THE COWARD IRANIANS CLAIM THEIR GOING TO ATTACK ISRAEL IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.GET READY MIGRATING BIRDS YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT FEAST ON ISLAM.

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)

THE COWARD IRANIANS CLAIM THEIR GOING TO ATTACK ISRAEL IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS.GET READY MIGRATING BIRDS YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT FEAST ON ISLAM.

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.

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences;(BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL/NUCLEAR) and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

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, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
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)

Leviticus 26:15-17 (KJV)
15-and if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16-I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17-And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Job 22:4-22 (KJV)
4-Will he reprove you for fear of you? will he enter with you into judgment?
5-Is not your wickedness great? and your iniquities without end?
6-For you have taken a pledge from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7-You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8-But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honorable man dwelt in it.
9-You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10-Therefore snares are round about you, and sudden fear troubles you;
11-Or darkness, that you can not see; and abundance of waters cover you.
12-Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13-And you say, How does God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14-Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he sees not; and he walks in the circle of heaven.
15-Have you marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16-Who were cut down before their time, whose foundation was swept away with a flood:
17-Who said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do to us?
18-Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19-The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20-Surely our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumes.
21-Acquaint now yourself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto you.
22-Receive, I pray you, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

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.

Gallant: Israel 'will know how to respond' if attacked-Report warns Iran could launch major drone and missile attack within hours
US general meets with Israeli defense brass to discuss expected Iranian retaliation for alleged Israeli strike on IRGC members; Halevi says IDF ‘ready for any scenario’By Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 8:47 pm-APR 12,24

A major retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel could come as soon as Friday, according to an American media report, as the top United States general in the Mideast visited for talks with the defense brass on military readiness amid the Iranian threats.Citing two unnamed US officials, CBS reported the attack could possibly include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets inside the country, the officials said, while warning Israel would be challenged to fend off an assault of that scale.The officials said it was possible Tehran may still opt for a smaller-magnitude strike in order to avoid a dramatic escalation.Israel has been on high alert amid multiple threats and intelligence assessments that Iran would launch a strike on Israeli targets in a bid to avenge the April 1 airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus, which killed several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, including two generals.Both Tehran and Damascus have blamed Israel for the strike and vowed revenge, although Jerusalem has not commented on the matter.“We still deem the potential threat by Iran here to be real, to be viable,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Friday.Kirby added that the US was looking at its own force posture in the region in light of Tehran’s threat and was watching the situation very closely. An unnamed American defense official told Fox News that the US was moving “additional assets” to the region “to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces,” without providing specifics.Amid concerns an Iranian attack on Israel could spark a broader conflagration in the Middle East, CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla met Friday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. Gallant’s office said the two discussed “readiness for an Iranian attack against the State of Israel, which may lead to regional escalation.”“Our enemies think that they can pull apart Israel and the United States, but the opposite is true, they are bringing us together and strengthening our ties. We stand shoulder to shoulder,” Gallant said in a statement after the meeting.“I am certain that the world sees the true face of Iran, the terrorist body that incites terror attacks across the Middle East, and funds Hamas, Hezbollah, and additional forces [proxies], and now also threatens the State of Israel,” he continued.“We are prepared to defend ourselves on the ground and in the air, in close cooperation with our partners, and we will know how to respond,” Gallant added.The meeting between Gallant and Kurilla was also attended by the IDF Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gem. Amir Baram, the head of the ministry’s Political-Military Bureau, Dror Shalom, and the minister’s military secretary, Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno.Before meeting with Kurilla, the IDF said Halevi held a “comprehensive” assessment of the military’s “readiness for all scenarios.”“The IDF is well prepared in attack and defense against any threat. We are at war and have been on high alert for about six months. The IDF continues to closely monitor what is happening in Iran and in the various arenas, while constantly preparing to deal with existing and potential threats in coordination with the United States armed forces,” Halevi said following the assessment, in remarks published by the IDF.“Our forces are prepared and ready at any time and against any scenario,” he added.The assessment was attended by Baram, the head of the Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen Oded Basiuk, the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the commander of the Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the commander of the Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, and other officers, according to the army.The IDF said the top commanders presented their preparations “for attack and defense, while referring to possible scenarios and adjusting the operational response.”After the talks between Halevi and Kurilla, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the two “held a joint assessment of the situation, to ensure that our coordination is tight.” Hagari added there were still no changes in instructions to civilians amid the heightened alert of a potential Iranian attack.“If there are any changes, we will update [the public] immediately,” Hagari said, stressing that civilians should still remain vigilant, as Israel’s air defenses are “among the best in the world, but not hermetic.”“We have been at war for the past six months, and we have dealt with all the existing threats. Our defense is ready, and knows how to handle each threat individually. We are also ready for attack, with a variety of capabilities, to protect the citizens of Israel,” he said.Hagari accused Iran of “escalating the situation in the Middle East” amid the war in Gaza. “We will know how to operate wherever needed,” he said.Responding to a question on the IDF’s threat assessments of Iran, Hagari said Tehran has been acting against Israel since the start of the war, citing attacks by its proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.“We’ve been acting against them [all] since the start of the war,” he said. “Iran is escalating, pushing for regional escalation. We’ll know how to deal with the Iranian threat. We are well-prepared and will know how to respond to anything.”Meanwhile, US officials quoted by Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath said Washington will respond to any Iranian attack that targets American soldiers, bases or interests.The unnamed officials echoed previous US comments that Washington has sent a clear message to Tehran that it was not involved in an April 1 airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. The Saudi paper reported that US officials were confident that Iran has received the message, having been told, “We are not Israel and Israel is the one that launched the attack.”American officials cited by the Axios news site said Iran has sent indirect warnings to that it will attack US troops in the region if the US gets involved militarily. It also reported US has asked Israel to notify the Biden administration and give it a say before deciding on a response.Also Friday, India advised its citizens against traveling to Iran and Israel until further notice in view of the “prevailing situation in the region.”The Indian foreign ministry said visitors to the two countries should observe “utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum.”“Any escalation may lead to significant restrictions in air traffic and the inability to cross land border crossings.”France on Friday warned its citizens to “imperatively refrain from travel in the coming days to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories.” Poland also advised against travel to Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon.“It cannot be ruled out that there will be a sudden escalation of military operations, which would cause significant difficulties in leaving these three countries,” the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement, amid expectations for an Iranian retaliatory strike against Israel.On Thursday, the US said it had restricted its employees in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba areas amid Iran’s threats “out of an abundance of caution.”Agencies contributed to this report.

