The Final Hour: February 2016

Shares fall on G20 disappointment, Fed hike worries

Shares retreated in Europe and Asia on Monday after a weekend meeting of G20 finance chiefs ended with no new plan to spur global growth and as investors fretted the U.S. Federal Reserve could raise interest rates before year-end.

The dollar, however, tumbled against the Japanese yen as investors sought shelter from the fall in equities, which saw Chinese stocks lose nearly 3 percent. Gold, another "safe haven", rose and was on track for its best month in four years.

The asteroid of 'uncertain orbit' that REALLY could smash into Earth, according to NASA

We are expected to be risk free when the space rock hurtles past us at as close as 11,000 miles away - 21 times closer to us than the moon - on March 8.

But the US space agency cannot yet be 100 per cent certain about its orbital path.

Record Low Interest Rates lead to rise in refinancing: MBA Data

Interest rates have been hovering around all-time lows for the past many quarters. Recently, the Federal Reserve raised the interest rates slightly. Federal Reserve had also indicated that rates could be increased in future as well but the decision on further interest rate hike would be taken only after considering the factors impacting economy.

The average interest rate on 30-year fixed mortgage has declined from 4.01 percent to 3.62 percent since the start of this year. Freddie Mac said that interest rates have touched a yearly low. Long term mortgage rates are quite close to their all-time low. Economists have reduced their estimates for interest rates in year 2016 after considering macro-economic factors and indications from the Federal Reserve. In her comments, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen had advocated for gradual interest rate hike in future but situation has changed since the last Federal Reserve meeting.

NASA has invited India to collaborate on its mission to Mars

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has invited representatives from space organisations around the world, including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to a meeting in Washington next month, where they'll discuss how they can work together on the journey to Mars, according to reports.

Read More: http://www.sciencealert.com/india-announces-that-nasa-has-invited-them-to-collaborate-on-the-journey-to-mars

Twitter accused of shutting down Hillary critics

Bernie Sanders supporters are saying their Twitter account was “censored and locked down” after they criticized Hillary Clinton.

Read More: http://www.theamericanmirror.com/twitter-accused-of-shutting-down-hillary-critics/

Woman Arrested In Moscow After Reportedly Being Seen Holding Toddler’s Severed Head

A woman has been arrested outside a metro station in Moscow after reportedly being seen holding a young child’s severed head on Monday morning, according to officials and videos posted on Russian newswire websites.

Police officers tackled the woman after she was seen shouting outside the entrance to the Russian capital’s Oktyabrskoy Pole station.

Energy price slump sends eurozone into deflation

The slide into deflation is a sharp reversal from the revised 0.3% increase recorded in January.

It is the first fall in inflation since September when it shrank by 0.1%, according to Eurostat.

Energy drove the decline, with prices down 8% in February compared to a 5.4% slide in January.

'Pandemic' Asks: Is A Disease That Will Kill Tens Of Millions Coming?

As public health officials struggle to contain the Zika virus, science writer Sonia Shah tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies that epidemiologists are bracing themselves for what has been called the next "Big One" — a disease that could kill tens of millions of people in the coming years.

Read More: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/02/22/467637849/pandemic-asks-is-a-disease-that-will-kill-tens-of-millions-coming?sc=tw

Mysterious artifact discovered at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity

A mysterious religious artifact has surfaced during renovations at Bethlehem’s famous Church of the Nativity, officials say.

According to the Times of Israel, the artifact is made of brass, silver, shells and stones. It was covered in plaster and found near a window in the church thatreportedly was built by Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena in the fourth century. Although officials confirmed that the artifact has been cleaned up, it is not on display, and there are no images of it as yet.

Mass Shooting In Washington State Ends With Five Dead

Within hours of the Kansas shooting that ended with four people dead and 14 wounded, a man in Washington State gunned down four people in his home. The local sheriff’s office is calling the mass shooting a “family-domestic situation.”

Read More: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/27/3754494/mass-shooting-in-washington-state-ends-with-five-dead/

EU's Tower of Babel may fall while leaders distracted

It's little wonder the European Union can't find common solutions to Europe's urgent problems when its main members are having such different national conversations.

Like the biblical Tower of Babel, Europe's ambitious construction is in danger of toppling because its peoples are not speaking the same political language.

Drought in South Africa creates maize shortage

South Africa's economy is in serious trouble. First there was the contraction of the mining industry, followed by the retrenchment in manufacturing and now the farmers are facing a crisis.

Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35667914

The Russia-Armenia alliance is threatening Turkey, a critical U.S. ally

The Feb. 21 front-page article “For Turkey, high stakes as troubles intensify” highlighted a critical development: The growing military alliance between Russia and Armenia is threatening Turkey, an indispensable U.S. ally and partner in the fight against the Islamic State.

Read More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-russia-armenia-alliance-is-threatening-turkey-a-critical-us-ally/2016/02/26/18289900-da5f-11e5-8210-f0bd8de915f6_story.html

Nuke test: The missile is the message — the Pentagon hopes

Like a giant pen stroke in the sky, an unarmed Minuteman 3 nuclear missile roared out of its underground bunker on the California coastline Thursday and soared over the Pacific, inscribing the signature of American power amid growing worry about North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons capable of reaching U.S. soil.

Read More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/nuke-test-the-missile-is-the-message--the-pentagon-hopes/2016/02/26/ae38f944-dc58-11e5-8210-f0bd8de915f6_story.html

US Weather Update: At Least 3 Killed In Virginia As Storms Rip Through East Coast, Virginia Gov. Declares State Of Emergency

At least three people were killed in Waverly, Virginia, as a powerful storm system ripped through the East Coast Wednesday, knocking out power lines for several buildings and houses. A day before, the storm system brought about two dozen tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, wrecking houses in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, killing three people and injuring several others.

