SCATTER COCKROACHES IN RAFAH-ISRAEL HAS STARTED ITS CAMPAIGN OF PEACE.CASHLESS SOCIETY.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

 SCATTER COCKROACHES IN RAFAH-ISRAEL HAS STARTED ITS CAMPAIGN OF PEACE.CASHLESS SOCIETY

MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Elam (IRAN IN THE BIBLE) passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce).
Jeremiah 49:35-39
35-Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
36-And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37-For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, [even] my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
38-And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
39-But it shall come to pass in the latter days, [that] I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 32:24
24-There [is] Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

EZEK 38:4-13
4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5  Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6  Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7  Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8  After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9  Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.
10  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13  Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?(OIL IS IN SPOIL-I BELIEVE THATS WHY RUSSIA,ARAB/MUSLIMS MARCH TO ISRAEL)
EZEK 39:11-21
11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: (EAST OF THE DEAD SEA IN THE JORDAN VALLEY) and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.(CEMETARY OF THE HORDE)
12  And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13  Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; (ALL AVAILABLE ISRAELS WILL BURY THE RUSSIA,MUSLIM HORDE) and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
14  And they shall sever out men of continual employment, (NUCLEAR PROFFESIONALS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.(SO BY THE SOUNDS OF IT AFTER 7 MONTHS THE NUKED RUSSIA,MUSLIM HOARDES BONES WILL STILL BE FULL OF RADIATION, SO VISITERS TO ISRAEL WILL JUST PUT A SIGN BY THE BONES.NOT TOUCH THEM.OR THEY WOULD STILL GET RADIATION POISONING FROM ISRAEL NUKING THEM 7 MONTHS EARLIER.SO THE SIGN GOES BY THE BONES.THE NUCLEAR PROFFESIONALS WILL PICK UP AND TAKE THE BONES TO THE JORDAN VALLEY BURIAL SITE.
15  And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.(VALLEY OF GOGS HORDES)
16  And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah.(MEANING CITY OF THE HOARDE) Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17  And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.(RUSSIA,ISLAMIC HORDE)
18  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20  Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.
21  And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

1 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEN OVER TO
1-PROMISCUOUS SEX AMOUNG EACH OTHER.
ROMANS 1:24
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (THE 60S FREE SEX)
2 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO
2-SODOMITES - MEN LUSTING MEN, AND WOMEN LUSTING AFTER WOMEN.
ROMANS 1:26-27
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
3 OF 3 GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO
3-A DEPRAVED MIND-ANY SIN GOES.
ROMANS 1:28-31
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO THESE 3 DEPRAVED ABOMINATION SINS?
OH OH NOAHS DAY. WHAT HAPPENED IN NOAHS DAY. THE WHOLE WORLD WAS JUDGED BY WATER.
GENESIS 6:7,17
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
GENESIS 7:4
4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
GENESIS 8:16
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
WELL THE SODOMITES PICKED THE RIGHT SIGN OF A RAINBOW FOR JUDGEMENT. THE SODOMITES TRYED TO STEAL GODS SIGN THAT THE WHOLE EARTH WILL NEVER DIE FROM FLOOD WATERS AGAIN. BUT THE JUDGEMENT THIS TIME IS GOING TO BE BY FIRE.NOT WATER.
2 PETER 3:7
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

IDF deploying two reserve brigades to Gaza as Israel girds for Rafah offensive-Troops to reportedly secure central corridor and US aid pier, allowing soldiers there now to ready for planned push into southern city; 40,000 tents for evacuees procured-By Emanuel Fabian and Agencies Today, 2:42 pm-APR 24,24

The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday said it was readying to deploy two reserve brigades for missions in the Gaza Strip, as the military appeared to move ahead with plans for an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it seeks to remove the Hamas terror group from its last major redoubt in the enclave.The 679th “Yiftah” Armored Brigade and the 2nd “Carmeli” Infantry Brigade, which had been operating on the northern border, were set to take responsibility for areas of central Gaza that have remained under Israeli military control since troops largely pulled back from other areas of the Strip earlier this month, according to an Army Radio report.The move will free up Nahal Brigade troops currently holding the central corridor to join the rest of the 162nd Division in preparing for future operations, including planned offensives in Rafah and central Gaza, military sources have said.The IDF said the two reserve brigades “prepared in recent weeks for their mission in the Gaza Strip.”They “practiced battle techniques and learned the main insights and lessons from fighting and maneuvering in the Gaza Strip so far,” the military said.The mobilized brigades were to be placed under the 99th Division. During the first few months of the IDF’s ground offensive, the division had been tasked with the so-called Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip, an east-west route.One of the brigades will again be deployed to the east-west belt dividing the Strip in two, while the second will secure a pier being built by the United States on central Gaza’s coast aimed at boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid, according to Army Radio.The corridor, built around a road south of Gaza City, enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza while allowing Israel to control access to the north for Palestinians seeking to return after fleeing south.Victory in the Gaza war, launched after Hamas’s cross-border massacre and kidnapping spree on October 7, is impossible without taking Rafah, crushing the terror group, and recovering any hostages there, Israel has said.Israeli officials have said Hamas has six remaining battalions in the Gaza Strip, including four in the southern city of Rafah: Yabna (South), Shaboura (North), Tel Sultan (West), and East Rafah. Two more Hamas battalions remain in central Gaza, in the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah camps.The IDF has so far operated across northern Gaza and Gaza City, in some parts of central Gaza, and southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, saying it has dismantled the 18 Hamas battalions there.The fighting has pushed an estimated million displaced Gazan civilians into Rafah, with the international community, including the US, warning that an offensive in the city could significantly worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis.Egypt, which Rafah abuts, said it warned Israel against pushing into the city. Such a move, Egypt’s State Information Service said, “would lead to massive human massacres, losses [and] widespread destruction.”While not discussing specific battle plans, the Israeli military has increasingly signaled readiness to move on Rafah, after pushing off the offensive for over a month to allow for truce talks aimed at freeing the 133 hostages thought still held in the Strip and to hear out US concerns about its plans for fighting in the city.“Hamas was hit hard in the northern sector. It was also hit hard in the center of the Strip. And soon it will be hit hard in Rafah, too,” Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd Division operating in Gaza, told the Kan public broadcaster in an interview aired on Tuesday.“Hamas should know that when the IDF goes into Rafah, it would do best to raise its hands in surrender. Rafah will not be the Rafah of today… There won’t be munitions there. And there won’t be hostages there,” he said.Israel has procured tens of thousands of tents for Palestinian civilians it intends to evacuate from Rafah in the coming weeks, Israeli sources said on Wednesday.After weeks of talks with the US about civilian safeguards, Israel’s Defense Ministry has bought 40,000 tents, each with the capacity for 10 to 12 people, for Palestinians relocated from Rafah, Israeli government sources said.Video circulated online appeared to show rows of square white tents going up in Khan Younis, a city some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Rafah. Images from satellite company Maxar showing multiple tent camps on Khan Younis land that had been vacant on April 7.Government sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet planned to meet in the coming two weeks to authorize civilian evacuations — expected to take around a month — as the first stage of the Rafah sweep.The Defense Ministry and Netanyahu’s office had no immediate comment.Citing Israeli and Egyptian officials, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the Israeli plans envision that the first two to three weeks of the operation in Rafah will consist of evacuating civilians, in coordination with the US, Egypt and other Arab countries.The evacuation will reportedly involve moving civilians to the nearby city of Khan Younis, among other areas in Gaza, where Israel will set up shelters with tents, food and medical facilities.After that, the officials said the IDF would gradually move troops into Rafah and target areas where it believes Hamas leaders and operatives are hiding.Israel also believes that many of the remaining 129 hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led October 7 atrocities are being held in Rafah.The war in Gaza erupted when 3,000 terrorists poured across the border with Israel on October 7 in an unprecedented Hamas-led attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253.The ensuing Israeli offensive has killed over 33,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. This figure cannot be independently verified and includes over 13,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed since the beginning of the war.

Palestinian woman tries to stab troops in West Bank, is shot dead — IDF-No soldiers harmed in incident near Kiryat Arba settlement; alleged assailant identified as 20-year-old woman-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 3:39 pm-APR 24,24

Israeli troops foiled an attempted stabbing attack near the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, the military said Wednesday.The Israel Defense Forces said a female Palestinian assailant tried to stab troops of the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, who were stationed at an army post at a junction near the settlement.“The troops engaged and opened fire at the terrorist who held a knife and charged toward the force,” the military said.The woman was killed, the army said. No troops were hurt in the incident.The official Palestinian news agency WAFA identified the alleged assailant as Maimouna Abdel Hamid Harahsheh, 20.Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before October 7 — when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and abduct over 250 — has escalated throughout the war sparked by the onslaught, with frequent army raids on terror groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages and deadly Palestinian street attacks.Earlier this week, soldiers shot dead three Palestinians who attacked them in separate incidents near Hebron and in the Jordan Valley.Troops also arrested Ahmed Dawabsha, 21, a resident of the West Bank town of Duma, near Ramallah, who is alleged to have been involved in the murder of 14-year-old Benjamin Achimeir, who was found dead on April 13, a day after setting out from an illegal West Bank outpost to herd sheep.Since October 7, troops have arrested some 3,850 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,650 affiliated with Hamas. According to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, more than 480 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.

Germany to resume funding for UNRWA after probe-Europe’s biggest economy announces it will once again cooperate with Palestinian refugee agency, citing probe that found Israeli claims against group lacked evidence-By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 3:23 pm-APR 24,24

Germany said Wednesday it will resume cooperation with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees after a review found Israel had not yet provided evidence that hundreds of staff were members of terrorist groups.Israel alleged in January that some United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees may have participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip and in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253.In the weeks that followed, numerous donor states, including Germany, suspended or paused some $450 million in funding.Many, including Sweden, Canada and Japan, have since resumed funding.Following the independent review’s release on Monday, Germany — Europe’s biggest economy, and a major donor to UNRWA — said it would also “continue its cooperation” with the agency again.“Germany will coordinate closely with its closest international partners to disburse further funds,” said the German foreign and development ministries in a joint statement.Germany said it was aiming to support “UNRWA’s vital and currently irreplaceable role in providing for the people in Gaza.”UNRWA and other UN agencies must be able to carry out their jobs of distributing aid in the territory, which was “more important than ever in light of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” the statement said.The review, led by French diplomat Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality-related issues” at the agency, but noted that “Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence” for its claim that UNRWA employs more than 400 “terrorists.”The neutrality issues highlighted included staff sharing biased political posts on social media and the use of a small number of textbooks with “problematic content” in some UNRWA schools.For years, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education has been raising the alarm over UNRWA’s textbooks, which it has said are systematically inciteful against Israel and antisemitic.Israel said the report “ignores the severity of the problem,” while UNRWA itself welcomed the findings.Berlin called for the report’s recommendations to be implemented without delay.The United States has yet to restore funding to the agency, however, with the White House saying Tuesday it would “have to see real progress” before doing so.Another UN probe is also looking into Israel’s allegations.

Argentina asks host countries to arrest visiting Iranian minister over 1994 bombing-Buenos Aires notes Interpol warrant out for ex-senior Revolutionary Guards official Ahmed Vahidi, accused of masterminding AMIA Jewish center attack that killed 85 people-By ToI Staff and AFP Today, 11:38 am-APR 24,24

Argentina has asked Pakistan and Sri Lanka to arrest Iran’s interior minister over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.The Iranian minister, Ahmad Vahidi, is part of a delegation from Tehran led by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi currently on a trip to the two countries.Argentina’s statement Tuesday noted the international law enforcement agency Interpol’s arrest warrant for Vahidi. Interpol has had a red notice seeking his arrest at the request of Argentina since 2007 — a warrant that was renewed in 2022.Argentina has previously stated that Vahidi, a former senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, is one of the key masterminds of the 1994 attack on the AMIA, and sought his extradition.Vahidi also served as defense minister from 2009 to 2013, under then-Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.On April 12, a court in Argentina placed blame on Iran for the 1994 bombing and for another bombing two years earlier against the Israeli embassy, which killed 29 people.The 1994 assault has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel have long suspected the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah carried it out at Iran’s behest.Prosecutors have charged top Iranian officials with ordering the attack, though Tehran has denied any involvement.The court also implicated Hezbollah and called the attack against the AMIA — the deadliest in Argentina’s history — a “crime against humanity.”Tuesday’s statement from the foreign ministry said: “Argentina seeks the international arrest of those responsible for the AMIA attack of 1994, which killed 85 people, and who remain in their positions with total impunity.”“One of them is Ahmad Vahidi, sought by Argentine justice as one of those responsible for the attack against AMIA,” said the statement, which was co-signed by the security ministry.Raisi, Vahidi and other Iranian officials embarked on a three-day trip to Pakistan starting Monday, seeking to patch up frayed ties between the two countries. The delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday for a brief state visit aimed at strengthening ties and opening a $514-million hydropower project.Decades-long probe-In their ruling this month, the Argentine judges examined the geopolitical context at the time of the attacks and found they corresponded with foreign policy positions towards Iran under Argentina’s then-president Carlos Menem (who was the Argentine president from 1989 to 1999).The attacks’ “origin lies mainly in the unilateral decision of the government — motivated by a change in our country’s foreign policy between late 1991 and mid-1992 — to cancel three contracts for the supply of nuclear equipment and technology concluded with Iran,” the court concluded.The judges put blame on Iran’s then-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani, as well as other Iranian officials and Hezbollah members.In 2006, Argentine courts requested the extradition of eight Iranians, including Rafsanjani and Vahidi.In 2013, then-Argentine president Cristina Kirchner signed a memorandum with Iran under which Argentine prosecutors could question the suspects outside Argentina.The Jewish community in Argentina expressed outrage and accused the president of orchestrating a cover-up.Prosecutor Alberto Nisman opened an investigation in 2015 when Kirchner was in the final year of her second term.Just before he was due to testify before Congress, Nisman was found dead with a gunshot to the head. The cause of death — suicide or murder — remains a mystery.The Argentina justice system eventually dropped its probe of Kirchner.

