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)
TRUMP TO HAMAS YOU SATANIC DEATH CULT YOU BETTER FREE ALL THE HOSTAGES NOW. OR ELSE.
EZEK 39:11-16
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: (IN THE JORDAN VALLEY) and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, (NUCLEAR SPECIALISTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
MEANING OF HAMONAH
Hamonah, ham-o'-nah (Heb.)-- host; multitude; noise; tumult; commotion of mind. The prophetic name of a city that is mentioned in conjunction with Hamon-gog: "And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city.
Metaphysical meaning of Hamonah (mbd) - Truth Unity
Strong's Lexicon-Hamonah: Hamonah-Original Word: הֲמוֹנָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location-Transliteration: Hamownah
Pronunciation: hah-mo-NAH-Phonetic Spelling: (ham-o-naw')
Definition: Hamonah-Meaning: Hamonah
Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root הָמוֹן (H1995), meaning "multitude" or "abundance."Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Greek equivalent for "Hamonah" in the Strong's Greek Dictionary, as it is a specific Hebrew proper noun. However, the concept of a multitude or abundance can be related to Greek words like πλῆθος (G4128), meaning "multitude."Usage: The term "Hamonah" is used as a proper noun referring to a specific location mentioned in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. It is associated with the aftermath of a significant battle, symbolizing the multitude of the slain.Cultural and Historical Background: In the context of the Hebrew Bible, names often carry significant meaning and are used to convey theological and prophetic messages. "Hamonah" is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, a prophetic text that addresses the restoration of Israel and the judgment of the nations. The name reflects the abundance of God's judgment upon the enemies of Israel, serving as a reminder of divine justice and sovereignty.
GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Zephaniah 2:1-15
1 Gather together, yes, gather,O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect[a] -before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;[b] seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows[c] for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab (JORDAN) and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever.The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria,(SYRIA) and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts;[d] even the owl and the hedgehog[e] shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.Sa'ar: No free meals; talks possible if more hostages freed Israel halts aid into Gaza, citing Hamas refusal to extend first phase of truce
Footnotes-a -Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth, b-Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment, c-Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves, d-Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation, e-Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain
Shalom Hamas means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose'Trump tells ‘sick and twisted’ Hamas to free all hostages now ‘or it is over for you’-US president issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas and calls on its leaders to leave Gaza, saying he’s sending Israel ‘everything it needs to finish the job’ after talks seem to hit impasse-By Jacob Magid-Today, 2:49 am-MAR 5,24
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a new ultimatum to Hamas, demanding that the terror group immediately release all remaining hostages or be destroyed.“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Release all of the hostages now — not later — and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”Trump has issued multiple ultimatums to Hamas over the past several months with limited success. Before his inauguration, he demanded Hamas release all of the hostages or there would be “all hell to pay.” The terror group did not release all of them, but did agree to a multiphase ceasefire deal with Israel that secured 33 hostages during the first stage.Last month, after Hamas threatened not to release a batch of those hostages, citing Israeli violations of the agreement, Trump issued another similar ultimatum demanding that all of them be released at noon the following Saturday. Hamas didn’t agree to release all of the hostages, but it did free the three it was scheduled to let go.“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job; not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” he warned Wednesday.Trump has advanced over $11 billion in weapons sales to Israel since taking office, including a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that the Biden administration withheld due to concerns they’d lead to civilian deaths in Gaza.Trump’s post was uploaded shortly after he met with a group of eight released hostages in the Oval Office, and amid an apparent impasse in negotiations between Israel and Hamas after the first phase of a fragile ceasefire ended Saturday.“This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance,” Trump declared.He noted that he had just met with the former hostages, “whose lives you have destroyed… Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!”“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER,” Trump added.‘They will get the job done’Trump’s ultimatum came after several roller-coaster days for the hostage families.As phase one of the deal ended on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement announcing that it accepted what it described as a proposal from Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the ceasefire under new terms than the sides had agreed to in January.That deal stipulated that Israel and Hamas would hold negotiations regarding the terms of phase two, which envisions the release of all remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.While Israel signed onto these terms, Netanyahu has long insisted that he would not end the war before Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled. Accordingly, he largely refused to hold negotiations regarding phase two.The “Witkoff proposal” he unveiled on Saturday evening envisions the extension of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, which ends on April 19. During this period, the remaining hostages would be released in two batches — one on the first day of the extension and the other at the end, pending agreements on a permanent ceasefire.Hamas quickly rejected the proposal, insisting it was only prepared to release hostages through the original framework that the sides reached in January. Israel, in turn, has threatened to resume fighting and on Sunday announced that it was blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza moving forward.While an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the proposal was actually “more of an Israeli offer,” the Trump administration quickly got behind it and issued a statement backing Israel’s stance in the hostage negotiations.Also on Sunday, Sharon Sharabi announced that his brother and recently released hostage Eli would be flying to Washington this week to meet Trump, who had been shown clips of an interview he gave about the conditions of his captivity.At that point, though, such a meeting had not yet been finalized, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel. Nonetheless, Sharabi flew to Washington on Monday and was accompanied by seven other released hostages: Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani.While anticipation that a meeting would take place on Tuesday peaked, one did not take place. Instead, many in the group were invited to attend Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, leading to further expectations that they would receive a shout-out during the speech.But Trump only ended up devoting a sentence to the issue, saying, “We are bringing back our hostages from Gaza” before moving on to other issues in a speech largely focused on domestic policy.As the group waited for their meeting with Trump on Wednesday morning, news broke that his administration has been secretly holding direct negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing the release of American hostages in Gaza and subsequently bringing an end to the war.The White House said it consulted with Israel on the matter, but Netanyahu’s office did not appear to agree with the move, issuing a terse statement that said “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas.”Those talks are being led by Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler, who is currently in Doha, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel, adding that Boehler is coordinating with Witkoff, who is in Washington.Wiktoff met with the released hostages in the early afternoon and informed the group that they would meet with the US president shortly thereafter.When that meeting finally came, the eight released hostages lined up in front of the Resolute Desk where Trump sat and offered brief words of gratitude to the president, while urging him to continue his efforts to secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.“You’ve been sent by god to release them. You can really help. You have the power to do it,” said Omer Shem Tov in one minute of footage from the meeting that was released to the public.“You were our hope when we were there, and now you’re their hope,” said Naama Levy. “Once you were elected, we heard that you want to do everything to make a deal as soon as possible… You gave us hope.”“So you didn’t think until I came along — you didn’t think you were going to get out?” Trump asked the group. Several of the hostages replied, “No.”“Well, we said, ‘You better let us have those people back, you better let them out.’ We did say that and something happened, right. Now we’ve got to get the rest out,” Trump said, referring to his ultimatum last month.“Please do it again,” said Eli Sharabi, who presented Trump with a cartoon showing a picture of Holocaust survivors at a Nazi concentration camp with the caption “Never again,” beside a photo of an emaciated Sharabi from his own release last month and the caption “Again.”The hostages also gifted Trump with a plaque that reads, “whoever saves one life saves the world entire [sic].”“Thank you all. We’re working on it very hard,” Trump said, as each hostage approached to shake his hand. “We’ll do the best we can… Horrible stories. Not even believable… We’ll get them out. Watch. We’ll get them out.”He told several of the freed hostages to take care of themselves as they thanked him and left the Oval Office.To Shem Tov, the last to thank him, Trump said: “You’ve got a good future. I’m telling you.”Shem Tov left with a broad smile.In a statement issued after the meeting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump took time to meet with eight of the released hostages from Gaza. The president listened intently to their heartbreaking stories. The hostages thanked President Trump for his steadfast efforts to bring all of the hostages home.”According to a readout from the released hostages, Keith Seigel told Trump and Witkoff that they had made a deal possible.“We urged them to continue their enormous efforts. They have done so much. We trust them, and we know they will get the job done to get all the rest of the 59 remaining hostages held in Gaza back to their families, back to Israel,” he was quoted as having said.Sharabi said that he asked Trump “to ensure that the 59 hostages still being held will be released through an agreement for their return as soon as possible,” and thanked the US president and Witkoff for being “committed to this goal.”
