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Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/16/2016 11:12:31 AM
	US: North Korean missile launch a 'catastrophic' failure FOSTER KLUG and HYUNG-JIN KIM April 15, 2016 South Korean army soldiers pass by a TV news program showing a file footage of a missile launch conducted by North Korea at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 15, 2016. A North Korean launch of a missile on the birthday of its revered founder appears to have failed, South Korean and U.S. defense officials said Friday. The letters at a screen read: "North Korea launched a missile from its east coast." (AP Photo/Ahnn Young-joon) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korea missile launch meant to celebrate the birthday of the country's founder ended in failure, U.S. defense officials said, an embarrassing setback in what was reportedly the inaugural test of a new, powerful mid-range missile. "It was a fiery, catastrophic attempt at a launch that was unsuccessful," Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday. U.S. officials are still assessing, but it was likely a road-mobile missile, given that it was launched from a location not usually used for ballistic missile launches, on the country's east coast, he said. South Korea's Yonhap news agency carried an unsourced report that a "Musudan" missile, which could one day be capable of reaching far-off U.S. military bases in Asia and the Pacific, exploded in the air a few seconds after liftoff. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters told The Associated Press that it appeared to be a Musudan missile but no definitive conclusion had been reached. Despite the failure, the North has another Musudan loaded on a mobile launcher and Pyongyang will likely fire it, according to South Korean and U.S. authorities, Yonhap reported. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking to reporters during a stop on the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, said that while the U.S. deemed the launch to be unsuccessful, it "was nonetheless another provocation by North Korea in a region that doesn't need that kind of behavior." The UN Security Council issued a statement saying its members "strongly condemned" the North's firing of a ballistic missile, which it said constituted a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions although the launch was a failure. The launch comes as the two Koreas trade threats amid Pyongyang's anger over annual South Korean-U.S. military drills that North Korea calls a rehearsal for an invasion. The North has recently fired a slew of missiles and artillery shells into the sea in an apparent protest against the drills. The surge in belligerent rhetoric and nuclear and missile activity in the North may also be linked to leader Kim Jong Un's preparations for a major ruling party meeting next month that analysts believe he will use to further solidify his autocratic rule. Some believe that Kim may try to use the country's claims of recent nuclear and missile success as a way to turn domestic focus toward tackling the country's abysmal economy. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to comment publicly, said the U.S. Strategic Command systems have detected and tracked what officials assessed as a failed North Korean missile launch. "We strongly condemn North Korea's missile test in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions, which explicitly prohibit North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology," the official said. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement that said the U.S. is "strongly committed" to the defense of its Asian allies, particularly South Korea and Japan. "We're going to continue to stand with them as they face these threats but also reiterate our commitment to the defense of our allies," Earnest said. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the missile launched from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. The South's Defense Ministry said it wasn't immediately known whether the missile fired from an eastern costal area Friday morning was a short-range or mid-range missile. The North's launch came amid speculation in the South that its rival was preparing to test a medium-range missile with a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,180 miles) — enough to reach U.S. military installments in Japan and Guam. Foreign experts have nicknamed the missile "Musudan" after the village in the northeast where North Korea has a launchpad. North Korea has never flight-tested a Musudan, though it unveiled the missile during a 2010 military parade. South Korean defense officials said North Korea has deployed Musudan missiles since 2007. Friday is the birthday anniversary of the late Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather and the nation's founder. North Korea has occasionally used such celebrations to stage nuclear or missile tests that outsiders consider provocations. In the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, citizens in formal clothing lined up to bow deeply before huge statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, his son and the father of Kim Jong Un, and laid brightly colored flowers at the statues' feet. North Korea has unnerved the international community this year with an escalating campaign of belligerence. This includes a nuclear test in January, its fourth, and a long-range rocket launch in February, as well as nuclear threats against the United States and Seoul. There is debate among analysts about the exact state of the North's nuclear capabilities — many believe Pyongyang has a handful of crude nuclear bombs — but each nuclear and missile test pushes them farther along in their goal of a nuclear-armed arsenal of long-range missiles. ___ AP National Security writer Robert Burns in Washington, D.C. and Lolita C. Baldor in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report. (Yahoo News)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/16/2016 2:01:28 PM
