Apr 18
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 18 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
Apr 16
Is Any Patent Safe?
Global Industrialist Sir Alfred J. DiMora Joins in the Struggle of
American Inventors and Evolutionary Intelligence
Why did you join Evolutionary Intelligence, Sir Alfred?
Big tech companies are playing a game of ‘winner take all’ against American inventors using the judicial system to invalidate patents. The courts are beginning to invalidate patents by ruling the patents are invalid on the pleadings, often without claim construction, or claim analysis, even by comparing complex technical patents to such things as the behaviors of coffee servers and librarians, which is what happened in the case of Evolutionary Intelligence. No trial, no weighing of fact, no accountable method of review. Just a judge ruling, after one has spent more than four years and four million dollars even before reaching trial, that one’s work of a decade has been wiped away.
This practice is destroying America’s innovation economy and faith in our patent system. Now with Intellectual Ventures announcing they will no longer be buying patents, Congress and special interests have virtually succeeded in completely defeating the independent American inventor. Evolutionary Intelligence may be the last case by an American inventor to ever get so far as defeating eight Inter Partes Review (IPR) challenges before the Patent Trail and Appeal Board (PTAB), only to be defeated by a judgment on the pleadings, lacking analysis. So now we must pursue re-hearing before the Federal Circuit, and next a petition to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case. Perhaps Congress does not realize the negative impact that the antipatent sentiment reflected in the new patent laws and court decisions has inflicted upon the inventors in this country.
Can’t Inventors License Their Patents to Those Companies?
These days even if you send a patent licensing inquiry to one of these big tech companies, they don’t investigate your technology at all. Rather, they are just as likely to sue you for declarative relief. These companies know you probably can’t sue them for infringement because it will take over a million dollars just to get through the Inter Partes Review process and 101 challenges to confirm your patent is valid. And that’s before you even start talking about infringement. The inventor doesn’t really stand a chance, no matter how good the patents are, no matter how strong the infringement case is. Most investors will not back patents anymore, and in this environment, can you blame them? The current situation is directly contrary to purpose for which the power to grant patents was put into our Constitution. The patent system has been gutted by laws favoring special interests. Small innovative companies are being devastated. Not only do you have to be a large corporation to afford an infringement suit, once you do, you must run a gauntlet of laws that affect your ability to ever get to trial. And, if you lose, you can be sued for legal costs. Patents have become a broken bargain with the American inventor. A precedent is being set. Congress needs to act.
Sir Alfred J. DiMora
What originally interested you about the case?
Being an inventor and entrepreneur myself for over forty years, I realize the importance and necessity of strong patent and intellectual property laws. Here there was a historic showing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, without a single claim being cancelled. I do not know of an inventor or small company that has ever gotten this far. Many corporations and patent holders are protesting how tough the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is being on patents, invalidating so many patents and claims. Our company, Evolutionary Intelligence, withstood a barrage of eight Inter Partes Reviews advancing fifteen prior art patents against our technology, and the defendants were resoundingly defeated in their attempts to invalidate the patents at that stage.
Do you think Evolutionary Intelligence’s patents are good software patents?
Let me clear this up. That’s where the confusion starts. They are not really software patents; they are network computing device patents. That’s how they have to be looked at. (Here Mr. DiMora held up one of his own smartphones.) Ever seen one of these? It’s a network computing device. I would call this an innovation. So, the issues here are enormous, in terms of protecting innovation through the patent process.
Okay, so then are the Evolutionary Intelligence patents good patents in general?
I know they were procured by one of the country’s three leading intellectual property firms, Fish and Richardson. I took the time to read them closely. The specification details out the invention in precise detail for 45 pages with over 700 numbered element references and 31 diagrams. The claims also are highly technical, and require serious reading. The quality is obvious when you read the serious analysis done by the expert judges of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Do District court judges have this expertise?
But the Court in the Northern District of California ruled the patents invalid?
In my opinion, this may be the first case in history to have such a strong win before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, only to be then found invalid in a judgment on the pleadings before the District Court in the Ninth Circuit. The District Court concluded the patents were invalid even before the parties filed their joint claim construction documents with the court. All of this happened after the Defendants had lost all their challenges at the PTAB and 10 claim terms had been construed with neither party disputing those PTAB constructions. Prior to the PTAB action, the defendants agreed that the results of the PTAB would “inform the district court.” Instead, that non-disputed claim construction and the entire technical analysis somehow disappeared from consideration by the district judge. The ruling ignored all the work the expertly trained judges at the PTAB had accomplished, and substituted unfounded analogies presented by the Defendants, comparing the patents to coffee servers, librarians, businesses, and human enterprises. Really? Is this what the claim terms and invention are really about?
Then how is such a ruling possible?
It really isn’t, or certainly should not be, in a motion for a ruling on the pleadings. Basically, the Court said the “patents ‘resembled’ age-old forms of information processing such as have been previously employed in libraries, business, and other human enterprises, with folders, books, time-cards, and so on.” But the law is well settled that if a judge compares things which are not part of the pleadings to the patent claims, he cannot resolve any disputed issues in favor of the movant, here the defendants. Yet, that is exactly what he did in analogizing the patent claims to “age-old forms of information processing.” Evolutionary Intelligence certainly did not agree with that and so the motion to dismiss the case on the pleadings and invalidate the patent should have ended there. Because facts related to how the claims could be compared to, e.g., age-old forms of information processing, have to first be established, which includes mapping to every step of the claims, it was improper for the judge to do this on his own at this early stage. It was improper for the judge to consider, factually, how “libraries, books, ledgers, and other human enterprises,” actually have operated since around 3000 BC, and then compare his understanding of that to his own understanding of what the patents cover. Sadly, the US Court of Appeals failed to see the error, and affirmed the District Court’s ruling with just a few sentences. Instead of an analysis of what the claims are actually directed to, as required by the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals issued a non-precedential one page opinion affirming the District Court, meaning no one is going to pay attention to the problems in the original ruling.
Can patents really be taken away like that?
They can. If we do not speak up, no one but large corporations will ever be able to enforce their patent rights. Big companies do not want inventors with patents to get in their way. An example is the story of Robert Kearns with his invention of the intermittent windshield wiper. The Supreme Court has interpreted due process to mean that the taking of life, liberty, or property requires constitutionally adequate protections, but cases such as these must first be brought to the Supreme Court in order to stop the practice. The country’s innovation environment is on a slippery slope here, and if we don’t draw the line, patent protection may be gone forever for independent inventors. This is a much bigger story than just one case. Given this, should independent inventors apply for patents at all? Many patent attorneys are advising their clients that it’s not even worth the expense because any patent that is achieved can be defeated. This is something the Supreme Court and the Congress must address.
So, what next?
Our attorneys are sending out a letter requesting Amici support. Everyone should read it because the way in which this ruling occurred could invalidate any software or biotech patent, probably even any patent. Anyone who cares about our legal system or our patent system, and wants to see what is really going on in our nation, and what has happened to the American inventor, should read this letter. Because technology entrepreneurs are leaving this country, and foreign investment is staying out. This needs to change, and change now. Several intellectual property organizations and even David Kappos, the former director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, have called for the abolishing of 101. Innovation cannot be controlled through the legal system for the benefit of the few, but that is what is happening.
Anyone interested in seeing this change should see our legal counsel’s letter requesting Amici support and share it with any and all concerned.
Please visit:
1. Evolutionary Intelligence Requests Amicus Support on Petition for Rehearing
2. Request for Amicus Support at Federal Circuit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Marie Duffy
FRMedia
323-451-1868
media@famousresident.com
Apr 14
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 6, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device
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Headline: Harvest for Omer Offering Turns Into Family Event
Headline: Tens of thousands attend mass Priestly Blessing in Old City of Jerusalem during Passover festival- PHOTOS
As soon as Passover ended, entire families, men women and children, gathered in a field in the Negev to harvest barley that would be used the next day by priests to recreate the omer offering of barley. The barley was prepared according to Torah law and presented as a wave offering in Jerusalem by priests in a ceremony that closely resembled what was once seen every year in Solomon’s Temple. The Temple Institute, the Women of the Temple, and the Nascent Sanhedrin came together to organize this communal offering. An omer is a sheaf of wheat gathered in the field. On the night of the 16th of Nisan, after Passover ended, the participants went out to the fields of Kibbutz Ruchama in the Negev to harvest the barley. The sheaves of grain were brought to Jerusalem where it was beaten, the chaff removed, and sifted through 13 sieves. Finally, the grains were roasted and ground into a coarse meal. Olive oil, specially prepared for temple use, was added, along with frankincense. The omer offering is a grain sacrifice wave offering, brought in the temple in Jerusalem. A Kohen of the priestly caste recreated this offering at a model of the altar erected for this purpose. A handful was then scooped out and burned. In the Temple, a male sheep was brought as a burnt offering, but this was not done at the reenactment.
April 14, 2017
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/86489/barley-harvested-omer-offering-photos/
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228136
Headline: Report: Hezbollah evacuating positions near Israel’s Golan Heights
Hezbollah forces have begun to evacuate territory near Syria’s Golan region, not far from the Israeli border, after the US State Department demanded that the Lebanese terror organization immediately leave the area, Syrian news agency Al-Ittihad reported Thursday. The report added that Hezbollah fighters began clearing their stronghold in the Qalamun Mountains nearly a week before the US military conducted airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s air force on April 6. The US military operation was in response to a chemical attack allegedly carried out by government forces, which saw 78 people killed and over 550 wounded in the northwest town of Idlib last week. Al-Ittihad did not say why the militants left their positions on the eastern Syrian border region. According to a number of sources who talked to the Syrian publication, at least 300 Hezbollah fighters have abandoned 14 positions in the Quneitra area, which sits in near proximity to Israel’s Golan territory. The militants, according to sources, left with tanks, armored vehicles and heavy weapons as they made their way toward the Syrian capital of Damascus. “Five vehicles accompanied by a number of… machine guns crossed the border from Lebanon and we believe that there were senior figures from Hezbollah or senior Iranian officials,” the sources told the Syrian news website. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday addressed the threat the terrorist organization poses against the United States and its allies, demanding that they withdraw their forces and refrain carrying “on military operations in Syria in support of the [Assad] regime.”
April 13, 2017
Headline: Syria Accuses Israel and US of Supporting ISIS
Syrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafari Wednesday accused Israel of providing direct support to the Islamic State terror group (ISIS) in Syria during a heated session at the U.N. Security Council. “The direct Israeli support to ISIL (Islamic State) through attacking Syrian army sites in Palmyra city on March 17, 2017, added fuel to the fire and made things worse,” said Jaafari, referencing a reported Israeli Air Force strike on a Hezbollah terrorist weapons convoy. Last month, Syrian anti-aircraft missile systems were activated in response to the alleged Israeli strike and caused Israel to utilize its Arrow missile defense system to intercept a Syrian missile, marking the system’s first operational use. Jaafari also accused Israel of providing medical aid to injured al-Qaeda terrorists. Since 2013, Israel has provided medical aid to victims of the Syrian Civil War who arrive for treatment at the Israeli border with Syria in the Golan Heights. The Syrian ambassador also accused the U.S. of aiding Islamic State and other terror groups, and claimed America “fabricated” the recent chemical attack on Syrian civilians to “rescue armed terrorist groups.” “This serious aggression had been plotted long in advance inside the secret rooms of intelligence agencies of Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Doha, Ankara, Amman, Washington, London and Paris,” said Jaafari.