US sanctions Houthi leaders, a day after reinstating terrorist designation-Treasury announces sanctions against 7 leaders of Iran-backed Yemeni group in bid to cut off funds, stifle weapons supply-By Agencies and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 9:33 pm
US President Donald Trump’s administration sanctioned seven Houthi leaders and an individual who sent Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine on Wednesday, just a day after re-declaring the group a foreign terrorist organization.The seven sanctioned leaders “smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen” and negotiated arms deals with Russia on behalf of the Iran-backed group, according to a statement from the US Treasury Department.Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off Yemen in support of Palestinian terrorists fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping.Throughout the war in Gaza, the group repeatedly fired ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. While most were intercepted, the missile attacks caused extensive damage to buildings — including destroying an empty school building at nighttime — and on one occasion killed a man in Tel Aviv.Among those sanctioned was Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthis’ “Oman-based spokesman,” whom the Treasury Department said had played “a key role” in managing the group’s internal and external financing network.The Treasury Department also sanctioned Mahdi Mohammed Hussein al-Mashat, whom it named as the chairman of the Houthi-aligned Supreme Political Council.“By seeking weapons from a growing array of international suppliers, Houthi leaders have shown their intent to continue their reckless and destabilizing actions in the Red Sea region,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.“The US government is committed to holding the Houthis accountable for acquiring weapons and weapons components from suppliers in Russia, China, and Iran to threaten Red Sea security,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a separate statement.The Treasury Department named the individual accused of procuring Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine as Abdulwali Abdoh Hasan al-Jabri, and accused the Houthi affiliate of fundraising for the group.Through a private company, al-Jabri “facilitated the transfer of Yemeni civilians to Russian military units fighting in Ukraine in exchange for cash,” the Treasury Department said.On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the department had restored the “foreign terrorist organization” designation, which carries with it sanctions and penalties for anyone providing “material support” for the group.“Since 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as US service members defending freedom of navigation and our regional partners,” Rubio said in a statement. “Most recently, the Houthis spared Chinese-flagged ships while targeting American and allied vessels.”In January, the Houthis signaled that they would limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip but warned wider assaults could resume if needed.In its waning days, Trump’s first Republican administration designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, but the label was revoked by successor Joe Biden over concerns it would stifle aid to Yemen, which was considered to be facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. After the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Biden imposed the lesser designation of the Houthis as a “specially designated global terrorist.”Besides the “foreign terrorist organization” announcement, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced that it would pay up to $15 million for information that leads to the disruption of Houthi financing.
Israeli envoy says direct negotiations 'more than welcome'In 1st, US holding secret direct talks with Hamas to free American hostages, end war-Trump’s envoy talking directly to the US-designated terror group in Qatar; White House consulted Israel on idea, but not all aspects of talks-By Jacob Magid-and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 8:34 pmUpdated at 10:41 pm
US President Donald Trump’s administration is holding direct talks with Hamas, aimed at securing the release of American hostages held in the Gaza Strip as well as a broader deal to end the war, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Wednesday, confirming a report by Axios.The White House later confirmed that the US was holding direct talks with Hamas, adding that “Israel was consulted on this matter,” but declined to comment on what was being discussed with the terror group.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, following the US’s public confirmation of the talks, said Israel “expressed its stance on direct talks with Hamas” in “contacts with the US,” but provided no further details.The secret talks being held by Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler are unprecedented, as the US has never before engaged directly with Hamas, which Washington designated as a terror group in 1997.The talks have been taking place in Doha in recent weeks, Axios said, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations, and adding that no deal has been reached.Asked in a press briefing about the report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Boehler “does have the authority to talk to anyone,” and said, “Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven that he believes [in].”Leavitt did not comment on what was being discussed, saying merely that the discussions are “ongoing” and that there are “American lives at stake.”While the US consulted with Israel about the possibility of engaging in talks with Hamas, Israel only learned about specific aspects through other channels, Axios reported.In January, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk said publicly that the terror group is prepared to open a dialogue with the Trump administration.There is one remaining American hostage in Gaza — Edan Alexander — who is believed to still be alive. Hamas is also holding the bodies of American-Israeli hostages Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judi Weinstein and Omer Neutra.The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet with Qatar’s prime minister in Doha later this week, but has held off on doing so due to the lack of progress in the hostage talks more broadly, Axios also reported.Israeli envoy says talks ‘more than welcome’The Prime Minister’s Office and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Israel’s Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis, however, welcomed the report, telling Fox News: “There is a new attitude from the White House… against Hamas. They can talk with Hamas, that’s okay.”“President Trump actually changed the whole idea. Instead of putting Israel under pressure, President Trump is putting Hamas under pressure, and this is the right thing to do,” Akunis said.“If the White House wants to talk directly to Hamas and put them under pressure to release more hostages, we will be very happy to see more hostages with our families,” he adds, calling “a direct negotiation with Hamas… more than welcome.”Israel has been at war with Hamas since October 7, 2023, when some 5,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.A hostage-ceasefire agreement, reached in January, saw the release of 30 living hostages and the remains of eight more, as Israel released almost 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees, with fighting stopped in the Strip.The deal’s first phase expired on Saturday, without continuing to a second phase, which would have seen the return of the rest of the living hostages, and ultimately the remaining bodies as well, in exchange for a permanent end to the war.Fighting has not resumed, but Israel has halted the flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and has maintained a troop presence in the buffer zone along Gaza’s borders, including along the Gaza-Egypt border from which it had been set to withdraw.Israeli leaders have said they are willing to resume the flow of aid and extend the ceasefire but have demanded the release of more hostages for that to happen.The Trump administration has repeatedly called for the return of all the hostages and the end of Hamas rule in Gaza. The president himself has insisted on an American takeover of the enclave and the forced resettlement of its 2.2 million residents elsewhere.An Arab plan, presented this week as an alternative to Trump’s proposal, calls for the rebuilding of Gaza without the permanent displacement of its residents, but largely sidelines the matter of Hamas’s long-term status in the Strip.
