TODAYS NEWS-SAT MAR 9,24

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)

 TODAYS NEWS-SAT MAR 9,24

NHL NEWS
THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF TRADES IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE ON THE FINAL TRADELINE DAY MAR 08,24. ACTUALLY THE LAST 3 DAYS WERE FILLED WITH TRADES.I NOTICE THERES ALL KINDS OF CONDITIONAL TRADES. THIS YEAR IS WHAT I CALL-RENT-A-PLAYER. AND HOPE WE WIN THE CUP.


LONG EXPLANATION OF AMERICAS DESTRUCTION (NEW YORK POLITICAL BABYLON OF REVELATION CHAPTER 18)(REVELATION CHAPTER 17 IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RELIOUS BABYLON THE VATICAN IN ROME)

JEREMIAH 51:29-32

29  And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon,(AMERICA-NEW YORK) to make the land of Babylon (NEW YORK) a desolation without an inhabitant.
30  The mighty men of Babylon (AMERICA) have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31  One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon (NEW YORK) that his city is taken at one end,
32  And that the passages are stopped,(THE WAR COMPUTERS HACKED OR EMP'D) and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.(DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO)

LEVITICUS 26:30-34 (NY IS BUILT ON A GARBAGE DUMP)
30  And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my (GODS) soul shall abhor you.
31  And I will make your cities waste,(GARBAGE-DESTROYED) and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
32  And I will bring the land into desolation:(RUIN) and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33  And I will scatter you among the heathen,(ENEMY NATIONS) and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34  Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

2 KINGS 19:25
25  Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

ISAIAH 34:10
10  It (NEW YORK-POLITICAL BABYLON) shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

EZEKIEL 39:21
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.

ISAIAH 18:1-2
1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!(AMERICA)

JEREMIAH 50:11,37,12
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage,(ISRAEL) because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;(BACKSLIDERS)
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.(A NATION OF MINGLED PEOPLE)
12 Your mother (england) shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed:(MOTHER ENGLAND) behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

JEREMIAH 51:13,7,53
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
53 Though Babylon (NEW YORK) should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

REVELATION 18:3,5,7
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

JEREMIAH 50:3,24
3 For out of the north (RUSSIA) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,(NEW YORK) and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. (RUSSIA A SNEAK ATTACK ON NEW YORK)

REVELATION 18:9-11,15-21
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,(NUKE ATTACK I BELIEVE FROM RUSSIA)
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.
11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city,  (NEW YORK) that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
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,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (NEW YORK)
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.(1 HOUR NEW YORK IS GONE)
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon (NEW YORK) be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

US Treasury official pushes Lebanon to prevent flow of terror funds to Hamas, Hezbollah-US officials say Beirut told of Washington’s ‘specific concerns’ and the need for ‘proactive measures’ to combat movement of money to terror groups-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 3:22 pm-MAR 9,24

A top US Treasury official visiting Beirut this week pressed Lebanese authorities to prevent funds from being funneled to Hamas by way of Lebanon, and the movement of funds from Iran to Hezbollah.Jesse Baker, deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for Asia and the Middle East in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, met with Lebanese politicians and officials from the financial sector Thursday and Friday, officials said.His visit came as negotiations for a potential temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terror group in Gaza appear to have stalled.Should the war continue during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which could begin late Sunday, many fear a regional escalation, including potentially in Lebanon.Following the October 7 terror onslaught that triggered the Israel-Hamas war, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.A US Treasury official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said Baker had shared with Lebanese authorities “specific concerns” about “the movement of Hamas funds through Lebanon, Hezbollah funds from Iran into Lebanon and then out into other regional areas” and called for “proactive measures” to combat it.The US official said that the terror groups need the flow of funds to pay their fighters and conduct military operations and cannot achieve their aims otherwise.The Treasury official added that, for Lebanon, showing compliance with global anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing standards is key to attracting investment from the US and the rest of the world and to pulling the country out of its protracted crisis.Baker pushed for Lebanon to crack down on the large sector of illicit financial service companies that have flourished amid the collapse of the country’s formal banking system over four years of economic crisis, including illegal money exchange and unlicensed money transfer operations, the Treasury official said.Those businesses — along with a cash economy that the World Bank has estimated amounts to nearly 46 percent of Lebanon’s GDP — have offered workarounds for people and groups barred from the formal financial system by US sanctions, including Hamas and Hezbollah.Walid Kilani, a spokesperson for Hamas in Lebanon, said he had “no information” about the matter.Halim Berti, spokesperson for Lebanon’s central bank, confirmed that officials with the institution had met with Baker and described the meetings as “very positive.”He said that the central bank is doing its part to regulate licensed financial services businesses, but that those operating without a license are “not in our jurisdiction” and should be dealt with by law enforcement.On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US special envoy Amos Hochstein that Hezbollah’s continued attacks on Israel were bringing the country closer to a decision regarding military action in Lebanon.On Friday, a Lebanese newspaper linked to Hezbollah claimed that Israel had set a March 15 deadline for a diplomatic deal pushing the terror group from southern Lebanon, after which it is prepared to escalate the ongoing border skirmishes into a war.Al-Akhbar quoted Western officials saying that Hochstein did not believe the fighting along the border could be halted before a deal is reached for a truce in Gaza.The Lebanese news outlet also claimed the US thinks a diplomatic settlement between Beirut and Jerusalem would have to include a solution to the border disputes, in particular in the Mount Dov area, known in Lebanon as the Shebaa Farms, and the deployment of Lebanon’s army to the south.But military officials were quoted by Channel 13 as denying the report.“There’s no date for going to war in Lebanon,” an unnamed source told the network.Since October 8, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in seven civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of ten IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries. Hezbollah has named 235 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria.In Lebanon, another 37 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 30 civilians, three of whom were journalists, have been killed.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

Report: Dozen of hostages' families receive signs of life-‘19 women held hostage by Hamas’: Families rallying for International Women’s Day-Relatives of each of the female captives held by terrorists in Gaza to speak at Saturday’s Tel Aviv demonstration; separately, anti-government protesters to urge elections-By ToI Staff Today, 12:43 pm-MAR 09,24

The families of hostages were set to rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to specifically draw attention to the plight of the 19 women held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, as anti-government protesters were readying to also demonstrate nationwide.The rally by the hostages’ families came a day after International Women’s Day. Additionally, on Monday, the UN’s representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, released a report saying that hostages were likely subject to sexual violence, which she believed was ongoing.The protest is to be held under the banner: “19 women held hostage by Hamas — International Women’s Day 2024.”The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square, and family members representing each of the 19 female hostages will give a speech.The rally was to come a day after Channel 12 reported, without citing any sources, that several dozen families of hostages in Gaza received signs of life regarding their loved ones this week.The network said it could not provide any additional details on the matter. However, Israel has been demanding a list of live hostages as part of the ongoing hostage deal talks.According to Channel 12, the signs of life sparked a debate among the hostage families, with some wanting to radically step up protests amid a feeling that time is increasingly running out. However, others were urging a more measured approach to give negotiations on a deal a chance to work.Families of hostages being held captive by Hamas in Gaza staged a protest on Friday late afternoon and evening, blocking the main highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to urge the government to reach a deal to free their loved ones.The protesters set tires on fire, and hostages’ relatives sat in five cramped cages spread across the highway bearing signs that read “SOS,” “Save us” and “Help.”Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 253.Attempts have been ongoing to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas in negotiations in Qatar and Cairo in recent weeks. Talks on Thursday ended without any progress made, as both sides continue to blame each other for sabotaging the negotiations. Further meetings are set to begin next week.Hamas has said Israel must agree to a permanent ceasefire before hostages are freed, Israeli forces must leave the Strip and all Gazans must be able to return to homes they have fled. Israel has publicly ruled out a permanent ceasefire, and says it will resume its campaign to destroy Hamas after any temporary truce.The apparent outline of a six-week truce deal, thus far rejected by Hamas, would see 40 children, women, elderly and sick hostages released in a first phase, in exchange for some 400 Palestinian security prisoners, with the possibility of further releases to be negotiated.It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, after 105 civilians were released during a weeklong truce in late November. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of at least 31 of the captives.Four hostages were released prior to that, three have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military. One more person, Bilha Yinon, has been listed as missing since October 7, and her fate is still unknown.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.Election calls after violence-Meanwhile, at around the same time on Saturday evening as the supporters of the hostage families will hold their rally, anti-government protesters were set to gather across the country, including at Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street, the focus of last year’s mass protests against the government’s contentious judicial overhaul.Rallies will also be held in cities and towns nationwide, and protesters will also gather on bridges across the country on Saturday afternoon.Speakers at the main rally in Tel Aviv will include: Dr. Yahel Kurlander, a sociology lecturer displaced from her home in the north by attacks from the Hezbollah terror group launched from south Lebanon; major general (res.) Amos Malka, a former head of the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Directorate; reservist Gal Alkalai; and Or Szneiberg, an activist who was seriously injured while fighting in Gaza.Demonstrations against the coalition’s contentious judicial overhaul ceased with the outbreak of war, but protests have ramped up in recent weeks as anti-government activists have increasingly demanded new elections over the failures that enabled the devastating Hamas attack.Calls for an election have grown also amid dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the war, with repeated polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu losing his majority in the Knesset if a vote was to be held today. Netanyahu claimed last month that Israel’s enemies want to see elections mid-war because the process would be so divisive, and intimated that any politicians seeking to oust his government from without or within were therefore siding with the enemy.Netanyahu has faced criticism for his refusal to take responsibility for  October 7, while virtually all other military and civilian leaders who had a hand in events have done so. Many top officials are also expected to resign once the war concludes, while Netanyahu has signaled he has no such intention.The prime minister has also pushed back against investigating the failures that enabled the Hamas onslaught so long as the war continues.