April 14, 2017
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/86553/syria-accuses-israel-us-supporting-isis/
Headline: Russia Says Evidence Growing Syria Chemical Attack Was Staged
Headline: Russia, Iran and Syria issue warning to US
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a chemical-weapons attack in Syria that provoked U.S. missile strikes on the Middle Eastern country may have been orchestrated. “There’s growing evidence that this was staged,” Lavrov said at a Moscow news conference with his Iranian and Syrian counterparts on Friday. Publications including in the U.S. and the U.K. have highlighted “many inconsistencies” in the version of events in Syria’s Idlib province that was used to justify the American airstrikes, he said. Russia, Iran and Syria want an independent investigation and those opposed to the call “don’t have a clear conscience,” Lavrov said. Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that demanded the Syrian government cooperate with an inquiry into the suspected sarin-gas attack that killed dozens of people.
April 14, 2017
http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/20362/Russia-Iran-and-Syria-issue-warning-to-US
Syria
Headline: US-backed forces launch new attacks on Daesh in Syria — statement
Headline: Errant Attack by US-led Coalition Kills 18 Allied Soldiers in Syria
Headline: Evacuations begin in four besieged Syrian towns
US-backed forces fighting the Daesh terror group in Syria launched a new phase of their offensive on Thursday, a statement said, but they have not yet begun to attack the militant group’s stronghold of Raqqa city in an apparent delay in the operation. The multiphased campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance made up of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting groups, was launched in November and aims ultimately to drive the extremists from Raqqa, their de facto Syrian capital. Officials in the Kurdish YPG militia, a powerful component of the SDF, said last month that assaults on Raqqa city itself would start in early or mid-April. But the fourth phase of the campaign aims to clear Daesh pockets from the countryside north of the city, the SDF statement said. It did not say when the assault on Raqqa itself would begin. “We aim to liberate dozens of villages in the Wadi Jallab area and the northern countryside… and clear the last obstacles in front of us to pave the way for the operation to liberate Raqqa city,” it said.
April 13, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/errant-attack-us-led-coalition-kills-allied-soldiers-syria/3808821.html
Headline:Syrian Kurds respond to Turkey’s offensive on Afrin, bomb army base
Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) have targeted positions of the Turkish army on the Syrian-Turkish border with heavy artillery, military sources reported on Thursday. “A main military base for the Turkish army in northern Syria was hit by YPG fire,” the YPG media office told ARA News. “The operation came in response to the recent Turkish attacks on Kurdish villages in Afrin district [northwest of Aleppo],” the source reported. At least two Turkish military vehicles were destroyed and several soldiers were killed in the attack, according to Kurdish officials. Turkey’s military forces launched an offensive on the Kurdish district of Afrin in Syria’s northwestern Aleppo Governorate two weeks ago, killing and wounding dozens of civilians, eyewitnesses and officials told ARA News.
April 13, 2017
http://aranews.net/2017/04/syrian-kurds-respond-to-turkeys-offensive-on-afrin-bomb-army-base/
Iraq
Headline: In battle for Mosul, new US strategy takes shape
The tactical assembly area for US forces south of Mosul is as nondescript as could possibly be. In a nearby field the M109 Paladin howitzers – mobile artillery that drives around on tank treads – nestle amid earthen berms. Their supply vehicles are dug in behind them. The field is full of mud, odd for northern Iraq, but it had been raining a lot in late March. Lt. Micah Thompson, a platoon leader, says “we have the capability to address all targets; the point of the Paladin is a mobile artillery system. The fight that we bring is the precision munition capability. We are able to program and set those fuses and provide those rounds downrange in rapid time in order to accomplish [our task].” He’s one of the recent generation of US Army soldiers serving in Iraq, and he’s enthusiastic about providing fire support to the Iraqi security personnel who are slowly clearing Mosul of Islamic State fighters. This is the tip of America’s spear in the battle against ISIS, but in contrast to previous US campaigns in Iraq, the Americans are letting the Iraqis set the tempo. Lt.-Col. John Hawbaker, a commander in the 73rd Cavalry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, joined the army in 1998 and served in Iraq in 2005-2006. He says ISIS represents the “same barbarism, evil and cruelty” that the US faced back then, but is “a much larger and conventional threat. We were doing counter-insurgency with US leadership, the difference now is the Iraqi Security Forces conduct a fight not as a counter-insurgency but against a conventional force.” This is a key difference in the US outlook. In 2006, Gen. David Petreaus played a role in crafting a US field manual on Counterinsurgency, later referred to as COIN, or counter-insurgency strategy.
April 14, 2017
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/In-battle-for-Mosul-new-US-strategy-takes-shape-486941
Turkey
Headline: Erdogan rules out federal system in Turkey after controversy
Headline: 5 ways the vote Sunday could change Turkey
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday ruled out introducing any federal system in Turkey, after an angry backlash to comments by an adviser from nationalists key to his success in this weekend’s referendum. Turks will decide on Sunday whether to approve boosting Erdogan’s powers under an executive presidency, which would also see the role of prime minister axed. Erdogan’s adviser Sukru Karatepe was accused this week of suggesting in an Ankara publication that, if approved, the changes could lead to a federal system in the country but the government said his comments were misunderstood. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim insisted the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was as dedicated to a unitary structure as the nationalists and vowed to resign if the changes led to such a system. The government is keen to assuage fears of nationalists who are crucial for Erdogan to win the referendum, which polls and experts say is hotly contested. Karatepe later told reporters that he would “never accept any federational or federal system in Turkey.”
April 14, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1084556/middle-east
Headline: 2 killed in bomb attack in SE Turkey
Two people were killed in a bomb attack in Turkey’s southeast province of Van on Friday, Dogan News Agency reported. The handmade explosives placed in a culvert in the Catak district of Van left a soldier and a village guard dead, Dogan said. The explosive device was detonated by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, according to the report. An air operation launched by security forces to capture terrorists is going on in the area. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015 after a brief period of reconciliation.
April 14, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/14/c_136209802.htm
Iran
Headline: Reading Iran’s Reaction To US Missile Strikes In Syria
On the evening of Thursday April 6, Washington time, President Donald Trump ordered the US military to respond to the Assad regime’s recent use of chemical weapons which had “choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children.” In so doing, the US launched 59 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles at the Shayrat Airfield in Homs belonging to the Syrian government. The strikes, according to a Pentagon press statement, were delivered from two US destroyers stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean. According to a more recent Department of Defense evaluation, “20 percent of Syria’s operational aircraft” were wrecked by the strike. To date, international reactions have been somewhat predictable. US partners and allies in the Middle East, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, endorsed the kinetic action. Conversely, government officials from the Syrian Arab Republic and Islamic Republic of Iran admonished the move. Such censures nonetheless provide insight into Iran’s framing of the war in Syria, as well as the methods of argumentation Iran has long used to support the Assad regime. As always, vitriolic anti-Americanism featured prominently in Tehran’s diplomatic response. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, called the strike a “strategic mistake.” He also ominously warned that the US was about “to repeat their past mistakes” in the region. “Former American officials created DAESH or helped it, and current American officials are in a state of strengthening DAESH or groups like it,” he alleged.
April 14, 2017
Afghanistan
Headline: US drops largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan
Headline: At least 36 ISIS terrorists dead in massive US bombing
The US military dropped America’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb on ISIS targets in Afghanistan Thursday, the first time this type of weapon has been used in battle, according to US officials. A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed the “mother of all bombs,” was dropped at 7:32 p.m. local time, according to four US military officials with direct knowledge of the mission. A MOAB is a 30-foot-long, 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition. President Donald Trump called it “another successful job” later Thursday. The bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft, stationed in Afghanistan and operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump told CNN. Officials said the target was an ISIS cave and tunnel complex and personnel in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province, a remote area in the country’s east which borders Pakistan.] “The United States takes the fight against ISIS very seriously and in order to defeat the group we must deny them operational space, which we did,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said later Thursday. The strike “targeted a system of tunnels and cave that ISIS fighters use to move around freely.” Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US, Hamdullah Mohib, told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin that the bomb was dropped after fighting had intensified over the last week between US Special Forces and Afghan troops against ISIS.
April 14, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politics/afghanistan-isis-moab-bomb/index.html
Headline: US snubs 11-state Afghanistan peace conference, says Russia trying to ‘assert influence’
Washington failed to attend the latest international conference hosted by Moscow, where 11 nations discussed ways of bringing peace to Afghanistan. The US branded it a “unilateral Russian attempt to assert influence in the region.” Friday’s meeting is the latest in a series of similar events in the Russian capital that have grown from trilateral consultations between Russia, China, and Pakistan held in December of last year into talks involving the majority of the Afghan region’s powers. The latest included Russia, China, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. An invitation was sent to Kabul’s patron, America, but was rejected. “I think just to end it, we just felt that these talks – it was unclear to us what the purpose was,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, in explaining the US’ absence. “It seemed to be a unilateral Russian attempt to assert influence in the region that we felt wasn’t constructive at this time,” he noted. Moscow responded by saying it “could not comprehend” the US’ reason for snubbing the gathering. Participants in the event reiterated their support for a peaceful transition in Afghanistan, while calling for Kabul to be supported in moving in that direction.
April 14, 2017
https://www.rt.com/news/384774-afghanistan-conference-moscow-us/
Sudan
Headline: World Food Program ‘horrified’ as South Sudan workers killed
Headline: British official claims South Sudan violence amounts to tribal genocide
The World Food Program said Friday it is “horrified” to learn that three of its South Sudan workers were killed this week in violence in the western town of Wau, as the country’s civil war continues under warnings of possible genocide. A statement from the U.N. agency said the three men had been contracted to work as porters and appear to have been killed Monday on their way to a WFP warehouse. “Two died of machete wounds and the third was shot,” the statement said. It did not give any details about the attackers. WFP Country Director Joyce Luma said she is “outraged,” and she called on South Sudanese authorities to hold the attackers accountable. Wau residents on Monday described to The Associated Press targeted ethnic killings by government soldiers that spread panic through the town. The U.N. mission in South Sudan said its workers saw the bodies of 16 civilians in a hospital and said another 10 people were injured. Residents said soldiers singled out civilians of the Fertit and Luo ethnic groups in retaliation for a rebel attack on government forces.
April 14, 2017
Libya
Headline: Libyan rivals clash in neglected south
Libya’s southern desert, long neglected by central authorities, risks becoming an arena for score-settling between rival governments vying for clout across the war-torn country, analysts say. Clashes erupted last week as forces loyal to Libya’s eastern authorities battled to seize a key southern airbase from militias that back a United Nations-endorsed unity government. The offensive by the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by military strongman Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar threatened to trigger a broader conflict with forces allied to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). So far tensions between the two sides had been mainly limited to the country’s north. But last week, the LNA launched an offensive on the Tamenhant airbase on the outskirts of the city of Sebha. The most important airbase in the south, it is a base for the “Third Force,” one of several powerful pro-GNA militias from the western city of Misrata. Haftar’s LNA “wants to achieve a victory in the southern region of Fezzan to boost its position & GNA is mobilizing to prevent that,” analyst Mohamed Eljarh of the Atlantic Council tweeted.
April 14, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1084566/middle-east
Headline: Pakistani Taliban emir calls for unity, jihad, and global caliphate
Mullah Fazlullah, the emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP), said that his group’s ultimate goal is “to implement the law of Allah on the Earth” and called on Muslims to unite and wage jihad to achieve that end. Fazlullah, one of the most extreme commanders in a group filled with extremists, also said that attempts made by Pakistan’s military intelligence service to break up the TTP have largely failed and his group has reorganized following a tumultuous period. Fazlullah made the statements in a video released yesterday by Umar Media, the propaganda arm of the TTP. Umar Media also provided an English language transcript of Fazlullah’s speech. He outlined the group’s primary goal in his opening statement. “The aim of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan [TTP] is to implement the law of Allah on the Earth of Allah. And this will be the result of our Jihad. For Islamic ideology we have to accord sacrifices. By the grace of Allah, those who believe that implementation and uprising of Shar’iah [Islamic law] is their actual goal and absolute ambition, know that the implementation of this Shar’iah is impossible without practicing Jihad and Jihad is impossible without unity,” Fazlullah said.