Prices soar in Gaza markets after Israel cuts off flow of aid, demanding hostages be freed-UNICEF spokesman warns of ‘catastrophic result’ if halt on aid continues, as nonprofit claims ‘nowhere near enough’ came in during phase one; tents, medical supplies turned away-By Agencies and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 6:40 pm
Israel’s cutoff of humanitarian aid to Gaza, declaring that it will only be allowed to start flowing again once Hamas agrees to release more hostages, has sent prices soaring and humanitarian groups into overdrive trying to distribute dwindling stocks to the most vulnerable.After more than 16 months of war — sparked by the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, when thousands of terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages — Gaza’s population is entirely dependent on trucked-in food and other aid.Most are displaced from their homes and many need shelter. Fuel is needed to keep hospitals, water pumps, bakeries and telecommunications, as well as trucks delivering aid, operating.Israel says the siege aims at pressuring Hamas to accept its spinoff ceasefire proposal, which — unlike the latter stages of the hostage-ceasefire deal agreed to in January — would see the release of further hostages prior to any talks on a permanent end to the war.That deal’s now-expired first phase saw Hamas release 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages, living and dead, as Israel released almost 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees, with fighting stopped in the Strip.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he is prepared to raise the pressure and would not rule out cutting off all electricity to Gaza if Hamas doesn’t budge.Arab states have called the cutoff a “starvation policy.” Israel, which asserts the Hamas terror group uses aid to fund its attacks and consolidate its power, reportedly believes there is already enough aid accumulated in Gaza to last the enclave several months.Food, fuel and shelter supplies are imperiled-There’s no major stockpile of tents in Gaza for Palestinians to rely on during the aid freeze, said Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council. The aid that came in during the ceasefire’s first phase was “nowhere near enough to address all of the needs,” she contended.“If it was enough, we wouldn’t have had infants dying from exposure because of lack of shelter materials and warm clothes and proper medical equipment to treat them,” she said.Six infants in the Gaza Strip died from hypothermia during phase one, according to medics and health officials in the Hamas-run territory.Aid groups are now trying to assess what stocks they have in Gaza.“We’re trying to figure out, what do we have? What would be the best use of our supply?” said Jonathan Crickx, chief of communication for UNICEF. “We never sat on supplies, so it’s not like there’s a huge amount left to distribute.”He predicted a “catastrophic result” if the freeze continues.During the ceasefire’s first phase, humanitarian agencies rushed in supplies and quickly ramped up their capabilities. Aid workers set up more food kitchens, health centers and water distribution points. With more fuel coming in, they were able to double the amount of water drawn from wells, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordination Agency, or OCHA.The United Nations and associated nongovernmental organizations brought in around 100,000 tents as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians tried to return to their homes, only to find them destroyed or too damaged to live in.But the progress relied on the flow of aid continuing.The International Organization for Migration now has 22,500 tents sitting in its warehouses in Jordan, after supply trucks brought back their undelivered cargo once entry was barred, said Karl Baker, the agency’s regional crisis coordinator.The International Rescue Committee has 6.7 tons (14,771 pounds) of medicines and medical supplies waiting to enter Gaza, the delivery of which is now “highly uncertain,” said Bob Kitchen, vice president of the Emergencies and Humanitarian Action Department.“It’s imperative that aid access is now immediately resumed. With humanitarian needs sky high, more aid access is required, not less,” Kitchen said.Medical Aid for Palestinians said it has trucks stuck at the border carrying medicine, mattresses and assistive devices for people with disabilities. The organization has some medicine and materials in reserve, said Tess Pope, MAP spokesperson, but, she said, “We don’t have stock that we can use during a long closure of Gaza.”Prices are up-The UN’s humanitarian office said Tuesday that prices of vegetables and flour shot up after the crossings closed.Sayed Mohamed al-Dairi walked through a bustling market in Gaza City just after the cutoff was announced. Prices that had just started to come down during the ceasefire had jumped back up, as sellers hiked the prices of their dwindling wares.“The traders are massacring us, the traders are not merciful to us,” he said. “In the morning, the price of sugar was 5 shekels. Ask him now, the price has become 10 shekels.”In the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, one cigarette priced at 5 shekels ($1.37) before the cutoff now stands at 20 shekels ($5.49). One kilo of chicken (2.2 pounds) that was 21 shekels ($5.76) is now 50 shekels. ($13.72). Cooking gas has soared even more, from 90 shekels ($24.70) for 12 kilos (26.4 pounds) to 1,480 shekels ($406.24).
