ‘Thank you for your support’ to President Obama. His actual statement to Obama was ‘Thank you for THAT support,’ in reference to a singular event.

McDonald's says it plans to start using chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine and milk from cows that are not treated with the artificial growth hormone rbST.

MONTREUX, Switzerland - A senior U.S. official is tamping down expectations that negotiations with Iran will result in a formal, preliminary deal this month outlining constraints on Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief for the Islamic Republic.

>BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The Argentinian government took out full-page advertisements in local newspapers on Wednesday, stressing that a stalled agreement with Iran remained the best way to get to the bottom of the deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center. An Argentine federal court last year...