The Final Hour: April 2017

Military preparations ‘underway’ on North Korea, Trump aide says

President Trump is stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea, and military preparations are “underway” in the event that such action is necessary, a senior administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

“What you’ve seen is a really integrated effort to prioritize diplomatic and informational aspects of national power, but also what you will see soon is using the economic dimension of national power, as well as the military preparations that are underway,” said the official, who requested anonymity.

Puerto Rico seen sliding toward bankruptcy as deadline nears

Bankruptcy for Puerto Rico is looking ever more likely as the clock ticks down toward a May 1 deadline to restructure $70 billion in debt, ramping up uncertainty for anyone betting on returns from the island's widely held U.S. municipal bonds.

When U.S. Congress last year passed the Puerto Rico rescue law dubbed PROMESA, it froze creditor lawsuits against the island so its federally appointed oversight board and creditors could negotiate out of court on the biggest debt restructuring in U.S. municipal history.

Deadly Flu Mutation Could Lead to Worst Pandemic in History

Leading scientists in the field of deadly flu epidemics are worried about what could be the granddaddy of them all, and say it could be right around the corner.

They're talking about the bird flu, also known as H7N9. Experts say it could be as bad as, or even more severe, than the worst global pandemic in recorded history. That was the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, which killed an estimated 40 million people. That flu also originated in birds.

Putin says U.S.-Russia ties worse since Trump took office

Levels of trust between Moscow and Washington have deteriorated since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Kremlin: "One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated."

White House Accuses Russia of Cover-Up in Syria Chemical Attack

The White House accused the Russian government on Tuesday of engaging in a cover-up of the chemical weapons attack in Syrialast week, saying that United States intelligence had confirmed that the Assad regime used sarin gas on its own people.

A four-page report drawn up by the National Security Council contains declassified United States intelligence on the attack and a rebuttal of Moscow’s claim that insurgents were more likely to have unleashed the gas. The White House asserted that Damascus and Moscow had released “false narratives.”

North Korea state media warns of nuclear strike if provoked as U.S. warships approach

North Korean state media on Tuesday warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of U.S. aggression as a U.S. Navy strike group steamed towards the western Pacific.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged China to do more to rein in its impoverished neighbour, said in a Tweet North Korea was "looking for trouble" and the United States would "solve the problem" with or without China's help.

SOLAR ECLIPSE ACROSS U.S. CALLED 'A SIGN FROM GOD'

'Blood Moons' discoverer Mark Biltz says route determines 'warning to a specific nation'

A total solar eclipse will cross the continental United States this summer, an event that hasn’t happened in roughly a century.

Everyone will experience on Aug. 21 at least 60 percent of the sun being covered and the resulting semidarkness. Those within about a 60-mile wide diagonal line from the Pacific Northwest through South Carolina will see the sky go dark and feel the temperature drop.

Vladimir Putin says US is preparing to bomb Syrian capital and will blame devastation on Bashar-al Assad's forces

Vladimir Putin has sensationally claimed that the US is preparing airstrikes on the Syrian capital - and will pin the blame on Bashar-al Assad's forces.

The Russian leader made the astonishing claim - that the US is planning to FAKE chemicals weapons attacks - during a joint press conference with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

2017’s ‘Pink Moon’ happens tomorrow: Here’s what it means

A pink moon is heading our way Tuesday – but those expecting to see a literal pink sphere sailing above us in the sky may be disappointed.

Any full moon that occurs in April is called a ‘Pink Moon’ simply because of the pink flowers, such as North America’s wild ground phlox, which blossom in April and are seen to symbolize new beginnings.

America’s Retailers Are Closing Stores Faster Than Ever

The battered American retail industry took a few more lumps this week, with stores at both ends of the price spectrum preparing to close their doors.

At the bottom, the seemingly ubiquitous Payless Inc. shoe chain filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to shutter hundreds of locations. Ralph Lauren Corp., meanwhile, said it will close its flagship Fifth Avenue Polo store -- a symbol of old-fashioned luxury that no longer resonates with today’s shoppers.

Hours before Passover, ISIS fires missile from Sinai into Israel

Just hours before Israelis begin celebrating Passover, ISIS fired a rocket from the Sinai Peninsula into southern Israel.

The rocket landed in the Eshkol region in a greenhouse, a man suffering from shock from the incident.

Israeli security forces are on high alert ahead of the holiday with increased security in the West Bank and the closing of the Taba border crossing from Israel into Egypt. Shortly after the closing of the border Monday morning, ISIS fired a rocket into Israeli territory.

Kremlin tells U.S. it's 'one step from war' as Trump warns he will hit Syria AGAIN after his attack on Russia's ally Assad triggers fears of World War Three

The Kremlin has warned the US it is ‘one step from war' over Syria - but the Trump administration hit back by saying it would be prepared to carry out airstrikes again.

In the first direct American raid on Bashar al Assad’s forces, President Trump authorised the firing of 59 cruise missiles at a military airfield.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev denounced the US for attacking ‘the legitimate government of Syria’ and for allegedly breaking international law without the approval of the UN.

Mr Medvedev said: ‘This military action is a clear indication of the US president’s extreme dependency on the views of the Washington establishment, the one that the new president strongly criticised in his inauguration speech.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4392058/Kremlin-tells-one-step-war.html#ixzz4dhsKUpOm

Banda Api awakens after 30 years of slumber, evacuations begin

The number of earthquakes started gradually increasing with the beginning of March and sharply increased on April 4, 2017, forcing the authorities to raise the volcanic alert and ban any activity within 1 km (0.62 miles) from the crater.