April 13, 2017
Headline: Tax Day protests: Anti-Trump marches planned nationwide to demand tax returns
Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists plan to ring in Tax Day with nationwide protests this weekend meant to pressure President Trump to release his tax returns — with organizers hoping for the biggest anti-Trump showing since January’s Women’s March. On Saturday, thousands are expected to attend ‘Tax Marches’ in approximately 150 cities, including several affiliated events overseas. “Whether people support him or not, [releasing his tax returns] is something that people think he should do. I think there is a chance something like this could move him,” said Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs at Public Citizen, one of the groups organizing the marches. The president’s supporters, however, see the marches — and the persistent tax return focus — as a waste of time. In Colorado Springs, Trump backers plan to hold a counter-protest on Saturday. For them, what is in Trump’s tax returns pales in comparison to what could be in his tax plan. “Their whole message is they want to see the president’s tax returns. I care far more about his policy than his tax returns,” Trevor Dierdorff, El Paso County Republican Party chairman, told the Colorado Springs Gazette. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, said during a recent House Ways and Means Committee hearing that the pressure on Trump to release his returns is a “political mission,” arguing the kind of bombshells Democrats are seeking wouldn’t even be in such documents. The protests, if nothing else, could make for a rowdy scene in cities across the country, reminiscent of the Women’s March on inauguration weekend.
April 14, 2017
Headline: Venezuela: 5 Dead as Anti-Government Protests Intensify
Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets in wealthy eastern Caracas amid a tropical downpour Thursday to support a protest movement that is gaining steam even as it turns more deadly. Venezuela officials confirmed earlier in the day that a fifth person had died in the wave of anti-government protests now entering its third week. The public prosecutor’s office says it will investigate the death of 36-year-old Miguel Colmenares. He was shot at a protest in the central city of Barquisimeto on Tuesday. Gruseny Calderon was killed during the same protest. Congressman Alfonso Marquina says the 32-year-old protester was injured by rubber bullets that pierced his lung and liver. The protests have also claimed the lives of two college students and a 13-year-old. The opposition had planned protests in more than 300 municipalities for Thursday, with the aim of diluting the power of government security forces. But a tropical rainstorm suppressed turnout. The Caracas rally was peaceful until the end, when young men clashed with hundreds of riot police who lobbed tear gas to break up the crowd. As state security forces lean more heavily on tear gas, protesters have begun coming ready with goggles, vinegar-soaked rags and gas masks.
April 14, 2017
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/venezuela-5-dead-anti-government-protests-intensify-n746496
Headline: US sends dozens of troops to Somalia, 1st time in decades
The US military is sending dozens of regular troops to Somalia in the largest such deployment to the Horn of Africa country in roughly two decades. The United States pulled out of Somalia after 1993, when two helicopters were shot down in the capital, Mogadishu, and bodies of Americans were dragged through the streets. The US Africa Command on Friday said this deployment is for logistics training of Somalia’s army, which is battling the extremist group al-Shabab. The US in recent years has sent some special operations forces and advisers to Somalia, and President Donald Trump recently approved an expanded military role there. It includes carrying out more aggressive airstrikes against al-Shabab. The country’s new Somali-American president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, last week declared a new offensive against the extremist group.
April 14, 2017
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4949299,00.html
Headline: Japan says North Korea may have missiles equipped with sarin gas
Headline: Report: US May Launch Preemptive Strike Against North Korea
Headline: First U.S.-Japan-S. Korea anti-submarine exercise conducted amid showdown
Headline: China: War could break out any moment over North Korea
Headline: US successfully test drops NUCLEAR gravity bomb
North Korea may have the capacity to deliver missiles equipped with sarin nerve gas, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday, amid concerns that the reclusive state could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test or more missile launches. “There is a possibility that North Korea already has a capability to deliver missiles with sarin as warheads,” Abe told a parliamentary session. Members of a Japanese doomsday cult killed 12 people and made thousands ill in 1995 in simultaneous attacks with sarin nerve gas on five Tokyo rush-hour subway trains. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated over Pyongyang’s continued nuclear and missile testing program, with the United States warning it could take unilateral action and sending a navy carrier group to near the Korean peninsula in a show of force aimed at deterring more tests.
April 14, 2017
http://www.worldtribune.com/first-u-s-japan-s-korea-anti-submarine-exercise-conducted-amid-showdown/
http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/20358/China-War-could-break-out-any-moment-over-North-Korea
Headline: Recession Alert: Government Revenues Suffer Biggest Drop Since The Financial Crisis
On the surface, today’s monthly budget statement was disappointing: in March the US Treasury brought in total receipts of $216 billion, below the $228 billion last March, versus outlays of a record $392 billion, resulting in a deficit of $176 billion, more than the $167 billion expected, and $68 billion more than the previous year. For the fiscal year through March 31, the total US budget deficit was $527 billion, compared to $459 billion on year ago. Declining government revenue and long-term costs associated with an aging population are expected to continue pushing up the deficit. Over the past 12 months, the deficit stood at $651.5 billion, compared with $460.6 billion a year ago, an increase of over 40% Y/Y. On a 12 month run-rate, the US deficit stood at 3.1% of GDP. A year earlier, that figure was a third less, or 2.2%. More troubling is that in March the US government had its biggest one month outlay ever, spending a record $392.8 billion, $57 billion or 17% higher than a year ago.
April 13, 2017
Headline: Congress Panics As US Oil Assets Could Fall Into Russian Hands If Venezuela Defaults
Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA made principal and interest payments of $2.2 billion today, avoiding default yet again despite what Vice President Tareck El Aissami called a “ruthless economic war” being waged against the Maduro government. That’s the good news, the bad news is that PDVSA has $62 billion more in principal and interest due over the next few years And, as OilPrice.com’s Nick Cunningham details, that has members of Congress very nervous… If Venezuela defaults on its debt obligations, it could result in Russia taking control over U.S. refining assets, leading to more Russian “control over oil and gas prices worldwide,” which would “inhibit U.S. energy security, and undermine broader U.S. geopolitical efforts.” That is the warning from two members of Congress, Reps. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Albio Sires (D-NJ). The two Congressmen sent a joint letter to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, requesting his attention on the matter. A bipartisan group of six U.S. Senators also requested a response from Secretary Mnuchin on the matter. They cite the fact that Russia’s government-backed oil company, Rosneft, gave Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, a $1.5 billion loan. As collateral, PDVSA offered up 49.9 percent of Citgo, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan oil company. Citgo owns three refineries in the U.S., along with pipelines and retail gas stations. The Congressmen are worried that if PDVSA defaults, Rosneft will seize the U.S.-based refineries.
April 13, 2017
Headline: UN: Cholera Spreading in Drought-stricken Somalia
United Nations and international aid agencies warn that cholera is spreading in drought-stricken Somalia as hunger grips that nation and the threat of famine inches closer. The World Health Organization reports more than 21,000 cases of cholera, including 533 deaths, in Somalia since the beginning of the year. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also reports that an outbreak of the deadly disease in the self-declared autonomous region of Somaliland has killed 28 people in just the last week-and-a-half, and hospitalized nearly 170 others. Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says the case fatality rate of cholera in Somalia is about 2.3 percent, with an emergency threshold of 1 percent. He says two regions, Middle Juba and Bakool, exceed those rates. “We have accumulative case fatality rates of Middle Juba, 14.1 percent and in Bakool, 5.1 percent. So, at least in one area, Middle Juba, 14 times the emergency threshold,” he said.
April 13, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/united-nations-cholera-spreading-drought-stricken-somalia/3808630.html
Headline: Egypt Coptic Church cuts back Easter celebrations after attacks
Headline: Christians most persecuted group in the world as vicious attacks grow
Egypt’s Coptic Church says it will cut back Easter celebrations after the two bomb attacks that killed at least 45 people last weekend. Church events are cancelled and only prayers will be held, it says. Egypt’s government imposed a three-month state of emergency following the bombings in Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta on Palm Sunday. Meanwhile, officials have named two of the suicide bombers who they say had links to militant cells. Easter celebrations on Saturday night would be limited to Masses to mourn the victims of the attacks, Bishop Emmanuel Ayad of Luxor was quoted by the state-run news agency Mena as saying. Decorations and the traditional handing out of sweets to children by the Coptic Pope will also be cancelled, AFP reports. The attacks on Christians, who make up about 10% of Egypt’s population, raised security fears ahead of a visit to Cairo by Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, scheduled for 28 and 29 April.
April 14, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39592881
Headline: A dark matter ‘bridge’ holding galaxies together has been captured for the first time- ****CAUTION EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE
The first image of a dark matter “bridge”, believed to form the links between galaxies, has been captured by astrophysicists in Canada. Researchers at the University of Waterloo used a technique known as weak gravitational lensing to create a composite image of the bridge. Gravitational lensing is an effect that causes the images of distant galaxies to warp slightly under the influence of an unseen mass, such as a planet, a black hole, or in this case, dark matter. These results show that the dark matter filament bridge is strongest between systems less than 40 million light years apart, and confirms predictions that galaxies across the Universe are tied together through a cosmic web of the elusive substance. “For decades, researchers have been predicting the existence of dark matter filaments between galaxies that act like a web-like superstructure connecting galaxies together,” said Mike Hudson, a professor of astronomy at the University of Waterloo in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. “This image moves us beyond predictions to something we can see and measure.” “By using this technique, we’re not only able to see that these dark matter filaments in the Universe exist, we’re able to see the extent to which these filaments connect galaxies together,” said co-author Seth Epps.
April 13, 2017
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/dark-matter-bridge
Headline: Cyclone Cook: Evacuations as storm lashes New Zealand
Heavy rain and strong winds are lashing parts of New Zealand as Cyclone Cook, called the worst storm in decades, sweeps across the North Island. States of emergency have been declared in the Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty, with landslips, flash flooding and downed power lines closing roads. Some coastal communities have been evacuated and thousands of homes left without power. The storm was expected to pass over the capital, Welllington, overnight. Cyclone Cook killed one person when it swept through the Pacific islands of New Caledonia earlier this week.
April 13, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39585868
Headline: Large asteroid to hurtle past Earth on April 19
An asteroid as big as the Rock of Gibraltar will streak past Earth on April 19 at a safe but uncomfortably close distance, according to astronomers. “Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach for an asteroid this size,” NASA said in a statement. Dubbed 2014-JO25 and roughly 650 metres (2,000 feet) across, the asteroid will come within 1.8 million kilometres (1.1 million miles) of Earth, less than five times the distance to the Moon. It will pass closest to our planet after having looped around the Sun. 2014-J25’s will then continue on past Jupiter before heading back toward the centre of our Solar System. Smaller asteroids whizz by Earth several times a week. But the last time one at least this size came as close was in 2004, when Toutatis — five kilometres (3.1 miles) across — passed within four lunar distances.
April 14, 2017
https://www.yahoo.com/news/large-asteroid-hurtle-past-earth-april-19-151316753.html
All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album
~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~
Headline: What’s shaking? 
