Secretary of State John Kerry had hoped to offer considerably more aid to Egypt than the $250 million he announced during his trip to Cairo but was blocked by Congress, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said. “This is not the aid package that the administration wanted to announce,” Royce told The Hill. The administration wanted to release a “larger sum,” but bowed to the wishes of Royce's committee as well as congressional appropriators, he said. Royce wouldn't say how much Kerry had hoped to announce, but the State Department has been pressing Congress to greenlight $450 million in direct aid since last fall. “Our approach is not the full-throttle administration approach of delivering all the aid that they wanted to deliver, but rather a measured approach of tying tranches to results as it pertains to the peace treaty with Israel, to cooperation with respect to smuggling [into Gaza] and with respect to economic reforms to guarantee civil rights and the rule of law within Egypt,” he said. “That's the pressure that we're applying.” More»

The national electoral council set the poll date on Saturday one day after Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's handpicked successor, was sworn in as acting president in a ceremony largely boycotted by the opposition, which slammed it as unconstitutional. Shortly after the date was set, the main opposition coalition announced it had unanimously chosen Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October election, as its unity candidate again. "We have all recognized Henrique Capriles Radonski as the person to embody this option of change," said Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, executive secretary of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). Capriles wrote on Twitter that he was "grateful" for the offer and would announce soon whether he will accept the nomination. The Miranda state governor was picked by the MUD last year in an unprecedented primary. More»

Hiring in the US has gathered momentum after government figures showed that the economy created 236,000 jobs in February. The figure was much higher than analysts had expected, and more than the 157,000 jobs created in January. The unemployment rate fell to 7.7% last month, the lowest since December 2008, from 7.9% in January, figures showed. But the White House's chief economist said more work was needed as Congress remained divided over economic policy. Progress 'unmistakable' Employment growth has risen by an average of 195,000 a month in the last three months, figures show. Analysts had forecast a rise of 165,000 jobs for February. More»

The United Nations called off an effort to secure the release of 21 Filipino peacekeepers held by a Syrian rebel group until Saturday because of darkness in the Golan Heights, a spokeswoman said, according to AFP. "Arrangements were made with all parties for the release of the 21 peacekeepers," said UN peacekeeping spokeswoman Josephine Guerrero. Vehicles were sent to the village where the 21 are being held "but due to the late hour and the darkness it was considered unsafe to continue the operation. Efforts will continue tomorrow," she added. Reports earlier on Friday indicated that a UN convoy that entered the Syrian village of Jamla to pick up the 21 peacekeepers pulled out when the army shelled the area. "When the UN vehicles entered into Jamla, the Syrian army shelled a nearby village. The UN cars then withdraw from Jamla," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. More»

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending the socialist leader's 14-year rule of the South American country, Vice President Nicolas Maduro has said in a televised speech. Maduro, surrounded by other government officials, announced the death in a national television broadcast on Tuesday. "In the immense pain of this historic tragedy that has affected our fatherland, we call on all the compatriots to be vigilant for peace, love, respect and tranquility," Maduro said. Maduro said the government had deployed the armed forces and police "to accompany and protect our people and guarantee the peace". Elias Jaua, the foreign minister, said Chavez's hand-picked successor Maduro would take over as interim leader pending the next election, declaring: "It is the mandate that comandante President Hugo Chavez gave us." Venezuela's constitution, however, specifies that the speaker of the National Assembly, currently Diosdado Cabello, should assume the interim presidency if a president can't be sworn in. More»

European finance ministers opened the way for looser budget policies after a backlash against austerity thrust Italy into political limbo and shattered months of relative stability in European markets. Italy’s deadlocked election, France’s refusal to make deeper budget cuts and protests against the shrinking of the welfare state across southern Europe escalated the rebellion against the German-led prescription for fighting the debt crisis. Economic strains “may also justify in a certain number of cases reviewing deadlines for the correction of excessive deficits,” European Union Economic and Monetary Commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters late yesterday after a meeting of euro- area finance ministers in Brussels. The euro-zone economy will shrink 0.3 percent in 2013, making for the first annual back-to-back contraction since the currency’s birth in 1999, the European Commission forecast last month. The currency-bloc prediction masked a widening north- south divide, with growth in countries like Germany, Finland, Belgium and Luxembourg set against dwindling output in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. France is straddling the middle, set to eke out a 0.1 percent expansion after the economy stagnated in 2012, according to the commission. Deeper budget cuts are out of the question, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said. ‘Right Rhythm’ “We do not want to add austerity to recession,” Moscovici said. “If our rules are intelligent, they are also flexible. We have to find the right rhythm and the right balance without weakening the little growth left.” More»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan's King Abdullah II met in Jordan last week and discussed the Middle East peace process, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday. "Last week, Netanyahu travelled to Jordan and met King Abdullah II," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In the meeting, they discussed the Middle East peace process. More»

US political leaders are to meet for last-ditch talks at the White House, amid the prospect of steep budget cuts. Cuts worth $85bn (£56bn), originally tabled in an effort to force Congress to strike a budget deal, are due become law by the end of Friday. President Barack Obama will host Democratic and Republican leaders, amid a raging blame-game in Washington. Congress has adjourned for the weekend. The IMF has said the cuts could have an impact on global growth. Analysis in the US suggests the nation's GDP (economic output) could grow by just 1.4% in 2013 if the cuts are not delayed or replaced. US GDP grew by 2.2% in 2012. The White House meeting comes as prospects for a deal to avert the cuts, known as the sequesters, appear extremely slim. More»

U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson announced on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted market access for Egyptian fresh strawberry exports to the United States. “We are committed to continuing to work with the Egyptian authorities to increase market opportunities for Egyptian exports,” said Ambassador Patterson.  “Increasing trade between our two countries is a key component of boosting employment and economic growth in Egypt.” Egypt’s new access to the market will stimulate production and exports for its already robust strawberry sector.  The additional export market possibilities will encourage strawberry farmers to increase their plantings and hire more workers. The United States is one of the top consumers and importers of strawberries in the world.  Opening the American market to Egypt is a testament to the high quality of Egyptian strawberry exports.  Egypt is the fourth largest strawberry producer in the world, with production valued at nearly US $330 million annually.  Egypt’s traditional export markets have been the EU-27 and GCC countries, which account for approximately US$59 million in export sales. More»

Crowds have begun gathering in St Peter's Square in the Vatican for the Pope's final general audience before his resignation on Thursday. Papal audiences are normally held inside a Vatican hall in the winter. But such is the level of interest that the event is being held outdoors and 50,000 tickets have been requested. As many as 200,000 people may attend. After Benedict XVI steps down on Thursday, he will become known as "pope emeritus". There has been no papal resignation since Pope Gregory XII abdicated in 1415. The surprise announcement of Benedict's abdication has required the rules of electing a successor to be changed to allow the next pope to be chosen before Holy Week, which leads up to Easter. On Wednesday, the Pope, 85, will be making one of his last public appearances - using his trademark white "popemobile" to greet pilgrims in St Peter's Square. Organisers say there will be no traditional kissing of the pontiff's hand because of the sheer size of the expected crowd. "He doesn't want to favour one or the other of the pilgrims," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the AFP news agency. More»