BBC chief: Gaza documentary scandal a ‘dagger to the heart’ of our impartiality-Chair Samir Shah tells lawmakers ‘proper independent review’ needed; teenage son of Hamas figure at center of controversy reportedly featured in another UK news broadcast last year-By Agencies and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 4:45 pm
BBC chair Samir Shah told lawmakers Tuesday that the scandal over a documentary it broadcast about the Gaza Strip was a “dagger to the heart” of the British broadcaster’s impartiality.The documentary about children’s lives in Gaza was found to have been narrated by the 13-year-old son of a deputy minister in the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas government.The new remarks came as it was revealed that the same teenager had also featured a year earlier in another UK network’s reporting about the Strip amid the war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group led an invasion of southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 251 hostages taken to Gaza.Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction and overtly and systematically targeted civilians during its onslaught, is designated a terrorist organization by Britain, the United States and the European Union.The BBC already said last week there had been “serious flaws” in “Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone,” made by an independent production company, and removed it from its online platform days after it was first broadcast on television.Shah and BBC director general Tim Davie spoke at a meeting of the UK parliament’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee, calling for a “proper independent review” of the broadcaster’s coverage of conflicts in the Middle East.“What has been revealed is a dagger to the heart of the BBC’s claim to be impartial and trustworthy, which is why I and the board are determined to answer the questions being asked,” Shah said. “We will get to the bottom of this and take appropriate actions.”He said a “proper independent review” is needed and admitted “we have had loads of complaints about our coverage.”“I have a worry that it wasn’t so much the processes that were at fault but that people weren’t doing their job,” Shah said.Davie asserted that the BBC works to “navigate a course sensibly and rationally based on sensible journalism.”He said he was “not ruling anything out” including the option that the documentary will be returned to the online platform following review.The BBC has commissioned an independent probe of the documentary.On Monday, Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, sent a letter to Shah saying it has “ongoing concerns about the nature and gravity” of “serious failings in the production” of the Gaza documentary “and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC’s journalism.”It said that while it will let the BBC probe the matter, it “will continue to keep the situation under close review and will expect regular updates from the BBC regarding both timeframes and progress and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we feel it necessary to do so.”Last week, the BBC said in a press release that it had launched an immediate review into the “mistakes,” which it called “significant and damaging,” in the making of the program, which was produced by UK company Hoyo Films.The broadcaster said that it shared the blame for the “unacceptable” flaws with the production company. “BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation. We apologize,” it added.Son of Hamas official also featured in a second program-Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Monday that the teenager at the center of the BBC show’s controversy, Abdullah al-Yazouri, was also featured in an award-winning current affairs program by another British news channel a year ago, though his connection to the Palestinian terror group largely went unnoticed until now.The Telegraph said: “For seven months, Channel 4 News broadcast footage of Abdullah al-Yazouri, who was then 13, without disclosing he was the son of Dr. Ayman al-Yazouri, the deputy agriculture minister in Gaza’s Hamas-run government.”The news program, which focused on financial hardships in Gaza, won multiple awards, including being picked as news program of the year by Press Gazette and the Royal Television Society (RTS), as well as winning a Bafta and an International Emmy for news reporting, according to the new report.The RTS was said to be reevaluating the award.According to the Telegraph, from late 2023 until April 2024, Channel 4 News repeatedly featured Abdullah, describing him as an ordinary Gazan while giving him a different name and incorrectly naming his uncle as his father.Channel 4 News told The Telegraph that staff had found out about Abdullah’s real identity last summer. However, according to the report, the network only added an online clarification about the issues after investigative journalist David Collier recently highlighted the matter.Collier said Abdullah was “delivering what appears to be scripted material across multiple broadcasts.”He told the Telegraph: “Channel 4 News has admitted its staff knew Abdullah’s true identity but withheld it from the public for over half a year until my revelation. This raises profound questions about its journalistic integrity.”Collier also pointed at a segment from a November 2023 broadcast in which Abdullah was shown among the ruins in Khan Younis after an Israeli airstrike.The footage “appears designed to show Israel targeting a city with no Hamas presence. Yet moments later, viewers meet a family now known to be led by a minister from Gaza’s Hamas-led government,” Collier told the Guardian. “This crucial fact is withheld, leaving the false impression we are meeting yet another ordinary Palestinian household.”ITN, which produces Channel 4 News, told the Telegraph it is false to suggest that the channel scripted voices for its coverage.It also contended that Abdullah did not feature in any of Channel 4 News’s coverage that won Emmy, RTS, or Bafta awards.A spokesman for Channel 4 News told The Telegraph it had “thoroughly reviewed how Abdullah al-Yazouri came to appear in three short news segments.”He said that Abdullah “was sourced through an established journalist who has also worked for other major global media outlets,” and that his uncle “was miscommunicated to Channel 4 News as his father by a local fixer on the ground.”
Interview'Why would we have ties if Mr. Trump sticks to this proposal?' Abbas confidant: If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties with US-Ahmad Majdalani says Ramallah wants to turn page with Washington after bitter first term, is maintaining contacts because it doesn’t see president’s proposal being implemented-By Jacob Magid-5 March 2025, 3:52 pm
RAMALLAH, West Bank — A senior Palestinian official and confidant to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says that the PA will cut ties with the US if President Donald Trump advances his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate all of its residents.In an interview with The Times of Israel from his Ramallah office last week, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Council member Ahmed Majdalani said implementation of Trump’s proposal would amount to the “expulsion” of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents, thereby posing an “existential threat” to the Palestinian cause.Pressed repeatedly as to whether such fervent opposition to the proposal meant the PA was prepared to sever ties with Washington again, Majdalani’s response was the same each time: “Of course.”“Why would we have ties if Mr. Trump sticks to this proposal?” he said.The longtime PA minister clarified that Ramallah is prepared to work with Trump if he abandons the idea. He also pointed to comments from top aides to the US president who have softened the proposal and suggested they would be open to shelving it if Arab allies came up with an alternative plan for the post-war management of Gaza that removed Hamas from power.But the plan unveiled on Tuesday didn’t explicitly address this concern, and the White House quickly came out against it, saying it was sticking with Trump’s original proposal.