List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~
Apr 12
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 6, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device
~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~
Saudi Arabia
Headline: Yemen president’s forces attack, 38 killed in heavy fighting
Headline: Yemen close to ‘breaking point’ as U.N. scales up food aid
Headline: 18 fighters killed in raging Yemen clashes
Yemeni security and military officials say forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized president have launched an attack on Shiite rebels around the southeastern port city of Mocha, unleashing heavy fighting that has killed some 38 fighters from both sides. They said Wednesday that the fighting began a day earlier and was supported by the Saudi-led coalition opposing the rebels, known as Houthis. The military officials say troops loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi aim to take the area’s key port at Hodeida, further north. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief journalists. The Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign against the rebels two years ago that has failed to drive them from the capital and other territory they control.
April 12, 2017
http://www.timescolonist.com/yemen-president-s-forces-attack-38-killed-in-heavy-fighting-1.15039329
Headline: Top diplomats from US, Russia meet in Moscow with Syria high on agenda
Headline: Tillerson: Russia must choose between US and West or Assad, Iran and Hezbollah
Headline: Sarin gas WAS used in Syrian massacre British scientists confirm
Headline: Russian military command reiterates jihadist forces behind chemical weapons attack in Syria
Moscow boosting naval forces in Syrian theater following US strike. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Moscow on Wednesday afternoon. Among other issues, the two senior officials were to discuss the situation in Syria, sanctions on Russia, tensions over North Korea, and accusations that Russia intervened in the US presidential election. Tillerson and Lavrov had previously met in February on the sidelines of a conference of G20 foreign ministers in the German city of Bonn. Several minutes before Wednesday’s talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated his country’s denial that the Syrian military launched a chemical attack against civilians in Idlib province on April 4. He claimed in a local TV interview that one of two things happened: either “the Syrian aircraft hit an underground (rebel) workshop for the production of chemical warfare agents”, or the incident was “simply an orchestrated event, that is, a provocation” that was “done on purpose to cause an uproar” and create “a pretext for exerting additional pressure” on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
April 12, 2017
***SEE ALSO WARS BELOW
Headline: Russia vetoes West’s Syria resolution at UN Security Council
Moscow has vetoed a draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council which demands that Damascus grant full access to UN inspectors at any military site in Syria, under the threat of military action. ”The result of the vote is as follows: ten votes in favor, two votes against, three abstentions. The draft resolution has not been adopted owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of Council,” US Ambassador and current Security Council President Nikki Haley stated. The document was drafted by the US, the UK and France amid an international crisis over the alleged use of chemical weapons in the town of Khan Shaykhun in Syria’s Idlib province on April 4. The US has already declared the Syrian government guilty of the alleged sarin gas attack and retaliated with a barrage of cruise missiles targeting a Syrian airbase, from which, Washington claimed, the attack was launched. Moscow criticized the US for its military action, calling it rushed, illegal and potentially playing into the hands of terrorists. Washington accused Russia of complicity in the alleged crime and demanded that it stop supporting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Unlike the previous draft resolution on the alleged incident, the fresh document did not lay the blame for it on Damascus. It also referred to the incident as the “reported use of chemical weapons” rather than stating that such use did take place as a fact.
April 12, 2017
https://www.rt.com/news/384534-un-resulution-syria-chemical/
Headline: Massive convoy of US military vehicles heads to new base in Kobani, northern Syria
Headline: Russian troops deploy to Syrian airbase in east Damascus
A large convoy of U.S. military vehicles were pictured making their way from Turkey to their new base in the predominately Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Aleppo. Satellite imagery caputred on Wednesday showed several military vehicles en route to the newly constructed U.S. base in southern Kobani. While the base is still finished, satellite imagery from April 11th shows that the installation is almost complete after months of construction in northern Aleppo. The Syrian Government has repeatedly demanded that the U.S. military pull out of Syria, as the latter has entered the country without Damascus’ approval. Meanwhile, The Russian military reportedly deployed to the Dumayr Airbase in the northeastern countryside of Damascus on Tuesday to increase the security around the Syrian capital.
April 12, 2017
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-troops-deploy-syrian-airbase-east-damascus/
Turkey
Headline: Turkey militants ‘used tunnel to plant explosives’
A big explosion in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir which originally appeared to be an accident was actually the result of a terror attack, the interior minister has said. Suleyman Soylu told Turkish TV that explosives had been planted in a tunnel dug beneath the police headquarters. Three people died in Tuesday’s blast in the mainly Kurdish south-eastern city. The outlawed militant group the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) later claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the PKK was quoted as saying the attack was to avenge the treatment of Kurds, particularly those in jail, by the authorities. It said its militants had planted the explosives and then returned safely to base afterwards. Diyarbakir has repeatedly been hit by militants targeting security services, but nonetheless Tuesday’s blast was spectacular – leaving a large crater and drawing crowds of onlookers on to the streets. It ratcheted up tensions four days before a key referendum on granting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers.
April 12, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39576915
Iran
Headline: Iran’s Ahmadinejad to run for president
Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday unexpectedly filed to run in the country’s May presidential election, contradicting a recommendation from the supreme leader to stay out of the race. Ahmadinejad’s decision will upend an election many believed would be won by moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who negotiated the nuclear deal with world powers. Though Rouhani has yet to formally register, many viewed him as a shoe-in following Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recommendation in September for Ahmadinejad to stand down. But many hard-liners in Iran seek a tough-talking candidate to rally around who can stand up to US President Donald Trump. Ahmadinejad’s candidacy also could expose the fissures inside Iranian politics that linger since his contested 2009 re-election, which brought massive unrest. Associated Press journalists watched as stunned election officials processed Ahmadinejad’s paperwork on Wednesday.
April 12, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1083166/middle-east
Afghanistan
Headline: Kabul suicide bombing kills five
At least five people were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber on foot struck near the Afghan defense ministry in Kabul, officials said, in an attack that was claimed by the Daesh group.
Three other people were left wounded in the explosion, which occurred during afternoon rush hour when employees of the ministry were likely to go home. “Most of the people killed and wounded were civilians, but we don’t know the exact target,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. Daesh group claimed the attack through its propaganda agency Amaq. It said the bomber had targeted a checkpoint outside the Afghan presidential palace.
April 12, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1083286/world
Headline: What Is Happening in Venezuela? How Ongoing Anti-government Protests Are Challenging Maduro’s Rule
Headline: Venezuela protests spread to poor areas, two more deaths amid unrest
Thousands of largely peaceful protesters demanding new elections were met Monday in Caracas with tear gas and security forces in riot gear. Holding signs reading “No more dictatorship,” the protesters marched through the streets of Venezuela’s capital for the second week of public demonstrations. Months after general elections were indefinitely postponed in December and the Supreme Court temporarily took control in March of the opposition-led Congress, tens of thousands of people have now taken part in anti-government protests in Venezuela. Despite the violent clashes with the police that left two young people dead and led to dozens of arrests, protesters’ demands for new elections have not waned. Moya-Ocampos says protests could continue to escalate despite tougher repressive measures, reaching a tipping point beyond the capacity of security forces to contain demonstrators, and especially affecting Western Caracas, where the seats of power and many shanty towns are located. At that point, facing widespread chaos and looting across the country, the military may stop supporting Maduro and force the National Electoral Council to hold early elections or stage a coup to assume power directly. The next official protests are slated for April 19, a day of historical importance for Venezuela as it marks the anniversary of its independence from Spanish colonial rule.
April 12, 2017
http://www.newsweek.com/nicolas-maduro-protests-venezuela-protests-582565
Headline: North Korea ‘ready for war’ after US redeploys navy strike team
Headline: China threatens to ‘BOMB North Korea’ if tyrant Kim Jong-un crosses THIS ‘bottom line’
Headline: South Korea Seeks to Assure Citizens U.S. Won’t Strike North Pre-emptively
North Korea has warned of “catastrophic consequences” in response to any further provocations by the US, days after a US navy battle group was sent to waters off the Korean peninsula, and was met by Donald Trump with a repeated threat of unspecified unilateral action. The US president said on Twitter that he would “solve the problem” of North Korea if China did not provide greater help in exerting pressure on its neighbour. The shrill rhetoric has been matched by a military build-up. The decision to divert the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and other battleships from a planned visit to Australia to the western Pacific came after tensions increased over ongoing military drills involving American and South Korean forces that Pyongyang regards as a dress rehearsal for an invasion. “We will hold the US wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying. “(North Korea) is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US.” The spokesman cited Washington’s refusal to rule out a pre-emptive strike against North Korean missile sites as justification for its nuclear programme. “The prevailing grave situation proves once again that (North Korea) was entirely just when it increased in every way its military capabilities for self-defence and pre-emptive attack with a nuclear force as a pivot,” the spokesman said, according to KCNA.
April 12, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/11/north-korea-ready-for-war-us-navy-redeploys
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/world/asia/south-korea-north-military-strike.html?_r=0
Headline: Russian nuclear-capable bombers fly near Japan, US officials say
Headline: Moscow boosting naval forces in Syrian theater following US strike
For the first time in nearly three months, Russia flew nuclear-capable “Bear” bombers near Japan, Wednesday, the latest sign of increasing tensions in the region, two US officials tell Fox News. The officials said three Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers took off from a base in eastern Russia flying in the Sea of Japan and remained in international airspace. One U.S. official described the Russian bomber flight as “clearly meant to send a message.” This latest provocation from Russia comes as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Moscow, Wednesday, the first visit by a cabinet member to Russia since President Trump assumed office. Joining the three Russian long-range bombers was a IL-20 spy plane. The Russian bombers took off Wednesday from an air base in Ukrainka in eastern Russia, home to one of Russia’s largest fleet of strategic bombers.
April 12, 2017
Headline: 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. The freeze expires on May 1, however, and an extension by Congress is “not going to happen,” said a Republican aide to the House Committee on Natural Resources, which is in charge of territory matters. A round of mediated talks is scheduled to begin on Thursday. But absent an agreement soon, a growing number of analysts say Puerto Rico will seek protection from creditors under PROMESA’s court-sanctioned restructuring process, akin to U.S. bankruptcy. Forbearance deals could let negotiations continue past May 1, but a source directly involved in the talks said avoiding an eventual bankruptcy is “impossible.”