UN Security Council to meet Monday on October 7 sexual violence report-Israel rails at UN Secretary-General Guterres for failing to convene council himself and for speech seen as equating Hamas sexual violence to unfounded allegations against IDF-By Ariella Oldfield 8 March 2024, 11:13 pm

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency session on Monday to discuss the report issued this week by the UN’s envoy on sex crimes detailing the sexual violence perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists on October 7 and against hostages who have been held since.Requests for the session were made by Security Council members — the US, the UK and France.Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that he was planning on attending the session along with relatives of the hostages still being held by Hamas and would use the opportunity to demand that the UN declare Hamas a terrorist organization and demand the immediate release of the hostages.The Security Council has adopted several resolutions already demanding the release of the hostages.Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan will also attend the meeting after being recalled to Israel for consultations with Katz earlier this week.“I thank all the countries who supported our request to convene the Security Council to debate the severe findings and publish an explicit condemnation against Hamas for its sexual crimes and call for the immediate release of all the hostages in Gaza,” said Katz, adding that he expected more countries to join the request.“This is a big victory for justice and morality and an important step in the journey to bringing the hostages home.”The emergency meeting was requested following the publication of a report by the UN’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Pramila Patten, in which she said that there was “clear and convincing information” to indicate that hostages held captive in Gaza were subjected to “sexual violence including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”Patten added that her office believed that such treatment was ongoing against the hostages that still remained in Gaza.She also said that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Hamas terrorists perpetrated rape and gang rape against victims in at least three main locations during their October 7 attack on Israel in which they murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253.Following the publication of the report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was expected to convene the Security Council himself but did not, leading the US, the UK and France to press for the session instead.In his statement on Friday, Katz spoke out against Guterres, accusing him of continuing to be blind and deaf to the hostages’ suffering “as if nothing happened.”“On International Women’s Day of all days, his continued silence is disgraceful and a stain on him that cannot be removed,” he said.The UN secretary-general drew further Israeli outrage on Friday during a speech he made at the UN Economic and Social Council in honor of International Women’s Day.In his speech, Guterres warned of the threat of women’s rights regressing worldwide. As an example, he mentioned Patten’s report, citing her findings along with unproven reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.Noting “horrific reports of the impact of conflict on women and girls around the world,” he cited “Accounts in the recent report by Pramila Patten – my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict– of sexual violence and indications of sexualized torture during the terror attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel; and reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.”He also presented Hamas’s unverifiable reports of casualties in Gaza as fact, saying the UN has “witnessed maternity services crumbling in Gaza where women and children make up the majority of the tens of thousands killed and injured.”The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims that almost 31,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the war, but the number cannot be independently verified and is believed to include both Hamas terrorists and civilians, some of whom were killed as a consequence of the terror group’s own rocket misfires.The IDF 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.Guterres’s speech was heavily criticized by Erdan, who said that “the secretary-general once again publicly proved his bias and hatred against Israel.”“What sort of distorted conscience can the secretary-general have to dare equate between proof of sexual abuse, rape and war crimes that Israeli women were put through on October 7, which our hostages are still experiencing, and false and baseless claims of physical searches of Palestinian women suspected of terrorism?” he said.The UN, and its women’s organization in particular, were heavily criticized by Israel for their slow response to the evidence of Hamas’s sexual violence that emerged after October 7. It took eight weeks for UN Women to condemn the attacks, which it did in December, saying it condemned the atrocities of October 7 and was “alarmed” by the reports of sexual violence.Guterres has also been heavily criticized by Israel throughout the war for statements he made condemning the country for the casualties in Gaza and repeatedly calling for a ceasefire. He has also defended UNRWA, the UN’s Palestinian aid organization, after Israel accused some of its members of being involved in October 7 attacks and holding hostages in their homes.The UN secretary-general’s comments have led Israeli officials to accuse him of cooperating with and covering for Hamas. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana was supposed to meet with him last month during a diplomatic visit to the US but canceled, calling Guterres a lost cause.Amy Spiro contributed to this report.

Warns of groups that 'lurk just below terrorism threshold'UK counterterror official: Anti-Israel protests make central London ‘no-go zone for Jews’Robin Simcox warns ‘permissive environment for radicalization’ emerging; security group head says many British Jews avoid center of capital on Saturdays for fear of violence-By ToI Staff Today, 11:07 am-MAR 9,24

The streets of central London have become “a no-go zone for Jews every weekend” because of massive weekly anti-Israel demonstrations held by pro-Palestinian protesters, the United Kingdom’s counterterrorism commissioner has warned.The protests have seen anti-Israel chants and a number of arrests. However, many in the British Jewish community believe that policing has not gone far enough.In an opinion piece published Thursday by The Telegraph, Robin Simcox described the atmosphere in Britain since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, which has led to “skyrocketing” antisemitism in the UK.“Inflammatory and borderline criminal rhetoric widely shared on social media. A sense that the terrorism threat is rising,” Simcox wrote.“Protests becoming ever more vociferous, with ‘from the river to the sea’ beamed onto the side of Big Ben during a vote on Gaza. MPs more fearful for their safety than ever,” he wrote, referring to a slogan that critics say is a genocidal call for Israel’s destruction.The commissioner was also likely referencing the recent decision of Conservative Party MP Mike Freer — an outspoken supporter of Israel — not to seek reelection this year, noting “serious threats” to his safety.Major demonstrations have taken place in London on most Saturdays since the war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre, when thousands of terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians slaughtered amid brutal atrocities and sexual assault, and kidnapping 253 to Gaza, half of whom remain in captivity.The weekly marches of tens of thousands of people through the UK capital have seen calls for an “intifada” or uprising, as well as chants that advocate the destruction of Israel, such as, “We don’t want two states, Palestine ’48.”Demonstrations have also featured people glorifying Hamas, and antisemitic incidents and chants.British Jews say they have been subject to verbal abuse by some pro-Palestinian supporters since the devastating October 7 terror attack carried out by Hamas in southern Israel and the subsequent war against the terror group.In January, workers and shoppers at a family-owned kosher supermarket in Golders Green fended off a knife-wielding attacker who asked them, “Do you support Israel or Palestine?”There have also been numerous reports of antisemitic attacks on people hanging posters of hostages kidnapped by Gaza terror groups, and while speaking Hebrew on the streets of London.Simcox said “all these things and more have become normalized in the UK,” which he blamed on an emerging “permissive environment for radicalization” that he said must immediately be tackled.He also charged that Iran is sponsoring British schools and mosques, and that the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas back charities and television channels operating in the UK.“We have not betrayed democracy if extremists are no longer able to operate television channels,” he said. “And we will not have become an authoritarian state if London is no longer permitted to be turned into a no-go zone for Jews every weekend.”In the op-ed, Simcox applauded his government’s efforts to tackle extremism on British soil, but urged it to also target “the activities of those groups who propagate extremist narratives but who lurk just below the terrorism threshold,” mentioning the religious and educational institutions.Responding to Simcox’s article, the head of UK Jewish security group CST told the BBC that he — along with other London Jews — avoids going into the center of the city for fear of violent incidents surrounding anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests in the area.“I don’t go into town when there’s these demonstrations,” CST chief executive Mark Gardner was quoted by the UK Jewish News as saying.Last month, CST said it had recorded an all-time high in antisemitic incidents last year, with the number after October 7 exceeding all previous totals in the 40 years the group has been tracking antisemitism in Britain.The rise appeared, at least initially, to reflect a celebration of the Hamas attacks rather than anger at Israel’s military response in Gaza, the CST said its data suggested.The previous record for antisemitic incidents in Britain was in 2021, fueled by a rise in violence amid an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas that year.Agencies contributed to this report.