“We have been listening to Mr. Trump’s advisers who have explicitly said that this is just a proposal — not an obligatory plan of action,” said Majdalani in a rare on-record interview with Israeli media by a Palestinian official.Still, the fact that he was willing to even entertain publicly the idea of ending ties with the US, just over a month into Trump’s second tenure, highlighted how alarmed Ramallah was by the president’s talk of taking over Gaza.Trying a different approach-The PA gradually cut ties with the US during Trump’s first term, when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and proposed a peace plan that envisioned Israel annexing all of its settlements, while offering the Palestinians only limited sovereignty over the semi-contiguous West Bank land that would remain.But two senior Palestinian officials who spoke to The Times of Israel ahead of Trump’s return to the White House said Ramallah would take a different approach during his second term, acknowledging that the lack of engagement with Washington led the US to bypass Ramallah completely as it brokered the Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.Abbas restored ties with Trump, sending him a letter wishing him well after the then-GOP presidential nominee survived an attempt on his life last summer. Days after Trump was re-elected, the two then held what interlocutors described as a “warm” call — their first since 2017 — during which the president-elect pledged to end the war in Gaza.Two months later, Trump played an essential role in securing the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas that is still holding to date, albeit barely.Accordingly, Majdalani said Ramallah was caught off guard when Trump weeks later announced his proposal for the US to “own” Gaza and “permanently” relocate all of its residents.‘Deal of the Century’ flashbacks-Majdalani is one of the closest aides to Abbas, who has appointed him to a string of ministerial posts over the past 20 years. Last month, the PA president tapped him to head a fund that will be responsible for a highly sensitive reform to end controversial stipends to Palestinian security prisoners based on the length of their sentences.Notably, despite how unpopular it was among Palestinians, Abbas signed the decree enacting that reform days after Trump announced his Gaza takeover idea.Trump’s proposal was unveiled in a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who immediately welcomed the idea. Majdalani said this was because it fits with what he said is the premier’s effort to annex large parts of the West Bank, thereby destroying the PA and the effort for Palestinian statehood with it.Majdalani noted that the Arab world has similarly rejected the US proposal, with Egypt and Jordan viewing Trump’s calls for them to take in Palestinians from Gaza as “existential threats” to their national security.Trump’s idea “is not the right way to achieve stability and peace and security in the region,” he asserted.The PA rejected Trump’s 2020 peace plan with similar fervor and refused to discuss the initiative with Washington both before and after its rollout.The plan was largely shelved within months, while Washington pursued the Abraham Accords. Trump’s aides hinted that it could resurface in his second term, but the president refrained from standing by it when asked last month.‘No normalization with expulsion’Explaining the decision to re-engage with Trump after a first term that saw the US cut all aid to the Palestinians and shutter their diplomatic missions in Washington and Jerusalem, Majdalani explained that Ramallah is “acting according to the political reality.”During their November call, “President Abbas expressed a willingness to cooperate with President Trump and his new administration,” said the senior member and faction leader within the PLO — the international umbrella body representing Palestinians, which is also dominated by Abbas.“We are ready today and tomorrow to positively cooperate with Mr. Trump and his administration, if he renounces and forgets his idea about taking over Gaza and expelling of its residents en masse,” Majdalani said.That readiness would dissipate completely if the US actually moved forward with the idea. “We will defend our principles and our interests,” he asserted.Pressed again on why the PA has maintained contacts with Washington, given that Trump has yet to back away from his Gaza takeover pitch, Majdalani said that the US has not actually begun implementing it, calling it “a proposal — not a plan.”Trump has defended his idea, saying that Gaza is an uninhabitable “demolition site.”“The question Mr. Trump should be asking is, ‘Who destroyed Gaza and made it uninhabitable?'” Majdalani said, referring to Israel’s 15-plus month bombardment of Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas after the October 7 onslaught.“The problem is not the existence of Palestinians in Gaza. The problem is the existence of the Israel occupation in Gaza. So the goal should be to remove the occupation, not the Palestinians,” he said, asserting that only a two-state solution will provide security and stability for Israel and the region.“If [Trump] thinks that there will be regional peace with Israeli normalization alongside the mass expulsion of Gaza’s residents and the annexation of the West Bank, he is wrong,” Majdalani said.Asked whether the PA could accept the relocation of Gazans if it was done temporarily and not by force, Majdalani rejected the premise.“There is no such thing as voluntary emigration… in more accurate terms, it’s ethnic reasoning,” he continued. “For us, it is not acceptable to move the residents of Gaza — not temporarily and not permanently.”“Gaza is not for sale in the first place. It is part of the Palestinian homeland… and the Palestinians in Gaza will remain on their homeland.”The other half of the interview with Majdalani about the PA’s recent reform of its controversial prisoner payment policy was published on Tuesday.It's not (only) about you.Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Syria vows end to ‘painful legacy’ of chemical arms-In first, foreign minister addresses executive council of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, commits ‘to dismantle whatever may be left’ from Assad regime-By Agencies Today, 10:57 am-MAR 6,25
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Syria’s foreign minister on Wednesday pledged to destroy the chemical weapons stockpiles built up under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, in a historic speech to the OPCW global watchdog.Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani was the first ever Syrian representative to address the executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague.Former president Assad was repeatedly accused of using chemical weapons during Syria’s 13-year civil war, and there has been widespread concern about the fate of Syria’s stocks since his December 8 ouster.“The Assad regime chemical weapons program represents one of the darkest chapters in both Syria and the world’s history,” Shaibani told delegates.More than a decade ago, Syria agreed to hand over its declared stockpile for destruction, but the OPCW believes the declaration was incomplete and more weapons remain unaccounted for.Shaibani vowed to “rebuild Syria’s future for a foundation of transparency, justice, cooperation with the international community.”“This chemical weapons program, created under the Assad era, is not our program… Nevertheless, our commitment is to dismantle whatever may be left from it, to put an end to this painful legacy,” he said.Assad’s ouster has offered a “new and historic opportunity” to finally document and destroy the chemical weapons stockpile in Syria, OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias told delegates in an opening speech on Tuesday.Last month, Arias met Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in a first visit to Damascus since Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad.“With this visit, we started to lay the foundation for cooperation with the new Syrian authorities based on trust and transparency,” said Arias.“All this marks a significant break with the past.”The OPCW wants to establish a permanent presence in Syria to draw up an inventory of chemical weapons sites, and start the destruction of the stockpiles.The organization has expressed concern that valuable evidence may have been destroyed in the intense Israeli bombing of Syrian military assets that followed Assad’s overthrow.Israel has said suspected chemical weapons sites were among its targets as it sought to stop the assets from falling into the hands of “extremists.”The strikes “create additional challenges to the logistical, technical, and practical ones”, acknowledged Shaibani.“As a result, there remains uncertainty about the chemical weapons that may still exist within Syria,” said the minister.Following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in 2013, Assad-led Syria joined the agency under a US-Russian deal and 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed.But three inquiries — by a joint UN-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification team, and a UN war crimes probe — concluded that Syrian government forces under Assad used the nerve agent sarin and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks during the civil war that killed or injured thousands.As part of membership, Damascus was supposed to undergo inspections, but for more than a decade the OPCW was prevented from uncovering the true scale of the chemical weapons program.