Austin chides Gallant for lack of warning on Damascus strike-US intel said to indicate Iran could strike ‘Israeli soil’ in next 24 to 48 hours-WSJ also quotes Iranian official as saying Khamenei yet to decide on plans, fearing Israel will intercept missiles and respond with major strike on Iran’s strategic infrastructure-By ToI Staff, Emanuel Fabian-and Agencies Today, 11:50 am-APR 12,24

Iran could launch an attack on Israeli soil within the next 24 to 48 hours, the Wall Street Journal on Friday quoted a US official as saying, citing American intelligence reports.Israel has been on high alert amid multiple threats and intelligence assessments that Iran would launch a strike on Israeli targets in a bid to avenge the April 1 airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in the Syrian capital of Damascus, which killed several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, including two generals.Both Tehran and Damascus have blamed Israel for the strike and vowed revenge, although Jerusalem has not commented on the matter.A US official with knowledge of the matter told WSJ that American intelligence reports now indicate an Iranian retaliatory strike within days, “possibly on Israeli soil” as opposed to Israeli interests elsewhere.He said the strike could come within the next 24 to 48 hours, and that Israel was preparing for a possible strike on either southern or northern Israel.However, the same report also quoted a person briefed by the Iranian leadership as saying that no final decision has been taken by Tehran.According to the report, quoting an IRGC advisor, earlier in the week, the Guards provided Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with several options to strike Israeli interests.It said that among the options was a direct attack on Israel with sophisticated medium-range missiles, he said.Unverified posts on social media in recent days have shown Iranian threats of simulated attacks on targets in Israel including the nuclear facility in Dimona and the small airport in Haifa, which only operates flights to Cyprus.But Khamenei has yet to decide on the plans. He is concerned a direct attack could backfire with the projectiles being intercepted and Israel responding with a massive retaliation on Iran’s strategic infrastructure, the Journal reported.“The strike plans are in front of the Supreme Leader and he is still weighing the political risk,” the adviser told the WSJ.Tensions surrounding a potential Iranian attack on Israel appeared to reach new heights Thursday as the Israeli military said it was fully prepared for an incoming strike and as multiple international actors warned Tehran against a major assault on the Jewish state.Israel is “on alert and highly prepared for various scenarios, and we are constantly assessing the situation,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.“We are ready for attack and defense using a variety of capabilities that the IDF has, and also ready with our strategic partners,” he said, referring to the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Michael Kurilla, who arrived in Israel on Thursday morning to hold an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on the ongoing security challenges in the region.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also spoke with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin overnight Thursday, according to a Pentagon statement that said the latter stressed “ironclad US support for Israel’s defense in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies.”“Secretary Austin assured Minister Gallant that Israel could count on full US support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” the readout added.According to Gallant’s office, he told Austin that “A direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.”However, the Washinton Post also reported that Austin complained to Gallant that Washington was not notified before the April 1 airstrike.US officials quoted in the report said Austin’s complaint was based on the fact that the strike increased the risks to American forces in the region.Also Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Beijing to use its influence to dissuade Iran from striking Israel, during a call with his Chinese counterpart, according to the US State Department.Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, also urged the US to take “a constructive role” in the Middle East during the call with Blinken, according to the US statement.The United States has repeatedly made public appeals for China to do more to address the crisis, including through pressure on Iran, which supports-Hamas. Meanwhile, the United States said it had restricted its employees in Israel and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba areas amid Iran’s threats “out of an abundance of caution.”France on Friday also warned its citizens to “imperatively refrain from travel in the coming days to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories,” French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s entourage told AFP.In a statement on X, the French foreign ministry added that relatives of Iran-based diplomats will return to France and that French civil servants are now banned from conducting any missions in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories.Apparently seeking to lower the flames, Iranian sources told Reuters Thursday that Tehran has signaled to Washington it will respond in a way that aims to avoid major escalation and it will not act hastily.Iran’s message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, the sources said.A White House spokesperson declined to comment. A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel.”Israeli and US officials across various agencies have been in contact over the last few days to prepare for an attack they believe is imminent, with Kurilla’s visit to the region the latest show of cooperation between the two countries in the face of Iranian threats.“Our strategic relationship with the US armed forces is strong and tight,” Hagari said to the press,” adding that “an attack from Iranian territory would be clear proof of Iranian intentions to escalate the situation in the Middle East, and to stop hiding behind the proxies.”The IDF will “know how to operate wherever is needed,” Hagari said, adding that in recent months, it has “upgraded and improved” its attack capabilities.He stressed, however, that even as the defense establishment prepares for what intelligence reports estimate will be an attack launched either by Iran itself or by its regional proxies, the instructions issued to the public have not changed.“We have a multi-layered [air] defense capability that has proven itself amid the war, with thousands of successful interceptions,” he said. “But the defense is never going to be hermetic,” he continued, adding that civilians should continue to follow the existing and unchanged Home Front Command guidelines and remain vigilant.“We are braced and ready, on high alert, defensively and offensively,” he added.While Hagari stressed that there had been no change to Home Front Command instructions, the Kan public broadcaster reported on Thursday evening that the military’s civil defense body had instructed municipalities around the country to prepare for an attack and ensure that public shelters are fit for use, while at the same time stating there was no need for citizens to panic.There was no official confirmation of the report.Alongside the US, other countries, including France, Germany, the UK and Russia. also urged Iran to act with restraint.Iran, for its part, claimed on Thursday that the “imperative” to retaliate for the attack on its embassy compound might have been avoided had the UN Security Council condemned the strike.“Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” Tehran’s mission to the United Nations wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

IDF kills 2 Palestinians, including Hamas commander, in northern West Bank clashes-Army says Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh was a ‘central Hamas operative’ in the Tubas area, was planning ‘significant terror acts’ against Israel-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 4:24 pm-APR 12,24

Two Palestinian gunmen were killed early Friday in confrontations with Israeli forces in the West Bank, Palestinian medics and the army said, with the Islamic terror group Hamas later acknowledging one of those killed was a local commander in its military wing.The Palestine Red Crescent Society said another three people were wounded, including one who sustained serious injuries, during the clashes in the northern West Bank town of Tubas and the adjacent refugee camp of al-Faraa. The area around Tubas is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and the frequent target of Israeli military incursions.Mohammad Omar Daraghmeh, the head of a local Hamas infrastructure in Tubas, was killed during an exchange of fire with troops, the Israel Defense Forces said.Amid the overnight incident, Daraghmeh shot at troops from a vehicle, who then returned fire, killing him. Several firearms and other military equipment were seized from his car.Daraghmeh was a “central Hamas operative” in the Tubas area and in recent months was working on “advancing significant terror acts against Israel,” according to the IDF.The IDF said the second Palestinian man, named by Palestinian media as Mohammad Shahmawi, was killed when troops opened fire on Palestinians who were shooting and throwing explosive devices at them.Hamas said it mourned Shahmawi’s death, but did not claim him as a member of the terror group.Since October 7, troops have arrested some 3,700 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,600 affiliated with Hamas. According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 450 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen or terrorists carrying out attacks.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Troops raid school as part of anti-Hamas op in central Gaza-IDF announces first aid convoy entered northern Gaza through new land crossing-‘Northern Crossing’ opens after army declares ‘next phase’ of humanitarian operations in Strip; leaflets reportedly dropped over Rafah urging Palestinians to help find hostages-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 5:34 pm-APR 12,24