Stockholm: UNRWA agreed to allow controls, independent audits-Canada, Sweden resume UNRWA funding after pause over terror allegations against staff-Ottawa says UN Palestinian refugee agency ‘plays vital role in Gaza,’ vows to continue treating accusations some employees were involved in Oct. 7 attack ‘extremely seriously’By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:56 am-MAR 9,24

Canada and Sweden announced they will resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, after receiving assurances of extra checks on its spending and personnel and while still taking terror allegations against staff members seriously.Ottawa paused funding on January 26 after Israel alleged some of the staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) agency were involved in the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught.“Canada will be lifting its temporary pause on funding to [UNRWA],” Canadian International Aid Minister Ahmed Hussen said in a Friday statement, but did not say exactly when this would happen. “UNRWA plays a vital role in Gaza.”Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that Ottawa was waiting for the results of an internal United Nations probe into the Israeli accusations that 12 UNRWA staff — including one who was seen on CCTV abducting the body of an Israeli — took part in the onslaught in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 253, sparking Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.A total of 16 donors, including the United States and Britain, paused their funding to UNRWA.After the accusations, the UN fired the accused employees who were still alive and launched an internal investigation. Israel has since further alleged that 450 UNRWA employees were members of terror groups in Gaza and last week released audio recordings incriminating two more agency employees of allegedly joining in the assault.Hussen said Canada had reviewed the interim report of the UN investigation and would examine the final version.“Canada is resuming its funding to UNRWA so more can be done to respond to the urgent needs of Palestinian civilians. Canada will continue to take the allegations against some of UNRWA’s staff extremely seriously and we will remain closely engaged with UNRWA and the UN to pursue accountability and reform,” he said.Hussen was set to announce the decision on Wednesday but delayed it until Friday, for reasons that were not immediately clear.The Canadian government is due to contribute C$25 million ($19 million) to UNRWA in April and did not miss a payment as a result of the pause.Canada will also send C$100,000 ($74,000) to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for supplies including food and blankets to be delivered to the territory. The Canadian military will also send 300 cargo parachutes to Jordan to help with airdrops of critical supplies.Sweden said Saturday it too was resuming aid to the cash-strapped UN agency for Palestinians with an initial disbursement of $20 million after receiving assurances of extra checks on its spending and personnel.“The government has allocated 400 million kronor to UNRWA for the year 2024. Today’s decision concerns a first payment of 200 million kronor,” the Swedish government said in a statement.It said that to unblock the aid, UNRWA had agreed to “allow controls, independent audits, to strengthen internal supervision and extra controls of personnel.”Two UN investigations into Israel’s allegations were already underway when the European Union said last Friday it will give 50 million euros ($54 million) to UNRWA after the agency agreed to allow EU-appointed experts to audit the way it screens staff to identify extremists.Israel panned the EU move, with the Foreign Ministry saying, “The disappointing decision gives legitimacy to UNRWA employees’ involvement in terror activities and cooperation with Hamas.”The ministry noted that the EU was reopening the spigot before a UN probe into the Israeli claims of UNRWA bias, and vowed to present donor countries and the UN investigators with all the information it has on the subject in the coming weeks.

Peru arrests 2, including Quds Force operative, for alleged plot to attack Israeli-Peruvian chief of police says Iranian suspect was tasked with ‘forming a terrorist cell to wipe out an Israeli national’ during APEC forum-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 1:18 am-MAR 9,24

LIMA, Peru — Peruvian police on Friday said they had captured an Iranian and a Peruvian national who allegedly were planning an attack on an Israeli person at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), scheduled to be held later this year in the Andean nation.Peru’s chief of police, Oscar Arriola, told a press conference the arrests were made after an investigation in coordination with international intelligence agencies, which provided “sensitive” information about an Iranian citizen who arrived in Peru at the beginning of March.“We had to act quickly because today (the Iranian) was set to return to Iran after forming a terrorist cell to wipe out an Israeli national” who was going to participate in the APEC event, Arriola said.Both the Iranian, whom Arriola identified as 56-year-old Majid Azizi, and the Peruvian were arrested on Thursday, he said. Azizi also holds Peruvian nationality by marriage, Arriola said.Police are still looking for a third Peruvian they think was in charge of killing the Israeli man, he said.Arriola said that authorities had identified the Israeli who would have been targeted in the attack, though they were choosing not to release the person’s name due to security reasons.En conferencia de prensa, el comandante general (e) de la PNP, Óscar Arriola Delgado, acompañado del titular del @MininterPeru, Víctor Torres Falcón, brindaron detalles de la intervención a los dos presuntos terroristas, quienes tenían planificado asesinar a un ciudadano israelí. pic.twitter.com/9GGe8Cx6yp— Policía Nacional del Perú (@PoliciaPeru) March 8, 2024-According to Peru’s interior ministry, Azizi is a member of the Quds Force, the extraterritorial branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that has been frequently linked to alleged Iranian plots to target Israelis overseas.This is the first time Peruvian authorities have announced the arrest of an alleged member of that group. Iranian authorities did not comment, and Iranian state media did not acknowledge the arrest early Saturday.Arriola said Azizi — who entered Lima on March 3 — was captured after withdrawing money from an ATM and, along with the two Peruvians arrested, will remain in prison for an initial 15 days under terrorism charges.Israel considers Iran its greatest enemy, citing the Iranian government’s calls for Israel’s destruction and support for hostile militant groups. It also accuses Iran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb — a claim that Iran denies.

Time in office saw sharp decline in ties with Israel-Turkey’s Erdogan indicates he will step down at end of term after 2 decades in power-Long-time leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan says local polls at end of March will be his last elections, indicating he won’t run for presidency again in 2028-By AFP and ToI Staff 8 March 2024, 11:54 pm