Daily Briefing Mar. 5: Day 516 – Arab states plan for Gaza, are frustrated with PA-US bureau chief Jacob Magid discusses former hostages at Trump’s address to Congress; an Arab summit opposing the president’s plan; and the role of the PA in postwar Gaza-With:Jessica Steinberg-Jacob Magid-5 March 2025, 1:45 pm
Briefing Feb. 28: Day 511 - As phase 1 ends, can Cairo talks get more hostages out? Magid speaks about his interview with a senior Qatari official who emphasized the need to stick to the current hostage deal and said that any new ideas won’t work, insisting that Hamas won’t accept releasing hostages en masse as suggested by the US unless there’s an end to the war. He reviews the summit of Arab states that gathered Tuesday to discuss an alternative to Trump’s plan of reconstructing Gaza and relocating its inhabitants. The plan, led by Egypt, would see technocrats ruling Gaza for an interim period and dividing the area into zones before handing it over to the Palestinian Authority.Magid also discusses the positioning of the PA on the Gaza plans and the frustration of Arab countries with PA President Mahmoud Abbas as they try to get him to be more flexible.Finally, Magid briefly looks at PA prisoner payment reform after an interview with a senior official, who also warned of cutting ties with the Trump administration if the US president advances with his plan to take over Gaza.
In likely message to Iran, Israeli and US air forces carry out joint drill with heavy bomber-By Emanuel Fabian-MAR 6,25
The Israeli Air Force held a joint exercise with the US Air Force this week, during which pilots “practiced operational coordination between the two militaries to enhance their ability to address various regional threats.”The drill included Israeli F-15I and F-35I fighter jets flying alongside a US B-52 bomber.“The exercise aimed to strengthen and maintain the long-standing cooperation between the forces while expanding connectivity and building integrated capabilities for a range of scenarios,” the IDF says.The drill is potentially aimed at readying the Israeli military for a potential joint strike with the US on Iran. The IAF has already carried out two strikes on Iran without US support, but would likely need the heavy capabilities of the B-52s to effectively hit Iran’s heavily fortified underground nuclear sites.
Police on high alert in Jerusalem ahead of first Friday prayers of Ramadan-MAR 6,25-By Charlie Summers
Police say they plan to deploy some 3,000 police and border officers across Jerusalem tomorrow for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.A spokesman says police will operate with additional reinforcements at checkpoints on the perimeter of Jerusalem, in East Jerusalem and within the Old City. Police say they aim to prevent “hostile elements from exploiting Ramadan for incitement, disturbances, terrorism or any form of violence.”Several roads adjacent to the Old City, including Nablus, Sultan Suleiman and Salah a-Din Streets in the East Jerusalem downtown, will be closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Police advise drivers to use Begin Road as an alternative route.The holy site has been a flashpoint for violence, particularly with large crowds gathering on Ramadan, and has seen frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces over the years, sometimes leading to wider violence.Last month, Hebrew outlets reported that Israel’s security establishment plans to allow only 10,000 West Bank Palestinians to enter the al-Aqsa compound for Friday prayer, and only if they submit a request in advance. Ex-prisoners released under the current ceasefire deal will not be permitted to enter the compound.Hamas calls on Palestinian Muslims in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as Arab Israelis to reject efforts to impose restrictions and to travel to the Temple Mount in large numbers and oppose attempts by Israel to “desecrate and control” the site, “by any means.”
China says to hike defence spending by 7.2% this year-By Oliver Hotham and Ludovic Ehret.
Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2025-China's defence spending will rise by 7.2 percent in 2025, the same as last year, Beijing said on Wednesday, as its armed forces undergo rapid modernisation and eye deepening strategic competition with the United States.The country's expenditure on its armed forces has been on the rise for decades, broadly in line with economic growth.China has the world's second-largest military budget, but lags well behind the United States, its primary strategic rival.Despite this, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) surpasses the US military by number of personnel.Beijing's 1.78-trillion-yuan ($245.7-billion) defence budget for this year is still less than a third of Washington's.China's military spending last year made up 1.6 percent of its GDP, far less than the United States or Russia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.But its defence expansion is viewed with suspicion by Washington, as well as other powers in the region including Japan, with which Beijing has a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea.China has also increasingly flexed its muscles in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely despite an international arbitration ruling that declared its stance baseless.Beijing's spending boost is also a cause for concern for self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing says is part of its territory to be claimed by force if necessary.- 'Growing uncertainties' -The budget hike comes as thousands of delegates congregate in Beijing for the opening session of the National People's Congress, the second of China's "Two Sessions" meetings this week.Speaking at that session, Premier Li Qiang vowed that China would "resolutely oppose separatist activities aimed at Taiwan independence and external interference, so as to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations".China describes its military stance as "defensive" and aimed at preserving its sovereignty.But its sweeping territorial claims over areas controlled by other governments have raised fears of a regional clash.Chin-Hao Huang, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, told AFP the hike took place in the context of "growing uncertainties in China's external environment and domestic security priorities"."The defence budget increase reflects the need to maintain and upgrade the PLA's military capabilities to keep pace and be ready for all contingencies," he said.The announcement also comes as Europeans are considering significantly increasing their military budgets in the face of American disengagement from their region."As the geopolitical tension between China and the US increases, China cannot slow down its military expenditures," said Niklas Swanstrom, director of the Sweden-based Institute for Security and Development Policy.
PKK must disarm 'immediately': Turkey defence ministry source.
Istanbul, March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Outlawed Kurdish group PKK and all groups allied with it must disarm "immediately", a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday, apparently referring to Kurdish forces in Syria."The PKK and all groups affiliated with it must end all terrorist activities, dissolve and immediately and unconditionally lay down their weapons," the source said.Last week, PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan urged his militant group to dissolve and his fighters to lay down their arms in a historic call.The 75-year-old founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party has been jailed since 1999.The PKK, which has engaged in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in which tens of thousands of people have died, declared a ceasefire on Saturday and said it would comply with Ocalan's call.But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has backed the peace move, was quick to warn that if the promises weren't kept, the military would continue its anti-PKK operations."We always keep our iron fist ready in case the hand we extend is left hanging in the air or bitten," he said on Saturday.Since January 1, 478 "terrorists" have been "neutralised" in anti-PKK military operations, the source said, of which 195 were in Iraq and 283 in Syria.
Iran appoints new envoy to UN nuclear watchdog.