Tshuva’s Delek unit inks deal for Eni’s UK oil and gas fields in North Sea-Ithaca Energy says the combination deal worth about $938 million will turn the oil and gas exploration company into one of the North Sea’s largest producers-By Sharon Wrobel-Today, 4:18 pm-APR 24,24

Ithaca Energy, an oil and gas exploration company controlled by Yitzhak Tshuva’s Delek Group, has secured an agreement to snap up almost all of Eni’s British oil and gas fields in a share-based deal worth about £754 million ($938 million).As part of the deal, the Italian energy group will merge almost all of its United Kingdom-based oil and gas assets in the North Sea in exchange for a stake in the enlarged issued share capital of Ithaca, which is 89 percent owned by Tel Aviv-based Delek.Following the combination transaction, Tshuva’s Delek will remain the controlling owner of Ithaca and will hold about 52.7% of the share capital, Eni UK will hold 37.3%, and 10% will be held by the public.“The strategic move will turn Ithaca into a major player in the North Sea, with excellent assets and significant cash flow that is expected to grow as a result of the deal,” said Delek CEO Idan Wallace.The combined group with 37 producing oil and gas assets is expected to generate more than 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from the second half of 2024, with the potential to grow to 150,000 barrels of oil per day by the early 2030s, Ithaca said.In 2023, the average production output from Ithaca’s assets amounted to 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.With the completion of the deal, Ithaca plans to pay an annual dividend of $500 million each in 2024 and in 2025 to shareholders. In 2023, the London Stock Exchange-listed firm paid an annual dividend of $400 million.Founded in 2004, Ithaca has stakes in six of the 10 largest energy assets in the UK’s North Sea. It operates oil and gas assets in the northern and central North Sea, West of Shetland and Moray Firth areas of the British continental shelf.Israeli energy conglomerate Delek Group, through its NewMed Energy unit, formerly Delek Drilling, holds a 45.3% working interest in the Leviathan gas field in the Mediterranean, Israel’s largest offshore gas reservoir. NewMed also owns a 30% stake in the Aphrodite natural gas field, offshore of Cyprus.

FM Katz: Aid package sends strong message to our enemies-Minister claims Biden harming ties with Israel, says he’d vote for Trump if he could-Comments from Amichai Chikli accusing US president of failing to project strength come hours before package earmarking billions in military aid expected to be signed into law-By ToI Staff Today, 2:17 pm-APR 24,24

An Israeli government minister bashed United States President Joe Biden as weak and said he would vote for presumptive Republican challenger Donald Trump if he could vote in the American elections.The Wednesday comment from Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, which drew an immediate rebuke from Israel’s opposition leader, came as Biden was set to sign a bill sending billions in military aid to Israel hours after it was passed by Congress.“The US is not projecting strength under [Biden’s] leadership, and it’s harming Israel and other countries,” Chikli, of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, told Kan Radio.“He said ‘Don’t’ at the start of the war — to Hezbollah, as well as Iran. We saw the result,” he added, referring to Iran’s unprecedented launch of hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, which were shot down by Israel with the help of the US and other countries.“If I were an American citizen with the right to vote, I’d vote for Trump and Republicans,” he added.The remarks underlined growing divisions between Netanyahu’s government and Biden’s administration, which has tempered its support of Israel’s war effort in Gaza with criticism of the Israeli military’s approach to the fight, the handling of humanitarian needs in the Strip and Netanyahu’s leadership. Washington has grown progressively more bold in projecting its unease as protests against its support for Israel have gained steam across the country, building into a formidable challenge to Biden’s re-election hopes.“Biden is a friend of Israel, but he’s under intense pressure that is affecting him and creating real damage to relations between the countries,” Chikli added.Responding to the remarks, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said Israel has a “government of complete stupidity.”“This is what comes hours after the Senate approved $14 billion in security assistance and a few hours before President Biden is supposed to sign it,” Lapid wrote on X.Biden promised late Tuesday to immediately sign the bill into law once it reaches his desk Wednesday. The package earmarks some $13 billion in military aid for Israel, as well as another $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $2.4 billion for US military activities in response to attacks in the Middle East. The lion’s share of the $95 billion package will go to bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.In a statement early Wednesday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz celebrated the passage of the long-delayed military assistance, thanking the legislative chamber’s Democratic and Republican leaders for their “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”“As we mark 200 days to the barbaric October 7th terror attack by Hamas, Israel and the United States stand together in the fight against terrorism, defending democracy and our shared values,” Katz said in a statement. “The Israel aid package that now passed both houses of Congress is a clear testament to the strength of our alliance and sends a strong message to all our enemies.”Passage of the aid, which comes on top of $3.8 billion on foreign military assistance the US sends Israel annually, will come as anti-Israel protests have ramped up on college campuses and in cities across the US, with some calling to cut off military aid to Israel.The issue has proven vexing for the president, who has long joined the US foreign policy establishment in embracing Israel as an indispensable Middle East ally. Yet he also has criticized Netanyahu for mounting deaths in Gaza and told him that future US aid depends on Israel taking steps to protect civilians.The US is also mulling blacklisting the Israel Defense Forces’ Netzah Yehuda battalion and other units over alleged human rights abuses, and has levied unprecedented sanctions on Israeli citizens accused of extremist attacks on Palestinians.Trump, who like Netanyahu is currently on trial, frequently touts himself as a devoted ally of Israel, pointing to his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and his administration’s role in brokering the 2020 Abraham Accords, which saw Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, normalize ties with Israel. But he has also complained bitterly about Netanyahu due to the prime minister’s recognition of Biden as the winner of the 2020 election and has accused him of betrayal.Days after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, Trump criticized Israel for failing to anticipate the attack and called Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a “jerk.” More recently, the mercurial former US president has spoken in favor of Israel “finishing the job” against Hamas, but has also panned Israel’s handling of the war and said it should finish it up quickly.As Diaspora minister, Chikli is charged with maintaining Israel’s relations with Jewish communities in the US and around the world. Many Jewish leaders have criticized Trump for invective hurled at the Jewish community for a perceived lack of loyalty.Earlier this month, Trump said that “any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined.”Agencies contributed to this report.

Anti-Israel university protests the latest election-year tightrope for Biden-Students’ opposition to the US president’s Middle East policy could be the difference between another Biden term in the White House or the return of Donald Trump-By Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price and CHRIS MEGERIAN Today, 1:06 pm-APR 24,24

NEW YORK (AP) — Student protests over the war in Gaza have created a new and unpredictable challenge for United States President Joe Biden as he resists calls to cut off US support for Israel while trying to hold together the coalition of voters he’ll need for reelection.The protests at Columbia University in New York and other campuses have captured global media attention and resurfaced questions about Biden’s lagging support from young voters. His handling of the Middle East conflict is also being closely watched by both Jewish and Arab American voters in key swing states.At best for Biden, the protests are a passing distraction while the White House presses forward with negotiations over a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas while pushing Israel to limit casualties with more than 34,000 Palestinians claimed to be dead.The number has been reported by Hamas and cannot be independently verified as it is believed to include both Hamas fighters and civilians, some of whom were killed as a consequence of the terror group’s own rocket misfires.The Israel Defense Forces says it has killed over 13,000 terrorists in Gaza, in addition to some 1,000 who were killed inside Israel on and immediately following October 7.At worst, the protests build momentum toward the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, potentially triggering scenes of violence that could recall the unrest of protests against the Vietnam War during the party’s convention there in 1968.“If it ends with Columbia, that’s one thing,” said Angus Johnston, a historian focused on campus activism. “If this sends the national student movement to a new place, that’s a very different situation.”Already, Biden’s aides have had to work to minimize disruptions from antiwar protesters, holding smaller campaign events and tightly controlling access. Demonstrators forced his motorcade to change routes to the Capitol on his way to deliver the State of the Union, and they’ve thrown a red substance intended to symbolize blood near his home in Delaware.The president could face more confrontations with students this spring. Morehouse College said Tuesday that Biden would appear at the iconic historically Black campus in May.More than 100 anti-Israel demonstrators camped out at Columbia were arrested Thursday, with dozens more people arrested at other campuses. Many now face charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct. The protesters have demanded that their universities condemn Israel’s war in Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253 and divest from companies that do business with Israel.Some people have reported antisemitic chants and messages at and around the Columbia campus, and similar concerns have been reported at other universities. Some Jewish students say they’ve felt unsafe on campus. The White House, in a message Sunday to mark the Passover holiday, denounced what it called an “alarming surge” of antisemitism, saying it “has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.”Four Jewish Democratic members of Congress toured Columbia’s locked-down campus on Monday with members of the school’s Jewish Law Students Association. They condemned that things had escalated to where Jewish students felt unsafe and the university canceled in-person classes Monday. Columbia said it would use hybrid remote and in-person learning through the end of the spring term.Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina called on the Education Department and Justice Department to work with the White House “to ensure that all universities take steps necessary to keep Jewish students and faculty safe.”“This discrimination is simply unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue,” she said.Biden on Monday sought the same middle ground that he’s staked out for months as he backs Israel’s military operations with weapons shipments while also pushing Israel to limit civilian casualties and get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where the United Nations has said there is a looming famine.“I condemn the antisemitic protests,” the president said at an Earth Day event. He then added, “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a high-profile progressive who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, spoke before Biden at the same event. She said it was “important that we remember the power of young people shaping this country” and praised “the leadership of those peaceful student-led protests.”Former US president Donald Trump, Biden’s presumptive Republican opponent in November, pointed to the headlines and images coming out of Columbia to redirect focus from his criminal hush money trial in New York, telling reporters in the courthouse Tuesday that Biden bears the blame for the unrest.“If this were me, you’d be after me. You’d be after me so much,” he said. “But they’re trying to give him a pass. But what’s going on is a disgrace to our country, and it’s all Biden’s fault and everybody knows it.”In a sign of the political potency of the situation at Columbia, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson planned to visit the school Wednesday and meet with Jewish students.Joel Rubin, a former State Department official and Democratic strategist who has worked in Jewish politics for years, rejected critics blaming Biden “for everything that’s gone wrong,” but said the president would have to “make the argument for why the policy is the right one and let the chips fall where they may.”“If it were purely politics and polling, it would be a very hard one,” Rubin said. “But I think Biden is making these decisions based on national security.”Biden graduated from Syracuse’s law school in 1968, bypassing the campus convulsions over the Vietnam War. He distanced himself from that protest movement two decades later during his first run for president.“I was married, I was in law school, I wore sports coats,” Biden said in 1987. “You’re looking at a middle-class guy. I am who I am. I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts. You know, that’s not me.″Biden has been endorsed this year by many leading youth activist organizations and also built his campaign around key social issues — such as defending abortion rights, combating climate change and canceling student debt for millions — that they believe can energize voters under 30 who are more likely to be concerned about the president’s approach to Gaza.He was in Florida on Tuesday to capitalize on the momentum against nationwide abortion restrictions and criticize a state law soon to go into effect that will ban abortions after six weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant. A day earlier, US Vice President Kamala Harris held an event promoting abortion rights in the swing state of Wisconsin.Safia Southey, a 25-year-old law student at Columbia who is Jewish, has been participating in the protest and sleeping at the encampment on the university’s quad since Thursday. She believes outrage over the war will deflate Biden’s chances against Trump because staunch supporters of Israel are more likely to support the presumptive Republican nominee.“I think Biden has tried to be very strategic and it’s backfired in a lot of ways,” she said.However, Southey said she’ll vote for Biden “pretty much no matter what” in a matchup with Trump.“The students who are upset, especially at these kinds of universities, are smart enough to not stay home,” she said. “I think that they’re going to go out and vote, and they’re going to go for the most strategic option, even if they’re not happy for Biden. I think that they would do anything to make sure that Trump’s not in office.”Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher was skeptical that campus demonstrations over Gaza would prove to be politically influential.“What percentage of Americans are really in those narrow spaces, and how representative are they of a broader American audience or even a broader youth audience?” he asked.Johnston, the historian on student activism, said the current protests don’t approach the size or intensity of demonstrations in the 1960s, when school officials were held hostage and campuses were vandalized.But over the years, he said, “there’s a lot of times where student protests have shaped the national debate.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL AND THE WEST

EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
PSALMS 83:3-7 (COUNTRIES AGAINST ISRAEL)(EXCEPT JORDAN)
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
DANIEL 11:44 (CHINA WITH RUSSIA-MUSLIMS)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

JOEL 3:2 (WW3 OCCURS WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED)
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people (ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(JERUSALEM)(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND BRINGS 3 DEAD BILLION IN WW3)

JUDE 14-16
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

WATCH THIS VIDEO-1/4 OF ISLAM MIGHT BE GONE BY MAY 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ7wh6BMTlw
THIS VIDEO COULD BE A SIGN BEING IT IS RADAM IN COCKROCH LANDS. WHILE IN THIS VIDEO A CROW TAKES AN ISRAEL FLAG OFF THE FLAG POLE. REPRESENTING THE MUSLIM COCKROACHES WANT ISRAEL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. THEN ON THE VIDEO WE SEE THE CROWS TEARING UP THE ISRAELI FLAG. TO ME THIS SAYS BY MAY 2024. THESE MUSLIM COCHROACH HORDES WILL BE COMING AGAINST ISRAEL. AND ISRAE‎L WILL NUKE 1/4 OF ISLAM. THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS WILL EAT THE MUSLIM COCKROACHES FLESH. AND THE 300 MILLION DEAD MUSLIMS WILL BE BURIED IN MASS GRAVES IN THE JORDAN VALLEY.   

DANIEL CHAPTER 9:24-27 EXPLAINED.
24 Seventy weeks (70X7=490 YEARS) are determined upon thy people (ISRAEL) and upon thy holy city,(JERUSALEM) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.(JESUS ANNOINTED WITH HOLY OIL AS KING OF JERUSALEM FOREVER).
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, (7X7=49 YEARS) and threescore and two weeks:(62X7=434 YEARS) the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.(490-49-434=7 YR PERIOD WERE GOD DEALS WITH ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM (NOT THE CHURCH-THE TRUE CHURCH IS IS IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS FOR THAT LAST 7 YEAR PERIOD.)(DANIEL 9:26-27 IS IN THE FUTURE WHEN GOD DEALS ON EARTH WITH ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM FOR THAT FINAL 7 TEAR PERIOD. WHEN ALL OF ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED BY MESSIAH JESUS.)(AT THE END OF IT)
26 And after threescore and two weeks (69X7=483 YEARS)(ONE 7 YEAR PERIOD UNTIL PROPHECY IS FULFILLED) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (ROMANS) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(2ND TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(NOW THE FINAL ISRAEL-JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN FOR MESSIAH JESUS RETURN THE LAST 7 YEARS)
27 And he (HE WHO? HE HERE IS THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE LEADER THAT MAKES THE FINAL 7 YR CONTRACT WITH ISRAEL AND MANY MUSLIM COUNTRIES FOR A 7 YR PERIOD, AND THE EU WILL GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY FOR THIS LAST PERIOD) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: (7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week (3 1/2 YEARS IN) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (THIS FALSE MESSIAH OR ROMAN LEADER STOPS THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES IN THE 3RD TEMPLE AT THE MIDPOINT OF THE 7 YR DEAL. A JEW MURDERS HIM WITH A SWORD WOUND AND HE HAS A FALSE RESSURECTION-SATAN INCARNATES IN HIS BODY. AND BRINGS HIM BACK TO LIFE.AND HE THEN SITS IN THE 3RD TEMPLE CALLING HIMSELF GOD AS THE WORLD SAYS HES JESUS REINCARNATED. AND BY THIS FALSE RESURRECTION GOD SENDS THIS STRONG DELUTION ON THE EARTH THAT ALL THE LOST WILL WORSHIP THIS ROMAN LEADER AS GOD AND ACCEPT HIS NAME, NUMBER OR NUMBER OF HIS NAME IN THEIR MICROCHIP IMPLANT. THAT THEY MIGHT BE DOOMED, DAMNED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE FOREVER. WHO WORSHIPS THIS ROMAN LEADER AS GOD.) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.(WARS NON STOP DURING THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR PERIOD.