The military announced Friday that the first convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians was transferred to the northern Gaza Strip via a new land crossing the night before, as Israel works to significantly ramp up the amount of assistance entering the enclave amid heavy United States-led international pressure.The “Northern Crossing,” located on the northern border of Gaza, was built as a part of a series of steps by the Israel Defense Forces aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in the Strip amid the ongoing war there. It is located near Kibbutz Zikim, defense officials have said.The IDF said the aid was “thoroughly” inspected by authorities at the Kerem Shalom border crossing on the southern Gaza border before entering via the Strip’s north.The statement does not specify how many trucks were in the convoy.At the start of the war, trucks only entered Gaza from Egypt’s Rafah Crossing, with the IDF later opening the Kerem Shalom Crossing from Israel to the south of the Strip. More recently, the IDF has also allowed aid trucks to use a military road in central Gaza and enter via a crossing known as Gate 96.IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari Hagari said Thursday the new crossing was expected to handle at least 50 aid trucks per day, and will “enable more aid to flow directly to civilians in the areas that have been challenging for trucks to access.”The opening of the crossing came a day the military declared the start of its “next phase” of humanitarian operations in Gaza. The White House praised the Israeli moves, saying there was “good progress, but it’s still not enough.”Earlier Friday, the IDF and Shin Bet said the head of Hamas’s internal security in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya was killed in an airstrike the day before.In addition to serving as a Hamas police chief in Jabaliya, Radwan Muhammad Abdullah Radwan, according to the IDF and Shin Bet, was an operative in the military wing of the terror group.“Radwan gave orders to Hamas operatives and was responsible for directing armed terrorists to take control of humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement.It added that his killing “degrades Hamas’s capabilities to attack and take control of humanitarian aid” in the Jabaliya area.Another strike Thursday killed Hamed Muhammad Ali Ahmed, a commander in the Hamas military wing who was also responsible for internal security in Jabaliya, and another operative in the terror group’s Jabaliya Battalion, the IDF added.The IDF also said Friday that troops raided a school used by gunmen in the central Gaza Strip, as part of an ongoing pinpoint operation against Hamas and other terror groups on the outskirts of Nuseirat.At the Martyr Ibrahim al-Maqadma School, just northeast of Nuseirat, the IDF said troops of the Nahal Brigade located and neutralized several heavy primed explosives that were hidden in the classrooms and courtyard.The IDF said the troops also located an observation post at the school that had been used by the gunmen.When the troops arrived, the operatives had already fled, according to the IDF, leaving behind some equipment.Explosives left by gunmen at a school on the outskirts of central Gaza’s Nuseirat, in a handout image published April 12, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)-Prior to the “targeted operation” announced Thursday, Israeli ground forces had not previously entered Nuseirat, though last month Hamas’s third-in-command, Marwan Issa, was killed in an airstrike in the area.The operation occurred as Israel appeared to dial back the use of ground troops and shift from a wide-scale offensive to pinpoint operations. This was in line with US demands for changes to the way fighting is taking place amid international concern over the deaths of civilians in the Strip and claims of near-famine conditions.Israeli officials have said that 18 of Hamas’s 24 original battalions in the Gaza Strip have been dismantled, meaning they do not function as an organized military unit, although smaller cells still exist. Four Hamas battalions remain virtually untouched in southern Gaza’s Rafah, and another two are in the central part of the Strip, according to Israeli assessments.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he approved the military’s plans for an operation in Rafah, although he has not given the green light to carry them out.The planned Rafah offensive has caused intense consternation in the international community, including in the US and Egypt, due to the southern Gaza City now hosting more than a million Palestinians displaced from elsewhere in the Strip. Israel has said it is making plans to evacuate and protect civilians from Rafah as part of its offensive plans.On Friday, the IDF reportedly dropped leaflets in Rafah’s Tel Sultan neighborhood, urging Palestinians seeking refuge there to help locate hostages held by Hamas.“If you want to protect your families and guarantee your future, do not hesitate to provide us with information about the hostages or those holding them,” read the flyers, which show the names and photos of 35 hostages.The leaflets included a phone number that can be contacted via the Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal messaging apps. There was also a link to a website that displays similar information.The IDF has made use of leaflets to encourage Gazans to share information on hostages’ whereabouts throughout the war, as well as on the location of Hamas leaders, placing sizable bounties on the enclave’s arch-terrorists.It is believed that 129 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza. Hamas has also been holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.The ongoing war erupted when thousands of Hamas terrorists poured across the border with Israel in a mass assault on October 7 during which they killed almost 1,200 people and abducted 253.Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas and free the hostages, half of whom remain in captivity in Gaza.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 33,000 people have been killed in the fighting, an unverified figure that includes some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. The IDF says it killed 1,000 Hamas and other terrorists inside Israel on and immediately after October 7.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US blacklists Hamas military spokesman, heads of drone unit-EU sanctions armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad for sexual violence on Oct. 7-Bloc says abuses by the Palestinian terrorists include ‘rape and subsequent murder of female minors, mutilation of corpses as well as genital mutilation’By Agencies Today, 9:40 pm-APR 12

The European Union on Friday imposed sanctions on the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad for “widespread” sexual violence during the October 7 onslaught against Israel.The bloc said terrorists from the two Palestinian groups — already on the European Union’s terrorism blacklist — “committed widespread sexual and gender-based violence in a systematic manner, using it as a weapon of war.”The decision to impose the sanctions was part of an agreement among EU states that will now see the bloc blacklist violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 253 hostages while committing brutal atrocities, sparking the ongoing war between Israel and the Gaza-ruling terror group.The EU said that the abuses by Hamas terrorists included “the rape and subsequent murder of female minors, mutilation of corpses as well as genital mutilation.”It also accused the assailants of the “targeted abduction of women and girls.”Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department on Friday announced new sanctions on the spokesman of Hamas’s military wing and leaders of its drone unit.The US sanctions targeted Hudhayfa Samir ‘Abdallah al-Kahlut, also known as “Abu Obeida,” who has been the spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades since at least 2007, the department said.The sanctions also targeted William Abu Shanab, commander of the Lebanon-based al-Shimali unit, Bara’a Hasan Farhat assistant to Abu Shanab, the commander of the al-Shimali unit, and Khalil Muhammad ‘Azzam, an intelligence official.“Today’s joint action reinforces our continued, collective focus on disrupting Hamas’s ability to conduct further attacks, including through cyber warfare and the production of UAVs,” Brian Nelson, Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.“Treasury, in coordination with our allies and partners, will continue to target Hamas’s facilitation networks wherever they operate, including in the cyber domain,” he said.As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated people that are in the US or in the possession or control of US persons are blocked and must be reported to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Russia says it foiled terror plot against Moscow synagogue-Suspect, described as a ‘Central Asian national,’ said killed while being detained; Russian chief rabbi commends Federal Security Service’s swift action-By ToI Staff Today, 2:57 pm-APR 12,24

Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, said it prevented an attack on a synagogue in Moscow, Russian state news agencies reported on Thursday.“The Russian Federal Security Service has suppressed the criminal activity of a Central Asian national who was planning to perpetrate a terrorist attack on a Jewish religious institution in Moscow at the time of a mass gathering there,” FSB said in a statement, according to Russian state media outlet Interfax.The statement added that a “Central Asian national” who was plotting the attack was “killed during detention.”The FSB also said that the man had been previously incarcerated and became radicalized during his imprisonment, according to state-controlled TV news network RT International. He was eventually released and came to Russia in 2023.The suspect reportedly was surveilling the synagogue and had purchased the materials to make explosives when he was caught and arrested on Wednesday.According to media outlet Ynet, Russia’s chief rabbi, Berel Lazar, thanked the FSB for its work in preventing the attack.This comes weeks after the deadliest terror attack on Russian soil in recent history, which occurred in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall music venue and left 139 dead.The Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate claimed it carried out the attack, and US intelligence said it had information confirming the group was responsible.That attack followed an early March incident in which the FSB reportedly prevented another attack on a synagogue in Moscow that was plotted by an Islamic State cell.The FSB said that the members of the organization had been planning “to commit a terrorist act against one of the Jewish religious institutions in Moscow,” the RIA news agency quoted the report as saying.Attackers opened fire during the attempted arrest, and were “neutralized by return fire,” the FSB said.Agencies contributed to this report.