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country’s March local elections would be his last, suggesting an end to his more than two decades in power.It was the first time that Erdogan, who has been in power since 2003, has spoken about leaving office.“I am working non-stop. We’re running around breathlessly because, for me, it’s a final,” said the president at a meeting of the TUGVA young Turks foundation.“With the authority that the law confers on me, this election is my last election.”The 70-year-old leader expressed confidence that his conservative Justice and Development (AKP) party would nonetheless remain in power even after he has left office.He said that the results of the March 31 local elections would be “a blessing for the brothers who come after me. There will be a transfer of confidence.”The AKP is hoping to regain the mayorship of Istanbul in the elections later this month, having seen it taken by the opposition in 2019.Erdogan was himself mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998.He was then elected prime minister in 2003 when the premier was the dominant figure in Turkish politics.That changed when Erdogan was elected president in 2014, following three terms as prime minister.A constitutional change in 2017 then turned Turkey from a parliamentary system into an executive presidency, abolishing the position of prime minister and ensuring that Erdogan’s grip on power remained unchanged.Further election successes in 2018 and last year have meant that Erdogan’s often controversial rule has extended into a third decade.Under Erdogan, Turkey turned away from its secular path and embraced Islamism. His time in office saw a marked deterioration in ties between one-time allies Israel and Turkey.Turkey maintains close ties with Hamas, the terror group that slaughtered some 1,200 Israelis in an unprecedented assault from Gaza on October 7, plunging the region into war.Erdogan had been in the midst of an effort to warm ties with Israel in the months before the war, but has since sharply backtracked and returned to the same vitriolic attacks that characterized many of the Islamist leader’s previous years in power.Israel was a long-time regional ally of Turkey before Erdogan came to power, but ties imploded after a 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, part of a blockade-busting flotilla, that left dead 10 Turkish activists who attacked IDF soldiers aboard the ship.Netanyahu and Erdogan repeatedly aimed brickbats at each other in the ensuing years, including mutual charges of genocide. In July 2014, Erdogan accused the Jewish state of “keeping Hitler’s spirit alive” during a war with Gaza.Ties later saw a moderate improvement, but both countries withdrew their ambassadors in 2018 amid violence in Gaza and the Trump administration’s relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem.Facing hardening diplomatic isolation and economic woes, Erdogan began to publicly display an openness toward rapprochement in December 2020. In August of last year, Israel and Turkey announced a full renewal of diplomatic ties.However, both countries again withdrew their ambassadors with the outbreak of war, in Israel’s case as a safety measure.

Blinken says truce ‘ball’ in Hamas’s court; terror group says no to compromise-Lebanese newspaper claims failure in hostage negotiations in Cairo stems from departure from Paris proposals, lack of focus on future stages of deal-By ToI Staff and Agencies 8 March 2024, 9:24 pm

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday it was up to Hamas to agree to a temporary ceasefire that would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and pave the way for talks on an “enduring resolution” to the conflict.The Palestinian terrorist group left talks in Cairo aimed at reaching an agreement to pause fighting ahead of Ramadan, amid fears violence could escalate during the Muslim holy month.Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the lack of agreement on a deal that would require Hamas to free some of the hostages it still holds in exchange for a 40-day truce. Some Palestinian security prisoners held in Israel would also be released.Blinken, ahead of a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, said Washington was still pushing for a truce.“The issue is Hamas. The issue is whether Hamas will decide or not to have a ceasefire that would benefit everyone,” Blinken said.“The ball is in their court. We’re working intensely on it, and we’ll see what they do.”However, Hamas’s military wing said Friday there would be no compromise on the movement’s demand that Israel end its war to destroy Hamas and completely withdraw from Gaza to secure the release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack.“Our top priority to reach a prisoner exchange deal is the complete commitment for the halt of aggression and an enemy withdrawal, and there is no compromise on this,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised statement.The statement came as hopes dimmed for a new truce in the five-month-old war between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian terrorists’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which they murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253.Israel has called Hamas’s demands “delusional” and pledged not to end the war until Hamas’s military and governing capacities are dismantled. Hamas, which seized power in Gaza from the Palestinian Authority’s main Fatah party in 2007, is avowedly committed to destroying Israel.On Thursday, Hamas’s delegation voiced dissatisfaction with Israeli responses to its demands and left the latest round of talks in Cairo for consultations with the movement’s leadership in Qatar.Abu Obeida on Friday also called for “our people” to mobilize and “crawl” towards the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, a flashpoint for violence during Ramadan in past years.Quoting Palestinian sources, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported on Friday that the failure of talks in Cairo this week was because they were no longer focused on the Paris proposal agreed upon by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel in February.The outline reportedly included a three-phase humanitarian pause — with 35 to 40 Israeli hostages, including women, men over the age of 60, and those with serious medical conditions, released during the first six-week phase. Israeli soldiers and the bodies of killed hostages would be released in the second and third phases.Al-Akhbar quoted sources as saying that the talks faltered as the conversation moved away from the second and third phases and was instead focused only on the first.“What is proposed now does not meet the minimum demands of [Hamas] or the needs of the Gaza Strip,” a Palestinian source was quoted as saying while reiterating Hamas’s calls for a full ceasefire.“There needs to be a commitment on the part of the United States, Egypt and Qatar, in the presence of a sustainable truce, that leads to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.”It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November.Four hostages were released prior to that, and three were rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. One more person has been listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.

Israel slams report for not including 36 victims of terror-UN rights chief says settlement expansion a war crime, prevents Palestinian state-Volker Turk slams ‘shocking new levels’ of settler violence since October 7, notes alignment of current hardline government’s policies with settler movement-By Reuters and ToI Staff 8 March 2024, 3:26 pm

The United Nations’ human rights chief said Friday that Israeli settlements in the West Bank have expanded by a record amount and risk eliminating any practical possibility of a Palestinian state.The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the growth of Israeli settlements amounted to the transfer by Israel of its own population, which he reiterated was a war crime. The US Biden administration said last month the settlements were “inconsistent” with international law after Israel announced new housing plans in the West Bank.“Settler violence and settlement-related violations have reached shocking new levels, and risk eliminating any practical possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian State,” Turk said in a statement accompanying the report which will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in late March.The 16-page report, based on the UN’s own monitoring as well as other sources, documented 24,300 new Israeli housing units in the West Bank during a one-year period through to the end of October 2023, which it said was the highest on record since monitoring began in 2017.It also said there had been a dramatic increase in the intensity, severity and regularity of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by both extremist settlers and the IDF, particularly since the deadly Hamas onslaught on Israel on October 7, which saw Hamas terrorists kill about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnap 253 others.Since then, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces or by settlers, it said. Most have been killed during violent clashes with Israeli forces.Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said that the report should have included the deaths of 36 Israelis in terror attacks carried out by Palestinians in the West Bank in 2023. “Human rights are universal, yet Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism are ignored by the Office [of the High Commissioner] time and time again,” it said in a statement.Turk’s report noted that the policies of Israel’s government, which is the most right-wing in the country’s history and includes religious nationalists with close ties to settlers, appeared aligned to an “unprecedented extent” with the goals of the Israeli settler movement.

UN accuses Iran of using ‘disproportionate’ violence during Mahsa Amini protests-Probe finds Islamic Republic committed extrajudicial killings, prisoners sexually assaulted during crackdown; says Amini died of trauma inflicted while in morality police custody-By Jon Gambrell 8 March 2024, 12:27 pm

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, laws and its ruling theocracy, a UN fact-finding mission said Friday.The stark pronouncement came in a wide-ranging initial report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council by the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.It also found that the Islamic Republic employed “unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force” to put down the demonstrations that erupted following Amini’s death and that Iranian security forces sexually assaulted detainees.The months-long security crackdown killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.There was no immediate comment on the report from Iran. Iranian officials did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on the mission’s findings.The release of the report is unlikely to change the trajectory of Iran’s government, now more firmly in the hands of hardliners after a low-turnout vote in elections last week put them back in charge of the country’s parliament.However, it puts further international pressure on Tehran amid wider Western concerns about its advancing nuclear program, Iran’s arming of Russia in Moscow’s war on Ukraine, and the continued harassment and imprisonment of activists, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.“The protests were unprecedented because of the leadership of women and youth, in their reach and longevity and, ultimately, the state’s violent response,” the report said.Amini, 22, died on September 16, 2022, in a hospital after her arrest by the country’s morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities. She was brought to Iran’s Vozara detention facility to undergo a “re-education class,” but collapsed after 26 minutes and was taken to a hospital 30 minutes later, according to the report.Iran has denied being responsible for her death or that she had been beaten. At times, authorities have pointed to a medical condition Amini had from childhood after surgery. The UN report dismissed that as a cause of her death.The panel “has established the existence of evidence of trauma to Ms. Amini’s body, inflicted while in the custody of the morality police,” the report said.“Based on the evidence and patterns of violence by the morality police in the enforcement of the mandatory hijab on women, the mission is satisfied that Ms. Amini was subjected to physical violence that led to her death,” it said.The report stops short, however, of blaming anyone specifically for harming Amini.The protests that followed Amini’s death started first with the chant “Women, Life, Freedom.” However, the protesters’ chanting and cries soon grew into open calls of revolt against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The UN report found Iranian security forces used shotguns, assault rifles and submachine guns against demonstrators “in situations where there was no imminent threat of death or serious injury” to them, “thereby committing unlawful and extrajudicial killings.”It also found a pattern of protesters being shot intentionally in the eye.“The mission notes the deterrent and chilling effect of such injuries, as they permanently marked the victims, essentially ‘branding’ them as protesters,” the report said.Some of those detained faced sexual violence, including rape, the threat of rape, forced nudity, groping and electrocution of their genitals, according to the report.“The security forces played on social and cultural stigma connected to sexual and gender-based violence to spread fear and humiliate and punish women, men and children,” the report said.The panel also acknowledged it continued to investigate the 2023 death of teenager Armita Garavand, who died after falling on the Tehran Metro in what activists allege was an attack over her not wearing a hijab.Geravand’s parents appeared in a state media video at the time saying a blood pressure issue, a fall, or perhaps both contributed to their daughter’s death.“In actions reminiscent of Ms. Amini’s case, the state authorities took measures to obfuscate the circumstances leading to Ms. Garavand’s death,” the report said.It also noted a suspected spate of poisonings targeting Iranian schoolgirls, without drawing conclusions on what transpired in the incidents.