Indonesian disaster agency said that they have already mapped the area and warned that over 770 people are living within 1 km. All of them must be displaced as soon as possible, they said.

Big asteroid to whiz by Earth this month

A large asteroid is hurtling toward Earth -- but there's no need to duck and cover.

The space rock, known by the very dull name of 2014 JO25 will safely fly by Earth on April 19, according to NASA. The chances of it pounding our planet and leaving us for the dead? Zero, experts say.

Syria, Russia decry 'act of aggression' in US strike on Syrian air base

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's office said in a statement Friday that the U.S. "naively followed a false and lying propoganda campaign" that led it to "carry out this irresponsible recklessness."

“The presidency of the Arab Syrian republic asserts that what America carried out was an irresponsible act that only reflects short-sightedness, a narrow perspective and political and military blindness toward reality," the statement said.

Russia, a stalwart ally of the Syrian government, said the airstrike undermined the U.S. justification for having military personnel in Syria.

Kim Jong-un declares he’s on ‘the brink of a war’ with US as Donald Trump is urged to assassinate North Korean despot

KIM Jong-un has placed his country on the “brink of war” as a high-profile defector urged US President Donald Trump to assassinate the despot North Korean leader before he fires his nuclear weapons at America and the UK.

Yesterday Trump pledged to ramp up defences against Pyongyang as he met China’s president Xi Jinping for crunch talks in Florida.

Cedar Hill At Center Of Mumps Outbreak

Dallas County Health and Human Servicesreport 76 mumps cases in the county, 56 of them coming from students and teachers in Cedar Hill ISD.

A letter went out to Cedar Valley College students and staff alerting them about a high school student from Cedar Hill Collegiate Academy taking classes there might have exposed others.

Are Jews Indigenous to Israel?

At a pro-Israel conference last week, one of the most powerful voices came from an advocate for the Métis Indians, who sees the central issue of the the Jews and his people as being one and the same: indigenous rights.

In an interview at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, Ryan Bellerose, a Métis from the Paddle Prairie Métis settlement in Canada’s Alberta province, framed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms drawn from a deep understanding of indigenous identity.

At least 100 dead in suspected chemical attack in Syria, hospital reportedly hit

A suspected chemical attack in a rebel-held Syrian town killed 100 people and injured 400 others, a medical relief group said, and some medics treating the wounded were later struck by rubble when an aircraft reportedly bombed a hospital.

Read More: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/04/at-least-100-dead-in-suspected-chemical-attack-in-syria-hospital-reportedly-hit.html

Lyme disease is set to explode and we still don’t have a vaccine

BY THE time he had finished his walk through the woods in New York state, Rick Ostfeld was ready to declare a public health emergency. He could read the warning signs in the acorns that littered the forest floor – seeds of a chain of events that will culminate in an unprecedented outbreak of Lyme disease this year.

Since that day in 2015, Ostfeld has been publicising the coming outbreak. Thanks to a changing climate it could be one of the worst on record: the ticks that carry the disease have been found in places where it has never before been a problem – and where most people don’t know how to respond. The danger zone isn’t confined to the US: similar signs are flagging potential outbreaks in Europe. Polish researchers predict a major outbreak there in 2018.

3 solar flares in 24hrs: NASA captures stunning images of sun eruptions

The sun has been snapped emitting three powerful blasts of radiation in recent days, causing some disruptions in the Earth’s atmosphere. If strong enough, these solar events can interrupt GPS and communications signals around the world.

Solar flares are brief eruptions of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface. However, fear not, as “harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground,” NASA says.

In Anticipation Of The Coming American Apocalypse, 2 Lawmakers Plan To Create ‘Christian Survivalist Centers’ In Rural Areas

A couple of lawmakers from South Carolina want to establish a network of self-sufficient communities in their state in preparation for “societal collapse”. In the long-term, they hope to “train and equip one million neighborhood leaders” that will be able to establish “a fresh beginning for America” in the aftermath of the great crisis that is coming. State Representatives Josiah Magnuson and Jonathon Hill are both relatively young, they were both home-schooled, and each of their fathers are pastors. They are calling their dream the “Virtue Solution Project”, and they are examples of a new breed of American politician that recognizes that the system is failing and that we desperately need to return to the values that this nation was founded upon.

Read More: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/in-anticipation-of-the-coming-american-apocalypse-2-lawmakers-plan-to-create-christian-survivalist-centers-in-rural-areas

EU nations, Israel eye world's longest undersea gas pipeline

Italy, Israel, Greece and Cyprus pledged Monday to move ahead with the world's longest undersea gas pipeline from the eastern Mediterranean to southern Europe, with support from the European Union.

If carried out as planned, the long-discussed $6.2 billion pipeline would take gas from Israel and Cyprus's recently discovered offshore gas reserves to Europe and could help reduce the continent's dependence on Russian energy at a time of ongoing tensions.

Pandemic Risk: Zika Mosquitos in 129 California Cities

The California Department of Public Health released an emergency warning on March 31 that two invasive (non-native) mosquito species named Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito), which are known to carry Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, have now been found in 10 California countiesincluding Fresno, Kern, Imperial, Los Angeles, Madera, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Mateo and Tulare.

Read More: http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/04/02/pandemic-risk-zika-mosquitos-129-california-cities/

Cyborgs at work: employees getting implanted with microchips

The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employee's hand. Another "cyborg" is created.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.