UN says waterborne illnesses spread in Gaza due to heat, unsafe water-By Reuters-APR 12,24

Waterborne diseases are spreading in Gaza due to a lack of clean water and rising temperatures, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Gaza says.“It is becoming very hot there,” Jamie McGoldrick tells reporters via video link from Jerusalem. “People are getting much less water than they need, and as a result, there have been waterborne diseases due to lack of safe and clean water and the disruption of the sanitation systems.”“We have to find a way in the months ahead of how we can have a better supply of water into the areas where people are currently crowded at the moment,” he says, after making his final visit to Gaza at the end of his three-month assignment.Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and hepatitis A, according to the World Health Organization.Since mid-October, following the assault on Gaza in response to deadly attacks in southern Israel by Hamas, the WHO has recorded more than 345,000 cases of diarrhea, including more than 105,000 in children under 5.Israel has committed to facilitating the ability of humanitarian organizations to scale up aid in Gaza, and has approved the resumption of the operation of the water pipeline in northern Gaza.The Gaza Strip’s only natural source of water is the Coastal Aquifer Basin, which runs along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, through Gaza and into Israel.Its quality over the years has deteriorated rapidly, largely because it had been pumped out to meet the demands of Gaza’s population more rapidly than it could be replaced by rainwater.

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)

1 TIMOTHY 1:10
10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine

DEUTERONOMY 24:7
7 If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.

REV 9:21
 21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries (DRUG HIGHS) nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

HEBREWS 10:26
For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate],

ISAIAH 49:26
26-And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.(ISRAEL)

European Parliament votes yes on controversial Asylum and Migration Pact-Apr 10, 2024, 12:24 pm EDT    | Joel R. McConvey

Today, the European parliament voted to adopt the contentious Asylum and Migration Pact, which includes reforms to the EURODAC biometric database and how biometrics are collected from minors. The president of the European parliament, Roberta Metsola, followed the vote with a simple statement: “History made.”In a press briefing on the controversial pact this week, a group of EU rapporteurs from parliament said the pact is three and a half years in the making, the result of “difficult and heavy work”. Although today’s vote on the pact is not binding, the text has variously been called a symbolic landmark, a necessary step forward, and a “shipwreck for asylum rights,” with critics expressing particular concern about the collection of biometric data from children as young as seven.The pact aims to enhance security screening and registry at borders, and to expedite processes for those who are denied asylum. But harsh critics say it will result in draconian asylum policies and practices being into use. In the context of the proposed reform of the EU’s EURODAC asylum database, biometrics and facial recognition are at the center of the debate.“Reform of this 20-year-old database will make it the technological sword of EU’s hostile asylum and border policies,” says a harsh critique in the EU Observer. “It will harness the most nefarious surveillance technologies that exist to date – namely the capture, processing and analysis of biometric data – and enable EU states to have full control over migrants’ bodies and movements.”“EURODAC is also being turned into a mass surveillance tool by targeting even more groups of people than before — including children as young as six.”The EU rapporteurs acknowledge that the pact is imperfect, citing massive complexity and compromise in arriving at a text acceptable for all EU member states. Some say it is undeniably a step forward, and lament the work that would be lost if the pact were to be rejected. Others call it a chance to implement a more humane common system. As to the question of collecting biometrics from minors, proponents of the bill say gathering biometric data from kids can help reunite them with family members.Spanish MEP Jorge Buxade Villalba argues that “the European Union is a human organization, and we need updated data, accurate data, so that it does not just come down to the opinion of an international organization that is not a part of the EU or what a certain member state believes that the numbers are. Also, facial recognition images will assist us in understanding those who have fake or bogus documents when member states are requesting a clarification of this information.”It is clear that there is high political tension around the vote, as the detention and death of migrants haunts the EU’s border policies, and global conflicts cause continued displacement. There are those arguing that voting for the package is being loyal to Europe, and others who argue the same for voting no. The vote on the Asylum and Migration Pact is in, but the debate over technological deployments at Europe’s borders will surely continue.

EU data protection bodies bring the gavel down on biometric privacy violations-Italy’s watchdog warns Worldcoin; Greece and Spain issue fines for GDPR noncompliance-Apr 11, 2024, 3:33 pm EDT-Joel R. McConvey

Fines and warnings are flying in the EU, as national data privacy watchdogs dole out disciplinary action for violations of European data protection law through their use of biometrics.Italian privacy authority gives Worldcoin the evil eye over iris biometrics-Italy’s data protection agency, Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, has sent a warning to Worldcoin, saying that the biometric identity firm’s iris scanning operations, in theory, “would in all likelihood violate EU regulation (GDPR), with all the sanctioning consequences provided for by the legislation.”Worldcoin trades units of its cryptocurrency, WLD tokens, for scans of a user’s iris biometrics, which it collects with a spherical iris scanner called the Orb to generate a World ID. “Even if Orb devices are not yet functional in Italy,” says the privacy guarantor, “Italian citizens can already download the World App from the app stores, provide their personal data and reserve their free WLD tokens.”“The Authority believes that the processing of biometric data based on the consent of the participants in the project, issued on the basis of insufficient information, cannot be considered a valid legal basis according to the requirements required by the European Regulation,” says its summary of the warning. It notes that offering financial compensation undermines free and unconditional consent, and cites the absence of adequate age verification as a problem.An article in the National Law Review, written by Charles-Albert Helleputte of Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP, points out that the Worldcoin warning is not the first time the Garante has taken a stance against digital identity tech. But Helleputte says this particular warning is justified.“Worldcoin proposes a very disruptive digital identity compared to where the EU currently stands,” says Helleputte. He believes the revision of the eIDAS framework promoting digital identity wallets does not go far enough to protect the online safety of minors. “Worldcoin is another dimension, close to science fiction,” he writes. “The potential of harm to those who have their iris scanned and their data later compromised is infinite. A digital identity based on iris scanning, when compromised, stays as such forever.”In March, Portugal ordered Worldcoin to suspend its iris-scanning operations, also pointing to a lack of safeguards to stop minors from trading biometrics for WLD. The company has since  introduced age verification. Watchdogs in Greece and Spain issue hefty fines for GDPR noncompliance-Should there be any doubt about the GDPR’s potency as an enforcement tool, privacy authorities in Greece and Spain have demonstrated how to wield it in monetary terms.Following an in-depth investigation of biometric systems deployed for managing entry and exit into the Aegean islands, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority has imposed an administrative fine of €175,000 (approximately US$187,000) on Greece’s Ministry of Migration and Asylum, for “breaches found in relation to the cooperation with the Authority and the impact assessments.” A press release from the agency says it also sent the Ministry an order to comply within three months with its obligations under the GDPR.The systems in question are an integrated digital system for managing electronic and physical security, known as “Centaur”; and the integrated entry-exit control system using a fingerprint reader for biometric data processing, called “Hyperion.”An even larger financial penalty has been issued by the Spanish data protection authority (AEPD). The company CTC Externalización S.L. (CTC) faces a fine of €365,000 ($391,000)For multiple GDPR violations. The firm provides logistics, industrial services and other operations and services in Spain.The AEPD launched its investigation after an individual submitted a complaint claiming CTC had collected biometric fingerprint data from employees without disclosing that the data would be stored on an employee platform. In its decision, the agency found that CTC “did not correctly inform its employees about the treatment of their biometric data, in violation of Article 13 of the GDPR.”Furthermore, the company has not provided a proven guarantee that the biometric data will be deleted after collection, and the AEPD is unable to verify “the security measures implemented to access the hash of an employee fingerprint and employee identification data, in violation of Article 32 of the GDPR.”The final claim says that “CTC did not consider the processing of biometric data as processing special categories of data or the risks to the rights and freedoms of employees and did not fulfill its obligation to carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), in violation of Article 35 of the GDPR.”The regulator has given the company six months to implement a series of corrective measures to attain GDPR compliance.