Visiting Cyprus, EU chief says pilot ship to set sail Friday on aid corridor to Gaza-Ursula von der Leyen inspects facilities at Larnaca port, where Spanish ship carrying US-donated food supplies is waiting to make test run; Israel welcomes move-By AP and ToI Staff 8 March 2024, 11:22 am

A ship will head to Gaza on Friday carrying humanitarian aid, the European Commission president said while visiting Cyprus, as international donors launch a sea corridor to supply the territory, which faces widespread hunger and shortages of other essential supplies after nearly five months of war.A ship belonging to Spain’s Open Arms will make a pilot voyage to test the sea corridor, Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Cyprus, where she’s inspecting preparations for the sea corridor. It’s been waiting at Cyprus’s port of Larnaca for permission to deliver food aid from World Central Kitchen, a US charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés.She said the EU, together with the US, the United Arab Emirates and other involved partner countries are launching the sea corridor to deliver large quantities of aid to Gaza to respond to a “humanitarian catastrophe,” speaking at a news conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.Israel welcomed the move.“Israel will continue to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gazans, in accordance with the laws of war and in coordination with the US and our allies around the world,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.The statement added that Israel will continue to fight the Hamas terror group “until its elimination and the return of all hostages.”Efforts to dramatically ramp up aid deliveries signaled growing frustration in the United States and Europe with Israel’s conduct in the war.The previous day, US President Joe Biden announced a plan to open an offshore port to help deliver aid, underscoring how the United States is having to go around Israel — its main Mideast ally and the top recipient of US military aid — to get aid into Gaza, including through airdrops that started last week.Efforts to set up a sea route for aid deliveries come amid mounting alarm over the spread of hunger among Gaza’s 2.3 million people. Hunger is most acute in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by Israeli forces for months and suffered long cutoffs of food supply deliveries.Israel says it does not restrict humanitarian or medical aid and has blamed the lack of deliveries on the capacity of aid agencies, repeatedly saying that it is approving more aid trucks for crossing than the agencies are able to deliver. It also accuses Hamas of commandeering some aid deliveries.After months of warnings over the risk of famine in Gaza under Israel’s airstrikes, ground operations and siege, hospital doctors have reported 20 malnutrition-related deaths at two northern Gaza hospitals. The figure could not be independently verified.UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Friday that the UK will work alongside the United States to open a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza.“Alongside the US, the UK and partners have announced we will open a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza,” Cameron said on social media. “We continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it.”While reiterating his support for Israel, Biden used his State of the Union speech to reiterate demands that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allow more aid to Gaza.“To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden declared before Congress. He also repeated calls for Israel to do more to protect civilians in the fighting, and to work toward Palestinian statehood as the only long-term solution to Israeli-Palestinian violence.US officials said it will likely be weeks before the Gaza pier is operational.Aid groups have said their efforts to deliver desperately needed supplies to Gaza have been hampered because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, the ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order. It is even more difficult to get aid to the isolated north.Sigrid Kaag, the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, told reporters late Thursday that air and sea deliveries cannot make up for a shortage of supply routes on land.EU Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on Wednesday the bloc would consider airdrops, but this would be a last resort and cannot replace ground access to the enclave.Ujvari said the EU has so far carried out around 40 flights to deliver aid to Gaza, primarily through Egypt.Meanwhile, efforts to reach a ceasefire before Ramadan appeared stalled. Hamas said Thursday that its delegation had left Cairo, where talks were being held, until next week.International mediators had hoped to alleviate some of the immediate crisis with a six-week ceasefire, which would have seen Hamas release some of the Israeli hostages it is holding, Israel release some Palestinian prisoners, and aid groups given access to bring a major influx of assistance into Gaza.It is believed that 130 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. Three hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 11 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military.The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 31 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza. One more person is listed as missing since October 7, and their fate is still unknown.Hamas is also 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.Egyptian officials said Hamas has agreed to the main terms of such an agreement as a first stage but wants commitments that it will lead to an eventual more permanent ceasefire, while Israel wants to confine the negotiations to a more limited agreement.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations with the media. Both officials said mediators are still pressing the two parties to soften their positions.

Sweden finally joins NATO, ending non-alignment, in Ukraine war shadow-By Shaun TANDON.

Washington (AFP) March 8, 2024-Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO, turning the page on two centuries of non-alignment and capping two years of tortuous diplomacy after Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered new fears.Days after Hungary followed key holdout Turkey and became the last NATO member to sign off, Sweden ceremonially handed over accession documents to the United States, the leading force of the transatlantic alliance that promises joint security for all.Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson late Thursday attended as a guest at the annual State of the Union address of President Joe Biden, whose rival Donald Trump has disparaged NATO as unfairly burdening the United States."Mr Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen," Biden said as he recognized Kristersson, who sat in the gallery next to First Lady Jill Biden.Biden urged the House leadership of the Republican Party to move on billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, saying, in a dig at Trump, that "I will not bow down" to Russian President Vladimir Putin."If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not," Biden said.- 'Victory for freedom' -Kristersson, at an accession ceremony at the State Department, called joining NATO "a major step but, at the same time, a very natural step.""It's a victory for freedom today. Sweden has made a free, democratic, sovereign and united choice to join NATO," he said.He later delivered a televised address to the nation from Washington, telling Swedes: "We are a small country, but we understand more than most the importance of the greater world beyond our borders."Secretary of State Antony Blinken said few would have expected Sweden as well as Finland to join NATO before Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.There is "no clearer example than today of the strategic debacle that Putin's invasion of Ukraine has become for Russia," Blinken said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also hailed Sweden's membership, saying: "One more country in Europe has become more protected from Russian evil."- Overcoming Turkish reluctance -Sweden has not fought in a war since the Napoleonic conflicts of the early 19th century.Sweden and Finland, while militarily intertwined with the United States and both members of the European Union, had historically steered clear of joining NATO, formed in the Cold War to unite against the Soviet Union.Finland and Sweden launched a joint bid quickly after the invasion of Ukraine, which itself had unsuccessfully sought to join NATO.Finland successfully joined in April 2023, but Sweden's membership was stalled by Turkey."Good things come to those who wait," Blinken said as he received the documents from Sweden.Russia has vowed "countermeasures" over Sweden's entry into NATO, especially if the alliance's troops and assets deploy in the country.Sweden's blue and yellow flag is expected to be hoisted on Monday at the Brussels headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.Before agreeing to ratify membership, Turkey used its leverage to press Sweden, known for its liberal asylum policies, to crack down on Kurdish militants who have campaigned against Ankara.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later demanded action after protesters, enjoying Swedish laws on free speech, desecrated Islam's holy book the Koran.In a clear if unstated sweetener, the United States dangled the sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey, which has faced the wrath of US sanctions over an earlier major military purchase from Russia.The Biden administration in January approved $23 billion in F-16 warplanes for Turkey swiftly after it ratified Sweden's membership.The United States simultaneously pushed ahead with $8.6 billion in more advanced F-35 jets for Greece, a fellow NATO member and historic adversary of Turkey.Even after Turkey's blessing, Sweden faced another obstacle as it needed approval of a last country -- Hungary, whose nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, has often thumbed his nose at Western allies.The Hungarian parliament ratified Sweden's membership on February 26. But in one last hiccup, Hungary could not sign the accession document due to a brief absence in the mostly ceremonial post of president, after an Orban ally resigned over pardoning a convicted child abuser's accomplice.

