UK - A study published in Ecology and Evolution Monday shows that the big changes humans make to the land can have important consequences for some tiny microorganisms honeybees rely on to stay healthy. Honeybees depend on a diverse mix of bacteria — called a microbiome — to turn fresh pollen into bee bread, which is stored in the hive as food for young bees. A diverse bee-bread microbiome helps bees fight infection and preserves the bread longer; a less diverse bacterial mix can leave the bread susceptible to mold and the bees in the hive vulnerable to starvation. But research by the Lancaster University's Environment Center and the Center for Ecology and Hydrology suggests that to get a diverse microbiome, bees need to feed on a diverse array of plants. And human alterations that reduce biodiversity in the landscape can make this more difficult.

USA - Today reporters no longer have to check sources, because there is no longer journalism in America. When the Clinton regime in compliance with the Deep State that made the Clintons super-rich permitted 90% of the independent and diverse US media to be concentrated in the hands of six political companies, that was the end of journalism in America. [Paul Craig Roberts]

KOREA - North and South Korea are in talks to announce a permanent end to the officially declared military conflict between the two countries, daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed South Korean official. Pyongyang and Seoul have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce — and not a peace treaty. A successful summit between the Koreas later this month could help pave the way for a meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump.

SYRIA - On April 7th, an attack was carried out in the town of Douma, just a few kilometers out of Syria’s capital, Damascus, which was occupied by radical terrorist forces. The attack was peddled as a chemical weapons attack using chlorine gas, and it was additionally reported to have included some unknown nerve agent (which apparently the White Helmet guys who were filming the incident were somehow immune to), which was then said to have killed at least 75 people.

GERMANY - The 1st Panzer Division is preparing to lead the NATO Response Force (NRF) Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in 2019, when Germany becomes the framework nation for its land component (VJTF-L).  The VJTF-L comprises a multinational combat brigade with three to five combat battalions, plus support troops and air and naval forces. In Germany's case, it will be reinforced by the Bundeswehr's logistics command, central medical service, and the new Cyber and Information Domain Command (Kommando Cyber- und Informationsraum).  The German Army will lead the VJTF-L based "on the already established and proven co-operation with the Netherlands and Norway for VJTF 2015", said Major General Markus Laubenthal, commander of the 1st Panzer Division.

UK - Peers have been accused of “playing with fire” and trying to block Brexit after they inflicted a crushing defeat on the Government in a bid to keep the UK in a customs union with the European Union. Remain-backing lords succeeded in their bid to amend the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill to force ministers to set out the steps taken during negotiations with Brussels to enable the UK to stay in a customs union with the bloc. Peers backed the amendment by 348 votes to 225, with 24 Conservatives, including former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine and former health secretary Lord Lansley, rebelling against the Government.

USA - Sailors arriving in San Francisco in the 19th century used two giant redwood trees perched on a hill to help guide their ships into the bay. The redwoods were felled for their lumber at around the time of the gold rush, but San Francisco now has a new beacon: Salesforce Tower, the tallest office building in the West.

UK - A large number of earthquakes have been felt beneath volcanoes across the world, sparking fears of major eruptions, so are any volcanoes erupting and could there be a violent explosion? In Hawaii a total of 18 earthquakes have been measured under Kilauea volcano during the last 18 hours. In Mexico the Cerro Prieto volcano is showing an increase in activity with a magnitude 2.4 earthquake measured. A swarm of earthquakes has been detected under the Clear Lake volcano in California - 16 have been measured during the past 21 hours at depths ranging between 4.4 and 0.2km. Across the world, in Greece, a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was felt beneath the Nisyros volcano. The Sakurajima volcano in Japan has recently been showing high levels of activity.

IRAN - Tehran is preparing for a sustained campaign of direct confrontation with Israel, with plans to use the Iranian military’s growing presence in Syria to launch attacks on targets inside the Jewish state. For decades, the radical Islamist regime in Tehran has engaged in a de facto war with Israel via proxies – using terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to attack Israeli civilian and military targets.

IRAN - Commander of Iranian ground forces says in speech that Iran produces its own weapons, does not have to feel threatened by Israel. An Iranian general stated that a date has been set for the destruction of Israel. Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, the commander of the Iranian ground forces, said in a speech that Iran's army is "much stronger than in the past" and that Israel can no longer threaten the Islamic Republic. The Iranian news agency Mehr reported that the general said that "the date has already been set" for the destruction of Israel.

EUROPE - Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, has called for the creation of a European Union army capable of carrying out strikes like those launched by the US, Britain and France in Syria. Mr Verhofstadt was speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg during a debate on the future of Europe, which was begun with a flagship address by Emmanuel Macron, the French president and poster child for closer EU integration. The former prime minister of Belgium attacked the EU for its inertia in the face of crisis and called for reforms of “daring and vision” after Brexit. “Let’s face it, eurosceptics are not always wrong,” Mr Verhofstadt said...

VANUATU - The volcano at the centre of the Vanuatu island of Ambae has flared up once again and blanketed much of the island in ash. A state of emergency has been declared as food sources have been destroyed, supplies dwindle and disease starts to spread. Last year, major eruptions from the Ambae volcano prompted an island-wide evacuation of all 11,000 residents of Ambae. They returned home earlier this year, only for volcanic activity to begin again last month.

MIDDLE EAST - The US is involved in overthrowing the Assad regime in Syria in order to gain oil resources, keep the US dollar afloat, cripple the Russian economy, and to fight for Israel’s interests.  Bankers, multinational oil companies and military contractors are the beneficiaries of the war that has killed half a million people.

USA - The global economy has peaked and a downturn in 2018 is inevitable according to a new index and the IMF’s Christine Lagarde who has warned of an “inexcusable, collective policy failure”. Christine Lagarde told an audience in Hong Kong last week that the rules that underpin global trade were “in danger of being torn apart” by protectionist forces in what the IMF managing director said would be “an inexcusable, collective policy failure”. She is most concerned over the tariffs on imported steel and aluminium which were then followed by US action specifically targeting China. Alluding to the tariffs, Ms Lagarde warned that although “the current global picture is bright… we can see darker clouds looming.”

GERMANY - The economic outlook in Germany is deteriorating with alarming speed and any mistake by policy-makers could push the county into a full-blown slump, a leading economic institute has warned. “The danger of recession has increased markedly. It is a notably more critical picture than a month ago,” said the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) in Düsseldorf. The IMK’s early warning indicator said the recession risk over the next three months has jumped suddenly to 32.4pc as trade tensions mount and liquidity ebbs away in the international financial system.