Republican Leader John Boehner Soon to Visit Israel

WASHINGTON – The Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, will visit Israel during the next legislative recess beginning in late March, his spokesman said Friday.

The announcement is another turn of the screw in the tense relations between the governments of Democratic U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has just been reelected.

Boehner’s spokesman Kevin Smith said in a communique that the visit was scheduled before this week’s election from which Netanyahu came out the winner.

Boehner had defied the Obama administration by inviting Netanyahu to give a speech to Congress early this month, an opportunity for the prime minister to slam Washington’s negotiations with Iran to reach an accord on Tehran’s nuclear program.

According to several Israeli media citing officials of that country, Boehner plans to arrive on March 31 with several members of the U.S. Congress.

The purpose of the trip is to discuss “shared priorities for the peace and security of the region, and strengthen even more the ties between the United States and Israel,” Boehner’s spokesman said.

Among the points of conflict between the Obama government and Netanyahu are the comments he made before his electoral victory that he would never permit the creation of a Palestinian state.

However, in several interviews with U.S. television networks after the election, Netanyahu said he will continue working toward a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, as he had vowed to do years before.

The Obama administration expressed its skepticism about Netanyahu’s latest statements, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest suggested the U.S. government could “reevaluate our approach” to bilateral relations.

Khamenei calls ‘Death to America’ as deadline nears on Iran nuclear deal

Ali Khamenei, the Supreme leader of the clerical regime in Iran, called for “Death to America” on Saturday, a day after President Barack Obama appealed to that regime to seize a “historic opportunity” for a nuclear deal.

Khamenei told a crowd in the city of Mashhad that his regime would not capitulate to Western demands. When the crowd started shouting, “Death to America,” the ayatollah responded: “Of course yes, death to America, because America is the original source of this pressure.

Obama, in a message to Iranians celebrating the Persian new year this week, suggested that success at the talks could build on trust, proclaiming it was up to Iran “to seize this moment and the possibilities that can bloom.”

But Ali Khamenei told the crowd: “Negotiations with America are solely on the nuclear issue and nothing else,”

“We do not talk with U.S. over regional issues. In the regional issues, America’s goals are completely opposed to our goals.”

Khamenei also demanded that a nuclear deal end economic sanctions on his regime at its outset, rather than gradually, as the United States and five other world powers have said during negotiations.
“Sanctions must be lifted immediately," Khamenei said.

Russian Navy vessels test fire-power amid nationwide drills

Drills on liquidation of simulated subversive group start in Russia's Kuriles

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. Russian military are conducting anti-sabotage military drills in Russia's Far-Eastern Kuril Islands as part of command and staff exercises, head of the Eastern Military District's press service Oleg Gordeyev told TASS.

Around 500 servicemen and 100 units of military hardware, including four Mil Mi-8AMTSH are taking part in the drills.

Russia to upgrade 10 multi-purpose nuclear submarines by 2020 — Navy chief

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Zvyozdochka shipyard in the country’s northwest and the Zvezda Far Eastern plant will be able to modernize about ten project 971 and project 949A nuclear submarines, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Chirkov said on Thursday.

"This actually means recommissioning a grouping of multi-purpose nuclear submarines with upgraded characteristics, which will operate in the Northern and Pacific Fleets," the Navy chief said on occasion of Submariner Day, which Russia is celebrating on Thursday.

The requirements for modernizing these submarines were clearly formulated by the Defense Ministry and the Navy’s command and work is proceeding under the Navy’s daily control, Chirkov said.

Profound modernization will leave only the hulls of these submarines intact, the Navy chief said.

Pope visits Scampia, urges Camorra criminals ‘return to honesty’

yemen-rocked-by-multiple-suicide-bombings-at-mosques