Read More: http://www.ibtimes.com/us-weather-update-least-3-killed-virginia-storms-rip-through-east-coast-virginia-gov-2322662

Kansas shooting: Gunman kills 3, wounds 14 at lawn care company

A gunman killed three people in shootings that ended at a lawn care company in Kansas on Thursday, authorities said.

An additional 14 people were injured -- 10 of whom are in critical condition at local hospitals.

Explosion at Police HQ in Northeast Nigeria Kills 4

Bombs retrieved from Boko Haram extremists exploded accidentally Thursday at police headquarters in Nigeria's northeastern city of Yola, killing four people and driving shattered glass into officers and school children, officials said.

Crying kids, screaming parents and panicked market vendors began running for their lives when an officer warned of the possibility of a secondary explosion in Yola's Jimeta neighborhood. The police station is in a commercial area surrounded by a market, the main prison, a post office, a TV station and two primary schools.

Marco Rubio Unloads On Donald Trump In His Best Debate Yet

Compared to his disastrous performance in New Hampshire, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was a new man during the 10th Republican presidential debate on Thursday, unleashing a searing barrage of attacks against real estate mogul and current GOP front-runner Donald Trump.

Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-donald-trump-immigration_us_56cfb102e4b0871f60eaeb9f?ir=Politics&section=us_politics

Israel to transfer NIS 500 million in withheld taxes to Palestinians

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, after consulting with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, has also decided to issue thousands of additional work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel, as well as reduce commissions Israel charges from the Palestinians.

Kahlon shares the defense establishment's assessment that the way to mitigate the recent wave of violence is by improving the Palestinians' economic situation and creating hope on the Palestinian street.

Read More: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4771224,00.html

Archaeologists find fabric collection from time of King David

A team of archaeologists, led by Tel Aviv University's Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef, has found a large collection of fabrics dating back to the era of King David and his son Solomon.

This is the first time textiles from that period have been discovered, and they are expected to provide information on the clothes and fashion that were used by ancient Israelites, as well as the neighboring Edomites.

20th-century sea rise is a 'game changer'

Sea levels on Earth are rising several times faster than they have in the past 2,800 years and are accelerating because of man-made global warming, according to new studies.

An international team of scientists dug into two dozen locations across the globe to chart gently rising and falling seas over centuries and millennia. Until the 1880s and the world's industrialization, the fastest seas rose was about 1 to 1.5 inches a century, plus or minus a bit. During that time global sea level really didn't get much higher or lower than 3 inches above or below the 2,000-year average.

Are the Jews of Today Really Descendants of Abraham Who Should Inherit the Land?

“And He brought him forth abroad, and said: ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto him: ‘So shall thy seed be.’ And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. And He said unto him: ‘I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’”

There are those who claim that present day Jews are not the descendants of the original Hebrews and therefore have no claim to the land. This claim also discredits the idea that the modern State of Israel could be part of the Messianic return, the ingathering of the exiles predicted by the prophets. For those willing to listen to scientific proof, this claim has been entirely discredited by recent studies in genetics.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/62154/jews-today-really-descendants-abraham-who-should-inherit-land-jewish-world/#PxpmySAdqFqryZoE.99

ISIS reportedly threatens Facebook, Twitter founders in video

SIS has issued a threat to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey over the companies’ effort to take down terror-affiliated accounts, according to a published report.

Vocativ reported Wednesday it had uncovered a 25-minute video allegedly created by ISIS on the instant messaging app Telegram. The video shows a photo of Zuckerberg and Dorsey with bullet holes across their faces.

China Warns U.S. After Trump Wins Nevada Caucus

China warned the United States on Wednesday not to adopt punitive currency policies that could disrupt U.S.-China relations after Donald Trump’s win in the Nevada caucus.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that “we are following with interest the U.S. presidential election.”

Beijing overtakes NYC as 'Billionaire Capital of the World'

Move over, New York City: Beijing is the new "Billionaire Capital of the World."

The Chinese capital has overtaken the Big Apple as home to the most billionaires — 100 to 95 — according to Hurun, a Shanghai firm that publishes a monthly magazine and releases yearly rankings and research about the world's richest people and their spending habits.

Ebola may leave lasting neurological problems

"While an end to the outbreak has been declared, these survivors are still struggling with long-term problems," study author Dr. Lauren Bowen, from the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said in an American Academy of Neurology news release.

Read More: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-02-ebola-neurological-problems.html

Reform Movement holds first official prayer service at Western Wall

Women and men joined together in the prayer service and participated in the reading of the traditional reading of the Thursday Torah portion.

Read More: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Reform-Movement-holds-first-official-prayer-service-at-Western-Wall-446050

Australia warns of possible Indonesia terror attack

Australia's government warned on Thursday that terrorists may be in the advanced stages of preparing attacks in Indonesia, and urged travelers to exercise a high level of caution when visiting the southeast Asian nation, including the popular tourist island of Bali.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued the travel advisory, which said only that there were "recent indications" an attack may be in the advanced planning stages, and warned people to be vigilant at places of worship and during holiday periods. The department did not raise its overall warning level for Australians visiting the country.

Abortion Clinics Are Closing at a Record Pace

Abortion access in the U.S. has been vanishing at the fastest annual pace on record, propelled by Republican state lawmakers’ push to legislate the industry out of existence. Since 2011, at least 162 abortion providers have shut or stopped offering the procedure, while just 21 opened.

Read More: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-24/abortion-clinics-are-closing-at-a-record-pace

7 killed as tornadoes touch down across U.S.

A storm system that rocked the United States' East Coast on Wednesday cost people their lives and families their homes, but many said they were grateful that they survived the ordeal.

Read More: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/us/severe-weather-threat-for-southeast/