	Legal group poised to quiz Clinton aides about email server MICHAEL BIESECKER April 15, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks the Corsi senior center, Friday, April 15, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has agreed to a conservative legal group's request to question several current and former government officials about the creation of Hillary Clinton's private email system. The agreement filed late Friday with the U.S. District Court in Washington comes after a judge consented to allow the group Judicial Watch "limited discovery" to probe why Clinton relied on an email server in her New York home during her tenure as secretary of state. Questions about the email system have bedeviled Clinton during her run for the Democratic presidential nomination. If Judge Emmet G. Sullivan approves of Friday's agreement, lawyers from Judicial Watch will be allowed to depose Clinton's top aides, including former chief of staff Cheryl D. Mills, deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin and undersecretary Patrick F. Kennedy. Also on the list to be questioned is Bryan Pagliano, the department employee who set up and maintained Clinton's home brew email system. Pagliano previously invoked his Fifth Amendment right in declining to answer questions from a congressional committee. The FBI is investigating whether sensitive information that flowed through Clinton's email server was mishandled. The inspectors general at the State Department and U.S. intelligence agencies are separately investigating whether rules or laws were broken. There are also at least 38 civil lawsuits, including one filed by The Associated Press, seeking copies of government records related to Clinton's time as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Critics of Clinton's decision to rely on the private server have suggested it potentially made her communications more vulnerable to being stolen by hackers, including those working for foreign intelligence agencies. In response to public records requests, the State Department has released more than 52,000 pages of her work-related emails, a small percentage of which have been withheld because they contain information considered sensitive to national security. Thousands of additional emails have been withheld by Clinton, whose lawyers say they contain personal messages unrelated to her government service. Clinton has admitted on the campaign trail that her home-based email setup was a mistake, but she insists she never sent or received any documents that were marked classified at the time. ___ Follow Michael Biesecker on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mbieseck (Yahoo News)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/16/2016 2:09:01 PM
	CDC Confirms Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus Between 2 Men By GILLIAN MOHNEY Apr 15, 2016, 11:46 AM ET WATCH 5 Things You Need to Know About Zika Virus Researchers have for the first time determined that the Zika virus can be sexually-transmitted between men, according to officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). CDC officials said this mode of transmission "might contribute to more illness than was anticipated when the outbreak was first recognized." The CDC published its study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report. "Such cases highlight the need for clinicians to remain vigilant for and continue reporting any suspected cases of Zika virus infection to their state or local health departments," according to the report. "This includes suspected infections in symptomatic persons without travel history, but who report unprotected sexual contact with a person who has traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission." The transmission occurred when one man returned to Dallas, Texas, after a weeklong trip in Venezuela. Two days after arriving back in the U.S., the man developed classic symptoms of Zika virus including rash, fever and conjunctivitis. The man's partner of 10 years developed symptoms five days later, including fever, fatigue and headache. Medical officials confirmed both men had the Zika virus through blood tests. They determined that sexual contact was the most likely cause for the second man's infection since he had not been in a country where the virus was being transmitted from mosquitoes to people. Symptoms for both men cleared up in approximately a week, according to the report. El Salvador Advises Women to Avoid Pregnancy for 2 Years Due to Zika Virus Outbreak Mosquito-Born Zika Virus Linked to Birth Defects Experts Explain Key to Stopping Zika Virus From Spreading Earlier this week federal health officials declared there was enough evidence to conclude that Zika causes the birth defect microcephaly, which is characterized by an underdeveloped head and brain. Researchers and health officials said there is still much they do not know about the risks of the virus. (ABC News)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/16/2016 2:59:11 PM
	Japan hit by 7.3-magnitude earthquake Reports of deaths and people trapped inside buildings after second quake in as many nights in Kumamoto region on island of Kyushu Associated Press in Tokyo Saturday 16 April 2016 02.10 BST Last modified on Saturday 16 April 201613.58 BST Southern Japan reels from second large earthquake - video Police on Saturday were reported as saying that at least six people had been killed. Authorities said hundreds of calls had come in from residents reporting people trapped inside houses and buildings on the island of Kyushu. The fire and disaster management agency said 66 people were trapped inside a nursing home in Mashiki, the town hit hardest, and rescue efforts were under way. The latest quake also appeared to have triggered a small eruption of the Mt Aso volcano on Kyushu. Public broadcaster NHK said smoke rose about 100 metres in the air. The Japanese Meteorological Agency kept its alert level at 2 on a scale of 5 for the volcano More than 400 people were treated at hospitals after the quake, which shook the Kumamoto region at 1.25am local time on Saturday, followed by several aftershocks. Japan’s meteorological agency issued but later lifted a temporary advisory for a tsunami of up to one metre high along the coast west of the epicentre. The agency upgraded the magnitude to 7.3 from an initial reading of 7.1. Compared to the quake that struck late on Thursday night just south of Mashiki, the most recent quake and aftershocks appeared to be moving east, spreading damage to the north-east. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga, in an emergency news conference early on Saturday, said more than 300 calls came in to the Kumamoto police and another 100 to police in nearby Oita, seeking help and reporting people trapped or buried underneath debris. Prime minister Shinzo Abe said damage from the quake could be extensive and urged rescue workers to do their utmost to help those trapped in the rubble. Sirens of patrol vehicles could be heard in the background as NHK reported from Mashiki. The tarmac outside the town hall had a new crack, apparently made by the latest earthquake. In the nearby city of Uto, police reported that the city hall appeared to be unsafe because of damage. