TURKEY - Islamic State militants have entered Turkey and are plotting to attack diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkish media on Thursday quoted the national intelligence agency (MIT) as saying. Around 3,000 militants from the ultra-radical group in Syria and Iraq are looking to enter Turkey through its southern border after failing to take the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, the Hurriyet newspaper reported the internal MIT note as saying.
USA - A row between the US and Benjamin Netanyahu has deepened, with the Israeli leader accusing America and others of "giving up" on trying to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. The US secretary of state questioned Mr Netanyahu's judgement on the issue. Republican leaders have invited Mr Netanyahu to address the US Congress next week, angering Democrats. A White House spokesman warned against reducing US-Israeli ties to a party political issue.
RUSSIA - Russia has signed an agreement with Cyprus to give Russian navy ships access to Cypriot ports. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed the deal after talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. The deal comes as tensions between Russia and Western countries over the Ukrainian conflict continue.
UK - Posters are being printed and slogans are being polished as Britain's politicians battle it out in the most unpredictable national election in decades. One top election analyst has dubbed it "the lottery election."
Voters, though, don't seem very excited about who gets the prize. "There's nobody who can run a country. They all lie to us," said Victor Loach, a fishmonger selling his wares in the cobbled central square of Atherstone, 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of London. "And why do they shout at each other like children?"
USA - The United States will not develop into the "next Saudi Arabia" of the energy market despite its position as one of the biggest new producers in the world, warned the head of the International Energy Agency. Speaking at the Telegraph's Middle East Congress, Fatih Birol, the newly appointed executive director of the IEA, said traditional energy exporters in the Gulf would continue to dominate global production in years to come. The shale gas revolution in the United States was "excellent news" for America's economy, but would not see the country meet the world's global energy needs, said Mr Birol.
VATICAN - A coalition of royals, prelates, and Catholic activists have sent a “filial appeal” to Pope Francis asking him to hold the line on Church teaching regarding the family. The letter focuses on the Synod of Bishops to take place this October in the Vatican and expresses the signers’ “fears and hopes regarding the future of the family.”
USA - A new study carried out by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) has found that millions Americans who consume soda every day are putting themselves at risk of developing cancer as a result of an ingredient contained in many soft drinks.
SAUDI ARABIA - "The Saudi authorities are completely coordinated with Israel on all matters related to Iran," Channel 2 reported the unnamed European official as saying on Tuesday, reported The Jerusalem Post. "The Saudis have declared their readiness for the Israeli Air Force to overfly Saudi airspace en route to attack Iran if an attack is necessary," the report said. Saudi Arabia's eastern Persian Gulf border is only about 100 miles from Iran's Bushehr nuclear site.
GREECE - Greece's Left-wing Syriza government has vowed to block plans to privatise strategic assets and called for sweeping changes to past deals, risking a fresh clash with the eurozone's creditor powers just days after a tense deal in Brussels. "We will cancel the privatisation of the Piraeus Port," said George Stathakis, the economy minister. "It will remain permanently under state majority holding. There is no good reason to turn it into a private monopoly, as we made clear from the first day."
VATICAN - German Chancellor Merkel visited the Vatican over the weekend. Consistent with the diplomatic practice, they exchanged gifts. The Chancellor gave the Pope a Johann Sebastian Bach CD set and a donation for refugee children. Pope Francis gave Merkel a medal with an image on it. It is a picture of Saint Martin cutting his coat to give it to the poor.
USA - Janet Yellen is very alarmed that some members of Congress want to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve for the first time since it was created. If the Fed is doing everything correctly, why should Yellen be alarmed? What does she have to hide? During testimony before Congress on Tuesday, she made “central bank independence” sound like it was the Holy Grail. Even though every other government function is debated politically in this country, Yellen insists that what the Federal Reserve does is “too important” to be influenced by the American people. Does any other government agency ever dare to make that claim?
GERMANY - A closely watched indicator of the German economy has come in weaker than analysts had anticipated, dampening hopes for the country's revival. The Ifo business climate index - an influential survey of German businesses - ticked up by just 0.1 points to 106.8 in February, the smallest increase possible.
UK - Power supplies could drop suddenly next month when the UK is plunged into darkness with an eclipse of the sun. Energy experts warned there could be possible blackouts in the biggest solar eclipse since 1999. Nearly 90 per cent of the sun's rays will be blocked out in parts of Europe on March 20.
UK - This morning the BBC published details of a major poll of the attitudes of Britain’s Muslims. The headline on the front of the BBC website linking to the research states: “Muslims ‘oppose cartoon reprisals'”. This of course relates to attitudes within the Muslim community towards the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks. It’s a reassuring headline. It’s also wrong.
USA - A new study has found that long-term exposure to the threat of terrorism can elevate people’s resting heart rates and increase their risk of dying. The study of more than 17,000 Israelis is the first statistics-based study, and the largest of its kind, that indicates that fear induced by consistent exposure to the threat of terrorism can lead to negative health consequences and increase the risk of mortality, according to researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.