April 12, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-puertorico-debt-bankruptcy-analysis-idUSKBN17E0GN
Headline: Not Prepared: Will Most Americans Be Absolutely Blindsided By Multiple Wars And A Simultaneous Economic Collapse
According to CBS News, an astounding three-fourths of all Americans have to “scramble to cover their living costs” each month. In other words, most of the country is either living paycheck to paycheck or very close to it. But instead of tightening their belts and trying to put something away for the very hard times that are coming, most Americans are completely and utterly unprepared for what is ahead because the people that they trust on television keep telling them that everything is going to be okay. Unfortunately, everything is not going to be “okay”, and when things start falling apart all around us there is going to be a lot of anger directed toward those that have been lulling everyone into a false sense of security. One of the reasons why I am sounding the alarm so loudly is so that people will not be blindsided by the things that are about to happen to this country. As you will see below, we are on the precipice of two major wars, conditions are ripe for a devastating economic collapse, and if you were to throw in a major natural disaster or two you would have a recipe for the kind of “perfect storm” that many have been warning about. Earlier today I focused on our looming economic problems, and in this article I want to address the potential for more military conflict in the very near future. When Donald Trump hit Syria with 59 cruise missiles, millions of Americans greatly celebrated, but much of the rest of the world was deeply alarmed. The Trump administration has said that more strikes are possible, but Russia and Iran are both pledging that “we will respond with force” if any more attacks are conducted…
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/not-prepared-will-most-americans-be-absolutely-blindsided-by-multiple-wars-and-a-simultaneous-economic-collapse
March 30, 2017 – 3 to 4 tonnes of dead fish per day washing up in Stung Sen river, Preah Vihear, Cambodia
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/fish-deaths-probed-preah-vihear
March 31, 2017 – Thousands of fish and shrimp dead in the waters of Dewantara, Indonesia
http://translate.google.com/translate?act=url&depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=auto&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=http://aceh.tribunnews.com/2017/03/31/ekses-ikan-mati-di-aceh-utara-lhk-bawa-sampel-air-ke-banda-aceh
April 1, 2017 – Dead dolphins found washed up along Sundays River coast, South Africa
http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/04/01/mysterious-mass-dolphin-beaching/
April 3, 2017 – Death toll rising for birds in Atlanta
http://www.cbs46.com/story/35062151/death-toll-rising-for-birds-in-atlanta
April 4, 2017 – Hundreds of tons of fish suddenly die in a fish farm in South Sumatra, Indonesia
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnasional.news.viva.co.id%2Fnews%2Fread%2F901613-seratus-ton-ikan-mati-mendadak-di-kolam-warga-musirawas&edit-text=&act=url
All earthquakes are instantly posted to the ETRM Facebook page- you do not need to sign up; click the photo below to see the earthquake album
~click the photo to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes for the current year~
Headline: What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~
Apr 07
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 6 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
Apr 06
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 6 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
Apr 05
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 4 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
We have been watching what takes place in Syria for some time and something major is going to happen to completely fulfilled this prophecy. When you look at what Syria looks like now after 5 years of civil war one may think that this prophecy has already been finished. Syria is in ruins but it going to get wiped out and left in a heap. If the UN doesn’t do anything about Syria could it be that the tiny nation of Israel who is not afraid to strike their enemies go in and finish off Syria? That is one question or, as a result of the chemical weapons could the Psalm 83 war of which we see Syria attacking Israel be the cause of Syria being leveled in that ruineous heap as told us in Isaiah 17:1? Watch with me as we see what happens next?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to fulfill Security Council resolutions and stop the Assad regime and rebel groups in Syria from using chemical weapons.
“When I saw pictures of babies suffocating from a chemical attack in Syria, I was shocked and outraged. There’s no, none, no excuse whatsoever for the deliberate attacks on civilians and on children, especially with cruel and outlawed chemical weapons. I call on the international community to fulfill its obligation from 2013 to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria,” said Netanyahu during a memorial ceremony for the late President Chaim Herzog at in Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem.
Apr 04
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! Download The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth April 4 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
Apr 03
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth March 27, 2017 Edition written by Frank DiMora
How to Add the Last Chronicles to your Electronic Device
~Scroll down for all the news; be sure to CLICK on the photos next to the prophecy sign for all Bible verses & videos ~
Headline: Israel PM Warns Enemies at Missile Defense Ceremony
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning Israel’s enemies not to test the Jewish state at a ceremony inaugurating a joint U.S.-Israeli missile interceptor. Netanyahu said Sunday that defending the home front is of the “utmost importance” and went on to warn “whoever tries to strike us will be hit, those that threaten our existence put themselves in existential danger.” David’s Sling, meant to counter medium-range missiles possessed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, officially became operational at the ceremony, the military said. It marks the completion of the multi-tier system that includes the Arrow, designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles in the stratosphere with an eye on Iran, and Iron Dome, which defends against short-range rockets from Gaza.
April 2, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/israel-prime-minister-missile-defense/3792954.html
Headline: 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. In a joint news conference in the Israeli commercial capital Tel Aviv, energy ministers from the four nations, as well as the EU’s Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete, pledged their commitment to the project. Feasibility studies had been completed, the ministers said, but work on developing it would not begin for several years – with current expectations for it to go online in 2025. “This is going to be the longest and deepest sub-sea gas pipeline in the world,” said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud).
April 3, 2017
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227675
Headline: Arabs plan central ‘Nakba’ event at memorial for fallen soldiers
Jewish residents of the western Galilee region and relatives of soldiers who fell in battle during the War of Independence are shocked at news that Arab-Israelis are planning to hold their central “Nakba” celebration this year on Israeli Independence Day – at the site memorializing the fallen soldiers of the Yehiam Convoy. During the War of Independence, the Convoy had been tasked with bringing supplies to Kibbutz Yehiam in the western Galilee, as the Kibbutz had been bombarded non-stop by Arab forces. Along the way, the Convoy was ambushed by Arabs, and 47 of its members were killed. This year, the so-called “National Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the ‘Displaced’,” which organizes “Nakba Day” ceremonies, is planning to hold the central Nakba ceremony at the memorial site for the fallen soldiers of the Convoy, and expects an attendance of some 25,000. On “Nakba Day,” held annually around the time of Israeli Independence Day, Arabs in Israel lament the “catastrophe” of the creation of the State of Israel.
April 3, 2017
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227686
Headline: UN agency to release new document equating Israeli ‘occupation’ to US slavery
Less than a month after its executive-secretary resigned over a controversial report describing Israel as an “apartheid regime”, the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia is reportedly writing a new report, this time equating “50 years of Israeli occupation” to the United States’ history of slavery. The expected report will aim to establish “premises and approach for calculating the cumulative cost of the occupation”, according to a resolution passed by ESCWA last December, mandating the research. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is also said to be collaborating with ESCWA on this report. Although no publication date has been announced for the document, according to reports in Israeli media, it is expected to symbolically coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the Six Day War in June. The agency’s last report caused much controversy, stating that “Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole” and angering Israeli officials who even compared it to Der Sturmer – a Nazi propaganda publication that was strongly antisemitic in the nature of its reports.
April 3, 2017
Lebanon
Headline: PM Hariri: Israel wants new war against Lebanon
Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri says recent Israeli actions have indicated a desire for a new conflict after Tel Aviv unveiled the latest addition to its missile system. In an interview with France24 TV station after arriving in Paris on Sunday, Hariri also dismissed concerns that Hezbollah might provoke a conflict with Israel. “I think that Israel is the one that wants to launch a war against Lebanon, and not Hezbollah,” he said. “Israel does not want the Arabs to rest. Look at the daily Israeli violations of our airspace, land and territorial waters,” Hariri added. Hariri’s comments came after Israel unveiled the “David’s Sling” missile system at Hatzor air force base in central occupied Palestinian territories.
April 3, 2017
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/04/03/516514/Israel-Lebanon-Hezbollah-Syria
Saudi Arabia
Headline: Egypt Court Overturns Block on Islands Transfer to Saudi Arabia
An Egyptian court ruled on Sunday that a judicial decision to block the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia is void, judicial sources said, potentially reviving a deal that triggered protests in Egypt. A court in January rejected a government plan to transfer the two uninhabited islands to Saudi Arabia after a maritime demarcation accord was announced in April. The accord awarded sovereignty of the islands to Saudi Arabia, even though most Egyptians believe they belong to Egypt. The decision by Egypt’s Court of Urgent Matters is subject to appeal and any final deal must be approved by parliament. The latest twist in this issue came as bilateral relations appear to be warming after months of tension. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi accepted an invitation last week from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit his country in April, a move that came on the heels of the kingdom’s decision to restore oil aid shipments to Egypt after a halt of about six months.
April 2, 2017
Headline: ISIS raid in Yemen leaves scores of Houthi troops dead on the battlefield- ***CAUTION GRAPHIC PHOTOS
Headline: Pentagon: US Conducts More Strikes in Yemen
Headline: Houthi leader reveals mass exodus of militants near Lahij
Amaq Agency posted 13 photos on Monday, showcasing a firefight between ISIS and Houthi forces in Yemen’s central province of Al-Bayda. The Islamic State raid occurred near the town of Qifah southeast of Sanaa, in the ISIS-held Wadi A’mer area which has come under increasing attacks by Houthi-led fighters. Along with killing a number of enemy combattants, ISIS destroyed a vehicle and seized a batch of weaponry. The Islamic State recently set up a training camp in the mountanious Bayda region and have since launched a series of hit-and-run attacks in the province. Meanwhile, Houthi forces also engaged in heavy clashes over the weekend with Saudi soldiers on the border between the two warring countries. Another Houthi offensive is also underway in western Yemen, ultimately looking to seize the port city of Mocha from the Aden-based rival government.
April 3, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/pentagon-yemen-airstrikes-aqip/3794229.html
Egypt
Headline: Sisi as key to Arab anti-ISIS pact with Israel
US President Donald Trump’s first face to face with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi at the White House Monday, April 3, focuses on four main topics, debkafile reports: The fight against Islamist State terror rampant in Egyptian Sinai and neighboring Libya; topping up US military assistance to Cairo, aid for easing Egypt’s dire economic straits and, finally, the effort to bolster normal relations between the Arab world (including the Palestinians) and Israel. Shortly before President El-Sisi’s trip to Washington, the Egyptian air force conducted intense bombardments of ISIS concentrations around the northern town of El Arish, killing at least 14 terrorists, nabbing 22 and seizing large caches of roadside bombs. But they too long delayed bearding the Islamists in their main stronghold atop Mount Jabal Hala in central Sinai. ISIS is therefore free to move around the territory and strike at will, the while expanding its operations into Egypt proper. The US President’s advisers recognize that before a broad, effective front against ISIS and Al Qaeda can be put together from these partial, often covert ties, progress is necessary towards normalizing relations between the Arab governments and the Jewish state, including the Israeli-Palestinian track. Trump will certainly want to hear what role his Egyptian guest is willing to take for bringing this process forward. He will ask his next Middle East visitor, Jordan’s Abdullah II, the same question, when he arrives in Washington Tuesday. As for the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, he was promised an invitation to the White House this month, but not yet been given a date. He is clearly being left to wait until the senior players in the region have had their say. Our Washington sources report that President Trump aims to complete his plan for bringing together Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel on a new footing by September.
April 3, 2017
http://debka.com/article/25993/Sisi-as-key-to-Arab-anti-ISIS-pact-with-Israel
Headline: US-backed forces repel Daesh assault near Syrian dam- Raqqa Province
US-backed Syrian forces repelled a major counter-attack by Daesh militants holding out at the country’s largest dam and in the nearby town of Tabqa, the group and activists said on Sunday.
The dam is a key strategic target in the military campaign to isolate and capture the Syrian city of Raqqa, 40 km to the east and Daesh’s biggest urban stronghold. The US-backed group said militants attacked its positions north-east of Tabqa and at an airbase to the south of the town where dozens of its fighters were killed; but the coalition of Kurdish and Arab militias was making slower advances in a village east of the town. Jehan Sheikh Ahmad, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, said the militants were stepping up their resistance as SDF forces got closer to encircling the town and the dam. “Our forces are advancing…(Daesh) are facing large difficulties and so they are starting counter-attacks,” said the official whose forces have US special forces with them.
April 3, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1078331/middle-east
Headline: Airstrikes kill 16 in rebel suburb of Damascus
Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes on a suburb of the capital Damascus have killed 16 people and wounded others. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday’s airstrikes on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma killed at least 16 people, including three children. Douma-based activist Mazen al-Shami said 16 people were killed in Douma, including a whole family. He gave no further details. Syrian troops intensified their bombardment of opposition-held areas around Damascus and besieged a rebel neighborhood northeast of the city.
April 3, 2017
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4944643,00.html
Headline: Syrian Army liberates more ISIS-held villages in Aleppo, reaches gates of Jirah Airbase
After a weeklong lull in eastern Aleppo, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) finally broke through Islamic State fortifications on Monday, advancing within striking range of the imperative Jirah Airbase near Lake Assad. Resuming its counter-insurgency operations on Monday morning, the SAA imposed full control over the villages of Atshanat Al-Miri and Al-Idrisiyah after prolonged skirmishes forced an ISIS contingent to withdraw from the area, located directly north of Jirah Airbase. The Tiger Forces neutralized over 20 ISIS insurgents amid the renewed push while dozens of jihadist militants were forced to withdraw to the nearby airfield.
