THE WORLD'S TODAY HOT NEWS ON MARCH 19, 2015

Seventy years ago they crushed Nazi Germany together but raging tensions over Ukraine mean Russia's former World War II allies in the West will snub the Kremlin's showcase victory anniversary celebrations. As top Western leaders give President Vladimir Putin's Red Square parade on May 9 the cold…

Once a source of irritation for the United States, France has nudged aside Britain to become the US military's key European partner. The growing ties between the two militaries were on display this month when France's top military officer, General Pierre de Villiers, hosted his US counterpart,…

Norway is ruing the day it sold off a key submarine base near the Russian border and now, with President Putin flexing his muscles in the region, there is growing alarm among Nato chiefs that the west has left itself woefully unprotected. Only six years ago, Norwegian politicians decided that…

The Obama administration insisted before skeptical lawmakers Thursday that any deal with Iran would ensure for "perpetuity" that it could not develop nuclear weapons. A comprehensive accord would also see "phased, proportionate" relief from tough sanctions that have severely constrained Iran's…

Russian military exercises, the latest in a series across the country, have taken on a threatening posture. While the most recent installment is not the largest exercise Russia has conducted, the areas involved and the forces included seem to have been deliberately chosen to send a warning to NATO;…

NATO allies are scrambling to protect vulnerable Baltic partners from the threat of hybrid warfare, a Russian tactic that officials and experts say is based on deception rather than formal declaration of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of anonymous "little green men" to slice Crimea…

The historic victory for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week in a campaign defined by hard-line policies is prompting the Obama administration to consider a major shift in its strategy toward Israel. The White House on Wednesday suggested it could reverse its decades-old policy of…

Imagine the pride American Airlines pilot Scott Byrne felt when he realized his co-pilot for the next few days would be someone he knew well. And imagine the excitement Jen Byrne felt sitting next to a man she called her "hero" as the plane she was piloting took off. The dad-and-daughter duo, both…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Thursday that the United States and Israel are each other's greatest allies and have no choice but to work together. Ties between Israel and the United States have plunged to an all-time low, after Netanyahu angered the Obama administration by…

This Friday, a rare total solar eclipse will be...

Benjamin Netanyahu weighed up options Thursday for a new Israeli rightwing coalition as Western governments cranked up the pressure on the premier for ruling out a Palestinian state during his campaign. Both the European Union and the United States gave a cool reception to Netanyahu's upset victory…

A show of force by the Russian military on the anniversary of its annexation of Crimea has led to fears that Putin could seek more "foreign distractions."

AMMAN -- The Israeli electorate had a choice to make. By re-electing a leader who publicly reneged on his commitments to peace and a two-state solution, they voted against peace. What remains now is how the Palestinians and the world will react to the closure of the charade that was called the…

Both on the court and off it, Kevin Love's...

In his first interview since Tuesday’s election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his speech before both houses of Congress was not an “attempt at partisanship” and denied accusations of racism. “By coming to the United States, I didn’t mean any disrespect or any attempt at…

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged a gathering of billionaires and business leaders to bring money back to the country from offshore accounts, warning that funds kept abroad could be frozen.

New tests show almost all of the fuel inside one of the Fukushima plant's reactors has melted, its operator said Thursday, the latest step in the clean up after Japan's worst ever nuclear crisis. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the technology, which uses elementary particles called "muon" to create…

Ashley Brady lost her leg in 2014. She finally got a special parking spot last week. And now, this.

WASHINGTON -- Since taking control of the House in 2010, Republicans have crafted dozens of bills ostensibly devoted to "streamlining and simplifying" the federal government. They've pushed them through the lower chamber, promising to cut red tape and create jobs. But on Tuesday, they let the cat…

The man formerly known as Carlos Irwin Estévez has put his foot firmly in his mouth again. Early Thursday morning, the star of Platoon, Wall Street, and Two and a Half Men took to Twitter to vent his frustration with President Obama’s appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter. You see, Obama was engaging…

Dozens of Nigerian women who were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters were reportedly slaughtered by their "husbands" before a battle with troops in the northeast town of Bama, multiple witnesses said Thursday. Five witnesses who recounted the massacres to AFP said the Islamist militants feared…

Since Pope Francis began his tenure as the leader of the Catholic Church two years ago, he's made a name for himself with his modest lifestyle and fearless approach to the church's stance on non-traditional issues. Catholic priest Stan Chu Ilo told HuffPost Live that the pontiff's legacy has been…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu veered to the right at the end of his successful re-election campaign, vowing he will never allow a Palestinian state and warning conservative Israeli Jews that his center-left opponents were bussing Arabs to the polls. "How dare you," Jon Stewart said on…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials told a House committee on Thursday that if a nuclear deal is struck with Iran, lawmakers should leave congressionally imposed sanctions in place for years.