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-28 (FROM DAN 9:27)
27 Fulfil her week,(7 YEARS) and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, (NUKE WARS BREAK OUT) as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
 
ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)(1 LAST AND WORST HOLOCAUST IN HISTORY AGAINST ISRAEL BY THIS ROMAN LEADER.AFTER THIS LEADER STOPS THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES.A JEW KILLS HIM.HES RESURRECTED TO LIFE AND INCARNATED BY SATAN HIMSELF. AND SINCE SATAN HATES ISRAEL-NOW THAT HES POSSESSING THE ROMAN LEADERS BODY. HE FIRST POLLUTES THE 3RD TEMPLE BY SITTING IN THE 3RD TEMPLE CALLING HIMSELF GOD.HE THEN GOES AFTER ISRAELIS TO KILL EVERY ONE ON EARTH OF THEM.THE  FALSE MESSIAHS MASK IS OFF. AND THE ISRAELIS ARE FLOWN TO PETRA IN JORDAN WERE THEY WILL BE PROTECTED BY GOD FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.BUT THERE WILL STILL BE LOTS OF ISRAELIS IN ISRAEL YET. GOD MUST JUST PROTECT THE SAVED ISRAELIS IN PETRA JORDAN.

7 WORLD EMPIRES IN WORLD HISTORY.

1-Egyptian (3000 BC – 858 BC)-Defeated by Assyrian invasion and succeeded by them.
2-Assyrian (858 BC – 612 BC)-Nineveh destroyed by Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC then defeated by Babylonians.
3-Babylonian (605 BC – 539 BC)-Begun by Nebuchadnezzar, ended by Medes and Persians.
4-Media-Persian (539 BC – 532 BC)-Together with Medes destroyed Babylon.Established by Cyrus the Great.Ended by defeat at hands of Alexander.
5-Grecian (331 – 31 BC)-Alexander defeated the Persians and established Greek world rule.   Ended by Roman.
6-Roman (31 BC through New Testament period with “ Holy Roman Empire.”Fell to Germanic invasion.(DIED FROM INTERNAL CORRUPTION).
7-Revived Roman Empire (1957, the Treaty of Rome-(REVIVED ROME TREATY-JESUS RETURNS) is a matter of end-time prophecy.JESUS DESTROYS AND RULES FROM JERUSALEM FOR 1,000 YEARS.THEN FOREVER.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.

Elam (IRAN IN THE BIBLE) passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce).
Jeremiah 49:35-39
35-Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
36-And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37-For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, [even] my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
38-And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
39-But it shall come to pass in the latter days, [that] I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 32:24
24-There [is] Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

IDF: Fighter jets, artillery forces hit 40 targets in south Lebanon in short period-By Emanuel Fabian-APR 24,24

Israeli fighter jets and artillery forces carried out a wave of strikes against dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the military says.According to the IDF, some 40 targets in Ayta ash-Shab were hit by aircraft and artillery shelling within several minutes.The targets included weapon depots and other assets belonging to Hezbollah, the military says.The IDF says the strikes are “part of the effort to destroy the organization’s infrastructure in the border area.”Ayta ash-Shab is used by Hezbollah for “terror” and it places dozens of its sites in the area, the military charges.

Gallant: IDF has ‘eliminated’ half of Hezbollah’s south Lebanon commanders, remainder are in hiding-By Emanuel Fabian-APR 24,24

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon have been killed by the Israeli military.The remarks are made following a visit to the IDF Northern Command in Safed, where Gallant held an assessment with the chief of the command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and other top officers.“Half of the Hezbollah commanders in south Lebanon have been eliminated… and the other half hide and abandon south Lebanon to IDF operations,” Gallant says.He says Israel’s main goal in the north is to return the tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes, amid Hezbollah’s daily attacks.“We are dealing with a number of alternatives in order to establish this matter, and the coming period will be decisive in this regard,” Gallant says.

‘Son of Hamas’ Mosab Hassan Yousef: ‘If we finish Rafah, we finish Hamas’Back in the public sphere after Oct. 7, the former terror scion turned undercover Shin Bet agent laments how the Islamist group his father co-founded is tolerated in the West-By Natan Galula Today, 5:32 am-APR 24,24

One of the most passionate voices in support of a large-scale Israel Defense Force operation to clear Hamas from its last major stronghold in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city of Rafah comes from a man raised by the terrorist organization.Mosab Hassan Yousef, the disowned son of a Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, told The Times of Israel last week that the Israeli government must “finish the job” in Gaza to remove Hamas from power, regardless of the unfolding situation with Iran.“We need to go into Rafah now. Not tomorrow. What are we waiting for? We finish Rafah, we finish Hamas. This will remove them from power, which will be the first step [toward peace],” he said.The 45-year-old was born in Ramallah and vividly remembers the foundation of Hamas in 1986. Decades ago, Yousef was dubbed the “Green Prince” (also the title of a 2014 documentary based on his autobiography) for his efforts to help Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, in thwarting terror attacks during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.After saving countless lives in those harrowing days, he has developed a “fundamental relationship” with the Jewish people, albeit not without bumps along the road.His sharp-tongued criticism of Hamas has been considered too controversial by some, he said, eventually leading to his disappearance from public activism. However, the October 7 atrocities brought him back.On that day, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel and butchered 1,200 people, most of them civilians, with stunning brutality in an orgy of violence that saw entire families burned alive, widespread rape and sexual assault, and the torture and dismemberment of victims that included women, children and infants, and the elderly. Two hundred and fifty-three people were also abducted to the Gaza Strip, where 133 are still being held hostage.“When October 7 happened it was like an earthquake for me,” said Yousef. “I wanted to go into silence. I was leading a very simple life. But that morning, the lion within me awakened, a volcano was about to erupt. I made a decision to burn this evil down to ashes.”‘I made a decision to burn this evil down to ashes’Yousef warned that Iran’s latest attack against Israel with more than 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones was “just a rehearsal. We don’t know if Iran has biological weapons, we don’t know if Iran has chemical weapons.”“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a very serious global threat, not just against Israel. Iran is not only a dictatorship, a terrorist regime, but a truly irresponsible religious leadership that is not concerned with this life; they are concerned with the afterlife. If they destroy the entire region to achieve their religious agenda — they are willing to do it,” he claimed.Ambassador of anti-Hamas ‘hope’Since speaking with British talk show host Piers Morgan in the early days of the war in Gaza, Yousef has again become a popular speaker on the campus circuit — though he’s not always given a warm welcome. In early April, Indiana University urged the Jewish organization IU Hillel to postpone an event featuring Yousef for “security concerns.”The Times of Israel spoke with Yousef ahead of a planned event at UC Berkeley last week that was billed as a debate with Al Jazeera host Marc Lamont Hill. According to The Jewish News of Northern California, there were no protesters outside the auditorium, which was filled to capacity.He was invited to Berkeley by Israel-born Siena Naaman Cohen, who saw Yousef deliver a talk at the University of Michigan a few months ago. Cohen, who lives in Lafayette, California, a few miles east of Berkeley, urged her husband, Scott, to help make this happen. Her husband graduated from UC Berkeley, and the couple is active in the local Jewish community.October 7 was a “shock” for Cohen, who said that bringing Yousef to UC Berkeley, infamously known for its anti-Israel activism, was a significant statement, one that filled her with “hope.”Cohen related that when she contacted the Jewish Community Center in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise funds for the event, the organization rejected the request. Her friend, attorney Michael Geller, a member of the JCC’s board of directors, resigned over the decision, she said.Even without the fundraising help, the event in Berkeley took place as planned with no on-campus tensions — unlike the violent protest in late February that forced the cancelation and evacuation of a pro-Israel event, and the takeover of the Golden Gate Bridge by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.“We published the event only last week, without disclosing the Jewish groups behind it,” Cohen noted. “In just one or two days, 500 people signed up. The university gave us a hall with 237 seats.”‘Jewish groups consider me controversial’Yousef, who has converted to Christianity, sought political asylum in the United States in 2007, after which he published an autobiography titled “Son of Hamas.” In it, he details how he became a spy for Israel, speaks about the brutal Hamas regime, and discusses how he became disillusioned with Hamas’s ideology.“The Islamic ideological dimension, their hatred toward the Jews, is something that we need to address. We cannot keep hiding. Every time I bring up the topic everybody just closes their ears. Even some Israelis, they don’t want to hear it,” Yousef said.Yousef said he is frustrated by the Jewish organizations, campuses and institutions that don’t invite him to speak to students about the conflict with his firsthand knowledge of the workings of the notorious terrorist organization.“I could have been educating students about Islamists, about Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and even Iran. This is my field,” Yousef said. “But for some reason, some Jewish organizations still consider me controversial; they look at me even in suspicion, which is very hard for me to say.”“Most people don’t want to face the truth,” he said. “When I touch the religious and ideological aspect of the conflict, which is fundamental — I cannot ignore it — when I say Islam is a problem, many Jewish organizations say: Wait a moment, he will be considered an Islamophobe, that’s not how we want to represent ourselves.”The former spy noted with bitter irony that those who were supposed to be his friends were critical of his messages, while the pro-Palestinians accused him of being funded by the Israeli government and Zionist organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — all while he was advocating for Israel at his own expense.‘I’m following my moral compass and taking my own moral responsibility’“I’m following my moral compass and taking my own moral responsibility. For me this is not a business, it’s the future of children, the future of the region, the future of humanity; it’s a fundamental fight,” Yousef said.October 7 ‘seeps to the depths of my soul’Yousef approaches the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in black-and-white terms: right and wrong, good versus evil. Having witnessed the terrorist organization’s cruelty against its own members while he was imprisoned in Israel in his late teens, Yousef has taken on the task of warning people against the Islamist power that now reigns in Gaza.“For many years I warned Israel, I warned the global community. I wrote a book about it in detail; I appeared on so many media outlets saying that Hamas is not good news. I was sentenced to death [by Hamas] in the process. But instead of listening to my warnings as an eyewitness from the ground, I got canceled,” Yousef said.While Yousef initially avoided watching the footage of Hamas’s atrocities on October 7, he eventually mustered the strength to view it.“When I look at this it is very personal… and I am very frustrated. I don’t want to say that this is my war, but it seeps into the depths of my soul. I cannot help but now yell. I’m shouting out loud and people are still not listening,” he lamented.Yousef speaks with great pain about Hamas’s strengthening. Allowing it to rule over Gaza was a “big mistake,” he said, adding that to reverse course now and revive the more peaceful days once shared by Israelis and Palestinians would require an ideological reboot from the ground up.“I’m not trying to ignite a religious war because there is already a religious war,” he said. “I’m trying to turn this around by saying you cannot weaponize your Islamic, religious identity against a religious minority and expect to get away with it. I have to call them out.”‘I’m not trying to ignite a religious war because there is already a religious war’People cite land, occupation, or colonization as the primary causes of the conflict while ignoring the fundamentalist religious aspect, “which is how Hamas is winning the PR war,” Yousef said.When discussing his renunciation of Hamas and abandoning his religious and tribal identity, Yousef recalled what was at stake. Entrusted with the Hamas finances at one point, Yousef had financial security, social prestige, and a well-connected Palestinian family. But to Yousef, all of it was “death.”“You need to defy death in order to live. Suppose we do not make our peace with death… In that case, people bullying us, people trying to control us in the name of God, in the name of religion — at some point [you] have to rebel,” he said.

Columns In Urdu-Language Pakistani Dailies Discuss 'Missing Persons': 'The Involvement Of Missing Persons In Various Incidents Of Terrorism... Is A Matter Of Grave Concern'; 'Not Just Two Or Four, Hundreds Of People Are Missing From Baluchistan'April 24, 2024-Pakistan | Special Dispatch No. 11292