April 3, 2017
Headline: Syria Situation Report March 17 – 30, 2017
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/March%2030EDITS%20COT.pdf
Headline: Nearly 50 civilian casualties in Mosul today amid heavy US aerial bombardment
Headline: Campaign for Mosul March 17-29, 2017
Iraqi non-combatants were killed in Mosul across four ISIS-held neighborhoods on Monday as American airstrikes and Iraqi artillery shelling caused significant collateral damage, Amaq Agency stated. The outlet claimed 23 residents were killed and 24 more wounded by bombing in western Mosul today, specifically at the Al-Mashahda, Al-Yarmouk, Al-Farouk and Tanaka suburbs. In addition, Amaq Agency said 25 civilians were killed and 23 injured the day before. Several non-partisan monitors claim US airstrikes on Iraq’s second largest city have killed over 1,000 civilians since the campaign to retake Mosul began October last year. Nevertheless, the Iraqi Armed Forces set up humanitarian corridors on Monday morning for civilians to leave ISIS-held areas in the densely populated Old City neighborhood.
April 3, 2017
http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/campaign-mosul-march-17-29-2017
Headline: PM Abadi warns Kurds over independence in northern Iraq
Headline: Iraqi Kurdistan’s ruling parties reach agreement on independence referendum
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, has warned against an independent Kurdistan in northern Iraq, claiming it would only harm the Kurds. “That is totally objectionable. We are serious about Iraq’s territorial integrity,” Abadi said in an interview with the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s Rudaw media outlet. “I have asked the Kurdish leaders not to out us or themselves in an embarrassing situation,” the Iraqi prime minister said. “I don’t like prolonging the issue of referendum because the result is already obvious. But the question is whether they will act on the results or not?” he said. “Separation now and in the past has done the Kurds harm because your neighbors do not accept that either,” Abadi concluded.
April 3, 2017
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pm-abadi-warns-kurds-independence-northern-iraq/
Headline: Scattered protests in Venezuela, OAS delays crisis debate
Venezuela’s opposition sought to keep pressure on President Nicolas Maduro with scattered protests on Monday, but there was relief for the socialist government when the Organization of American States delayed a debate on the crisis. One group of protesters tried to block a major Caracas highway and another dropped a pile of straw in front of court offices to protest at the judiciary’s controversial takeover last week of the opposition-led congress’ responsibilities. Though the top tribunal rowed back on that decision, which was condemned globally and led to unrest, the opposition is pushing to remove the judges responsible. One opposition lawmaker, Juan Requesens of the Justice First party who is often at the forefront of protests, suffered a gash in the head after being hit by a stone during a fracas outside the public ombudsman’s office, witnesses said. Protesters had taken live chickens there to symbolize cowardice, but were confronted by government supporters. The OAS debate on Venezuela was called at the weekend by 20 countries concerned about democratic erosion in Venezuela under Maduro, who replaced socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez in 2013.
April 3, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN175206
Headline: Al-Shabab Seizes Key Somali Town After Ethiopians Pull Out
Ethiopian troops fighting militant Islamist group al-Shabab have withdrawn from a key military base in central Somalia’s Galgudud region, according to residents. Heavily armed al-Shabab fighters took control of El Bur following the pullout of Ethiopian troops and a small number of Somali National Army soldiers early Monday. The fall of El Bur was confirmed by Nur Hassan Gutale, the town’s district commissioner, who said Ethiopians did not tell them the reason of their withdrawal. “The Ethiopians and our troops withdrew from the town and now it is under the control of the militants. The Ethiopians did not inform us about their withdrawal plan and once we saw them abandoning, our troops also abandoned,” Gutale said. Residents of El Bur say al-Shabab militants traveling in pickup trucks moved into the town early Monday without a fight. “The militants traveling in more than six pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft machine guns moved into town this morning. They took up the strategic positions, raised their black flags on the top of some buildings,” one of the residents told VOA on the condition of anonymity. The reason for the Ethiopian troops’ withdrawal was not clear, and their military officials were not immediately available for comment.
April 3, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/al-shabab-seizes-key-somali-town-after-ethiopians-pull-out/3794065.html
Headline: St. Petersburg metro explosion: 11 dead in Russia blast
Headline: ISIS Celebrates St. Petersburg Metro Blast
Eleven people were killed in a blast on the St. Petersburg metro Monday, the Russian health ministry said. Authorities say the explosion is a terrorist attack. An explosion tore through a train as it was traveling between two stations in Russia’s second-biggest city, injuring dozens more. A second device was found and defused at another station, Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to the shutdown of the city’s metro system. President Vladimir Putin, who had been in St. Petersburg earlier in the day, said all causes were being investigated, including terrorism. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described the explosion as a “terrorist act.” The blast happened just after 2:30 p.m. (7:40 a.m. ET) as the train was traveling in a tunnel from Sennaya Ploshchad to Tekhnologichesky Institut stations in the city center. In the confusion, initial reports suggested there were two blasts. Investigators are seizing items relative to the investigation, questioning witnesses and metro employees and working to confirm the number of dead and injured, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement.
April 3, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/03/europe/st-petersburg-russia-explosion/index.html
http://www.vocativ.com/417413/st-petersburg-metro-blast-kills-at-least-10/
Headline: Anti-corruption protests continue across Russia
Anti-corruption protests continued across Russia on Sunday, days after President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia has a problem with state corruption. The protests hit the capital and several other cities, but attendance was notably smaller than the week before, when Russians took to the streets in droves demanding government reforms to tackle the issue. More than 30 protesters were detained Sunday in central Moscow near Triumfalnaya Square, according to state news agency TASS, in an area that has become the usual site of the “opposition walk.” Another seven activists were detained at nearby Manezhnaya Square, said TASS, quoting police. The Russian nonprofit OVD-Info reported higher numbers: 44 people arrested in Moscow on Sunday. A young man carrying the Russian constitution in his hands was the first detained at Manezhnaya Square. There were also small protests in Saint Petersburg and Samara. The largest rally was in Novosibirsk, where several hundred people attended an anti-corruption protest held in solidarity with those arrested last Sunday. The coordinator of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s office in the city said 1,000 people had attended. Other estimates put the number at several hundred.
April 3, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/02/world/anti-corruption-protests-continue-across-russia/
Headline: Trump says US is ready to act alone on North Korea
Headline: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ‘desperate,’ ready to strike US, defector says
Headline: U.S., South Korea, Japan target North Korea submarine threats
President Donald Trump says that the United States is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea’s nuclear program. Trump’s comments in an interview with the Financial Times come just days before he is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida. The two are expected to discuss a number of issues, including North Korea, trade and territorial disputes in the South China Sea during their meeting on Thursday and Friday. “Yes, we will talk about North Korea,” Trump told the newspaper for a story that appeared Sunday on its website. “And China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don’t it won’t be good for anyone.” A State Department spokesman said late Sunday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been in touch with a top Chinese official about the upcoming trip. “We can confirm Secretary Tillerson spoke today by telephone to Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi regarding this week’s visit of President Xi and other issues of bilateral and regional importance,” the spokesman said. He discussed the upcoming visit on condition that his name not be used. In his interview, Trump said trade was the incentive for China to work with the United States. Still, he said the United States could “totally” handle the situation in North Korea without China’s help. Asked how he would tackle North Korea, Trump said: “I’m not going to tell you. You know, I am not the United States of the past where we tell you where we are going to hit in the Middle East.”
April 3, 2017
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/2/trump-says-us-is-ready-to-act-alone-on-north-korea/
Headline: Tensions rise as EU says Spain has its ‘full support’ for Brexit power grab over Gibraltar
Headline: First Post-Brexit Tremors: Theresa May “Would Go To War” To Protect Gibraltar
The EU broke its silence this morning as the diplomatic crisis between Madrid, London and Brussels over the future of the Rock deepens. In a statement EU Commission chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas said eurocrats were “100 per cent behind” Spain over the inclusion of Gibraltar’s future in the bloc’s negotiating guidelines. And in a move likely to inflame tensions with Westminster he refused to answer questions on whether or not Brussels now officially recognises the Rock as a disputed territory. The EU has previously taken a relatively neutral position towards Gibraltar on account of the fact that both Spain and Britain were members of the bloc. But now that the UK is leaving Brussels appears to have rowed in firmly behind Madrid’s claim to the overseas territory. The inclusion of a clause in the bloc’s draft negotiating guidelines for Brexit, published on Friday, effectively hands Spain a veto over Gibraltar’s inclusion in any future trade deal between Britain and the EU. Madrid’s move has sparked fury both on the Rock and in Westminster, where politicians have insisted they will stand firm over any Spanish attempt to seize control.
April 3, 2017
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/787188/Brexit-news-EU-Commission-Spain-full-support-Gibraltar
Headline: 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. The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted. Epicenter, which is home to more than 100 companies and some 2,000 workers, began implanting workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have them. A company based in Belgium also offers its employees such implants, and there are isolated cases around the world where tech enthusiasts have tried this out in recent years. The small implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few centimeters (inches) away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are “passive,” meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves.
April 3, 2017
Headline: Moscow And Beijing Join Forces To Bypass US Dollar In Global Markets, Shift To Gold Trade
The Russian central bank opened its first overseas office in Beijing on March 14, marking a step forward in forging a Beijing-Moscow alliance to bypass the US dollar in the global monetary system, and to phase-in a gold-backed standard of trade. According to the South China Morning Post the new office was part of agreements made between the two neighbours “to seek stronger economic ties” since the West brought in sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis and the oil-price slump hit the Russian economy. According to Dmitry Skobelkin, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia, the opening of a Beijing representative office by the Central Bank of Russia was a “very timely” move to aid specific cooperation, including bond issuance, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism measures between China and Russia. The new central bank office was opened at a time when Russia is preparing to issue its first federal loan bonds denominated in Chinese yuan. Officials from China’s central bank and financial regulatory commissions attended the ceremony at the Russian embassy in Beijing, which was set up in October 1959 in the heyday of Sino-Soviet relations. Financial regulators from the two countries agreed last May to issue home currency-denominated bonds in each other’s markets, a move that was widely viewed as intended to eventually test the global reserve status of the US dollar. Speaking on future ties with Russia, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in mid-March that Sino-Russian trade ties were affected by falling oil prices, but he added that he saw great potential in cooperation. Vladimir Shapovalov, a senior official at the Russian central bank, said the two central banks were drafting a memorandum of understanding to solve technical issues around China’s gold imports from Russia, and that details would be released soon. If Russia – the world’s fourth largest gold producer after China, Japan and the US – is indeed set to become a major supplier of gold to China, the probability of a scenario hinted by many over the years, namely that Beijing is preparing to eventually unroll a gold-backed currency, increases by orders of magnitude.
April 2, 2017
Headline: Pandemic Risk: Zika Mosquitos in 129 California Cities
The mosquitos that can carry the Zika virus have reportedly appeared in 129 California cities. With cold winter weather the only major obstacle to the Zika virus becoming America’s first pandemic since the 1957 Asian Flu, ground zero for a potential pandemic is now the West Coast. 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 counties including Fresno, Kern, Imperial, Los Angeles, Madera, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Mateo and Tulare. California has confirmed that 104 pregnant women contracted Zika, and 5 babies were born in the state with the virus. Birth defects directly related to Zika include microcephaly; brain damage from cranial calcium deposits; excess fluid in the brain cavities; brain damage affecting nerves and hearing; and inflexible muscles and bone deformations. But in an alarming development, there are six confirmed Zika infections in California women who acquired the virus through sexual transmission from an individual that traveled to nations where the World Health Organization already declared a Zika virus pandemic.