Paris backs Dutch PM as next NATO chief-by AFP Staff Writers-The Hague (AFP) March 6, 2024

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced France's support on Wednesday for his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte to lead NATO, which several members have endorsed but Hungary has challenged.Rutte is the frontrunner to replace Jens Stoltenberg as NATO secretary general, even though a shock win for the far right in the recent Netherlands general election risks tarnishing his legacy."Of course we support Mark Rutte's candidacy for NATO, given his experience, his ability to build a very broad coalition and his ability to act for our collective security," Attal said at a press conference with Rutte during a visit to the Netherlands.The move comes after the United States, Britain and Germany expressed support for Rutte to lead NATO, at a crucial time for the alliance in the face of Russia's war against Ukraine.Rutte, 57, has announced his intention to leave the Dutch political scene but will remain in office until a new government is formed -- the subject of negotiations since the November elections.For his part, Rutte said at Wednesday's press conference that it was "crucial" to "break the deadlock in Congress over the 60 billion dollars for Ukraine", referring to aid currently being blocked by the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives."I am convinced that whether Biden or Trump wins, the United States will remain engaged, in every way, with NATO and also with Ukraine," he added.A successor for Stoltenberg -- the former Norwegian prime minister who has overseen NATO for a decade -- is expected to be announced before a July summit in Washington.The decision will be taken by consensus among the member states.

NATO, the US-led defence alliance-by AFP Staff Writers

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) March 7, 2024-Born at the start of the Cold War, NATO -- the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- is the world's biggest collective defence grouping with 32 members in Europe and North America -- counting Sweden, its newest arrival.- How many divisions? -NATO's military forces come from its member countries, put under a unified Allied command each time it launches a mission.US forces are by far the biggest contingent. In Europe, there are some 79,000 US servicemen and women deployed, more than 48,000 of them in Germany, according to the Pentagon.The only military equipment NATO itself owns is a fleet of sensor-loaded AWACS planes and drones.With Sweden joining, the alliance will be able to count on 50,000 more troops -- around half of them reservists -- to swell its potential ranks to more than three million, according to several specialised institutes.- Brussels HQ -NATO was created from a Washington Treaty signed on April 4, 1949. Its mission at the time was to counter the threat posed by the Soviet Union and to affirm the principle of mutual defence of its members.In a Madrid summit following Russia's all-out invasion on Ukraine in 2022, the alliance adopted a new strategic concept designating Russia as "the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security".Its 12 founding nations (Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States) have been joined by others over succeeding years, up to Sweden's adhesion.NATO's first headquarters was in London, then it was moved to Paris before being transferred to Brussels in 1966 where it remains today. Its SHAPE military command is in Mons, also in Belgium.The head of the alliance since 2014 is Jens Stoltenberg, a 64-year-old former Norwegian prime minister. His term was extended in 2022 and runs to the end of October this year.NATO's main decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council.- Article 5 -The core of NATO is Article 5 of its founding treaty which stipulates that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.It has been invoked just once to date: in 2001, in a show of allies' support for the United States the day after it was hit by the September 11 attacks.NATO has carried out several missions over its history, including one in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. That came to an end with a hasty pull-out in September 2021 of the 10,000 personnel deployed at the time.NATO is present in Iraq and notably in Kosovo, where it has 4,500 troops in its KFOR stabilisation force sent from 27 countries and currently under Turkish command.

N.Korean leader oversees artillery drills near border-by AFP Staff Writers-Seoul (AFP) March 7, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a large-scale artillery drill amid Pyongyang's fury at US-South Korea joint exercises that began this week, state media reported Friday.The drills on Thursday "aimed to increase the combat readiness posture and actual war capability," the KCNA state news agency reported, as tensions mount between Pyongyang and Seoul.The live-fire drills involved border units "that put the enemy's capital in their striking range," the KCNA report said, and came a day after Kim visited a base in the country's western region.North Korea on Tuesday warned that Seoul and Washington would pay a "dear price" over the large-scale military exercises, known as "Freedom Shield" that started Monday, urging the allies to cease "frantic war drills".So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.Washington and Seoul started their annual spring military exercises with double the number of troops participating compared to 2023, to enhance their preparedness in responding to the ever-escalating nuclear threats from Pyongyang, they have said.North Korea has long condemned joint US-South Korea military drills, calling them rehearsals for an invasion.The nuclear-armed North has in the past carried out weapons tests as a response to such joint exercises.Seoul said on Tuesday that its military was thoroughly prepared for North Korea's possible provocations.As he watched the drills on Thursday, Kim "expressed his great satisfaction" that the units are "fully ready for constant mobilization for battles," according to KCNA.On Wednesday, he visited a major operational training base base in the country's western region with photos released afterward showing him talking with camouflaged troops and overseeing firing drills.

US CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY
https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/money-and-payments-20220120.pdf

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 CIRCUMVALLATION 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.

World Bank to consider impact of lacking ID on digital financial inclusion for women-Mar 8, 2024, 12:18 pm EST-Bianca Gonzalez

A blog post by the World Bank shares that an upcoming World Bank paper will recommend ways to close the gender access gap to digital financial services.Limited financial literacy, a lack of identity documents, and cultural constraints are major barriers for women in accessing financial products, World Bank research indicates. Additionally, low digital literacy, smartphones, and lack of internet access limit their ability to take advantage of the expanding landscape of digital financial tools.A lack of supply-side data on gender disparities as well as products and services designed without addressing the unique needs of women also stifles access. Discriminatory laws and regulations as well as limited rights reinforce these hurdles.On average, women have 77 percent of the legal rights men do around the world. Even more concerning is that in 2022, reforms toward legal gender equality reached a 20 year low.One step in overcoming challenges to digital financial inclusion for women is to create gender-relevant regulatory frameworks and policies. Tiered customer due diligence regulations for risk assessment, recognizing more identity documents, and incorporating a vulnerability lens to address negative experiences women have with digital financial services are some critical steps to bridge the access gap.Mexico’s tiered account-opening requirements serves as an example of a gender-relevant policy approach that bridges this gap. Another example of addressing the gap is Bank Negara Malaysia’s commitment to gathering gender disaggregated data, which will inform interventions and educational opportunities.Digital literacy initiatives such as Indonesia’s women digital ambassadors provide branch agnostic financial services mentorship. Pakistan’s Asaan Mobile Account, which includes a digital wallet, is an example of bridging the internet connectivity access gap.Lastly, regulators should create infrastructure that includes interoperable digital identity systems as well as identity reform to make obtaining IDs simpler for women.

SSI advocates welcome EU digital wallet, IOTA sees opportunity-Mar 8, 2024, 11:19 am EST-Masha Borak