In recent columns in Pakistan's Urdu-language newspapers, two Pakistani columnists discussed the issue of "Missing Persons,"  a term used to refer both to terrorists in Pakistan, especially in the border tribal region, as well as to civil rights activists and secessionists in Baluchistan province, who are believed to have been picked up by intelligence agencies over the past decade and more.In September 2012, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, the then chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court, described Pakistani intelligence agencies as "death squads" after they refused to comply with 60 of his orders from 68 court hearings.[1] After 9/11, the Pakistani government indeed captured many terrorists and handed them over to the U.S. However, the reference to "Missing Persons" predominantly means the Baluchi activists, academics, students, and rebels who have been routinely picked up by Pakistani intelligence agencies, and their relatives routinely organize protests and rallies in Islamabad to highlight the issue and get emotional closure.Baloch women at a protest in Islamabad demanding freedom for their missing relatives (image courtesy: Twitter)-After the March 26, 2024, terror attack at Bisham in Shangla district in which five Chinese nationals were killed, former Pakistani lawmaker and columnist Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani wrote an article, titled "New Wave of Terrorism," in the Urdu daily Roznama Jang, presenting a pro-military view and arguing that the "Missing Persons" refer to terrorists who launch attacks in Pakistan from their hideouts in Afghanistan and Baluchi activists in terror training camps in India and Iran.On January 5, 2024, noted columnist Shahnawaz Farooqui wrote a provocative column in the Urdu daily Roznama Jasarat titled "Pakistan or Laptastan",  which coined the term "Laptastan" to mean "the land of Missing Persons." Roznama Jasarat belongs to Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. In his article, Shahnawaz Farooqui criticized those who do not acknowledge the issue of "Missing Persons" and argued that Pakistan's military generals have always made one thing or another go "missing," including half of Pakistan itself in the 1971 war.Following are excerpts from Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani's article:[2]-"After 9/11, Attempts Were Made By International Forces To Make Baluchistan A Part Of The Great Game; There Were Reports In The Media That Secret Agencies From At Least Three Foreign Countries Who Want To Use Innocent Baloch Citizens Are Active In Baluchistan""A vehicle belonging to Chinese engineers was attacked and fell into a deep ditch at Basham in the area of Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Five Chinese citizens and a Pakistani driver lost their lives as a result of the alleged suicide attack [on March 26, 2024]. The Basham attack was strongly condemned at the highest level of government, including by the president [Asif Zardari]. The prime minister of Pakistan [Shehbaz Sharif] went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad to personally offer condolences. China has demanded that those responsible for the cowardly attack be punished."A day earlier [on March 25], a brave soldier of the Pakistan armed forces was martyred in a terrorist attack on the naval base in Turbat in [Baluchistan province]. The cowardly ambitions of the terrorists could not be fulfilled by the timely and effective response of the security agencies. No one has yet accepted the responsibility for the recent incidents of terrorism, but there is no doubt that the fabric of all such horrific attacks in the past has been linked to extremist elements hiding in Afghanistan."The increasing incidents of terrorism in recent days in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, which border Afghanistan, prove that the monster of terrorism is rising again in the troubled areas of Pakistan. A few days ago, I came across a video clip on WhatsApp in which 'missing persons' were found to be involved in terrorism. The issue of missing persons in Pakistan first came to the fore during the reign of General Pervez Musharraf after 9/11 when the United States attacked Afghanistan along with the coalition forces."Those with ideological association with the Taliban went to Afghanistan [to fight against American troops], while here [in Pakistan] their families declared them 'missing persons.' Only a few of the thousands of fighters could return home safely; the rest are still missing. [They]... continued to attack Pakistani security agencies. There were many reports that, due to them leaving their family without telling them anything, their grieving families declared them missing and demanded their recovery from the government of Pakistan.A screenshot of the article in Roznama Jang-"More or less the same situation was seen in the province of Baluchistan, which is adjacent to Afghanistan and Iran, when the Baloch leader [and former chief minister Nawab] Akbar Bugti, who was protesting in the mountains during the reign of General Musharraf, was targeted in a missile attack [by Pakistani military on August 26, 2006]."After 9/11, attempts were made by international forces to make Baluchistan a part of the Great Game. There were reports in the media that secret agencies of at least three international countries are active in Baluchistan who want to use innocent Baloch citizens to achieve their nefarious purposes. Secessionist military groups began emerging in order to create lawlessness in the province. They started a series of attacks on those coming from outside the province [non-Baluchis employed in the government of Baluchistan or private sector]."In many tragic incidents, innocent passengers from buses were killed in public because their National Identity Cards had an address outside Baluchistan. The Chinese experts working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, which is indispensable for the country's development and prosperity, also became a target of the wave of terrorism.""While All Major Political Parties At The National Level Agree With The Position Of The Security Agencies That Are Trying To Defend The Country, That The Case Of 'Missing People' Is A Well-Thought-Out And Organized Conspiracy Against The Forces Of Pakistan To Make Innocent Citizens Hate The Pakistani State""When voices started to be raised for the return of the 'missing persons,' some political parties in Baluchistan made this issue a part of their election manifesto. While all major political parties at the national level agree with the position of the security agencies that are trying to defend the country, that the case of 'missing persons 'is a well-thought-out and organized conspiracy against the forces of Pakistan to make innocent citizens hate the Pakistani state and turn the people against the government institutions.

MEMRI TV JTTM -Russian Political Scientist Ivan Timofeev: 'The Idea Of Jointly Countering The U.S. Finds Support In Both Moscow And Beijing' April 24, 2024-Russia, China | Special Dispatch No. 11295

Political scientist and General Director of Russian International Affairs Council Ivan Timofeev argues in his April 15, 2024 article for Valdai Discussion Club that the current crisis in Russo-Western relations has delivered an unprecedented blow to Euro-Atlantic security system and deliberates on the need to establish a new structure of Eurasian security. China and Russia, he argues, strive to build contours of the new system, which will be based on the principles of dialogue, distribution of responsibility, and multi-dimensional security.[1]Associate Professor at MGIMO University Ivan Timofeev at an expert seminar conducted by Russian International Affairs Council. (Source: RIAC)"Russia Has Increasingly Viewed NATO Expansion As A Security Threat""Already in April 2024, the Russian leader's idea was being pursued during Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to China. Russia's top diplomat told the press about an agreement with the Chinese to begin a dialogue on the structure of security in Eurasia, a topic that was addressed during the visit. The very fact that Putin's idea appeared on the agenda of negotiations between the two major powers suggests that it could take concrete shape, both at the level of political theory and at the level of practice."The idea of Eurasian security inevitably raises questions about other related projects. Sergey Lavrov, during his visit to Beijing, directly linked the need for a new structure with the problems of Euro-Atlantic security built around NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). References to the Euro-Atlantic experience seem important for two reasons."First, the Euro-Atlantic project is distinguished by its high level of institutional integration. In fact, it is built on the basis of a military alliance (NATO) where the members maintain strict obligations. Despite the end of the Cold War, the North Atlantic Alliance not only survived, but also expanded to include former Warsaw Pact countries. NATO is the largest and, by historical standards, an exceptionally stable military alliance."Second, the Euro-Atlantic project after the end of the Cold War was unable to solve the problem of common and indivisible security for all countries in the region. The OSCE, in theory, could bring together both NATO countries and those which did not belong to the alliance, including Russia, into a single community. But since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a process of politicisation of the OSCE in favour of the interests of Western countries. Russia has increasingly viewed NATO expansion as a security threat. Instruments such as the Russia-NATO Council were unable to absorb the growing contradictions. The lack of effective and equal institutions that would take into account the interests of Russia and integrate it into the common security space ultimately led to growing alienation and a crisis in relations between Russia and the West. This transition was accompanied by the degradation of the arms control regime, the erosion of the rules of the game in the field of security against the backdrop of military operations by the United States and its allies, and interference in the internal affairs of post-Soviet countries. The culmination was the Ukrainian crisis, the military stage of which finally determined the dividing lines in Europe.

US commander sees 'breathtaking' development of China's space power-by AFP Staff Writers-Sydney (AFP) April 24, 2024

China's military capabilities in space are developing at a "breathtaking" pace that only looks set to intensify after recent defence reforms, the head of the US Space Command said Wednesday.General Stephen Whiting told journalists that Beijing had "tripled the number of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance satellites on orbit" in just six years, with repercussions across military domains."Frankly, the People's Republic of China is moving at breathtaking speed in space and they are rapidly developing a range of counter-space weapons to hold at risk our space capabilities," Whiting said.Describing China as the United States' top "pacing challenge", Whiting said Beijing had used "space capabilities to improve the lethality, the precision and the range of their terrestrial forces".China's leaders had underscored future space ambitions with recent military reforms, he added.Beijing on Friday announced the creation of an information support force within the People's Liberation Army, essentially reforming the way cyber, information, logistics and space operations are run.The changes "further enhance the importance of space and information warfare and cyber operations" in China's military, Whiting said, offering an initial assessment of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's April 19 announcement.The head of the US Space Command -- a unified combatant command that brings together all service branches including the Space Force -- urged "more transparency" from China, as it develops civilian and military space capabilities.The world's second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space programme in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia.China will on Thursday send a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station, part of an effort to send astronauts to the Moon and establish a research base on the lunar surface by 2030.China has billed the International Lunar Research Station as a cooperative and scientifically focused project."We've seen the announcements of China's ambitions to go to the Moon and you know, those appear to be exploratory and scientific on the surface," said Whiting."But the Chinese aren't very transparent with what they do in space. And so, you know, we hope there's not a military component to that. But we would certainly welcome more transparency.

"China to send fresh crew to Tiangong space station Jiuquan, China (AFP) April 24, 2024 - China will send a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station on Thursday, Beijing's Manned Space Agency announced, the latest mission in a programme that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.The Shenzhou-18 mission -- crewed by three astronauts -- is scheduled to take off at 8:59 pm (1259 GMT) Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Beijing announced Wednesday.It will be led by Ye Guangfu, a fighter pilot and astronaut who was previously part of the Shenzhou-13 crew in 2021.He will be joined by astronauts Li Cong and Li Guangsu, who are heading into space for the first time.Commander Ye described the launch as a "new beginning"."Facing the challenge, my two teammates and I are fully prepared. We are full of confidence in completing this mission!" he said at a press conference on Wednesday.Li Guangsu said he wanted to take a "good look at the beautiful blue planet, the splendid mountains and rivers of the motherland, and find the places that have nurtured me along the way"."I also want to see for my lovely child if the stars in the sky can really twinkle or not," he added.The latest batch of Tiangong astronauts will stay in orbit for six months, carrying out experiments in gravity and physics, as well as in life sciences.They will also carry out a "project on high-resolution global greenhouse gas detection", Deputy Director General of the CMSA Lin Xiqiang said, according to state news agency Xinhua."All pre-launch preparations are on schedule," he said."They will work with other active astronauts to carry out the follow-up space station missions and to realise the country's manned lunar landing."The Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace", is the crown jewel of a space programme that has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and made China the third country to independently put humans in orbit.It is constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts, with construction completed in 2022.The Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometres (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years.The new crew will replace the Shenzhou-17 team, who were sent to the station in October.- Moon by 2030? -Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping.The world's second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space programme in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia.Beijing also aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.China has been effectively excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from engaging with the country -- pushing Beijing to develop its own orbital outpost.China's space agency said on Wednesday it had secured new international partners for its planned lunar base, known as the International Lunar Research Station, which Beijing has said will be completed by 2030.The partners include Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, Xinhua said.Yang Liwei, China's first man in space, told media on Wednesday that the country was "hoping and willing to cooperate with countries around the world on equal and mutually beneficial terms".He said he was "personally looking forward" to greater cooperation in space with the United States."Because lots of the astronauts in the US are also our good friends, and we are all familiar with each other," he added.

CHINA.WIRE-EU opens probe into China's medical device market.

Brussels, Belgium, April 24 (AFP) Apr 24, 2024-The European Union on Wednesday announced a probe into China's medical devices market, prompting an immediate accusation from Beijing that the bloc was engaging in "protectionism".Brussels suspects China is favouring its own suppliers for the procurement of medical devices. The EU's official administrative journal, announcing the probe, set out ways that could be happening, including through a "Buy China" policy.The EU also has concerns that China may have restricted imports and imposed conditions "leading to abnormally low bids that cannot be sustained by profit-oriented companies," the notice in the journal said.In response, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the investigation would "damage the EU's image"."All the outside world sees is it (the EU) gradually moving towards protectionism," said the spokesman, Wang Wenbin, calling on Brussels to "stop using any excuse to groundlessly suppress and restrict Chinese business".China's medical devices market is the second largest after the United States, worth around 135 billion euros in 2022 ($145 billion), according to a 2023 report by China-focused think tank MERICS.The EU probe is the first under the bloc's International Procurement Instrument which seeks to promote reciprocity in access to international public procurement markets."The... restrictive measures and practices put at a significant and systemic disadvantage (European) Union economic operators, goods and services as they systematically favour the procurement of domestic products to the detriment of imported ones," the official journal said.If the investigation finds unfair behaviour by China, the EU can limit Chinese companies' access to the 27-nation bloc's public procurement market.The journal said the investigation would conclude within nine months, although the European Commission can extend this by five months.Beijing is "invited to submit its views and to provide relevant information" and can hold consultations with the European Commission -- the EU's trade authority -- "to eliminate or remedy the alleged measures and practices," the text said.Brussels wanted to "achieve a level playing field in our procurement markets for producers of medical devices, on both sides," EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said."Regrettably, our repeated discussions with China on this trade irritant have been fruitless," he added.In a statement, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Washington "will follow with interest the European Commission's investigation"."The International Procurement Instrument is a trade tool that can potentially help address the unfair procurement policies and practices pursued" by China, Tai added.- Slew of probes -The EU has launched a wave of investigations targeting China over the past few months, particularly into green tech subsidies.The EU provoked Beijing's ire in April after announcing an investigation into Chinese wind turbine suppliers.Other probes have focused on Chinese subsidies for solar panels, electric cars and trains as Brussels seeks to move away from reliance on cheaper Chinese technology.On Tuesday, the commission announced surprise raids on the EU offices of an unidentified company that makes and sells "security equipment" as part of a probe into foreign subsidies.The Chinese chamber of commerce in the EU denounced the raids in the Netherlands and Poland against a Chinese company.The EU has also adopted laws that often have China in their sights.The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a ban on products made using forced labour. Supporters hope it will be used to block goods from China's Xinjiang region where the Uyghur Muslim minority is said to endure many rights abuses.The latest investigation was announced after German authorities arrested an aide to a far-right German MEP, Maximilian Krah, on suspicion of spying for China.

Partial power outage at Fukushima plant, water release suspended.

Tokyo, April 24 (AFP) Apr 24, 2024-The release of treated wastewater into the ocean from Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant was suspended on Wednesday as a partial power outage affected the site, operator TEPCO said.The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said in a statement that the system to cool reactors remained operational and "no meaningful change" had been detected at plant facilities that monitor radioactivity.In 2011, the Fukushima-Daiichi plant on Japan's northeastern coast went into meltdown after a huge earthquake and tsunami that killed 18,000 people. It was one of the worst nuclear disasters in history."At around 10:43 am (0143 GMT), electricity source line A stopped," Wednesday's TEPCO statement said without giving details.The release of water treated through a filtration process called ALPS also stopped at the same time, it said.TEPCO added that a worker had been injured during an excavation operation.An inspection later found the worker was near an electric circuit when the incident occurred."Therefore, it is assumed that the worker damaged the cable during excavation work," the company said in a statement.Earlier, a TEPCO spokesman told AFP that "there seems to be a link between this electricity loss and suspension of the ALPS operation.""We are trying to figure out" a potential link between the injury and the electricity loss, he said.The worker was conscious and not contaminated, but was seen by an on-site doctor and an ambulance was called.Last year, Japan began releasing treated wastewater from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.The facility was running out of space to build more water tanks, and TEPCO needed to clear the area for the much more hazardous task of removing radioactive fuel and rubble from three stricken reactors.Japan argues that the water being released gradually over decades is harmless and heavily diluted with seawater.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and many leading economies have endorsed the release.But China, later joined by Russia, banned all Japanese seafood imports, saying that Japan was polluting the environment.IAEA officials and international experts are currently in Japan to review the water release.Their mission to review "the safety and regulatory aspects of the discharge" is scheduled for April 23-26.

Kim oversees North Korea's first 'nuclear trigger' drills.