Regulators pitch alternative methods at day 2 of Global Age Assurance Standards Summit-Apr 10, 2024, 11:26 am EDT-Joel R. McConvey.

A variety of approaches to age verification were on display during Day 2 of the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit. Presenters representing regulatory bodies from different countries wrestled with questions about what age assurance is, what it is not, and how to balance the digital rights of kids with safeguards designed to keep them away from adult content.In her keynote, “Towards Global Regulatory Standards for Age Assurance,” children’s digital rights activist Beeban Tania Kidron makes a salient point about why age assurance is not widely implemented, despite being an easy lift.“It’s always felt to me rather pathetic, that an industry that knows how tall you are, where you live, the makeup of your family and likely how many steps you took in 2023 — this industry, for whom personal ization is a core business — that they claimed age assurance was an insurmountable boundary,” says Baroness Kidron, a member of the UK’s House of Lords who founded the 5Rights Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to children’s digital rights.She believes that the only reason Instagram can know someone likes (for example) red Nikes, but still claim that they don’t know their age, is “because it’s not in their interest to know.”“If they know that they’re dealing with a twelve-year-old boy,” says Kidron, “then they also know that flooding his feed with porn or passing his image to an infinite number of people is not what they should be doing.” Kidron considers age assurance to be a basic part of the KYC process.“Which brings us to the knotty problem of, can it be done,” she says. “The short answer is, yes. ”Germany’s ‘regulated self-regulation’ system aims for flexibility-So, how? Speakers from regulatory bodies in Spain and Germany spoke about the respective approaches their nations take to regulation.Martin Drechsler, managing director of the German Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Digital Media Service Providers (FSM) outlined the self-regulatory approach to age assurance in German – what he calls “the system of ‘regulated self-regulation.’”Companies can choose to become members of the non-profit private members association, which began as a kind of legal consultancy providing shortcuts for those facing allegations of infraction. Now, though, FSM focuses on “giving advice to our members finding common ground and setting standards together so that companies can provide family friendly online services and robust safety measures while being legally compliant.Drechsler says “the law itself did not and still does not give too many details on how to provide for effective age verification or age insurance, which is good, because the law would not become outdated too quickly. But this is also bad, because the different actors are somewhat left alone when trying to find out what would be sufficient.” The FSM tries to fill that gap, and they also prize flexibility. “In essence, we try not to formulate too strict or narrow standards,” says Drechsler. “We would rather leave them open and flexible in order to allow for innovation.”“Our legal position as a regulated self regulator enables the FSM to enter a creative and constructive dialogue with our members at a very early stage of the product development.”Drechsler believes the digital identity and age verification sectors are “holding our breath to see how effective the European Digital Services Act and the British Online Safety Act will be. However, when it comes to age verification and age assurance, there can never be one size fits all. It is always very challenging to define a clear and final set of rules. And the example from Germany clearly shows this.”Spain adapts GDPR for decalogue of age assurance principles-The Spanish Data Protection Authority’s (AEPD) proposals for age verification solutions emphasize the importance of preserving privacy while ensuring accuracy. Matra Beltran, chief of the scientific unit in the innovation and technology division of the AEPD, says the AEPD’s decalogue of principles is based on GDPR.The decalogue provides guidelines to ensure the principles “while protecting the best interests of the child.” Centered on lawfulness, fairness and transparency, it begins from the core idea that “the system for protecting minors from inappropriate content must guarantee that the identification, tracking or location of minors over the Internet is impossible.”Beltran highlights testing done on the AEPD’s decalogue to try and spur innovation. “We are a data protection authority. We don’t want to produce commercial solutions,” she says. “But we wanted to propose something as an element of analysis and as a source of inspiration, helping providers to understand what they can do and what they cannot do. And we also wanted to bring something new to the table, because when analyzing the market, we found that all the available solutions are very similar, always repeating the same technical models. In our case, we wanted to solve the age verification problem without leaving the users’ devices.”More about the decalogue can be found on AEPD’s website.

US Army base tests facial recognition, AI for threat detection, perimeter monitoring-Apr 11, 2024, 3:32 pm EDT- Joel R. McConvey

The U.S. Army is testing a commercial, off-the-shelf AI security system at its Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Kentucky. A release issued by Joint Munitions Command, Public and Congressional Affairs says the system is “a real-time modular physical threat detection solution using artificial intelligence and deep neural learning computer vision to modernize existing electronic security systems”.The U.S. Army has previously contracted Idemia NSS for computer vision and facial recognition tech, but the release does not specify which machine learning system or platform is being trialed at BGAD – only that it is “basically a software package that integrates with existing CCTV cameras” to detect “intruders, guns, fights, slips and falls, smoke and fire, facial recognition, and behavior anomalies of individuals.” Flags will send an alert to security response forces.Echoing the language of other law enforcement and military officials, the provost marshal of Joint Munitions Command, Jim Vaughan, calls the AI system “a game changer for security and protection.” Vaughan says “the Army is looking to use current technology to replace and or backstop antiquated security systems” and that AI is “a great tool that is modernizing existing technology into our force protection posture.”Potential use cases for the system include active shooter scenarios, “intrusion detection and perimeter protection.” In a demo that simulated a real-time active shooter scenario, Vaughan says AI-based weapon detection typically occurred within seconds in nearly every case. Another demo showcased the system’s capabilities for detecting breaches of an established perimeter.“The system is able to detect from hundreds of meters away when someone walks into the perimeter,” explains Vaughan. “It can detect if it’s an animal, say a deer, or a person, and it shows where the person is at, and gives a description of what they’re doing. The system can also be trained to look for mechanical flying devices and natural flying devices (birds).”The system is reportedly currently achieving around 97 percent accuracy in testing.Funding for the project comes from the U.S. Army’s Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Group.