Self-sovereign identity (SSI) advocates are celebrating a win after the European Parliament approved legislation last week that will bring digital identity wallets to its residents.The European Parliament endorsed legislation regulating the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet last week by a wide margin. Aside from bringing all European residents a digital wallet, the regulation, known as eIDAS 2.0 (electronic IDentification, Authentication, and Trust Services), will mark the introduction of self-sovereign identity (SSI), helping end-users gain more control over how their data is being handled.“The last 6 years of my career, I have been preparing for #SSI adoption and another massive step has been made today!” CEO of digital identity service provider Impierce Technologies Jelle Millenaar said on X (formerly Twitter) last week.The legislation was also welcomed by the Iota Foundation which hopes to find a place for its blockchain technology for decentralized identity within the European project. Its product Iota Identity aims to consolidate identity management under a singular protocol, helping different identity types achieve seamless interaction, according to Crypto News Flash.The IOTA Foundation is participating in the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) pre-commercial procurement (PCP), which pilots distributed ledger technology. Identity is one of the several key areas covered by the project.“The @IOTA #EBSI Team now officially finished the final phase 2B of the @EU_EBSI #PCP project yesterday with a dense 6 hour workshop summarizing the 805 pages final report. We had a very good discussion with the @EU_Commission on various aspects of the tech and use cases,” Christoph F. Strnadl, deputy CTO at Software AG, said on X this Friday.Businesses will gain from EUDI Wallet-The pan-European digital wallet seeks to include residents and businesses within EU member states, allowing them to digitize and make interoperable identity documents and other attributes such as degrees, driving licenses and professional certifications.The project is bringing more privacy to individuals but it’s also set to open up opportunities for businesses, writes Alejandro Leal, research analyst at identity-focused analysis firm KuppingerCole.“Moving beyond the regulatory landscape, the business implications of digital identities extend far beyond traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM) frameworks,” says Leal. “These digital identities serve as enablers for cross-organizational use, offering reusable, decentralized approaches that improve and expand business processes.”The eIDAS regulation means that citizens and businesses can use digital wallets to link different documents and attributes and access public and private services. The EUDI Wallet will also help with identity verification (KYC) and user authentication which will benefit companies in enhancing security and reliability.Another perk for businesses is integration with major platforms such as social networks, e-commerce platforms and search engines.“By enabling interoperability with these gatekeeper platforms, enterprises can ensure widespread acceptance of the EU Wallet among users,” says Leal.eIDAS now awaits its final stamp of approval from the Council of Ministers and is expected to enter into force by the end of March. After the regulation enters force, regulators will have six months to finalize the technical specifications of the EU Digital ID Wallet. By 2026, all EU member states are mandated to provide digital wallets to every resident.

Consultant sought by Simprints to assess biometric vaccine delivery in Ghana-Mar 8, 2024, 12:42 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Simprints has posted a tender opportunity for a research consultancy to asses its project in Ghana for ensuring efficient vaccine delivery through biometrics.The company wants to better understand the factors behind a lack of awareness among intended beneficiaries. It also wants to know to what extent immunization centers contribute to awareness of social protection programs, according to a posting on ReliefWeb.The intended outcome is a baseline measurement for the evaluation of the impact of biometrics on effective and timely delivery of routine immunizations, like the malaria vaccine. Simprints will work with international and local evaluators for data collection and quality assurance, the post says.Key aspects of the project Simprints is seeking insight into include coverage rates for malaria vaccination among children under two years old and the level of community acceptance of biometric technology, along with concerns or hesitations that pose barriers to acceptance. Researchers will also be asked to consider the knowledge, skills and attitudes of community health workers related to biometrics and their motivation to adopt digital tools.The research will also consider data quality, registration and service delivery efficiency, health service delivery prior to the deployment of biometrics to form the basis of comparison, scalability and cross-cutting issues around inclusion.A 15-page document provides the full terms of reference.The Ghana Health Service launched a pilot of Simprints’ biometric immunization management system around the end of 2021.Simprints has also contracted a similar assessment of its work in Ethiopia, as the company continues to stake out a leadership position in responsible biometrics deployment.Applications are due by March 22, 2024.

Tunisia biometric ID card and passport law approved by parliament-Mar 8, 2024, 3:44 pm EST- Masha Borak

After years of delay and criticism from civil society over lacking data protection, the Tunisian parliament voted in favor of two draft laws on biometric identity cards and passports.The Rights and Liberties Committee of the Assembly of the People’s Representatives greenlighted the Biometric ID and Passport Laws at the end of February. The draft laws were adopted on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority voting in favor, business news agency Zawya reports.Lawmakers also voted to dismiss an amendment that would prevent the Tunisian Ministry of Interior from building a centralized biometric database, brought to the Parliament one day before the vote.The news was greeted with criticism from digital rights group Access Now and its civil society partners in Tunisia.Over the past years, rights advocates have been raising concerns about the risk of data breaches and arguing that the current 2004 Data Protection Law is outdated. Groups such as Access Now have been advocating against the introduction of a mandatory biometric ID system without robust data protection and privacy safeguards.“Since 2016, civil society in Tunisia has been sounding the alarm on the Biometric ID Bill, demanding robust human rights guarantees and safeguards,” says Kassem Mnejja, MENA campaigner at Access Now. “However, many of the demands from eight years ago remain unaddressed.”The biometric ID project will be implemented by the National Personal Data Protection Instance. Critics, however, claim that the data protection agency lacks the statutory powers to enforce solid data privacy and security measures.

Yubico releases multi-protocol edition of its biometric security key-Mar 8, 2024, 2:10 pm EST-Masha Borak

Yubico is adding a multi-protocol edition to its line of biometric hardware security keys for enterprise users in partnership with decentralized authentication firm Hypr.The YubiKey Bio Series will add two new multi-protocol keys that support biometric authentication with added support for FIDO and Smart Card/PIV protocols: the YubiKey C Bio – Multi-protocol Edition (USB-C) and YubiKey Bio – Multi-protocol Edition (USB-A).The additions can be seen as part of Yubico’s strategy to expand enterprise services around YubiKeys in the wake of its September IPO. In a recent interview with Biometric Update, the company’s co-founder Stina Ehrensvard said that the majority of its sales are big enterprises around the world. The company has been seeing an increasing number of financial services and governments buying its products and an uptick in healthcare.The multi-protocol edition of the YubiKey Bio Series will be sold through the company’s enterprise subscription. It is currently available through an early access program with Hypr.“This new solution weaves the very best components of our joint technologies, and we cannot be more excited to share new functionalities, added flexibility and the highest level of authentication security, for our joint customers,” says Sean Dyon, vice president of strategic alliances at Hypr.The multi-protocol edition keys should provide versatility across different devices, operating systems and applications. They work both on legacy on-premises and modern cloud environments, the company says in an announcement.Yubico has recently expanded its cloud-based delivery service for YubiKeys to more countries. The company will ship the hardware devices automatically to 49 countries.

CBP One app criticized over extra-territorial biometrics collection-Mar 8, 2024, 1:44 pm EST-Masha Borak

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s biometric asylum app CBP One has come under attack over plans to expand the collection of biometrics from non-resident aliens leaving the United States.A new update to the app, which was publicized in the Federal Register in February, is planned to instruct certain aliens departing the U.S. to “voluntarily provide biographical data, facial images and geolocation.” Submitting a selfie photo with location data is supposed to serve as evidence that an individual has actually departed the country and is aimed at all travelers who receive an I-94 travel record.The I-94 form is required for people entering the U.S. who are not citizens, resident aliens, or holders of immigration visas.Plans to expand the collection of biometrics through the CBP One app, however, have invited criticism from immigrant rights groups, FedScoop reports. Legal organization Just Futures Law Co-founder and Deputy Director Julie Mao expressed concerns over CBP’s expansion of “surveillance capabilities and requirements.”“With little notice or oversight, CBP has expanded biometric and geolocation surveillance to individuals not even in the U.S.,” says Mao. “What business and for that matter legal authority does CBP have to conduct such biometrics and geolocation capture outside the U.S.? This is part of DHS’s disturbing and unchecked externalization of U.S. immigration policy, and therefore surveillance, to other countries.”In the notice, the CBP explains that the new option is intended to help decrease travel document fraud and catch criminals and terrorists. It is also designed to make information collection easier for immigration authorities as the I-94 travel record serves as an arrival and departure record.“Having proof of an exit via the CBP One app would provide nonimmigrants some information for CBP officers to consider in the event the officer is unsure whether a nonimmigrant complied with the I-94 requirements provided upon their previous entry,” says the notice.The CBP One app notice did not specify a timeline for the introduction of the new feature. The feature, however, will likely be used by hundreds of thousands of migrants. The app was developed by the President Biden administration as a gateway to the U.S. asylum system for migrants who otherwise may resort to illegal migration.Volume high for usage and criticism-According to February data, nearly 450,000 migrants have been allowed into the U.S. under the process with top countries of origin including Venezuela, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, Honduras, Russia, El Salvador, Colombia, Chile and Guatemala. Migrants can use the CBP One app to schedule an appointment at U.S. ports of entry.Despite its high usage, the app has been repeatedly criticized over errors, glitches and crashes.In January, Human Rights Watch wrote to U.S. agencies warning that the app’s liveness detection does not always work for asylum seekers with darker skin tones. The CBP One app is also facing a lawsuit from rights organizations for cutting off access for a wide swath of migrants and asylum seekers who have difficulties using the technology.According to plans CBP outlined in September, the agency was planning to collect face biometrics from migrants through the CBP One app before entering the U.S. The selfie photos were to be matched with facial recognition and uploaded into the Traveler Verification System gallery and the Automated Targeting System used to compare traveler data. The information was supposed to be shared with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and air carriers working with CBP’s document validation initiative, according to FedScoop.The CBP is also planning to update the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) website to require applicants to provide a selfie alongside a passport image.