Seoul, April 23 (AFP) Apr 23, 2024-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the country's first ever "nuclear trigger" drills, state-run KCNA news agency said Tuesday, which involved simulating a nuclear counterattack as a warning to enemies.The drills showcased North Korea's "nuclear trigger" management system for the first time, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, adding this was the country's combined control system for its nuclear weapons.The drill took place on Monday, according to the report. Seoul's military had earlier announced that the North had fired several short-range ballistic missiles that day, with Tokyo also confirming the launch.Kim "guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen," the report said.The rockets "hit their island target" some 352 kilometres (219 miles) away, it continued, saying Kim had expressed "great satisfaction" over the result, which boosted "the Korean-style tactical nuclear strike".The drill examined "the reliability of the system of command, management, control and operation of the whole nuclear force" and ensured the super-large multiple rocket units had "mastered" the ability to switch into nuclear counterattack mode, KCNA said.KCNA said the drills were in response to a US-South Korean joint air drill, which runs from April 12 to April 26.The US and South Korean air forces said the annual exercises would serve for "demonstrating lethality in the air domain, and enhancing their ability to deter, defend, and defeat any adversary."Pyongyang claims it is "seriously threatened by the hostile forces' ceaseless military provocations" KCNA said Tuesday.As a result, the North needs to "more overwhelmingly and more rapidly bolster up the strongest military muscle," it added.- 'Nuclear missiles' -The latest launch "is an exercise designed for a scenario showing how the Kim regime would respond to a surprise aerial bombing on Pyongyang by joint US-South Korea air forces," Han Kwon-hee of the Korea Association of Defence Industry Studies told AFP."The drill shows the possible response could involve retaliation by nuclear missiles at the South," he added.Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state in 2022, outlining its right to conduct preemptive nuclear attacks.The launch is the second in less than a week by Pyongyang, which on Friday tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said. Seoul's military confirmed it had detected cruise missile launches at the time.The launches come after Pyongyang's ally Moscow in March used its United Nations Security Council veto to effectively end UN monitoring of sanctions violations on Kim's government for its nuclear and weapons programme.The largely isolated country has recently bolstered military ties with Moscow, and this month it thanked Russia for its UN veto.It has also ramped up testing, claiming in early April to have tested a new medium-to-long-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile.Analysts have warned that North Korea could be testing cruise missiles ahead of sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine, with Washington and Seoul claiming Kim has already shipped weapons to Moscow, despite UN sanctions banning any such moves.Seoul claims Pyongyang has sent around 7,000 containers of weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine.Last year, the North conducted a record number of missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions in place since 2006 and despite warnings from Washington and Seoul.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUM VALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

‘I've got you under my skin’ – The role of ethical consideration in the (non-) acceptance of insideables in the workplace☆
Author links open overlay panel-https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2018.09.008

Highlights-The role of ethical acceptability in technology (non)-acceptance is under researched.
The ethical issues identified by laymen with chip implants in the workplace are broader than privacy. A new framework to study the (non)-acceptance of insideables is proposed.

Abstract

This study examines the press coverage of initiatives taken by three companies, in three different countries, to propose chip implants to their employees (‘insideable’ technology). The study sought to identify prevalent topics, the motivations and measures taken by the companies, the drivers and barriers of employees towards the chips, and the issues raised by experts in the newspaper articles. Content analysis was performed, with each Case being analysed separately. Then, overarching themes and differences are observed. The ethical considerations driving perception of technology have to do with privacy, the proportionality principle, harm and safety. People accepting the technology do not mention such constructs, they focus on the possibility of being pioneers and the convenience offered by the technology. Societal acceptance, through the gaze of others and the infrastructure developed in the different countries to use microchips, also plays a role to drive personal and work-related acceptance of insideables. A modelling to investigate the acceptance of insideables taking into account different dimensions of acceptability is proposed.
Introduction

Anyone can get a microchip implant, buying the chip online for 50$. While the individuals aiming at becoming the first cyborgs have been proceeding to such implants for years [27]. This practice is now becoming more widespread as companies suggest to their employees to get chip implants too. The chips are meant to give new abilities to employees and replace natural movements or other artefacts such as credit cards or keys. Indeed, implants allow users to automatically open doors, they can trigger computers or printers, and they can pay for purchases. Although these chips are linked to trivial activities, their growing use can be seen as a sign of the acceptance of insideable technologies, e.g. technologies put inside the skin. Future implementations could go as far as chips embedded into the brain for monitoring brain activity [49]. Their acceptance also highlights the idea of human enhancement, i.e. the willingness to use technology in order to make people more efficient and simplify their lives.

Proposing chip implants to employees raises questions about the role that technology is meant to have in society.

Firstly, it immediately opens up a new role for technology at work. Technology has always been an integral part of a workplace. However, technology used to take the form of an external artefact, and most of the time it would be activated by the expressed willingness of the user, who had at least a certain level of control on the technology (e.g. the ability to operate a machine functioning in the background). Moreover, the technological artefacts provided were used by individuals only for a given period of time during the day. Embodied technologies seem to be in opposition to the technologies described above: they are a priori characterized by a few features, namely their continuous presence and potential use, the lack of control of the user, and forms of use that do not require express intentionality. They can also be open to hacking—that is, others may modify the functionalities of the chips or to access information through them. Most importantly, they could also eventually become an intrusion into the bodily functions of the individual.

Secondly, proposing chip implants to employees can have a long-term impact on the structure and functioning of society. Embodying work technology also changes an individual's relationship to work. It makes work become part of the individual. Initially, the employees lend their energy, time, physical and mental abilities to an employer, and they are compensated for this through salary. With the implant, the employees host work-related information and give out personal information on a permanent basis.

Thirdly, such a practice can transform the way individuals interact with the world around them, and it may make certain infrastructures obsolete while also creating needs for new ones. While the individual uptake of chip implants was limited to a few cases, it can be hypothesized that a more structured and organized use of these chips in the workplace can lead to a surge in chip-related services and uptake across different areas of society. Financial considerations and infrastructure changes might lead individuals to accept microchip implants without giving them a clear alternative, and this raises ethical issues. The practice of implanting chips can create a new market with companies developing these technologies, programming them, and guaranteeing their safety and security. Given the economic potential of microchip implants, it is expected that more and more applications will be developed.

With the above argumentation in mind, it is therefore important to examine how the first cases of employee chip implants are presented to society in general. Information support is a component of societal acceptance, and research on other emerging technologies has shown that analysing the content of news media allows to understand how risks and benefits are presented to society [52]. This paper proposes an analysis of news content related to the experience of three different companies who have proposed chip implants to their employees between 2015 and 2018. The analysis focuses on identifying the drivers of acceptance and use—or lack thereof—of the chips at the organizational and individual levels, and it also identifies how the issue is framed by news media. Particular attention was given to the role of functional and ethical considerations so that beyond describing the phenomenon, this paper also questions the role of ethical considerations and acceptability in technology acceptance. In doing so, this study proposes to complete the technology acceptance model (TAM [17]) and broaden the conception that the information systems community has regarding ethics. Finally, the paper contributes to the current body of knowledge by highlighting areas for future research, as well as areas to be considered by policy and management.

The paper is organized as follows. Firstly, this paper reviews the literature on acceptability and acceptance of technology by looking at how both can be framed by media. Secondly, the paper describes the methodology followed in order to proceed to the content analysis. Thirdly, the paper describes the cases by providing an overview of the topics and a more in-depth qualitative analysis. An initial modelling of what could be ethics-related drivers and barriers of acceptance of these technologies is presented and suggested for refinement in future research involving employees directly. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of the results in relation to theory, research, and the practical implementation of such technologies in the workplace.
Section snippets
Literature review

The idea of implanting chips into individuals in order to simplify their lives and make them more efficient can be regarded as an attempt at enhancing individuals. Enhancement has been extensively discussed from the perspective of ethics, bioethics, philosophy, and medicine. In particular, the moral and ethical acceptability of human augmentation has been largely documented [13,21,29], and discussions on human dignity and human enhancement have grown [31]. However, the acceptance of these
Methodology

This paper selected three cases of implementation of the chips, as these are the only cases known by the author of employee chip implant.4
Results

This study analysed the data for each company Case separately. The results that are presented show the cases as they occurred in chronological order—namely Epicenter first in 2015, followed by Three Square Market and New Fusion in 2017. Summary tables contain the coding made regarding topics and actors; both were the basis for writing the cases summaries in the following subsections. The number attached to citations from the newspapers refers to the corresponding newspaper article number as
Discussion

The coverage of the first Case from 2015 and the coverage of the two other cases from 2017 is essentially different. The few articles from 2015 that were retrieved presented the fact that these implants were possible and offered remarks on possible futures. The articles from 2017 offered more lengthy descriptions of the technology, the reasons to use it, and the attached ethical issues; remarks on where this technology can go in the future were also found. In any case, the greater coverage
Conclusion

The three cases described in this paper allowed for ethical considerations to be identified, as well as some societal considerations driving resistance to technology and also more functional considerations driving the acceptance of microchip implants in the workplace as reported in the media. Doing so, the study highlighted how current approaches to acceptance and resistance of technology need to be adapted to assess the technologies promoted to enhance individuals.

Acknowledgments-This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 795536.Stéphanie Gauttier holds her PhD in Information Systems and is currently a Marie Curie Fellow at the department of Philosophy of the University of Twente (the Netherlands). Her work focuses on the link between ethics and technology acceptance.

BRICS: 21 Countries Officially Agree to Ditch the US Dollar in 2023-Vinod Dsouza-September 7, 2023-Source: geopoliticaleconomy.com

The US dollar is facing challenges from developing countries that are threatening its status as the global reserve currency. A handful of alliances in Asia, Africa, and South America are looking to end dependency on the U.S. The BRICS and ASEAN groups are at the forefront of challenging the US dollar’s status.Developing countries fear U.S. sanctions could hurt their economies and, therefore, want to strengthen their local currencies and economies. The de-dollarization efforts are in full swing in 2023, and nearly two dozen countries want to ditch the U.S. dollar.Two different alliances have officially agreed to ditch the U.S. dollar for global trade in 2023. In March 2023, the ASEAN bloc was the first to decide not to use the U.S. dollar for cross-border transactions. The leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations signed a declaration to stop using the U.S. dollar and promote their local currencies instead.Additionally, the BRICS alliance concluded to stop settling international trade using the U.S. dollar at the summit in August this year. BRICS will use local currencies for trade and is also looking to create a common currency among member nations. The trade will be settled within the existing bloc of 10 countries and not with other nations outside the alliance.ASEAN countries leaders-The ASEAN group consists of 10 countries, and the BRICS alliance is now an 11-member group. In conclusion, a total of 21 countries have officially agreed to ditch the U.S. dollar for global trade in 2023. Read here to know what could happen to the U.S. dollar if BRICS and ASEAN stop using USD for trade.The ASEAN bloc of 10 countries includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Also, the BRICS alliance includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Iran, Argentina, and Ethiopia.

Why the world is turning away from the US dollar-Published: January 12, 2024 7.54am EST-Author-Alexandros Mandilaras-Associate professor, University of Surrey

The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted the US Treasury Department to impose unprecedented sanctions on Russia, to hold it “accountable for its premeditated and unprovoked invasion”.The aim was to prevent Russia from “prop[ing] up its rapidly depreciating currency by restricting global supplies of the ruble and access to reserves that Russia may try to exchange to support the ruble”. In other words, Russia wouldn’t be able to sell enough US dollars in the foreign exchange market to buy up Russian currency and bolster its value.Indeed, US secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen called this an “unprecedented action” that would “significantly limit Russia’s ability to use assets to finance its destabilising activities”.Freezing a sovereign country’s dollar holdings (Russia’s in this case) is a seismic event. It risks accelerating a move away from use of the US dollar for trade or investment by countries that have different geopolitical interests than the US, such as China or the Gulf states.In fact, several governments outside the west are exploring ways to reduce their exposure to the dollar. Russia is currently settling a quarter of its international trade using Chinese renminbi, and its bilateral trade with China is almost entirely settled in the two countries’ respective currencies.In March 2023, China settled a payment for UAE gas in its own currency rather than US dollars for the first time. Then in November, China and Saudi Arabia signed a currency swap agreement, citing a desire to expand the use of their currencies.There are more troubling signs for the US dollar. Even though central banks’ foreign exchange reserves have been growing steadily year-on-year for more than 20 years, the percentage held in US dollars reached its lowest point in the fourth quarter of 2022, as this chart shows:US$ held by central banks-Line chart showing countries' USD holdings falling.Currency composition of central banks’ foreign exchange reserves. Author provided using International Monetary Fund data., CC BY-NC-NDThis is not a blip. It is the culmination of a long negative trend that has seen the US currency’s share in foreign reserves held by central banks fall from over 70% in the early 2000s to under 60% today.While the drop is not dramatic, it’s significant and indicative of a negative trend for the dollar that reflects several developments – economic but also geopolitical.Leaving the US behind? The US economy’s share in the world’s output is falling as emerging economies, especially China, continue to outgrow the US and its western partners. China, the US’s biggest economic competitor, is now the main trading partner to more than 120 countries, with exports amounting to more than US$3.6 trillion (£2.8 billion). This risks leaving the US behind in the race for global trade dominance.Over the last 20 years, China’s share of the global economy has more than doubled from 8.9% to 18.5% while the US’s share declined from 20.1% to 15.5% in purchasing power parity terms (which compare prices of specific goods to determine currency purchasing power).Last year, the Brics economies (fast-growth developing countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) overtook those of the G7 (developed economies US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Germany) based on their share of world GDP in purchasing power parity terms.As more countries join the Brics, it will give the group even more economic clout.Meanwhile, the US economy’s global GDP share is falling and its debt is hitting new heights as it issues more Treasury bills, notes and bonds to fund current government spending. The US national debt stands in excess of US$33 trillion, or 123% of the country’s annual output. Inflationary shocks followed by interest rate increases have made servicing this debt very expensive for US taxpayers, repeatedly raising the risk of a debt default in recent years.There is no doubt the US dollar still dominates world markets right now, accounting for most of the transactions in international trade. Its share in the foreign exchange market is colossal at 88% of transactions, and it remains the most widely held “international reserve” by central banks who want to ensure they can cover their countries’ imports and support the value of their own currencies.But the centrality of the US currency since the second world war has not always been welcome –– certainly not by US foes and sometimes not even by its friends. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the 20th president of France and a finance minister in the 1960s, called the dollar’s reserve status an “exorbitant privilege” for the US. He probably meant that demand for US assets from abroad was so high that it could borrow easily at favourable terms to finance its current account deficit –– a privilege not available to other nations.Current global geopolitical and economic shifts could now see this exorbitant privilege challenged. The refusal of Russia’s Brics partners and many UN nations to undertake western-style sanctions against Russia is evidence of the limitations the west faces in exerting geopolitical influence.And from an economic perspective, China as the world’s top trader and Russia as one of the world’s richest countries by energy reserves have amassed large gold holdings which could replace some US dollar uses. Both are looking to work with other countries, including those in the Gulf region, to reduce reliance on the US dollar.Challenger currencies-onvincing non-western investors to use a “challenger currency” – whether the Chinese renminbi or a Brics currency – could become easier following the US Treasury’s freezing of Russian assets. And these switches could accelerate if the US decides to seize the frozen Russian assets.It’s increasingly clear that, as non-western countries assert themselves in the world’s economic arena, geopolitical divisions with the west will cause additional friction. As a result, the US dollar’s role is almost certain to become more limited than it has been at any time since the end of the second world war.