Options for biometric age assurance and how to orchestrate them take Summit spotlight-Veratad, ITL and Trust Stamp featured
Apr 12, 2024, 12:23 pm EDT-Chris Burt

Presentations at the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit on Thursday largely centered on the technologies available to meet the standards, prevent the harms and deliver the benefits discussed during the first three days of the event in Manchester.A day four panel discussion on orchestration service providers was moderated by Open Identity Exchange Chief Identity Strategist Nick Mothershaw.The panel consisted of Veratad CEO John Ahrens, PDMS Founder Chris Gledhill and CDD Services Founder and Chair David Crack. PDMS is a software development company with extensive experience working with entitlements for online systems of public record, and CDD provides an orchestration platform geared towards regulatory compliance. Veratad provides digital identity and age verification.The orchestration layer sits between the trust scheme, such as the UK’s Digital Trust Framework, and relying parties. It translates the governance scheme into technology. As such, it makes trusted services like those for age assurance and makes them available to relying parties in a compliant, and in theory effective, efficient way. Ahrens described the role as sourcing, managing and standardizing technologies.The functions of orchestration providers evolve as they work to make things easier for their customers, Ahrens says.  “We’re not just orchestrating the providers or the methods, we’re orchestrating the experience as well.”Business models differ between orchestration service providers, Gledhill points out. PDMS is focussed on “compliance, convenience, and cost-effectiveness,” he says. The means making effective technologies consumable for customers. This can be difficult as new requirements are applied to “legacy contexts.”From a data privacy and compliance standpoint, the most important function of orchestration is to minimize the sensitive data that need to be held, by themselves or relying parties, to provide the service in question, Gledhill says.If systems are designed properly, orchestration can make compliance a business enabler, rather than a barrier, saving money by preventing problems at the beginning of interactions, Crack explains. This is in contrast with what he calls a “tick-box compliance” approach.Ahrens pointed out that in contrast with many established uses for digital identity online, age assurance processes in many cases prioritize data minimization. This makes the case for reusable IDs particularly attractive.The discussion also touched on privacy protection, commercial models for orchestrators and the limits of digital age assurance as protection against harms in the physical world.In response to a question from the audience about how to deal with different priorities held by societies in different jurisdictions, Ahrens noted that Veratad has integrated seven different digital credential providers, and advises customers to select among them for different customers based on the priorities of the jurisdiction they are in.In the case of entitlements, however, Gledhill points out, tying the attribute of age to the identity of the person receiving a service is often a practical necessity.Technology providers showcase emerging options-Biometrics and digital identity vendors also showcased their ideas and products for providing age assurance at the event.Trust Stamp Account Executive Amy Kneale and colleagues presented the company’s vision for Age Estimation as a Service (AaaS)-By tokenizing a biometric template in a way that removes the biometric data, Trust Stamp’s Stable IT2 provides a cryptographic system for facial authentication without exchanging biometric data.The company hopes to get its Stable IT2 into production during the second quarter of 2024.A challenge identified to this approach during the discussion that followed is how to map the technology against the existing standards and regulation, and those in development.The summit was not confined entirely to the online world. Innovative Technology presented its age estimation technology for in-person transactions at the event.ITL Senior Business Development Manager Christian Czeskleba recounted the story of a group of youths entering a store with the company’s MyCheckr visible at the checkout during a trial. The youths spotted the biometric age-estimating device, conspicuously conferred in a group, and each purchased a lemonade. The incident, he says, illustrates the deterrent effect of making clear to minors that they will be asked to confirm their age if they attempt to purchase age-restricted goods.The presentation also offered a sneak peak at the company’s Alerts app.Czeskleba answered a question from Yoti CEO Robin Tombs that ITL will consider submitting its age estimation algorithm to NIST for evaluation in the future.

Kenya’s ICT Minister outlines new digital ID, AI regulation plans-Apr 11, 2024, 1:24 pm EDT-Ayang Macdonald

Eliud Owalo, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information and Communication Technology, says his ministry is fronting efforts for a legislation to regulate the deployment of generative AI technologies in the country. He also reiterated the country’s ongoing plans to introduce a digital ID which will facilitate access to services by citizens.Owalo was speaking as he addressed a Senate Committee on ICT early this week in the port city of Mombasa, reports NTV.Speaking about the digital ID, Owalo said it is part of the country’s digital transformation plans and will go a long way in facilitating the way public and even private sector services are delivered to users. Kenya has already digitized more than 5,000 government services as part of the digital transformation push.Underlining the importance of the digital ID, Owalo noted that it will curb reliance on paperwork which is often not only costly and cumbersome, but also prone to errors.As explained by Owalo, the new ID will be different from the other generation of IDs which Kenya has had in the past. He spoke specifically about the Huduma Namba, saying its rollout flopped because it was launched in an inopportune period, which gave room for suspicion and doubts.He used the opportunity to solicit the contribution of lawmakers to join in a campaign to raise awareness on the importance and relevance of the new digital ID to be rolled out.“We will require awareness and explain to Kenyans the rationale of virtual identification. This will be the success factor that will give us acceptability,” Owalo is quoted by NTV as responding to a question from one Senator.Turning to AI, the government official recognized its impact and importance to the development of a country like Kenya, but remarked that it would be wise to adopt a proactive approach in regulating its deployment so as to avert deep potential harms.Other issues discussed during the exchange between the ICT cabinet secretary and the Senate ICT Committee members included digital skills development, supporting and harnessing the potential of the private sector in relation to Kenya’s digital transformation, and how new digital technologies can be used in making life better for citizens.

Cameroon telcos get ultimatum to ID all SIM holders in regions plagued by security crisis-Namibia telco criticized over biometric registration-Apr 11, 2024, 1:00 pm EDT-Ayang Macdonald

Mobile telecommunication operators in Cameroon have been given 60 days to thoroughly identify the holders of all SIM cards currently in use in the Far North, North West and South Regions of the country.The directive was given early this week by Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji during a meeting with representatives of companies offering telecommunications services.These three regions of Cameroon have been floundering in security crises for years. In the Far North, Boko Haram insurgency has been wreaking havoc in many communities. In the North West and South West, armed separatists are fighting to create a break-away country. Both crises have given rise to the phenomenon of kidnappings for ransom.Speaking during the meeting, Atanga Nji expressed worries that the spate of ransom payments was on the rise in those regions, aided largely by the use of improperly identified SIM cards. He said it has been estimated that over FCFA 370 million (about US$605,000) was paid in ramson in the three crisis-hit regions in the past year using their mobile money channels.According to the Territorial Administration Minister, these activities have been successful mainly because SIM cards used by criminals are either not registered at all, or are registered with incorrect information.“Our mission is to protect people and their property and to ensure that security returns to the North West, South West and Far North regions. But when you have your platforms which are not controlled, it’s a problem. How can you give 30 SIM cards to a group of terrorists, knowing very well that they’ll use it to intimidate? They send messages to people asking for huge sums of money,” said Atanga Nji.“So, you have to help us to help you. The security of the state cannot be put at stake. If your customers cannot be clearly identified, then they have no business with you, not to talk of the terrorists who are in the bushes. Within this period of 60 days, I am telling you clearly to put things in order; otherwise, you will face serious sanctions. We cannot jeopardize the security of the state for any purpose whatsoever.”The registration of SIM cards is a compulsory activity in Cameroon, and is regulated by a Prime Ministerial decree of 2015. The decree of September 3, 2015, prohibits the sale of SIM cards on the streets and in other unauthorized sales points. The legislation requires a national ID card for the registration of a SIM, and forbids an individual from having more than three SIM cards registered in their name on one mobile telephone network.The decree on SIM card registration was introduced after the industry regulator, the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, uncovered cases of between 100 to 200 SIM cards registered with one national ID credential.The regulator has previously fined Cameroon’s leading telcos for failing to identify subscribers, but the country has not yet followed some of its neighbors in turning to biometrics for SIM registration.
Cameroon recently launched a campaign to issue 80k birth certificates to children preparing to take final exams.Data privacy concerns raised again with SIM registration in Namibia-In a SIM-identification related story, preoccupations remain about the continuous collection of biometric data for SIM card registration in Malawi.The concerns this time around have been raised by the country chapter of Internet Society, a digital rights advocacy group, Windhoek Observer reports.The group has chided Mobile Telecommunication Limited for the biometric collection, arguing it contravenes the laws in force.Anna Amoomo, the society’s president, is quoted as criticizing the fact that those who refuse to get their biometrics captured are refused SIM registration. To him, biometrics do not need to be part of the registration process, and is calling on authorities to respect the law.The SIM registration process in Namibia has been rocked by several challenges and criticisms of biometric collection in the past.