Tehran, March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Iran has appointed Reza Najafi as its new ambassador and permanent representative to several Vienna-based international organisations, including the UN nuclear watchdog, local media reported.He will be replacing Mohsen Naziri-Asl who served in the role since 2022, ISNA news agency said on Wednesday.Najafi, a former deputy foreign minister, previously held the post from 2013 to 2018 -- a period marked by Iran's signing of a landmark nuclear deal with the United States and world powers.The deal -- known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.It fell apart after the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term. Tehran adhered to the deal until a year after Washington pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments.Trump, who returned to the White House in January, reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy of sanctions against Iran over allegations the country is seeking nuclear weapons capability.Tehran has consistently denied the claims and repeatedly expressed a willingness to revive the accord but efforts to that end have faltered.Last month, UN atomic agency chief Rafael Grossi said Iran was "enriching (uranium) at 60 percent, so almost weapon level" and that the 2015 deal was an "empty shell" that was "no longer fit for purpose".Trump has also recently called for striking a new deal with Iran, but Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said "no problem will be solved by negotiating with America".
Nuclear monitor defends Ukraine plant visit via Russia-controlled territory.
Vienna, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2025-UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Monday defended the first ever visit by his staff to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant through Russian-occupied territory, saying the "exception" was aimed at protecting lives.Moscow's troops seized Europe's largest nuclear power station shortly after its invasion and later barred Ukrainian staff who refused to take Russian nationality or sign Russian contracts. The facility close to the front line has since become the target of repeated strikes.Staff from the UN nuclear watchdog have been based at the plant since September 2022 to monitor its safety, with teams rotating regularly. Until now they have accessed the area via Ukraine-controlled territory.Over the weekend, a monitoring mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) travelled through Russian-occupied territory for the first time.Ukraine's foreign ministry on Sunday condemned what it called the "violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" by IAEA staff in its latest rotation.Kyiv said the move was a "result of Russian blackmail and systematic attempts to impose illegal and contradictory operational mechanisms on international organisations in the temporarily occupied territories."But Grossi told reporters in Vienna Monday that "the only thing that has led us... to do the rotation in this way is that I am responsible for the security of my staff."There were a series of episodes which led me to the conclusion that I could not take risks with the lives of my experts," he said, referring to a drone strike that affected a rotation in December as well as another mission that had to be aborted."Any other political consideration, I think, is out of place really."Grossi has repeatedly warned of the potential for a nuclear accident at the plant.According to Ukraine's foreign ministry, fighting in the region had prevented IAEA staff on site from being replaced "for 80 days", with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other.On Saturday, the Russian head of the Zaporizhzhia plant announced that an IAEA team had arrived at the facility for the first time via "Russian territory".
DANIEL 2:37-45
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
DANIEL 7:17-26
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
THE WORLD IN 10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS LEAD BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THE WORLD LEADER, NOT AMERICA.I PREDICT.
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND REVIVED ROMAN WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 2:31-33,36-43, DAN 7:3-8,17
First From Daniel Chapter 2
1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (HEAD OF GOLD) DAN 2:31-32,36-38, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (CHEST & ARMS OF SILVER) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (WAIST & HIPS OF BRONZE) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (2 LEGS OF IRON) DAN 2:33,40, ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) (FEET IRON & CLAY) DAN 2:33,41-43,10 TOES
Now From Daniel Chapter 7
1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (LION WITH EAGLES WINGS) DAN 7:4, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (BEAR ON HIND LEGS) DAN 7:5, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (LEOPARD 4 WINGS, 4 HEADS) DAN 7:6, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (HUGE IRON TEETH) DAN 7:7 (10 HORNS), ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) DAN 7:8,19-20,23-25 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS
REV 17:9,12, 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS, 7 HILLS ROME. REV 13:1 BEAST WITH 7 HEADS. THE E.U LEADER OF WORLD GOVERNMENT DAN 2:40-45, 7:7-8,23-25,27, 8:23, REV 13:3,7,8,12,14,16
REVELATION 17:10-12
10 And there are seven kings (7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY) five are fallen, (EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON,:MEDO-PERSIAN,GREECE and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS DAY-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,(FUTURE-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE-EUROPEAN UNION TODAY) he must continue a short space.(7 YEARS OF WORLD DOMINATION-BUT 3 1/2 YEARS OF NEW WORLD ORDER OR ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT)
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS OR REGIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS-NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind,(WORLD SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.
THE CLUB OF ROME FOUNDER AURELIO PECCEI WANTS THE WORLD IN 10 REGIONAL TRADING BLOCKS
HERES WHAT THE WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE (SINCE THERE WILL BE WORLD GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE)-UPDATED VERSION
01 CANADA, U.S.A, MEXICO
02 EUROPEAN UNION,WESTERN EUROPE
03 JAPAN
04 AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, S AFRICA, ISRAEL AND PACIFIC ISLANDS
05 EASTERN EUROPE
06 SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICAS
07 NORTH AFRICA, AND MIDEAST (MOSLEMS)
08 CENTRAL AFRICA
09 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
10 CENTRAL ASIA
THE CLUB OF ROME WANTS A WORLD CHARISMATIC DICTATOR (EITHER RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR SCIENTIFICAL) TO HEAD THIS WORLD GOVERNMENT. REV 13:3,7-8, DAN 7:23-24
WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME
NORTH - RUSSIA EZEK 38:1-2, 39:1-2
SOUTH - EGYPT DAN 11:42
EAST - CHINA DAN 11:44,REV 16:12
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION DAN 7:23-24 (NOT THE U.S.A)
http://israel7777777.blogspot.ca/2012/03/10-world-trade-blocs-one-world.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2006/09/how-eu-takes-world-control.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/05/one-world-religion-crislam.html
FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
EU chief unveils 800-billion-euro plan to 'rearm' Europe by AFP Staff Writers.
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Mar 4, 2025-EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday presented a five-part plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros for Europe's defence -- and help provide "immediate" military support for Ukraine after Washington suspended aid."A new era is upon us," the European Commission president said in a letter presenting the plan to EU leaders, two days before a summit aimed at cementing joint action on support for Ukraine and European security longer term."Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime," she wrote, as she outlined options for funding a European defence surge."'ReArm Europe' could mobilise close to 800 billion euros of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe," she told reporters in Brussels as she outlined the contents of her plan.Part one involves proposing that the EU suspend strict budget rules to allow member states to ramp up their spending on defence."This will allow member states to significantly increase their defence expenditures without triggering the excessive deficit procedure," she said, referring to a procedure that forces governments to bring deficit levels down if they violate the rules.The second proposal will be a new "instrument" that will provide 150 billion euros of loans to member states for defence investment."This is basically about spending better -- and spending together," said von der Leyen. "We are talking about pan-European capability domains -- for example: air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition drones and anti-drone systems.""With this equipment, member states can massively step up their support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine," she said.The third component would involve using the existing EU budget "to direct more funds towards defence-related investments."That would include allowing member states to repurpose so-called "cohesion" funds targeted at helping the development of poorer European countries -- and using them for defence.The last two areas of action would involve the bloc's lending arm the European Investment Bank -- which EU states want to drop limits on lending to defence firms -- and a savings and investments union to help companies access capital.US President Donald Trump's direct outreach to Russia on ending the Ukraine war has thrown the country's future into question and left Europe reeling on the sidelines.Thursday's Brussels summit -- on the heels of weekend crisis talks also involving Britain and NATO -- comes as Europe contemplates the stark prospect of the United States withdrawing longer-term support from Ukraine and more broadly from its European allies."We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times," von der Leyen said. "This is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up."