US warplanes have bombed a small drone used by Islamic State extremists in Iraq, marking the first time American-led forces had targeted an unmanned aircraft flown by the jihadists, officials said Wednesday. The strike took place on Tuesday near the western city of Fallujah, destroying "a remotely…

WASHINGTON -- Scott Walker was supposed to be the principled candidate who could appeal to both the Republican party's conservative base and its so-called establishment wing in the 2016 presidential primary. It appears, however, that he may have succeeded in alienating both groups this week when he…

Lawyers for Shafqat Hussain say he was just 14 in 2004 when he was burnt with cigarettes and had fingernails removed until he confessed to the killing of a child, a case that has angered rights groups and prompted mercy appeals from his family. Hussain's hanging was postponed indefinitely, his…

Tuesday’s elections in Israel, which appear likely to give Benjamin Netanyahu another term as Prime Minister, may have been a signal that it’s time for the White House to repair President Obama’s chilly relationship with the hard-right Israeli premier.  But if so, someone in the administration…

Russia on Wednesday signed a wide-ranging alliance with Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia that will further cement its control over the territory despite fierce condemnation from the West. President Vladimir Putin inked a deal in Moscow with South Ossetian leader Leonid Tibilov that…

Russian naval units launched an air-and-sea practice offensive on a nuclear submarine today in the Barents Sea, which Russia shares with Norway. The drill is part of Russia’s massive snap military drills which are due to continue until 21 March. The ‘strike and search group’, as the Russian…

An air raid on the presidential palace in Yemen's southern city of Aden and intense fighting at the airport Thursday raised fears for President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled his residence. Hadi was forced to evacuate the palace in the country's major southern city, presidency sources said, after…

Well, it’s pretty clear now: Benjamin Netanyahu is going to be a major figure in Israeli history — not because he’s heading to become the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, but because he’s heading to be the most impactful. Having won the Israeli elections — in part by declaring that he will…

Senator John McCain on Wednesday criticized the U.S. Air Force's "troubling lack of urgency" in ending dependence on Russian rocket engines for space launches, saying there was still no strategy to replace them a year after Moscow seized the Crimea. "Continued reliance on Russian rocket engines is…

Michelle Obama suggested a lunch date with Shinzo Abe at his wife's restaurant on Thursday, offering the Japanese prime minister a place at her table next time she is in town. The US first lady gave a ringing endorsement of Akie Abe's "izakaya" -- a traditional Japanese-style pub -- after eating…

They brought out in Benjamin a love so fierce, so focused, that I fell off the edge of his world, plunging straight past him and into some sea where, no matter how much I flounder and flail, he fails to toss me a line. As for me, in the sea, my children often appear to me as apparitions, floating…

"An evolution of views"

Kaley Cuoco chose a sexy black dress with a very low back to attend the 23rd annual "A Night at Sardi's" Gala in Beverly Hills on March 18; see the Big Big Theory star's red carpet style photos here

US Secretary of State John Kerry has a history with broken planes but during Iran nuclear talks in Switzerland this week even his bike needed fixing. In what sceptics might call a metaphor for the talks in Lausanne, Kerry's orange racer on Monday couldn't get into gear properly, Lionel Schumann of…

Monica Crowley raised the question today of whether Hillary Clinton was using her private email server in order to run a rogue intelligence operation.

British troops have begun a training mission in Ukraine, helping government forces fighting pro-Russian separatists, the Ministry of Defence in London said Thursday. The BBC reported that 35 personnel are in the southern city of Mykolaiv as part of a two-month mission, although the ministry…

Good dog!Check out this cool video of a #wolf fishing along side a #bear at #Katmai #NationalPark & Preserve in #Alaska. On the Alaska Peninsula, salmon constitute a significant portion of a wolf’s summer diet. This video, taken at #BrooksFalls in July 2007, captures footage of a wolf who was…

Charles Krauthammer told viewers Wednesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that the Obama administration’s reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory last night “has become unseemly.”

Then, 47 Republican senators wrote to the Iranian leadership to tell them that Congress will need to approve any deal Obama may make with Tehran over its nuclear program. Finally, we had a senior advisor to the Iranian president saying that Iran has become a Middle Eastern empire whose capital is…

The body of the man, who was not named, was found by officers early on Wednesday morning in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, said Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Liliana Preciado. "This is being investigated as an accidental death." About a dozen beer cans were…

From the islands of the Mediterranean to the peaks of the Alps, Europe's postcard-perfect towns continue to inspire travelers with distinct architecture preserved from 1,000 years ago. Filled with plenty of charm, many of these treasured areas contain historic ruins, cobblestone streets, and…

Although Moscow has the world's second-largest air force, which includes strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons thousands of miles around the world, its fleet is old. To compensate, Russia is rapidly attempting to modernize its air force.

By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats’ support is softening for Hillary Clinton, their party’s presumed 2016 presidential front-runner, with many favoring an independent review of her personal email use when she was secretary of state. Support for Clinton's candidacy has dropped about…

Ex-NBA player Stephon Marbury has had a wildly...

The leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee told Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken this morning that “there really can’t be any marginalization of Congress” on Iran nuclear negotiations. “Any attempts to sidestep Congress will be resisted on both sides of the aisle,” Rep. Eliot…

We now know what Elon Musk meant when he...

A remote Pacific island whose residents are descendants of the swashbuckling British sailors and Tahitian women immortalised in the "Mutiny on the Bounty" movies is set to lose its right to self-rule. Norfolk Island, 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) east of the Australian coast and settled by the…

Something amazing may be about to happen in Congress: Republicans and Democrats coming together to pass legislation that will fix a longstanding problem. The House’s top two leaders are on the verge of securing a sweeping deal to permanently fix a gaping hole in Medicare that has haunted Congress…

JERUSALEM (AP) — The head of a center-left union that came in second in Israel's election said Thursday he would not join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, accusing him of rallying voters with racist remarks on election day.