IN Groupe races to rescue of Eurotunnel with 224 biometric kiosks ahead of EES launch-Apr 11, 2024, 12:40 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Eurotunnel is installing biometric kiosks specially designed for Eurotunnel deployment by IN Groupe at access points on either side of the English channel’s international border.The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is scheduled to take effect on October 6, and both French and UK authorities and transport operators have warned that border crossings will be slowed down by the new biometrics capture requirements. Officials warned a UK parliamentary committee last week that travelers should expect duplicative processes at the border.A total of 224 biometric kiosks supplied by IN Groupe will be installed at terminals in Folkestone, England and Coquelles, France, Kent Online reports.“EES is a big challenge this year for border control and Eurotunnel case study is a good example,” IN Groupe Marketing & Communication Manager, Identity SBU, Céline Fauvet tells Biometric Update in an email.Eurotunnel operator Getlink says it has invested £68 million (roughly US$85.5 million) in the last three years. The company is also running AI simulations to help anticipate passenger volumes.Getlink is also in the process of building a separate area for processing the passports of non-EU nationals.An app meant to accelerate the border clearance process through pre-registration is also in development, and expected to reach the testing phase around the same time EES comes into force. Testing is not expected to be complete, however, until 2025, delaying a production rollout.IN Groupe and Eurotunnel will present a live demonstration of the specially designed kiosks at the 2024 Passenger Terminal Expo in Frankfurt on April 16.

IdRamp partners with Clear for reusable biometric identity and authentication-Apr 11, 2024, 10:51 am EDT    | Bianca Gonzalez

Decentralized digital identity orchestration provider IdRamp has partnered with Clear to offer Sign In With Clear, a biometric reusable identity authentication service with a variety of use cases, according to an announcement.The service can be deployed without code and integrated with existing services. The user experience minimizes friction while assuring a person is who they say they are, according to the announcement.The offering can perform phone verification, document verification to assure authenticity, or credential verification to confirm military or employment status. It can also be used with supplementary database checks. It supports Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) through face biometrics for entities who must meet high security standards.Sign In With Clear can be used for MFA, passwordless authentication and biometric authentication. It can also be used for identity proofing when someone is trying to access a service or system, as well as onboarding and account recovery uses.Verifying identity in the workforce can enhance security, and verifying customers can minimize fraud attempts. In the public sector, government online services can be kept secure, improving trust among citizens.Clear has verified over 20 million users, and was recently accredited for authenticator assurance level 2 by Kantara.

Sierra Leone putting digital ID at the center of its digital transformation agenda-An interview with NCRA Deputy Director Moses T.F. Vibbie-Apr 11, 2024, 10:45 am EDT-Ayang Macdonald

The West African nation of Sierra Leone is at full throttle with its digital transformation efforts, and its MOSIP-based foundational identity system is the nucleus of this undertaking, according to an official with the country’s ID authority.The Deputy Director of ICT at the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA), Moses T.F. Vibbie, in an interview with Biometric Update on the sideline of the MOSIP Connect event which took place last month in Addis Ababa, explains that the strong political will of the country’s Head of State, Julius Maada Bio, and the dedication of the NCRA’s Director General, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, are the other driving forces behind the initiative. Massaquoi is also an ID4Africa Ambassador.“Foundational digital ID managed by the NCRA is at the centre of Sierra Leone’s digital transformation agenda. The National ID Card or NIN is mandatory for accessing services in Sierra Leone as enshrined in the National Civil Registration Act of 2016 (NCR Act 2016),” says Vibbie.So far, he says digital ID has been instrumental in the country’s ongoing digital government efforts as almost all government services have been digitized and linked to the digital ID.“According to the parliament of Sierra Leone’s ratification and directives, the NIN is linked to all government and key private sector services including SIM card registration, education, government payroll, employment in public and private sectors, insurance, financial inclusion and services, vehicle registration and driver’s license, health care, pension and social security, properties and land registration and more,” he outlines. It is required for passports, work and residence permits.Sierra Leone started to implement a modern ID system in 2016/2017, and later signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MOSIP to establish an open-source ID system that will respond to the specific needs of the country and enable citizens have access to a number of important public and even private sector services.Successful MOSIP pilot-“NCRA Sierra Leone, which is responsible for civil registration and ID services, first piloted the MOSIP Platform as a test case in order to understand the modules, features, functionality and level of customization and localization of MOSIP and to ascertain if it can work for us or meet our use case in Sierra Leone. The pilot was completed in February, 2024, and we are okay with the outcome,” the official discloses.Explaining why Sierra Leone opted for the MOSIP-based digital ID, Vibbie remarks: “Sierra Leone is a strong believer in open-source and Digital Public Goods (DPGs), and a founding and board member of Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA).”“We are switching to a MOSIP platform because it’s an open source (DPG), has no vendor lock-in, no license fees, we can customize it to our requirement, and it’s flexible, as compared to its commercial and closed-source counterparts.”Enrollment for the digital ID has been ongoing in the country with over 90 percent of the population already registered, according to Vibbie. He says the government has underscored the fact that the digital ID is mandatory for all citizens to ensure effective service delivery, and for legal residents in the country to easily access services.New deadline to obtain ID cards-As part of measures to encourage more digital ID adoption, the NCRA set a deadline of March 31, 2024, for all citizens and legal residents to acquire the new digital ID card as part of the push to expand adoption, Vibbie told Biometric Update. However, in a public notice issued on March 28, a new deadline has been set for June 28, with authorities saying the move is to allow more time for people to go for the ID as part of their fundamental right.“The director general of NCRA, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi, who is also an Ambassador for ID4Africa, is a determined and committed man working fervently to advance CRVS and ID Services in Sierra Leone, in line with the strong political will from the President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Julius Maada Bio,” Vibbie acknowledges.“He is strongly committed to see that Sierra Leone works with the MOSIP team to implement a MOSIP-based ID in the country. We may start with few modules and transition gradually since we already have an ID system in place. That’s in fact the beauty of MOSIP because it is modular, so we can implement modules that are of interest to us at a given time.”In addition to the strong technical leadership and political will propelling the national digital ID project, the Vibbie cites other factors including legal and institutional reforms, public awareness and sensitization campaigns as well as other collaborative efforts aimed at popularising civil registration and vital statistics and identity services. As the implementation of the project advances, the deputy ICT director at the NRCA says the agency is open to more support and partnerships for the digital ID and digital transformation drive.Over the last couple of months, the NCRA has been urging citizens to acquire the digital IDs not only to facilitate access to services, but also to ensure their personal security.-Sierra Leone delegation lauds MOSIP Connect-Vibbie, who was among a delegation of representatives from Sierra Leone at the MOSIP Connect 2024 in Addis Ababa, admits it was an interesting event from which they learnt so much.“I learnt a lot from there. We had experience sharing with other countries, and learning from those that have implemented MOSIP. It was also an opportunity to better understand current trends in Digital ID using Digital Public Goods (DPGs) and Digital Public Infrastructure, and the drive towards digital ID and verifiable credentials.”“There was a lot to learn about identity verification and authentication, networking with other identity stakeholders including government, the private sector and donor partners/NGOs. The presentations and panel discussions, as well as the solution corner where different companies, service providers and partners showcased their Identity solutions, products and services, were other important points of attraction for the event.”Sierra Leone’s CRVS and identity system is integrated and managed by the NCRA, in line with the resolution of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registrations, as well as the recommendation of UN on CRVS Systems.