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities had been found at the Sendai nuclear plant, where the only two of Japan’s 43 operable reactors are online. Kumamoto bridge shakes as second earthquake hits Japan – video NHK video showed that stones had tumbled from the walls of the historic Kumamoto Castle, and a wooden structure in the complex had been smashed, adding to damage caused on Thursday at the site. Thursday’s weaker, magnitude 6.5 earthquake brought down buildings and injured about 800 people. More than 100 aftershocks followed. Since Saturday’s quake was bigger, Thursday’s was technically a foreshock. Police said on Friday that concern about aftershocks was keeping many people from starting the task of cleaning up. About 44,000 people stayed in shelters after Thursday’s quake. Of those who died, five were women and four men, the fire and disaster management agency said. One man was in his 20s, and the rest of the victims ranged from their 50s to one woman in her 90s. Eight of the nine victims were from Mashiki. The government’s chief spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said at least 860 people had been injured, 53 seriously, but other reports put the headline figure at 784. Suga said 1,600 soldiers had joined the relief and rescue efforts. TV reports showed troops delivering blankets and adult diapers to those in shelters. With water service cut off in some areas, residents were hauling water from local offices to their homes to flush toilets. Most of Japan’s nuclear reactors remain offline following the Fukushima meltdowns in 2011 after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered a tsunami. Mashiki sits near two faults and is also near Mount Aso, a huge active volcano. (theguardian.com)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 4/16/2016 4:34:15 PM
	Italy insists 'no invasion' after spike in migrant arrivals Angus MacKinnon April 16, 2016 Migrants are rescued off the coast of Sicily on April 11, 2016 (AFP Photo/) Rome (AFP) - Italy insisted Friday it was not facing an "invasion" after a spike in migrant boat crossings from Libya exacerbated fears the country is on the verge of becoming the main entry point for people trying to reach Europe. Nearly 6,000 mostly African migrants have landed at southern Italian ports since Tuesday but Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the overall trend this year was broadly in line with the 2015 pattern. "We are not facing an invasion," the premier told a press conference after the figures were released by the International Organisation for Migration in Geneva. Fears are running high in Italy that it could pay the price of EU moves to close routes through the Greek Islands and the Balkans. Italian officials are also wary of the possibility of neighbouring EU countries closing their borders, as France did temporarily last year and Austria is threatening to do now. Austria has begun preparing for a possible reintroduction of border controls at the Brenner pass in the Alps, prompting protests from Italy and the European Commission. Renzi warned Friday of repercussions if Vienna did close the border. "If the rules are broken we cannot act as if nothing has happened," he said. Italy's interior ministry this week asked local authorities to find 15,000 extra beds to house asylum-seekers in anticipation of a possible increase in the numbers of people requiring accommodation. "There is a problem that concerns our country but there is not an invasion underway," Renzi said. "We have taken certain initiatives but we are not facing an invasion. It is a big problem but we have clear ideas about how to deal with it." - Few Syrians in Libya - Renzi said the EU was working on deals with African countries to stem the flow of migrants leaving for Europe and to prevent those who do from being allowed to pass through transit countries. The IOM said that of the 6,021 migrants who have reached Europe by sea since Tuesday, only 174 had landed in Greece, with the balance coming ashore in Italy. Late Friday, Austria's interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Vienna was anticipating a "significantly increased migration flow via Italy". Mikl-Leitner sent a letter to EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos stressing that "adequate preparatory measures" were needed, according to the Austria Press Agency. "It must also be taken into account that migration routes can also be used by members of terrorist groups, as the attacks in Paris and Brussels showed," the letter added. IOM spokesman Joel Millman stressed there was no evidence yet to suggest the Italy arrivals were linked to an EU-Turkey deal aimed at stemming the influx of people to the Greek islands. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top EU officials will visit an area near the Turkish-Syrian border next week to follow up on the EU-Turkey migrant deal, officials said Friday. The European Union sealed the deal with Ankara last month under which Turkey takes back all "irregular migrants" who arrive in the Greek islands in exchange for billions of euros in aid for refugees and political concessions. - 'Increase in numbers' - Migrants who spoke to IOM staff in Italy all said they had crossed from Libya, most of them on rubber dinghies loaded with around 130 people. "Many of them were from sub-Saharan Africa, and we have noticed an increase in numbers from the Horn of Africa, particularly Eritreans," Federico Soda, head of the IOM's Rome office, said in a statement. "There have been very few Syrians leaving from Libya in recent months," Soda said. Italian officials believe that any Syrians seeking to get into Europe via Libya are more likely to come via Albania, from where it is just a short crossing to the southeastern coast of Italy. So far this year, more than 23,000 migrants have landed in Italy, compared to nearly 153,500 who have landed in Greece, the IOM said. Italy's interior ministry put arrivals in Italy at 23,739 since the start of the year as of Thursday morning, compared to 19,589 by April 14 last year. That represents a rise of 21 percent, but officials urge caution in interpreting figures as the pattern of the last two years has been for migrants to arrive in bursts often dictated by weather and sea conditions. There are an estimated one million non-Libyan nationals living and working in Libya. This has led to speculation that a deterioration in the security situation in the country could result in many of them seeking to reach Italy. (Yahoo News)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+1

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