April 2, 2017
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/04/02/pandemic-risk-zika-mosquitos-129-california-cities/
Headline: Persecuted Christians Suffer “Worst Year Yet,” Mostly Under Islam
The persecution of Christians around the world, but especially in the Muslim world, has reached an all-time high—with 2016 being the “worst year yet,” according to Open Doors, which recently released its annual ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution. Among some of its more significant findings:
Headline: Pakistani prosecutor says he’ll let Christians out of prison — if they convert to Islam
Your freedom or your faith? That’s the question being posed to dozens of Christians currently awaiting trial in a prison in Pakistan. Forty-two Christians were arrested in 2015 for allegedly being involved in the hanging of two Muslims. The two Muslim Pakistanis were killed following two bomb blasts that occurred on Easter Sunday of the same year, killing 15 and injuring more than 70, according to a report by CBN News. The hangings occurred after Christians, who make up a small minority of the population in Pakistan, took to the streets to protest against their treatment. It is believed the two murdered Muslims were involved in the deadly Easter bombings. The 42 Christians that now stand trial for their alleged involvement in the murder of the two Muslims were arrested by Pakistani authorities following a series of house raids in a Christian neighborhood. CBN News reports Joseph Francis, the executive director of the Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, claims many of the Christians standing trial for murder are now being given a choice to either continue facing charges or convert to Islam. “He told them if they embrace Islam, he can guarantee them their acquittal in this case,” Francis said.
April 2, 2017
Headline: Rescuers, locals dig for Colombia flood victims, 254 die
Families and rescuers searched desperately on Sunday through mud-plastered rubble for victims of flooding and landslides in Colombia that have killed 254 people, injured hundreds and devastated entire neighborhoods. Several rivers burst their banks near the southwestern city of Mocoa in the early hours of Saturday, sending water, mud and debris crashing down streets and into houses as people slept. Volunteers and firefighters tended to 82 bodies downstream in the town of Villagarzon and said many corpses were still caught in debris. President Juan Manuel Santos made a second visit to the area on Sunday. He said water and energy services would be restored as soon as possible. Santos blamed climate change for the disaster, saying Mocoa had received one-third of its usual monthly rain in just one night, causing the rivers to burst their banks. There was disagreement over the death toll for most of Sunday but, late in the evening, the government’s total was increased to match the 254-person figure released by the army. Just over 200 were injured.
April 3, 2017
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-landslide-idUSKBN1740NW?il=0
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Headline: What’s shaking? List & map of USGS Earthquakes~Click the shaking house~
Mar 31
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Headline: Greenblatt meets Saudi, UAE ministers amid talk of Mideast summit
Headline: Trump Envoy Greenblatt Seeks Rabbi’s Peacemaking Advice in Jerusalem
Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, is leading the US team in talks with Israel about the guidelines. Greenblatt has spent the last few days as an observer at the Arab League meeting in Jordan. On Wednesday, he met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia to discuss the region and efforts to move the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process forward. In readout briefings of those meetings, Greenblatt underscored the potential role of the Arab world in brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace – and said that such a peace would reverberate across the region. He met as well with Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, where conversation also focused on the conflict. The Prime Minister’s Office had no comment on the matter, and a senior Trump administration official told the Post that Greenblatt’s meetings in Amman and Israel are “fact-finding” discussions meant to build trust with the parties.
March 30, 2017
Headline: Israel to limit settlement ‘footprint,’ new homes only inside building lines
Headline: UN issues condemnation of new Israeli settlement
Headline: White House warns against ‘unrestrained’ building
Israel will restrict its building beyond the Green Line to the built-up areas of existing settlements, the security cabinet decided Thursday night after nearly three weeks of discussions on the matter with the US government. The guiding principle behind the new guidelines is to limit as much as possible Israel’s settlement “footprint” beyond the existing communities. Sources said the decision was taken out of consideration of the position of US President Donald Trump, and that Israel will also significantly curb building to enable efforts to advance a diplomatic process with the Palestinians. Israel, according to the security cabinet decision, will — as much as possible — only permit building within the existing construction lines of the settlements, a principle that was also informally employed during much of George W. Bush’s tenure. In areas where this is not possible because there is no more available land inside the settlements, construction will take place close to the existing construction line. Where this too is impossible because of issues of land ownership, or security or topographic considerations, Israel will build as close to the existing settlement as possible.
March 31, 2017
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227571
Headline: Israel okays first new settlement in decades to replace Amona
Headline: Trump accepts new Jewish town
Senior lawmakers voted unanimously Thursday to establish a new West Bank settlement for families evicted from the razed Amona outpost, the first new Jewish town in the territory since the 1993 Oslo Accords, amid intense negotiations with the US over settlement building. The new community will be located near the settlements of Shiloh and Eli, north of Ramallah, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. The PMO also announced the approval of tenders for some 2,000 new settlement homes — housing units whose planned construction was first announced in January. The security cabinet, which voted for the Amona replacement, was also informed that some 900 dunams (about 222 acres) of territory in the West Bank would be registered as state land.
March 31, 2017
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227556
Headline: Sanhedrin Fighting Police to Allow Passover Sacrifice: Call for Nations to Play Their Role
The Israeli police, in direct contravention of the law are preventing the Sanhedrin from holding a reenactment of the Passover Temple Service. At stake are basic human rights, with the Israeli police giving in to the threat of Islamic violence. For the last fifteen years, the Sanhedrin has hosted a full-dress reenactment of the Pesach (Passover) sacrifice in Jerusalem. The Temple ceremony on Pesach was perhaps even more important than the one held on Yom Kippur since every Jew was required to actively participate. The Sanhedrin reenactments have included Kohanim (men of the priestly caste) dressed in authentic vestments, accompanied by the proper musical instruments, and utilizing vessels that have been created for use in the Third Temple. A lamb is slaughtered and roasted on a model altar, under the supervision of a veterinary inspector. Last year, the reenactment held on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount was attended by approximately 1,000 people. For this year’s reenactment scheduled for next Thursday, the Sanhedrin rented an open space at the Davidson Center, an archeological park adjacent to the Western Wall, owned by a corporation that is overseen by the Ministry of Construction and Housing. The organizers of the reenactment received permission from the corporation to hold the ceremony on their grounds on the condition they also received permission from the Israeli police. The police has refused to give permission for the ceremony to take place. Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the nascent Sanhedrin, emphasized the importance of this ceremony and what the battle represents. “The Israeli police are expanding the borders of the Islamic authority beyond the Temple Mount,” Rabbi Hillel Weiss said to Breaking Israel News. “We request that every man and all the nations express to the Israeli government that it is time for them to take their role in bringing all of humanity to freedom through the Pesach sacrifice, for which this reenactment is a preparation. This sacrifice brought us out of Egypt and we need it again to end this long exile completely.”
March 31, 2017
Jordan & Egypt
Headline: Trump to Host Egypt, Jordan Leaders in Bid to Improve Ties
Headline: Egypt, Jordan, PA look to coordinate stances ahead of White House visits
President Donald Trump will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II separately in the first week of April. Trump reached out to al-Sissi just days after his January 20 inauguration, calling his counterpart to discuss how the two countries would work together to fight terrorism. The White House has said the conversation was productive and a testament to the positive relations between the two countries. “We hope next week’s visit continues this positive momentum,” a senior White House official said. The White House has acknowledged Egypt’s human rights abuses, but said Friday that they intend to “handle these sensitive types of issues in a private, discreet way.” Also Friday, the White House announced a meeting between Trump and King Abdullah next week. “The president is pleased to welcome King Abdullah on April 5,” the official said. “Jordan is a key partner for the U.S. in the region.” The White House confirmed that the U.S. would continue military and economic support to both countries, particularly in their efforts to fight terrorism in the region.
March 31, 2017
http://www.voanews.com/a/white-house-egypt-jordan-leaders-bid-improve-relations/3791066.html
http://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-jordan-pa-look-to-coordinate-stances-ahead-of-white-house-visits/
Lebanon
Headline: Lebanese PM urges world help to cope with refugee influx
Lebanon’s prime minister is appealing to the international community to invest in the country’s infrastructure and educational system to help alleviate the enormous burden of hosting more than a million Syrian refugees. Speaking to a group of journalists ahead of the April 5 conference in Brussels on supporting the future of Syria, Hariri says Lebanon has reached breaking point. He says he will present a comprehensive plan to deal with the burden of Syrian displacement in Brussels and ask for international support. “The international community has to understand that Lebanon cannot pay the price of the unresolved conflict in Syria,” he said Friday. Lebanon has taken in some 1.2 million Syrian refugees — the equivalent of one-fourth of its own population. “Today Lebanon is a big refugee camp,” Hariri said.
March 31, 2017
Saudi Arabia
Headline: Coalition air raids strike Houthi sites on the outskirts of Sanaa
Headline: Arab coalition: Next goal is to retake Hudaydah
The Arab coalition launched several air strikes on Houthi militia and ousted-president Saleh loyalists on the outskirts of Sanaa. Security sources revealed that 17 raids have struck security camps and weapons’ caches affiliated with Saleh militias in suburbs south of the capital. Seven other raids also struck weapons’ caches in al-Zindani farms in Bani al-Harith district north east of the Sanaa. It also struck several Houthi grouping locations in Arhab province, and north of Nahm in al-Matoun in al-Jawf providence. Around 35 militants were killed and injured in other raids on al-Jawf region. Coalition jets also launched intensive raids on militia positions in the town of Saada and destroyed vehicles and ammunition caches in Al-Hasama and Basbas areas.
March 31, 2017
Headline: No deal in sight as fifth round of UN Syria talks concludes
Headline: Haley: Removing Assad no longer our priority
The UN envoy for Syria wrapped up a fifth round of talks between opposition leaders and the government, pointing to “incremental” progress while acknowledging no peace deal is foreseeable as the country enters its seventh year of war. After eight days of talks in Geneva, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura says negotiators appeared “keen” on taking up a new round, but added Friday he wouldn’t announce a new start date before consulting with the organization’s Security Council and secretary-general. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, declared Thursday that the Trump administration does not consider it a priority that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad be removed from power. “Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out,” Haley told a small group of journalists, according to Politico. “Our priority is to really look at how do we get things done, who do we need to work with to really make a difference for the people in Syria,” she added. “We can’t necessarily focus on Assad the way that the previous administration did.”
March 31, 2017
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4943326,00.html
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227543
Headline: ISIS claims deadly mid-March suicide attack in Damascus
An online publication linked to ISIS says two of its Syrian members carried out the deadly twin suicide attacks in mid-March in Syria’s capital. The March 15 attacks hit the Justice Palace in Damascus, the country’s judicial headquarters, and also a restaurant in another part of the city, killing 30 people. The al-Nabaa online weekly says the man who attacked the Justice Palace in central Damascus shot the guards first, then walked into the building and blew himself up. Two hours later, another ISIS member from Syria blew himself up in a restaurant frequented by Christians.