New Zealand welcomes input on draft biometrics code-Apr 11, 2024, 10:23 am EDT-Joel R. McConvey

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand is seeking public feedback on draft rules for the use of biometrics. A release from the office says the Commissioner has “drafted additional rules that New Zealand organizations would need to follow if they were using biometric technologies.”“We’re keen to know whether New Zealanders agree with what we’ve drafted,” says Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster. “The Privacy Act 2020 regulates the use of personal information in New Zealand (and therefore biometrics), but we think biometrics need special protections especially in specific circumstances. Biometrics are fundamental to who a person is; they’re a very special type of personal information.”Per the release, New Zealand does not currently have special rules for biometric technologies. Questions being posed to the public address issues of informed consent, transparency, limitations, and proportionality in weighing the benefits and the risks of biometrics.“The use of biometrics is growing and diversifying, and I want to ensure New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses that they can harness the benefits of this technology, but also be protected from potential harm,” says Webster. “Biometrics can be used to surveil and monitor large numbers of people or identify people on a watchlist and some of their uses are so highly intrusive that they shouldn’t be used lightly.”Input on the exposure draft is welcome until May 8, 2024. Feedback can be emailed to biometrics@privacy.org.nz. Interested parties outside of New Zealand also benefit from a bit of Kiwi hospitality: commenters “can say a little or a lot,” says the Commissioner, “and don’t have to be a New Zealand resident to have their say.”The full draft biometrics code and a consultation document can be found at privacy.org.nz.

India orders integration of two health IDs to facilitate access to unified services-Apr 11, 2024, 10:12 am EDT-Ayang Macdonald

Since April 1, it has become compulsory for Indians to link their Central Government Health Services (CGHS) beneficiary ID with the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID.As Business Standard (BS) reports, the reason for the linkage is to bring together various government health programs onto one consolidated platform.The CGHS is a government-run program which offers healthcare services to government workers, pensioners and dependents, while the ABHA is a 14-digit ID used for identity verification within India’s healthcare landscape. Early this year, India said 500 million people had been issued the ABHA ID.The memorandum, issued by the central government, indicates that CGHS beneficiaries shall have 30 days from April 1 to complete the linkage process.A source familiar with the development is quoted by BS as saying that part of the reason is to establish a system in which a digital health ID will be created for all beneficiaries as well as a platform to store their digital records.As of April 2, just 21,362 beneficiaries had linked to the IDs, out of about 4.4 million people covered by the CGHS health scheme.Shuchin Bajaj, founder director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, praised the idea of linking CGHS accounts and the ABHA ID, saying it will “streamline healthcare services and enhance patient identification by facilitating seamless sharing of digital health records across platforms.” Bajaj however notes that the merger process could lead to some concerns such as privacy which authorities must pay keen attention to.Another official, Sunil Rao, chief operating officer, Sahyadri Group of Hospitals in Pune, also lauds the move, and expresses optimism that “it will be easier for the government to make it compulsory and achieve their deadline to integrate both IDs.” Rao, like Bajaj, suggests that given the privacy issues the linkage may provoke, it is important for the government to consider strong data protection measures.Meanwhile, the importance of integrating national digital ID (NDI) has been highlighted in an opinionated piece by a Totm Technologies official.Eric Drury, digital ID and trust advisor at the company argues in a LinkedIn newsletter that national digital ID can facilitate patient management and care provision if integrated into healthcare systems.Drury believes that integrating national digital ID with “national healthcare systems is paramount for the advancement of Citizen Healthcare Services, offering a pathway to a more interconnected and patient-centric future.”

3 biometric access control partnerships expand market reach, deployment options-Fingerprint Cards and Freevolt, Precise and Flowmark, ZKTeco and Telaeris strengthen ties-Apr 11, 2024, 10:07 am EDT-Chris Burt

Fingerprint Cards has implemented biometric cards from Freevolt Technologies for physical access control at its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.The S-Keys supplied by Freevolt are built with Fingerprint Cards’ T2 biometric sensors. Implementing them across the site strengthens its security and allows the company to utilize role-based access control, while being convenient and easy-to-use for employees, according to the company announcement.Freevolt began building S-Keys with T2 sensors through a partnership formed last October.“Fingerprints are leaders in biometrics, with sensors in billions of products, so they know what makes a good biometric solution,” says Freevolt Head of Product & Business Development Gonzalo de Gisbert. “We’re therefore thrilled that Fingerprints has chosen S-Key to strengthen security at their global headquarters, in Gothenburg. Our leading radio frequency energy harvesting technology combined with Fingerprints’ ‘T2’ sensors, known as FPC 1323, enables S-Key to be completely battery-less, lasting for many years. Roll-out was seamless, with everyone set-up in less than 1 hour. That’s simple, safe, and secure biometrics, powered by Freevolt.”The second generation of Fingerprint Cards’ T-shaped T2 sensor was launched in 2020.Precise and Flowmark reseller partnership reaches new regions-Precise Biometrics has agreed to an expanded reseller agreement with proptech provider Flowscape Technology to bring YOUNiQ Visit to the Nordic, UK and Middle Eastern markets.The partners originally agreed to a deal covering distribution of YOUNiQ biometric visitor management technology in North America last April. YOUNiQ Visit is also known as EastCoast Visit in Sweden. Flowscape CEO Peter Reigo refers to a joint customer win in the UK early in the extended partnership as evidence of the competitive advantage provided by the addition of Precise’s biometric software to its portfolio. The customer is a global consulting firm, the partners say.“The collaboration is fully in line with our commercialization strategy, where partners like Flowscape are crucial to being able to accelerate growth in a cost-effective way,” says Precise Biometrics CEO Joakim Nydemark.-ZKTeco platform integrated by Telaeris-ZKTeco USA’s biometric platform is being integrated with XPressEntry’s biometric scanners for physical access control systems, made by Telaeris.XPressEntry scanners can now be managed with ZKTeco’s ZKBiosecurity v5000 web-based security platform to provide flexible identity verification and access control checks with handheld and kiosk readers.The partners suggest customers can use their integrated software for handheld badge verification, emergency evacuation mustering, corporate events and training, workplace surveys, time and attendance and a range of other use cases.“With XPressEntry handheld, mobile badge, and biometric readers including facial and palm authentication, ZKTeco customers now benefit from enhanced mobile features, elevating convenience and, most importantly, fortifying end-customer security and safety,” says Telaeris CEO Dr. David Carta.ZKTeco USA President and Founder Manish Dalal says the partnership “provides an end-to-end security solution for any facility.”