US debt default could trigger dollar’s collapse – and severely erode America’s political and economic might-Published: January 30, 2023 8.13am EST Updated: May 10, 2023 9.06am EDT-Author-Michael Humphries-Deputy Chair of Business Administration, Touro University

Congressional leaders at loggerheads over a debt ceiling impasse sat down with President Joe Biden on May 9, 2023, as the clock ticks down to a potentially catastrophic default if nothing is done by the end of the month.Republicans, who regained control of the House of Representatives in November 2022, are threatening not to allow an increase in the debt limit unless they get spending cuts and regulatory rollbacks in return, which they outlined in a bill passed in April 2023. In so doing, they risk pushing the U.S. government into default.It feels a lot like a case of déjà vu all over again.Brinkmanship over the debt ceiling has become a regular ritual – it happened under the Clinton administration in 1995, then again with Barack Obama as president in 2011, and more recently in 2021.As an economist, I know that defaulting on the national debt would have real-life consequences. Even the threat of pushing the U.S. into default has an economic impact. In August 2021, the mere prospect of a potential default led to an unprecedented downgrade of the the nation’s credit rating, hurting America’s financial prestige as well as countless individuals, including retirees.And that was caused by the mere specter of default. An actual default would be far more damaging.Dollar’s collapse-Possibly the most serious consequence would be the collapse of the U.S. dollar and its replacement as global trade’s “unit of account.” That essentially means that it is widely used in global finance and trade.Day to day, most Americans are likely unaware of the economic and political power that goes with being the world’s unit of account. Currently, more than half of world trade – from oil and gold to cars and smartphones – is in U.S. dollars, with the euro accounting for around 30% and all other currencies making up the balance.As a result of this dominance, the U.S. is the only country on the planet that can pay its foreign debt in its own currency. This gives both the U.S. government and American companies tremendous leeway in international trade and finance.No matter how much debt the U.S. government owes foreign investors, it can simply print the money needed to pay them back – although for economic reasons, it may not be wise to do so. Other countries must buy either the dollar or the euro to pay their foreign debt. And the only way for them to do so is to either to export more than they import or borrow more dollars or euros on the international market.The U.S. is free from such constraints and can run up large trade deficits – that is, import more than it exports – for decades without the same consequences.For American companies, the dominance of the dollar means they’re not as subject to the exchange rate risk as are their foreign competitors. Exchange rate risk refers to how changes in the relative value of currencies may affect a company’s profitability.Since international trade is generally denominated in dollars, U.S. businesses can buy and sell in their own currency, something their foreign competitors cannot do as easily. As simple as this sounds, it gives American companies a tremendous competitive advantage.If Republicans push the U.S. into default, the dollar would likely lose its position as the international unit of account, forcing the government and companies to pay their international bills in another currency.A mincer shows dollars being inserted in the top and shredded underneath.Loss of political power too-The dollar’s dominance means trade must go through an American bank at some point. This is one important way it gives the U.S. tremendous political power, especially to punish economic rivals and unfriendly governments. For example, when former President Donald Trump imposed economic sanctions on Iran, he denied the country access to American banks and to the dollar. He also imposed secondary sanctions, which means that non-American companies trading with Iran were also sanctioned. Given a choice of access to the dollar or trading with Iran, most of the world economies chose access to the dollar and complied with the sanctions. As a result, Iran entered a deep recession, and its currency plummeted about 30%.President Joe Biden did something similar against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Limiting Russia’s access to the dollar has helped push the country into a recession that’s bordering on a depression.No other country today could unilaterally impose this level of economic pain on another country. And all an American president currently needs is a pen.Rivals rewarded-Another consequence of the dollar’s collapse would be enhancing the position of the U.S.’s top rival for global influence: China.While the euro would likely replace the dollar as the world’s primary unit of account, the Chinese yuan would move into second place.If the yuan were to become a significant international unit of account, this would enhance China’s international position both economically and politically. As it is, China has been working with the other BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia and India – to accept the yuan as a unit of account. With the other three already resentful of U.S. economic and political dominance, a U.S. default would support that effort.They may not be alone: Recently, Saudi Arabia suggested it was open to trading some of its oil in currencies other than the dollar – something that would change long-standing policy.Severe consequences-Beyond the impact on the dollar and the economic and political clout of the U.S., a default would be profoundly felt in many other ways and by countless people.In the U.S., tens of millions of Americans and thousands of companies that depend on government support could suffer, and the economy would most likely sink into recession – or worse, given the U.S. is already expected to soon suffer a downturn. In addition, retirees could see the worth of their pensions dwindle.The truth is, we really don’t know what will happen or how bad it will get. The scale of the damage caused by a U.S. default is hard to calculate in advance because it has never happened before.But there’s one thing we can be certain of. If Republicans take their threat of default too far, the U.S. and Americans will suffer tremendously.This is an updated version of an article originally published on Jan. 30, 2023.

Cashless Societies: Which Countries Are Making The Switch? Reading Time: 9 minutes-Last Updated on May 23, 2023 by Corepay

We’ve all heard that we’re moving towards cashless societies, but we’ve all probably brushed it off as doomsaying or too-far-into-the-future technology.Except now we’re getting closer to that reality.According to an article in SmarterTravel.com, some banking experts are predicting that Sweden will eliminate cash as a payment method by the year 2023 and that all of their transactions will use a digital payment method, such as credit and debit cards, RFID signals, digital wallets, and so on.Should this happen, this would make Sweden the first cashless country in the world.In this article, we are going to take look at the various countries that are aiming towards cashless societies in the near future as well as what this means for merchants moving forward.Merchants need to have a greater understanding of what payment solutions are going to look like in the future.It is important to note, that while some predictions indicate the United States will go cashless, it still remains a distant reality.Let’s take a look at what a cashless society and cashless countries would entail for merchants, as well as for individuals.What Is A Cashless Society? Mobile Credit Card Machine-A cashless society in its simplest terms is a society in which purchases of services and or goods are made by credit cards/electronic funds rather than cash or check.You might be thinking, “well aren’t a vast majority of purchases made electronically already?” You would be correct, as it is impossible to deny the convenience of electronic transfers and purchases.This being said, just because countries are taking tremendous steps to go cashless, that doesn’t mean that it will be enforced by the government.It is also important to remember that there are individuals who still prefer cash, as they feel there is less government control.A cashless society doesn’t mean just a major shift from cash to electronic payments, it means a complete shift in that cash is no longer used for anything.To better understand what going cashless means, let’s take a look at the pros and cons below.Pros-There are many benefits to going cashless. Those who are able to take advantage of ever-growing technology will find that one of the main benefits is convenience.With apps like Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle, it is hard to deny the convenience that technology has provided us with.Should countries decide to go cashless, this would greatly decrease illegal activity such as money laundering, illegal transactions, illegal gambling, and drug operations.Here are the main benefits that you could expect from a cashless country.Convenience: Far more convenient for consumers and for merchants, especially when those are traveling and dealing with currency exchange.Lower Crime Rates: Going cashless would mean there would be no tangible money to steal, reducing crime.Decreased Money Laundering: It is harder for people to launder money without cash as it is much easier to track electronic payments/spending with digital paper trails.Time: A lot of time will be saved from not managing cash for both businesses and consumers.Health Benefits: In general, cash is dirty. The spread of viruses and other illnesses can be greatly halted when germs aren’t being spread through cash.While a lot of these points may seem like common sense, they are extremely valid points of discussion.In general, many individuals probably would agree that all of these things are positives.This being said, let’s take a look at some of the cons with a cashless society.Cons-From what we’ve gathered, the main downfalls of going totally cashless are security breaches and personal spending habits. To combat this, over the years, the banking and credit card processing industries have seen drastic increases in security.While hacking can certainly be a concern, digital paper trails could end up being the reason why you’re able to get back $2,000 that was stolen from you. If this was cash, it would be much harder to prove it wasn’t you who spent the funds or that you were robbed.Security: Should your bank account get hacked, you wouldn’t have any additional funds until it’s cleared up.Spending Habits: Some may have trouble saving money when physical cash isn’t leaving their wallets.Tech Problems/Glitches: Should there be glitches or outages, merchants may have trouble accepting payments, leaving you without the ability to purchase goods when needed.Digital Paper Trails: All transactions would be easy to track and this could be something that frequent cash users won’t like.Overview Of A Cashless Society-cashless payments-So, what would a cashless society look like? In a way, similar to what we’re seeing today with electronic transfers, and more and more businesses accepting different forms of electronic payments.This is one of the major reasons why merchants need to make sure they are working with reliable and up-to-date payment processing companies. Without cash and coins, all payments would be handled electronically. Rather than using cash to exchange value, you would be authorizing transfers of funds from one bank account to the next.While credit cards and debit cards are definitely seeing a heavy uptick in overall users, they may not be the only thing to contribute to a totally cashless society.In addition to the traditional Visa, MasterCard, and American Express cards, as well as Discover, JCB (Japan Credit Bank), there are other options you need to be prepared for.There are apps like PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and Cash apps. There’s WeChat Pay and AliPay mobile chat and payment apps, which have 800 million users around the world.And lastly, there’s Brazil’s Boleto Bancário, which is organized by the Brazilian Federation of Banks, which makes up 25% of the country’s total payments with 3.7 billion transactions per year.Mobile wallets would also likely be heavily prevalent with services like Apple Pay. Countries that are starting to stray from cash and have seen a steady rise in mobile payments.The last thing to touch on is cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies are already being used for transfers and they also bring new technology and innovation. This being said, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are still considered to be extremely high-risk for merchants and consumers.To sum this all up, we would likely see an increase in security and an increase in mobile apps focusing on convenience for consumers and merchants. Cashless Cities-Shanghai-Smarter Travel predicts that cities like Stockholm, Reykjavik, Seoul, Singapore, and several cities in China will go cashless. So what does this mean for retail and online merchants, and their merchant service providers? While these cities going cashless will only affect a fraction of the globe, merchants who accept all forms of payment may need to get used to more and more alternative forms of payment to crop up.Cashless Countries-Future Cashless Countries-There are currently no cashless countries. This being said, there’s a growing number of countries seeking to go cashless in the coming years.Let’s take a look below at some of the countries that are closest to going cashless:Sweden-Finland-China-South Korea-United Kingdom-Australia-Netherlands-Canada.Sweden-With a date set in 2023 to go completely cashless, Sweden is arguably the closest country to achieve this. It is currently not uncommon to see signs that say “No Cash Accepted” in various shops in Sweden.A recent study from the European Payments Council showed that cash transactions accounted for only 1% of Sweden’s GDP in 2019 with cash withdrawals steadily declining by about 10% a year.While consumers are generally happy, those struggling financially or technologically still continue to rely on cash.Recent reports show that mobile payments are accelerating very sharply in Sweden. One of the main reasons for this is that Swedes are tech-savvy.For example, Swish, which is a mobile app, had over 7.8 million users in July of 2020 and also performs close to 50 million transactions a month. Should Sweden achieve a truly cashless economy, visitors will want to be sure that they have forms of electronic payments.Finland-Finland has a smaller population of around 5.5 million. This being said, cash in Finland is becoming irrelevant through rural and urban areas.So, what is Finland doing differently than Sweden? Finland is not taking as aggressive measures as Sweden in going towards a fully digital economy, however, it is reported that Finland is currently more capable of going fully cashless this moment.Finland currently ranks second to just Ireland in terms of frequency of use of cards, and fifth in e-commerce spending, and second in smartphone penetration. China-While China is a bit behind both Finland and Sweden, the growth in electronic payments is far more significant, given its massive population size.Like other countries that have been aiming towards going cashless, China has shown a rapid adoption of mobile payments. Currently, one of the most popular ways to pay by phone is through QR code scanning.China is leading the charge in eCommerce and is the biggest eCommerce market in the world. With annual online sales of $672 billion and an annual growth rate of 27.3%, China doesn’t show signs of slowing.South Korea-South Korea is currently more cashless than China, however, there are far fewer people.More and more South Koreans are starting to rely on credit cards and various digital payment tools. South Korea already has most of the infrastructure in place nationwide to go cashless.It was reported that roughly 6% of South Korea’s GDP being eCommerce spending and more than 100 transactions on every credit card per year.This should keep South Korea in the conversation in the coming years when it comes to the idea of going cashless or even just relying more on electronic solutions.United Kingdom-The UK has embraced technology, including the digitization of money. London, specifically, has done so the most so far and continues down this path.The UK has a strong presence in online banking and it is currently in second place to just the United States when it comes to financial tech areas. There has also been a strong increase in merchants accepting more card and mobile payments.In 2020, the UK was 3rd to just the United States and China in eCommerce GDP, and they sit well above 4th place, Japan.Australia-Australia is a bit behind the other countries mentioned in this list, however, it is definitely worth the mention. We are currently seeing Australia start to digitize most of its economy. It is predicted that most individuals in Australia will own a smartphone by 2020.This is a major advancement as a lot of payments are done via mobile transactions nowadays.On top of this, internet banking penetration is now over 75% of the total population.Over the last 5 years, the use of debit cards has increased by over 90% and online banking transactions have increased by over 43%.Netherlands-The Netherlands is one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to electronic transactions. A striking statistic is that 99% of the population currently owns a debit card.Over half of payment transactions in 2020 were contactless and via debit card. This is a huge step towards the potentiality of going cashless.With this being said, cash still remains to be an important payment type.Canada-While Canada is nowhere near going cashless, they have some very interesting statistics regarding electronic transactions.83% of Canadians now have a smartphone. This is huge as consumers use smartphones to pay bills, shop online, and transfer funds. A study even suggested that nearly 80% of Canadians wouldn’t leave home without their phones.We’re also seeing that over 70% of personal purchases in Canada are now card-based. While it’s hard to deny this boom, going completely cashless in Canada seems to still be far away.Will The U.S. Become A Cashless Country? United States Of America-With a disparate level of technology and a wide span between rich and poor people, it is hard to see the United States going completely cashless in the near future.When a significant number of our population are poor, refuse to use smartphones, or are severely unbanked/underbanked, one could guess that cash will be around for a long time.Not to mention the various laws that require that anyone who sells something must accept cash as a form of payment, as well as several cities that have also passed ordinances to prevent businesses from going completely cashless.While many believe the United States won’t be going cashless anytime soon, countries with lower levels of economic inequality and greater trust in government seem to be pushing the envelope.This being said, the United States, like most countries, is making some major moves when it comes to electronic payments and transactions. What Can Merchants Do? Now, more than ever, merchants should be doubling down and making sure that they are able to accept various payment methods.As certain cities and countries around the world continue pushing electronic transactions, it will be more important than ever that your business is able to process various payments.Even if countries don’t go completely cashless, tourists may be reluctant to travel with cash and may resort to different forms of payment.Wrapping Up-While we still have a few years before Sweden goes totally cashless and the other countries begin to follow suit, take this opportunity to look at accepting different payment methods and forms of currency.Should you be a merchant, it is extremely important to make sure that you are working with a merchant services provider that is ready to adapt to an ever-changing industry. Not only does Corepay do this, but we also offer solutions to all types of industries including high-risk.