March 30, 2017
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4943054,00.html
Headline: ISIL accused of using civilians as human shields near Raqqa
People fleeing villages around the Syrian city of Raqqa claim ISIL has been using civilians as human shields. Video images have been uploaded to social media sites by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which has launched an assault to try to recapture a strategic dam near the city. One man on the back of a truck said:” We came here looking for safety. We fled this morning. ISIL burned our tents.” “They want to use us as human shields. If there is an area with citizens, they target it, if it is empty, they leave.” “We escaped from them,” said a woman. “It was terrible, we could not wait to leave, we barely escaped with our lives.” Another man said there are about 5,000 civilians on the run from Tabqa and its surrounding villages. “ISIL treated them very poorly,” he says. “They’re fleeing to safety”. Capture of the area around the Tabqa dam would be a major strategic advance for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. A Syrian Democratic Forces fighter said: “We brought refugees from Tabqa to safe areas. “Just now, five minutes ago, a mortar fell here. Islamic State is targeting helpless citizens.” Amid intense shelling there have been fears about the stability of the Tabqa dam, with many villages and towns located below it.
March 31, 2017
http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/31/isil-accused-of-using-civilians-as-human-shields-near-raqqa
Headline: New jihadist coalition launches powerful assault in west Aleppo
The new jihadist coalition, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, launched a new assault in the western sector of Aleppo City on Friday, targeting the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions near the Great Prophet Mosque in the Al-Zahra’a Association Quarter. Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham reportedly began the assault by storming the western part of the Al-Zahra’a Association Quarter on Friday morning; this resulted in a series of intense clashes that are still ongoing. According to a military source in Aleppo, the jihadist rebels are attempting to reestablish control over the mosque area and push east towards the Air Force Intelligence headquarters.
March 31, 2017
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/new-jihadist-coalition-launches-powerful-assault-west-aleppo/
Headline: Turkey opposes Iraqi Kurdish bid for independence referendum
Turkey disapproved the referendum bid for independence of Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Turkish presidential spokesman said on Friday. It would be “a wrong step,” said the spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, at a press conference in the presidential complex in Ankara. Iraq is passing through a fragile period and there are several security risks at the highest levels, said Kalin as quoted by private broadcaster NTV. Kalin noted that Turkey had discussed the issue with the KRG leadership on several occasions in the past and delivered its message that disrupting Iraq’s territorial integrity on ethnic and sectarian lines would not be right. KRG President Massoud Barzani said on Thursday at a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that an independence referendum will be carried out in the “near future.”
March 31, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/01/c_136175337.htm
Headline: Deadly suicide bomb attack strikes Baghdad checkpoint
At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a police checkpoint in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, officials say. They say more than 40 people were injured when the bomber detonated the vehicle – an oil tanker laden with explosives – at the checkpoint in the south of the capital. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. So-called Islamic State has recently carried out similar attacks in Iraq. Wednesday’s attack comes as Iraq forces are continuing a major offensive to recapture the city of Mosul – the last IS urban stronghold in the country.
March 30, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39439587
Turkey
Headline: Turkey Will Continue Efforts in Syria After Completion of Euphrates Operation
The Turkish military will continue its efforts to prevent any “unwanted formation” in Syria after the completion of its operation in northern Syria, the army said on Friday. “We are continuing our operations to protect our national security, prevent any unwanted formation, allow our displaced Syrian siblings to return to their country and maintain security and stability in the region,” the military said in a statement. Turkey launched the incursion into northern Syria more than six months ago to push Islamic State fighters away from its border and stop the advance of Kurdish fighters. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday that the operation had been completed successfully.
March 31, 2017
Iran
Headline: US Centcom commander proposes striking Iran’s regime, military forces
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of the US military’s Central Command, stated Wednesday during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran is not only destabilizing the Middle East but also posing one of the greatest threats to the US in the world. “We need to look at opportunities where we can disrupt (Iran) through military means”, he said, adding that there were more than 300 instances in 2016 alone in which Iran harassed US and other ships in international waters near its shores. However, he emphasized that “Our concern is not with the people of Iran, it is with their revolutionary government.”
March 30, 2017
Afghanistan
Headline: As war in Afghanistan drags on, Russia resurrects interest
As America’s effort to end 16 years of war in Afghanistan yields little progress, Russia is resurrecting its own interest in the “graveyard of empires.” The jockeying includes engaging the Taliban and leading a new diplomatic effort to tackle Afghanistan’s future, with or without U.S. support. Uncertain of Moscow’s intentions, the Trump administration will stay away when Russia hosts regional powers China, India, Iran and Pakistan, and several Central Asian countries, for another set of Afghan talks next month. Afghanistan’s government is attending, but the U.S. declined an invitation, saying it wasn’t consulted ahead of time. No one has invited the Taliban. For the United States, the new Russian foray into Afghanistan may represent another worrying consequence of a perceived American retrenchment. The perception has intensified overseas as President Donald Trump formulates new policy. Since taking office, he has scarcely mentioned Afghanistan, the U.S. military’s largest deployment in a war zone.
March 30, 2017
Headline: Venezuela ‘coup’: Alarm grows as court takes power
There have been demonstrations in Venezuela after the Supreme Court took over legislative powers from the National Assembly. Critics say the development takes the country closer to one-man rule under President Nicolas Maduro. The Organisation of American States (OAS) described the move as the “final blow to democracy in the country”. The ruling effectively dissolves the elected legislature which has been dominated by the president’s opponents. The secretary general of the OAS, Luis Almagro, described the move as a “self-inflicted coup” by Mr Maduro’s government. It comes after months of consolidation of power by the country’s president, who is locked in a political struggle with the centre-right opposition. On Thursday the Venezuelan Supreme Court seized power from the opposition-led legislature, a move that could essentially allow it to write laws itself. The court justified the move by saying the National Assembly’s lawmakers were “in a situation of contempt” after allegations of electoral irregularities by three opposition lawmakers during the 2015 elections. It did not indicate if or when it might hand power back.
***SEE ALSO ECONOMY BELOW
March 31, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39449494
Headline: US beefs up muscle in Somalia fight
President Donald Trump has given the US military greater authority to attack militants in Somalia. The US provides military support to Somalia in its fight against al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, which is waging an armed insurgency in the country. The head of US forces in Africa had asked for more flexibility and faster responses. A Pentagon spokesman said the White House had approved its request for “additional precision fired”. This effectively means US special forces will be able to call in air strikes more quickly and accompany partner troops in more advanced positions, US media report. “The additional support provided by this authority will help deny al-Shabab safe havens from which it could attack US citizens or US interests in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.
March 30, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39445888
Headline: Pakistan blast: Parachinar bomb leaves at least 24 dead
Headline: Taliban claims deadly Pakistan mosque bomb blast
At least 24 people have been killed and more than 70 injured in a blast outside a mosque in north-west Pakistan. The explosion happened in the city of Parachinar, a mainly Shia Muslim area on the Afghan border. Reports say a car packed with explosives was left near the women’s entrance of the mosque as people gathered for Friday prayers. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), said it had carried out the attack. Many shops and vehicles close to the mosque were damaged in the powerful blast. This bombing in Parachinar, in Kurram district, is the second since January, and just as deadly. Many among the injured are said to be in a critical state. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack, saying his government would keep working to “eliminate the menace of terrorism”. It was followed by protests in Parachinar as angry crowds accused the security forces of failing to protect them.
March 31, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39452306
http://www.euronews.com/2017/03/31/taliban-claims-deadly-pakistan-mosque-bomb-blast
Headline: Putin spokesman: US-Russia relations ‘maybe worse’ now than Cold War
The relationship between the U.S. and Russia may be more antagonistic now than it was during the decades-long Cold War, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top spokesman said Friday. Asked by ABC’s “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos if the U.S. and Russia were in a “new Cold War,” Dmitry Peskov said the current situation may be worse, blaming the U.S. for disintegrating cooperation between the two countries. “New Cold War? Well, maybe even worse. Maybe even worse, taking into account actions of the present presidential administration in Washington,” Peskov told Stephanopoulos. Peskov cited a decision to expel 35 Russian diplomats from the U.S. in December, which was made under former President Obama and not President Trump. The relationship between Trump and Russia has been the subject of intense scrutiny since before the real estate mogul took office in January. The U.S. intelligence committee unanimously concluded late last year that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump, and he has spoken warmly of Putin, expressing a desire to improve U.S.-Russian relations. The House and Senate Intelligence committees are conducting a probe of Russian election meddling, as well as Trump and his aides’ alleged ties to Moscow. The FBI is also investigating.
March 31, 2017
Headline: Venezuela Crisis Deepens, Bonds Sink as Maduro Ally Pushes Back
Venezuela lurched closer to full-blown crisis Friday when the nation’s top prosecutor, a long-time ally of the ruling socialist party, labeled unconstitutional the Supreme Court’s move to usurp the power of the opposition-led National Assembly. Small, sporadic protests flared up across the country, jittery investors dumped the government’s bonds and opposition leaders sought to capitalize on the chaos by calling on the military to “restore” constitutional order. The comments by prosecutor general Luisa Ortega Diaz, in which she said the court ruling “ruptured” the constitutional order, were a rare — almost unheard of — public condemnation by a high-ranking government official of the direction the faltering country is heading. While her statements likely will have no immediate legal impact, they deliver a potentially major setback to embattled President Nicolas Maduro, who has long sought to use the courts to prevent congress from challenging his rule. Friday’s events heightened investor concern that the fractured country is headed for default. Some said they worried that while Maduro has so far insisted on meeting foreign bond payments amid the economic collapse, a further escalation of the crisis may erode that determination. The government’s benchmark bond due in 2027 declined 3.3 cents to 46.2 cents on the dollar in, the biggest decline in two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Bonds issued by the cash-strapped state oil company PDVSA, which has $2.5 billion of debt maturing next month, also fell. Its securities due in 2035 sank to 43.2 cents on the dollar.
March 31, 2017
Headline: Muslim protesters march against Jakarta’s Christian governor
Undeterred by the arrest of hard-line protest leaders, thousands of Muslims marched in Indonesia’s capital on Friday, calling for the jailing of the city’s minority Christian governor. Following Friday prayers, the protesters marched from Istiqlal Mosque in central Jakarta to the nearby presidential palace, which was under heavy police guard. Protests against Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama have snowballed since September when he was accused of blaspheming the Qur’an and subsequently charged. His trial is still underway. The turnout for Friday’s protest was small compared with the hundreds of thousands who answered the call of hard-line Islamic groups to flood central Jakarta for demonstrations in November, December and February. Jakarta police’s director of traffic Ermayudi Sumarsono estimated the crowd at 13,000 to 15,000. Police estimates are often conservative. Earlier Friday, police said they had arrested Muhammad Al Khaththath, the leader of the Muslim Peoples Forum umbrella group, and several other activists for suspected treason. “We are not cowed by the arrest of our leaders,” said a protester who identified himself as Wahyudi. “We’ll keep fighting for the dignity of Islam. There’s no room for kafir to lead in this nation.”
March 31, 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1077171/world
Headline: DEA: Made-in-China Lethal Opioid Fueling U.S. Drug Epidemic
A homemade designer version of fentanyl, the highly addictive opioid which is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent, has been the center of drug busts across the country this month—with law enforcement pinpointing its origin from underground labs in China. The DEA says the China-U.S. supply is further fueling the country’s drug epidemic. “This stuff is unbelievably potent. It is so powerful that even a tiny amount can kill you,” DEA spokesman Rusty Payne tells FOX Business. “China is by far the most significant manufacturer of illicit designer synthetic drugs. There is so much manufacturing of new drugs, [it’s] amazing what is coming out of China. Hundreds of [versions], including synthetic fentanyl and fentanyl-based compounds.” Authorities say dealers across the country have been lacing heroin with the potent analog. Payne adds that Mexican drug cartels are now switching from heroin to fentanyl because of the high-profit margin.
March 31, 2017
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