President Barack Obama's pledge to raise the minimum wage by 24 percent has divided economists and businesses who warn it could threaten recent improvements in jobless numbers.

Obama has stated that his administration plans to increase the existing minimum hourly rate from $7.25 to $9, vowing to press ahead with the initiative despite the sequester budget crisis.

U.S. President Barack Obama's three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories will begin on March 20, Israel said on Sunday, in the first official announcement of the much-anticipated visit.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bureau said Obama was due to arrive Wednesday, March 20, at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv and then head to Jerusalem for talks with President Shimon Peres and a dinner meeting with Netanyahu.

King Abdullah II of Jordan said on Saturday that he hoped the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Israel and the West Bank later this month will offer a momentum to the Mideast peace process.

"We are looking forward to welcoming President Obama in Jordan soon. And I hope to see real momentum in the peace process after his visit, a strategic national interest for both our countries," the king said in an address to Jordanian and American businessmen at a meeting in Amman.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday played down expectations for a Mideast peace breakthrough during his upcoming trip to Israel, telling American Jewish leaders that he won't be carrying a "grand peace plan" when he arrives in the region later this month.

Obama, in an hour-long private meeting at the White House, acknowledged that near-term prospects for peace are bleak, according to a person who attended the discussion. But the president said a deal with the Palestinians remains the only way for Israel to achieve long-term security.

The Hamas prime minister charged on Friday that an upcoming regional visit by U.S. President Barack Obama was a "trap" aimed at undermining Palestinian reconciliation.

"We are convinced that Obama's visit will not produce the necessary breakthrough for our people," Ismail Haniya said at a sermon during weekly Muslim prayers in the Gaza Strip's al-Omari mosque.

A Republican irate over the Obama administration's refusal to rule out drone strikes on U.S. soil took to the Senate floor Wednesday in a classic filibuster to block the president's CIA nominee.

The issue gained further currency on Capitol Hill with senators from both parties pressing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for more details on whether the administration believes such attacks could be justified.

Condolences poured in Wednesday from world leaders who had found common cause with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in his 14-year campaign to galvanize the Latin American left and defy U.S. "imperialism."

Ideological allies in Latin America lined up to salute the late firebrand as Russia, China and Iran paid tribute to a key regional partner, while the United States expressed hope for improved ties with oil-rich Venezuela.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to ask President Barack Obama to free an Israeli spy jailed since 1985 when the U.S. leader visits Jerusalem later this month.

"This issue will come up during President Obama's visit," the prime minister's office quoted him as saying in a meeting with the wife of Jonathan Pollard, serving a life sentence for espionage in the United States.

President Barack Obama has reluctantly ordered an $85 billion austerity drive that could slow the U.S. economy and slash jobs, after blaming Republicans for refusing to stop the "dumb" spending cuts.

Obama complied with his legal obligations and initiated the automatic, across-the-board cuts in domestic and defense spending Friday, following the failure of efforts to clinch a deal with Republicans on cutting the deficit.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed Syria and other urgent issues by telephone Friday, the Kremlin said, as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned against a “dissolution” of the country.

"Within the context of the Syria crisis, Mr. Putin noted the need to end military activities as soon as possible," the Kremlin statement said, noting that the call was initiated by Washington.