Apple to placate EU by opening developer access to NFC scanning, Face ID-Google expands mobile biometrics implementation-Apr 22, 2024, 4:51 pm EDT    | Joel R. McConvey

Apple’s tap-and-go mobile payments system, ID scanning and biometric capabilities should be available to rivals soon, with a report from Reuters saying European antitrust regulators could approve Apple’s offer by next month. The approval would conclude a four-year investigation by the European Commission into alleged attempts by Apple to thwart competition for its Apple Pay mobile wallet. It would also likely cancel the possibility of Apple facing substantial fines.The tech giant first offered to make its tap-and-go near-field communication (NFC) technology available to rivals for use on non-Apple wallet systems on iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. NFC scanning is also used by digital identity providers like Regula and Inverid for scanning ID documents with electronic chips.Apple also offered to open up additional functionalities to developers, such as authentication through Face ID biometrics, defaulting for preferred payment apps, and a dispute settlement mechanism. A round of feedback from rivals and customers asked for some of the terms to be modified.Now, final technical details are being ironed out, and the EU is likely to formally accept the offer before summer.-Google Wallet, Google Pay get biometric authentication upgrades-An announcement from Google says it is adding a biometric payment authentication feature to its Google Wallet system. “Before making a payment, you’ll now be prompted to confirm your identity – either by PIN, pattern, thumbprint, or Class 3 biometric unlock with the option to turn off verification for transit fares,” says a statement posted to Google Wallet’s online help forums.Enhanced biometric verification is also coming to Google Play. Android Police reports that Google has enabled the option to use biometric verification when making a purchase on Google Play, without having to re-enter a Google password. Users will be asked to verify every time they make a purchase, using either fingerprint or face biometrics. The option is designed to reduce the risk of unauthorized transactions.In other Google news, the company seems unwilling to decide if it trusts its Wear OS watch platform as a secure host for Google Wallet. A report from 9to5Google says a PIN could be requested for additional user authentication before enabling tap-to-pay transactions with Wallet on Wear OS, which until now have just required the user to open the watch app and tap.

Canada to contract face biometrics for border app as airports worldwide embrace mobile-Apr 22, 2024, 1:40 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Canada is seeking smartphone-based face biometrics to verify the identity of travelers crossing its borders.The contract with the Canadian Border Services Agency is expected to be worth anywhere from $5 million Canadian (roughly US$3.6 million) to CA$25 million ($18.2 million), according to the public posting.CBSA “is looking to acquire and test biometrics FRT solutions (also known as “algorithms”) to evaluate technical performance compared to what is currently in use in the Canadian context.”Bidders must be based in a country that is a NATO member or part of the Five Eyes alliance (Canada, the U.S., the UK, Australia and New Zealand) to meet security requirements.The tender closes May 21.The CBSA has been reported to be considering using facial recognition for more border checks for some time now, but has also been grappling with the disastrous and expensive rollout of the ArriveCan app, which has turned into a partisan sideshow.Australia, US and EU all prepare for further airport digitizationThe appeal of mobile apps for airport processes comes in part from the ability to automate parts of the system and speed up passenger checks. Digitization can also avoid some of the headaches that can accompany physical credentials, as well.Kentucky’s new Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses are in some cases posing problems for the TSA’s authentication technology, according to WXIX. The outlet recounts the story of a woman and her husband being told by TSA officers that their IDs, issued only in 2023, look “washed out.”Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram is hoping to further advance the country towards “seamless” airport journeys through biometrics before he departs the role later this year, he told InnovationAus in an interview.“You arrive in Australia [and] we’ve already pre-cleared you from an immigration point of view because we know who you are, we have your biometrics, you could walk off the air bridge and your bag could in theory go straight into the belly of a domestic flight,” he says.It is not plausible for the government to hire enough security personnel to handle the volumes of air passengers that are expected in the years ahead, according to Outram.The Mobile Passport Control app operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection can now be used to pass CBP checks prior to boarding at Abu Dhabi airport.All 14 airports around the world with Preclearance now accept MPC, including Aruba; Bermuda; Dublin and Shannon, Ireland; Nassau, Bahamas; and Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, Canada. CBP says the preclearance program allows its officers to focus more on inspections and less on administration, for faster processing of American and some Canadian passengers.Members of European Parliament will vote this week on whether to approve new rules for how airlines should collect and transmit Advance Passenger Information.Airlines will have to collect and share each passenger’s name, date of birth, nationality and passport details. Biometrics, however, will not be included, and data will be deleted when no longer needed, meaning within 48 hours in most cases. The rules apply to flights arriving from outside of the EU, law enforcement purposes, and flights departing from EU countries.The vote will be held on Wednesday.Utilizing data with digital processes and preclearance are among the major themes of SITA’s new white paper on taking advantage of biometrics to solve aviation industry challenges. The 41-page “Face the Future” white paper covers several models for biometric apps to ease passenger journeys, including the Star Alliance biometric app and Digital Travel Credentials.

UN says law enforcement should not use biometrics to surveil protestors-Apr 19, 2024, 5:29 pm EDT    | Masha Borak

Law enforcement agencies should not use biometric technology to categorize, profile or remotely identify individuals during protests, the United Nations says in a document outlining how police should approach human rights during demonstrations.“Facial recognition technologies and other biometric identification technologies must not be utilized to identify or track individuals peacefully participating in a protest,” the document states.Known as the “Practical toolkit for law enforcement officials to promote and protect human rights in the context of peaceful protests,” the document aims to address arbitrary and unlawful surveillance during protests. This includes not just facial and emotional recognition but also the use of CCTV cameras, aerial drones and international mobile subscriber identity-catchers, known as “stingrays.”“There should be no blanket authorization for the use of digital technologies in the context of peaceful protests,” it notes.Released in March by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, the toolkit aims to supplement an earlier UN Model Protocol for law enforcement published in January.The toolkit was created after the UN’s Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in July 2022 requesting the development of tools and practices that could help law enforcement officials protect human rights during peaceful protests. It covers issues such as oversight and accountability and provides general principles and guidance.Law enforcement can use technology to facilitate peaceful assemblies, including estimating the number of attendees, crowd density or likely route of a protest. It can also be used to respond to security threats. However, a clear distinction must be made between these use cases and surveilling protestors that could cause chilling effects and an erosion of democratic participation.“This means that any decision to record, process or retain information, should be exceptional, subject to a high level of justification, stringent authorization, and based exclusively on the obligation to ensure accountability,” the document says.A group of  UN officials called for a regulatory crackdown on biometric surveillance last year.

NIST issues guidance to fit passkeys into digital identity recommendations-Apr 23, 2024, 1:39 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

The U.S. National Institute and Standards Institute has published a supplement to its digital identity guidelines as interim advice for agencies to use authenticators like passkeys that work across different devices.The “Incorporating syncable authenticators” supplement to NIST SP 800-63B Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Lifecycle Management, provides guidance on using these authenticators, which are typically but not necessarily passkeys, in enterprise or public-facing applications.It comes in recognition of the phishing-resistant security provided by passkeys, but also their non-compliance with the existing Digital Identity Guidelines. As such, the supplement sets out requirements and considerations for passkeys to meet Authentication Assurance Level 2 (AAL2).The standards behind passkeys have matured since NIST published its initial guidelines, the agency says, and major consumer platforms have adopted them.NIST notes that the FIDO Alliance estimates 8 billion user accounts support authentication with passkeys. “While not yet ubiquitous, they are becoming more common by the day,” writes NIST Digital Identity Program Lead for the Applied Cybersecurity Division Ryan Galluzzo in a blog post explaining the changes.NIST notes the change in authenticator technology that prompted the publication of the 19-page supplement in its introduction:“Typically, this authentication type protects a cryptographic key in hardware or software that requires activation through a second authentication factor, either a memorized secret or a biometric characteristic. Protecting the private key from unauthorized exposure is fundamental to the security model of a multi-factor cryptographic authenticator. This traditionally includes ensuring that private keys are not exportable or cloneable. However, this paradigm is starting to change. Notably, a new series of authentication protocols and specifications has led to the rapid adoption of syncable authenticators (commonly referred to as ‘passkeys’), which allow users to synchronize (i.e., duplicate) a private key between different devices.”The FIDO Alliance has been explicitly seeking recognition of phishing resistance from NIST since 2020, and the agency included phishing resistance in its update to SP 800-63B last year. A blog post from NIST in December noted that this update specifically reflects the emrgence of passkeys and “emerging credential types.”The supplement maps different attack types against AAL2, and sets out requirements for syncable authenticators. They must be generated using approved cryptographic methods and must be stored in encrypted form. Private keys stored in the cloud must be protected by “AAL2 equivalent MFA” access control mechanisms. Federal keys must be stored in FISMA Moderate environments. The document also covers implementation considerations, threats and challenges.The second public comment period for SP-800-63-4 is expected later this year, at which point NIST will take comments on the supplement. The changes will be incorporated into Revision 4, and NIST will rescind the supplement as it will no longer be necessary.Passkeys and FIDO protocol growth continues-The FIDO Alliance hailed NIST’s move as an important step away from passwords and towards robust phishing resistance.“This new NIST guidance makes clear that passkeys – like other FIDO authenticators – can support both AAL2 and AAL3 requirements. Synced passkeys can be AAL2 and device-bound passkeys can be AAL3,” writes FIDO Alliance Executive Director and CEO Andrew Shikiar.And passkeys continue to roll out.Supply chain management provider apexanalytix is launching passkeys to enable suppliers to log into their accounts with native device fingerprint or face biometrics or a screen unlock code. The launch will protect against business email compromise, fraud and data breaches, the company says.Enterprise credential management provider Versasec has not added passkeys, at least yet, but has added support for passwordless authenticators based on FIDO2 fingerprint biometrics. The new capability is included in version 6.11 of Versasec’s vSEC:CMS and vSEC:CLOUD credential management systems. The cryptography to implement passkeys could follow next.

US oversight body calls for more real-world biometrics testing, bias protections-Apr 23, 2024, 12:49 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

A federal U.S. agency wants more testing of biometrics applications in the real world, stronger protections against bias and more transparency in biometrics use, after talking the matter over with other agencies, “academics, advocacy groups and technology experts.”The Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified six concerns shared by stakeholders and five considerations to address those concerns in the 66-page report to Congressional Committees on “Biometric Identification Technologies: Considerations to Address Information Gaps and Other Stakeholder Concerns.”Concerns around biometrics include exacerbation of systemic inequality, lack of transparency, biased outcomes, limited understanding of the technology’s performance and effects, the technical expertise of users and the security and privacy of sensitive data. These concerns can be addressed, GAO suggests, through performance evaluations, improved training and guidance, promoting transparency, new and comprehensive data privacy laws or guidance and adopting a risk-based approach to rules, risk and use.The GAO found in a report released late last year that 15 of 20 agencies using AI are failing to meet their transparency requirements, consistent with 2022 findings about oversight and the use of facial recognition by federal agencies.In its introductory address to Congressional Committees, the GAO notes the 2019 NIST test on demographic differentials, but not the follow-up evaluation in 2022. The agency also notes correctly that six Black individuals have been falsely matched by facial recognition systems, leading to wrongful arrests. It says “all of those individuals have been African American,” neglecting to mention that the latest false arrest attributed to facial recognition to reach the press involved a white person.The report outlines biometric technologies and their applications, and the American federal government’s role in funding, regulating and providing guidance on their use.The accuracy of biometrics has improved, GAO says, but challenges in real-world implementations remain, including those related to image quality and demographic disparities, which may be related. “Both over- and under-exposed images can result in false negatives,” Gao notes. NIST officials reported improving accuracy and greater tolerance for changes in the appearance of people by face biometrics algorithms. “However,” continues the report, “false positive rates are still higher for certain demographic groups that are not sufficiently represented in the training data such as elderly East Asian women and elderly East African women.”More operational testing is needed to understand real-world implementation challenges, according to the GAO. In voice biometrics, more research is needed into how different conditions and populations impact system performance.The GAO also collected a sample of positive and negative impacts related to biometrics use reported by interview subjects. The majority were negative, and include an advocacy group that estimates 20 percent of unemployment insurance applicants were not able to complete identity verification with selfie biometrics.The use of biometrics to deliver unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic is examined, with the GAO concluding that “Some communities may have experienced denials or delays in receiving benefits” due to technology bias.The CBP One app and law enforcement uses of facial recognition are also considered, along with applications in financial services, healthcare and education.

Open Home Foundation launches to defend privacy, choice in smart homes-Apr 23, 2024, 12:40 pm EDT    | Bianca Gonzalez

The Open Home Foundation has launched as a non-profit to support privacy, choice, and sustainability for smart homes. This will defend against surveillance capitalism, buyouts, and open-source projects becoming “abandonware,” organizers say.The founders have transferred over 240 projects, standards, drivers, and libraries to the foundation including Home Assistant, ESPHome, Zigpy, Piper, and Improv Wi-Fi.In partnership with Nabu Casa, a key funder that owns Home Assistant and ESPHome, the foundation collaborates on the development of open source projects. The overall aim of the foundation is to “have the resources to be an active political advocate,” it says in the announcement.The group will educate the public, public servants, and private entities that offer smart home devices and services about the importance of open standards, open-source projects and data privacy.Users should be able to control their data, and devices with cloud connection should still have a main functionality that works without the cloud. Devices should be interoperable and not require devices from specific manufacturers.And users should be able to repurpose old devices beyond commercially-limited lifetimes as well as limit environmental impact by reducing waste.Home Assistant first started 10 years ago after Paulus Schoutsen wrote lines of Python for his Philips Hue smart lights to gain control over a device he purchased. Thousands of volunteer contributors ended up turning that script into a smart home platform, creating an entire ecosystem of projects alongside it.In 2018, Schoutsen, Ben Bangert, and Pascal Vizeli founded Nabu Casa as a for-profit entity to support the sustained development of Home Assistant. Nabu Casa also bought ESPHome with the same intentions. It joined organizations like the Connectivity Standards Alliance and Z-Wave Alliance in support of open standards like Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter.In 2023, the smart home developers codified their ideals, which led to the launch of the Open Home Foundation. During the Foundation’s launch as part of the State of the Open Home 2024 event, the role of voice biometrics in identifying speakers, or at least differentiating between speakers in the same house, was discussed.At this point, Home Assistant is known to have a steep learning curve, and onboarding devices can be complex. The smart home standard Matter has improved device interoperability and has facilitated easier onboarding.The Home Assistant Green smart home hub will be sold on Amazon later this year, marking the first time the company will sell to consumers directly, Schoutsen told The Verge. The company will also launch the Home Assistant Connect dongles for the Zigbee and Z-Wave.It will also expand its Home Assistant Works With program, which certifies products that work with the platform and will release a voice control hardware device that will run a smart home voice assistant.It is also partnering with Nvidia to incorporate its large language model into the home automation platform and is looking at incorporating ChatGPT with Home Assistant.