Singtel customers can use ID data from a SIM card as extra security layer-Mar 8, 2024, 12:25 am EST-Joel R. McConvey

Singapore telco Singtel has become the first in the country to offer a SIM-linked security measure. An article in the Straits Times says the SingVerify system can prevent financial fraud scams that use stolen credentials to access bank accounts and other sensitive information, by making the SIM card the final line of defense.If the phone number on file with a financial institution and real-time telco data from the device being used to gain access does not match with the SIM card registered with that user, the transaction will be denied.Singtel designed the subscription-based system for banks, e-commerce platforms and other sites for financial transactions. Its first two customers are online trading app Tiger Brokers and mobile authentication service provider IPification.“With SingVerify, we can augment the multi-factor authentication process by leveraging real-time telco network data and conducting authentication in the background,” says Singtel enterprise managing director Lim Seng Kong. This system mitigates human risk by authenticating logins, and verifying users’ identities for actions such as password resets, adding payees, or making foreign money transfers. SingVerify is binary, identifying a user’s identity as “true or false”, and does not share personal data.Phishing is on the rise in Singapore, accounting for over ten percent of the 50,376 cases reported in 2023, according to police statistics.

UK’s £230 million plan to implement police facial recognition and drones-Mar 7, 2024, 4:46 pm EST-Bianca Gonzalez

As much as £230 million (approximately US$295 million) will be designated by the UK government to be spent on drones and facial recognition for police, “among other time and money saving technology.” The allocation was revealed by Jeremy Hunt, chancellor of the Exchequer, during his annual address on Wednesday, according to The Daily Mail.Drones could be used as first responders as soon as the public reports a crime, and police could contact individuals through video calls. The idea behind the use of drones is that the police will have a better understanding of any incident than they would get by relying on descriptions from members of the public.Police forces are already conducting trials that use drones as first responders to gather information about live incidents and to give officers insight as they arrive on the scene. If they prove to be effective, drones could be stationed at various locations.In the Norfolk drone trial that took place in November, police would receive a 999 call. The drone would fly overhead and gain “situational awareness” of the events taking place and send the feed to a control room as well as to first responders traveling to the site in real time, explained National Police Chief Council Advisor Neil Sexton.Police in England and Wales are currently using about 400 drones, but they can only be flown within the operator’s line of sight. Trials to operate beyond this vision are expected to take place in areas with closed-off airspace this year.Part of the budget will also be allocated to the increased use of AI tools like facial recognition. More technological tools could also save time and improve officer response times.“Police officers waste around eight hours a week on unnecessary admin. With higher productivity, we could free up time equivalent to 20,000 officers over a year,” said Hunt.It’s not yet clear when drones would be deployed and when trials would be conducted in all forces across the UK.“Pilot schemes of police technology like facial recognition, automating the triage of 101 calls and deploying drones as first responders,” will “enable police officers to spend more time on the frontline tackling crime,” the Treasury said. But not everyone agrees.Big Brother Watch pans ‘shiny distraction’“Wasting millions of pounds on intrusive and inefficient facial recognition will not fix the UK’s broken criminal justice system,” says Madeleine Stone, senior advocacy officer at Big Big Brother Watch in a published response to the plan.“With police officers not responding to emergency calls and failing to undertake routine investigations, facial recognition is a shiny distraction that puts the public’s right to privacy and anonymity at huge risk,” she continues.Stone notes that the EU’s AI Act restricts police use of biometrics in surveillance, but the UK’s government is instead “following in the footsteps of authoritarian states like China and Russia.”

Biometric border control gates speed air passenger processing in UAE and Indonesia-Miami on track to eliminate boarding pass checks-Mar 7, 2024, 12:51 pm EST-Bianca Gonzalez

In UAE, Zayed International Airport has processed over one million travelers through its biometric border control gates, while Indonesia’s Ngurah Rai Airport has reduced its border control service to 25 seconds. This follows the trend of biometrics enhancing the security and customer experience at airports worldwide. And the trend is expected to continue at pace.Officials with Miami International say that its planned transition to faster biometric flight boarding without showing a boarding pass is on track to be completed this year, Miami Today reports. The airport uses SITA Smart Path technology with NEC facial recognition for biometric boarding, and originally hoped to eliminate boarding passes last year.UAE airport processes over 1 million passengers with Idemia biometrics-In Abu Dhabi, UAE, Zayed International Airport has processed over one million passengers through its border management terminal powered with Idemia‘s biometrics since it was first made active on November 15th, 2023, according to an announcement.The border management system uses a single token multi-biometric entry and exit system that has improved security while improving the speed of passenger processing. The system will be extended into UAE’s other four airports.The system uses facial recognition and a unique digital identifier for each traveler, eliminating the need for multiple documents and shortening the time from curb to gate, including border clearance, to under 12 minutes.Indonesian airport reduces border control service time to 25 seconds-At the same time, at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia immigration service time has been reduced to 25 seconds using an auto gate that leverages face recognition for identity verification, according to Antra News.The installation process for the gate began in October 2023 and was trialed in February 2024.“Immigration checks using auto gates integrate face recognition and border control management technology,” said Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim during the inauguration of 30 gates at the airport.Travelers must carry a digital passport to use the auto gate and have a valid visa or digital visa upon arrival. Those from countries in the ASEAN region with visa exemptions can register online at evisa.imigration.go.id. Indonesian citizens can use both traditional and digital passports to go through the auto gate.Passengers are required to remove accessories like hats and face coverings for clear visibility before scanning their face. Their face is compared to that on their digital passport to confirm identity.The system also connects with Interpol data to prevent foreigners with a criminal history from entering the country.The airport sees anywhere from 14,000 to 16,000 people arrive each day. The auto gate makes processing individuals for immigration inspection more efficient.Karim says that from February 1st to March 4th, 2024, 112,939 travelers, including 14,684 Indonesian citizens and 98,255 noncitizens, used the auto gate facility.As many as 54,318 people using E-VOA passed through, while 3,278 people used the E-Visa, 30,974 people used Molina Lite, and 9,685 people passed through using the Free Visit Visa.A total of 80 auto gates are anticipated to be installed at the Ngurah Rai Airport.

Spain is the latest country to block Worldcoin over data protection concerns-Mar 6, 2024, 5:17 pm EST-Joel R. McConvey

Spain has temporarily banned Worldcoin, making it the latest country to impose restrictions on the iris biometrics firm’s operations. Spanish data protection regulator AEPD has ordered Worldcoin to immediately cease collecting personal information, and stop using data it has already gathered, for a period of up to three months.The regulator says its ban is in response to a number of complaints, variously regarding the company providing insufficient information, collecting data from minors and failing to provide a mechanism to withdraw consent. It claims the ban is necessary to ensure that any biometric data Worldcoin collects from individuals is protected as per the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Worldcoin representatives have repeatedly rejected the notion that their firm, a subsidiary of Tools for Humanity, is engaged in unlawful activity. Company Data Protection Officer Jannick Preiwisch tells Reuters that after repeated unsuccessful attempts to contact AEPD, it is “grateful to now have the opportunity” to help the regulator “better understand this essential and lawful technology.”Clearly, many are not convinced of Worldcoin’s noble intentions. In Europe, Portugal, France and Germany are looking into whether Worldcoin’s activities comply with the GDPR. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has questions. The firm’s Hong Kong offices were raided. Argentina and Kenya have both raised alarms. (Although Kenyan operations are set to resume.) This week, South Korea joined the chorus of consternation over potential legal breaches.