UK researchers extract drug residue from gel-lifted fingerprint biometrics-Apr 23, 2024, 11:46 am EDT    | Joel R. McConvey

A new breakthrough in a familiar technology could help researchers use fingerprint biometrics to solve cold cases. A press release from Loughborough University says a team of analytical scientists has demonstrated, for the first time, how to detect drug residue on gel-lifted fingerprints.This is particularly significant for sexual assault investigations, since one of the drugs in question is the sleeping pill Zolpidem, which has been used to spike drinks. The team was able to use a gelatine surface to lift Zolpidem-laced fingerprints from glass, metal, and paper surfaces in a lab setting.“This is the first time that analysis of gel-lifted prints for a drug substance has been accomplished and shows that lifted prints and other forensic marks can be interrogated for useful information,” says Dr. Jim Reynolds, a specialist in analytical chemistry, who led the research. “Since gel-lifted prints and marks can be stored for many years, the technique could be of real use in cold cases where additional information may prove useful to either link or exonerate a suspect to the investigation.”Gel lifters are widely used by forensics investigators globally. But drug testing has been unreliable because of its inability to distinguish between different types of chemicals. Together with Dr. Ayoung Kim, Reynolds deployed a method called sfPESI-MS, which uses a rapid separation mechanism to distinguish drug residue from the chemicals in the gel used to lift the fingerprint biometric.The new process employs mass spectrometry to identify the chemicals by measuring their molecular weight. Chemicals are extracted from the gel lifter in tiny liquid droplets, then ionized to activate or deactivate an electric charge, depending on their chemical properties. Because drug residue in the fingerprint is more surface active than the gel chemicals, it can be separated.Reynolds says the research focuses on Zolpidem – “this could be useful to detect individuals who have been spiking drinks, for example, if the drug they are using gets onto their fingertips, then they will leave evidence at the scene.” But he also foresees expanded use cases for the technique in the future, including the detection of other chemicals such as explosives, gunshot residues, paints, and dyes. The team has plans to work with law enforcement agencies to identify cases in which an analysis of stored gel-lifted prints could help unsolved crimes.Reynolds and Kim’s research was published in the Drug Testing and Analysis journal, and can be accessed in full on the journal website.

ID platform delivered by WISeKey facilitates digital govt services in Seychelles-Apr 23, 2024, 11:32 am EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

A digital identity platform dubbed SeyID has been successfully delivered for the government of Seychelles by WISeKey and is already producing results.This follows an award of the contract to the Geneva-based cybersecurity and digital ID firm, according to a company announcement.The project, launched in 2022, has set up the SeyID platform as part of efforts to facilitate and streamline the country’s digital government, digital tourism and digital health programs.Based on the WISeID platform, which enables easy authentication for access to web and mobile applications, the SeyID application has since been deployed with palpable results achieved.WISeKey’s WISeID platform facilitates authentication for access to services using the SeyID mobile application in a passwordless manner.Per the announcement, the SeyID platform integrates a digital wallet which gives users the possibility to securely store their National ID and digital driver’s license (mDL), eliminating the need to carry the physical documents.Apart from its digital signature feature, it also has the ability to generate a digital version of the ID card, featuring a QR Code for secure third-party verification for various purposes including bank account opening.In the meantime, an upgrade is expected to the SeyID platform in the first quarter of this year with the integration of a “document wallet” which will make it possible for government to send digital documents to citizens in a move that will curb paper document transactions in the country.WISeKey’s partnership with the Seychellois government dates back to 2014 when the company was awarded a PKI contract for digital signatures.

UAE Pass gets security enhancement, new uses as digital ID adoption soars-Apr 23, 2024, 10:36 am EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

Users of the United Arab Emirates’ official digital ID (UAE Pass) have been told how to make us of a new security feature introduced early this year for web authentication when visiting websites using the ID. This comes as authorities have reported a rise in the number of UAE Pass issuance in the last couple of months, as well as the linking of new services and uses to the mobile ID application such as eSIM activation and real estate ownership deeds.How the web authentication works-According to an explainer by Gulf News, the web authentication process for UAE Pass logins requires confirming an authentication request number with the UAE Pass app on a mobile phone.Once an authentication code generated from the web has been accepted using the app, a facial recognition process is then required to confirm the identity of the person logging into that given website.The process for logging into an app using UAE Pass, meanwhile, remains the same, the article notes, citing the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) which has also explained that the web authentication code system is a seamless process that guarantees high level accuracy and security.In February, authorities said over 7.2 million people were already using the digital ID to access various services.Virgin Mobile eSIM activation-Users of Virgin Mobile network in the United Arab Emirates can now activate their eSIMs using the UAE Pass, per Arabian Business.To do this, they need to download the Virgin Mobile app, choose a number and plan, then confirm their identity using UAE pass to get the SIM card installed and activated on their phone in just minutes.The move, which has been hailed as a first for the country’s telecommunications industry, will facilitate the way users acquire SIM cards, which eliminates having to visit physical stores. The novelty is also said to be environmentally friendly.UAE Pass needed for deeds-The country’s Real Estate Registration Directorate has also announced a novelty that its department in Sharjah will henceforth provide ownership and usufruct deeds service of all types via the UAE Pass wallet.According to the Emirates News Agency, users can download these various real estate deeds from the digital ID application using their mobile phones.It is part of the UAE government’s digital transformation plans and its quest to facilitate access to public services for citizens, says Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al-Shamsi, director-general of Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department.Al-Shamsi said their objective is to “provide an easy and smooth experience for customers while they use our services,” in a way that they can “complete their transactions efficiently, quickly, and effectively, which supports the strategic directions of the Department by providing all the services in accordance with the best global practices.”Last year, the country made the UAE Pass a compulsory digital ID for access to industrial sector services.

U.S. military’s health agency invites proposals for digital transformation initiative-Apr 23, 2024, 9:49 am EDT    | Joel R. McConvey

The U.S. Army’s Defense Health Agency (DHA) has issued a call for submissions to address how digital transformation can be leveraged to “create a new value equation for military medicine,” according to a release. DHA is collaborating with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to seek out “industry expertise and new ideas” in the “lines of effort” (LOEs) of patient experience, data management support and provider-supported technology.A description of the project frames the need for change as an urgent matter. “MHS cannot sustain the readiness of the medical force in the present operating model,” it says. “A new model for delivering care and a technology-enabled framework for adapting and evolving is required.” Solutions for the three LOEs “may be executed by a single vendor bringing a comprehensive solution or by multiple vendors working in a teaming arrangement and demonstrating interoperability.”While the call for submissions makes no explicit mention of biometric technology, it makes multiple allusions to “a patient experience that is frictionless for its beneficiaries.” On top of frictionless access to services and care, it also calls for “seamless integration with the existing Electronic Health Record.” This language indicates the potential deployment of biometric or digital ID systems as part of the military medicine overhaul.Per the documentation, “a frictionless experience means that patients can securely access the full suite of health services with a single-sign-on, facilitated by machine learning and chatbots, that provides a longitudinal health record (medical history, medications, test results, reminders), connects patients to wellness and self-care packages, and/or assists patients in virtual, in-person or asynchronous visits within the Direct Care System or Private Sector Care. User interfaces are designed for mobile devices (phones, tablets, augmented/virtual reality), intuitive and require minimal customer support.”In defining “provider-supported technology in the health ecosystem,” the DHA lists applications that use generative AI to recognize speech and assist with workflows. “Over time,” it says, “the health ecosystem will include applications for scheduling, virtual nursing, preventing alert fatigue, chart search, telemetry, remote patient monitoring and hospital command centers.”The healthcare industry is in the midst of what some industry observers have called a “mad dash” toward digital transformation, with high interest in initiatives that leverage decentralized digital identity, self sovereign identity, and other digital ID tools.

Burkina Faso gets support from Japan to enroll IDPs for biometric ID-Apr 23, 2024, 8:50 am EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

The government of Burkina Faso recently got a boost from Japan to its efforts in conducting biometric identity enrollment for some internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.The support is in the form of digital equipment worth $153,000 and it has been given through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), We Are Tech Africa reports.The equipment was donated early this month by Japanese government and JICA representatives to the Minister of Solidarity, Humanitarian Action, National Reconciliation, Gender and Family.Among the items handed over to the Burkinabe government official are 120 fingerprint scanners and 120 power banks, to enable fingerprint biometrics capture in remote settlements with limited or no electricity.The project is aided by two applications developed by the government. While the first application enables fingerprint registration and de-duplication in order to provide accurate figures about IDPs, the second has to do with the processing, analysis and dissemination of IDP data.The project to enroll IDPs in Burkina Faso for biometric ID was launched in 2019, with the goal of setting up a dependable database for the management of forcibly displaced persons.It is estimated that the implementation of the biometric ID system for IDPs will cost around XAF two billion (about $3.2 million).The number of IDPs in Burkina Faso is said to be growing as a result of rising insecurity in the Sahel region. It is hoped that the biometric registration will help in the distribution of humanitarian assistance to beneficiaries.Early this year, the World Bank approved funding to Burkina Faso for a project that seeks to ramp up the country’s digital public infrastructure implementation plan.

Biometric payment cards launching in Bangladesh, approved by Mastercard-Idex supplies MTC, Feitian and Fingerprint Cards win approval
Apr 22, 2024, 4:50 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Idex Biometrics is supplying fingerprint biometric technology for payment cards to Bangladesh-based Mutual Trust Bank, as the biometrics provider expands its reach in Asia.The cards are based on Idex’ Pay solution.“These cards are expected to attract new customers and increase card usage among existing customers, bringing financial empowerment to the people of Bangladesh,” says Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director and CEO at MTB.Idex also revealed an agreement to provide biometric payment cards to Bangladesh’s Eastern Bank at the tail end of last year.CCO Catharina Eklof says Idex is continuing a “strategic focus on growth markets in Asia.”Other biometrics and payment card providers see the regional growth potential as well.  Mastercard is launching a pair of biometric cards in Turkey, working with Idex, Fingerprint Cards and Thales.The FT-JCOS BioCARD, made by Feitian with Fingerprint Cards’ second-generation T-Shape biometric sensor, has been approved by Mastercard.The cards use Feitian’s Java card operating system, and the T-Shape sensor connects directly to the secure element, which at least in the past has been supplied by Infineon.“This approval reinforces our joint commitment to security in payments and acknowledges global acceptance of the FT-JCOS BioCARD,” comments Adam Philpott, CEO of Fingerprint Cards.Fingerprint Cards and Feitian expanded an existing partnership on biometric payment cards in 2022.

Digital policy expert X-rays differences in G7, G20 approaches to DPI-Apr 22, 2024, 12:15 pm EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

The visions shared by the G7 and G20 on the development of digital public infrastructure (DPI) differ at three major levels, even if the ultimate goal is to make life more liveable for citizens of the world.This is according to digital policy commentator and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, Anand Raghuraman.While the G20 has been a participant in the global DPI development discourse for some time, the G7 just recently made its position know on the subject through a declaration adopted in March by industry, tech and digital ministers of member states at the close of a meeting in Italy.In a commentary in which he x-rays the approaches by the two inter-governmental organisations to the design, development and deployment of DPI, Raghuraman notes that their visions misalign at the level of scope and purpose, motivation for developing DPI, and on design principles.On scope, the writer observes that while the G20’s appears to be wider – looking at DPI as an enabler of service delivery by governments and the private sector, the G7 appears to looks at a “narrow focus”, which kinds of limit DPI to the delivery of digital government services.With regards to the second aspect, the G7 does not think engendering market competition is the job of DPI builders, whereas the G20, for its part, underlines the role of DPI in driving market competition, according to the writer.The third thing discussed by Raghuraman is the vision of the two organizations about whether DPI should be designed as open-source or as proprietary technology. The G7 ministers in their March declaration do not make specific mention of open-source standards, he says, unlike the G20 which has made its position clear about developing DPI based on open standards.These differences notwithstanding, the analyst holds that the G7 still has room to assert itself in the discourse especially as it plans to release a compendium on digital government services with the help of the OECD.It’s important to note that it the G7 ministers’ March declaration, members said they were in full support of “ongoing international discussions on different approaches to digital identity and other digital government services, including digital public infrastructure (DPI), and the value of sharing examples.”This openness on “different approaches”, observers say, implies that despite the initial differences in vision on some aspects compared with that of the G20, the G7 is ready to take a more flexible approach as it further embraces global reflections on DPI standards. Local initiatives should drive DPI: India G20 Sherpa-In a related DPI item, the Indian government emissary at the G20 (Sherpa), Amitabh Kant, has highlighted the importance of local initiatives aimed at developing DPI. He believes DPI must not necessarily be led by big tech companies.Speaking recently at an event, Kant spoke about India’s DPI efforts and its willingness to share its DPI model with the rest of the world, Organiser reports.Like in the past, he highlighted India’s DPI strides and the growing interest in the system, adding that it shows the country’s approach is successful.A recent report said India’s DPI will make the country a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2030.

Cyprus gives new details on digital ID, government plan-Apr 22, 2024, 12:23 pm EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

Cypriots may be able to access public services using a dedicated digital government portal from either June or July this year while efforts continue to progressively introduce digital services on the platform, a government minister has announced.The deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, disclosed this in a recent interview granted to the Cyprus News Agency, Stockwatch reports.To be known as gov.cy, the portal will operate with a generative AI-powered digital assistant expected to go live in the last quarter of this year, the same timeframe for the transfer of all government data to a single secure location. For now, data is held in siloes by government agencies.In the domain of justice, the minister announced that a digital justice platform will be rolled out very likely in September, as work is being done afresh on the project because things didn’t go well as was required.With regards to how the country’s digital ID and digital signature systems will function, Damianou mentioned that details about their launch will be released next month.As part of the digital transformation process, the official also spoke about the introduction of a mobile application dubbed “digital citizen” which the country’s president spoke about at the start of this year.Damianou said the platform will enable citizens carry three credentials for a start, namely the ID card, a driver’s license and a MOT certificate (a document issued after a vehicle undergoes various checks).“I hope that in May, we will be able to make an announcement on how we will give the citizens the electronic identity and electronic signature. It is our identity in the electronic world, it is the way I identify myself on the government portal to submit a request,” Damianou said as quoted by Stockwatch.Speaking about AI broadly, the official said it is something that has the potential to positively impact the country’s digital transformation plans, but that the government is in the process of studying the potential harms to rollout a regulation framework.Other issues addressed by the minister as being among the priority issues in Cyprus’ digital transformation agenda include the need to up the country’s digital skills level which is currently below the European average of 59 percent, the putting in place of a comprehensive framework for cybersecurity, and the building of a viable research and digital innovation ecosystem.