Germany's Merz vows billions for defence, economy By Jastinder KHERA.
Berlin (AFP) Mar 4, 2025-Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that his centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) would propose an unprecedented package of billions of euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure.The two parties are in talks on forming a coalition government after last month's general election, which have been given new urgency by US President Donald Trump's clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the freezing of American military aid to Kyiv.Merz said at a press conference that the two parties would bring proposals to parliament within the next week to exempt more defence spending from Germany's constitutionally enshrined "debt brake".He vowed to do "whatever it takes" when it comes to defence "in light of threats to our freedom and peace on our continent".It would be a dramatic departure for a country that has spent decades under the American security umbrella.The proposals would also mark a "sea change" and "a major loosening of Germany's fiscal straitjacket", said Berenberg bank economist Holger Schmieding, noting the country's long-standing avoidance of large public debts.Merz's plans would see defence spending exempted from the country's debt brake when it exceeds one percent of GDP -- or 45 billion euros ($47.7 billion) when applied to the current size of Germany's economy.Merz also said the two parties wanted to bring in "a special fund of 500 billion euros for the next 10 years" for investment in infrastructure, something the SPD has been pushing for.The fund would be aimed at kick-starting Germany's moribund economy, which is threatened with a third straight year of recession.The proposals would also mean that Germany's federal states, which are currently not allowed to run budget deficits, could take out debt equivalent to 0.35 percent of GDP.Merz also said he wanted to get immediate approval for a three-billion-euro aid package for Ukraine that has been held up for weeks.He said he would meet outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday "to speak about the urgent help needed for Ukraine, around 3.0 or 3.5 billion euros, which... can be approved now as off-budget expenditure".Speaking alongside Merz, CSU leader Markus Soeder said the parties were "sending a message to our enemies and our friends: Germany is here and is not pulling back".He said "old certainties had been recast" in recent weeks and "many of us have had our basic trust in America deeply shaken", even those like himself who had "believed in the US's moral leadership role since I was a child".- 'Really big bazooka' -Merz's promise of "whatever it takes" recalled the pledge made in 2012 by the then president of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi during the sovereign debt crisis.Schmieding described Merz's plans as "a really big bazooka", also harking back to the phrase used to describe the ECB's interventions under Draghi.The CDU/CSU and SPD are at pains to rush the new financing through the outgoing parliament, where they have the necessary two-thirds majority together with the Greens.While the Greens are not part of talks to be in the next government, they are staunch supporters of Ukraine and of more funding for infrastructure, so could be brought on board with the spending plans.However Katharina Droege, co-leader of the Greens parliamentary group, told ARD television that the party would "not support anything automatically" and wanted to see more in the package aimed at climate protection.The clock is ticking: At the end of the month the new parliament will convene in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Linke will together be able to veto the sweeping changes Merz has proposed.When it comes to defence spending, German media reports suggest that 200 billion to 400 billion euros would be needed to bring Germany's threadbare armed forces up to scratch.Manuela Schwesig from the SPD's negotiating team told the ARD TV channel that the proposals set on Tuesday foresaw defence spending "rising to at least 100 billion euros per year".Current Defence Minister Boris Pistorius hailed the plans as a "historic day for the army and for Germany".The proposals would mean Germany being able to play "a leading role along with others" in European security, he told the Spiegel newspaper.While the CDU/CSU alliance has emphasised the need to boost Germany's defence, the Social Democrats also emphasise the need to pay for investment and social services.SPD leader Lars Klingbeil spoke of the need for massive investment in a country whose infrastructure had been degraded by years of "wear and tear".
Germany set for massive rearmament as divide with US widens-By Jastinder KHERA.
Berlin (AFP) Mar 5, 2025-Germany is set to ramp up defence spending with the incoming government, saying it wants to invest hundreds of billions of euros to bolster Europe's security as US guarantees look increasingly fragile.Likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he planned to reform the country's strict constitutional "debt brake" to pump up defence spending and pursue massive infrastructure investments.The announcement came just over a week after national elections and with talks underway between Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats to forge a new governing alliance.The two sides however agreed to try to rush through the changes before a government is formed, as US President Donald Trump's public falling out last week with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky added to the sense of urgency in Europe.Trump's moves to open direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin have left Europeans feeling their interests could be overlooked in any deal to end the fighting that started with Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago.Germany's EU partners, who are gathering for a key summit on Thursday to discuss Ukraine and defence, have been waiting for movement from Berlin after months of political paralysis since the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government in November.- 'Dizzying' -The proposed reform of Germany's budget rules would see military expenditure over one percent of GDP exempted from constitutional limits on taking on new debt.In practice, the reform could see Germany's defence budget double to 100 billion euros ($107 billion) per year, said Manuela Schwesig, a senior Social Democrat involved in coalition talks.CDU leader Merz and his partners also want to set up a 500-billion-euro fund to upgrade Germany's creaking infrastructure and help drag the country out of two straight years of recession.The size of the investments in consideration were "dizzying", Markus Soeder, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party the CSU, said Wednesday.But the announcement sent a clear signal: "Germany is defending itself, Germany is arming itself, Germany is renewing itself."After coming out on top in last month's vote, Merz said he had "no illusions" about the US president and has wasted no time in ditching his party's traditional aversion to debt to boost Germany's defences.The constitutional change is set to be rushed through the outgoing parliament, where the conservatives and the Social Democrats would have the necessary two-thirds majority with the Greens.According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the first debate on the reform is planned to take place in the Bundestag on March 13, with the final vote four days later.If the plan succeeds, it could be a "real game changer" and "quickly overcome Germany's economic stagnation", said Sebastian Dullien, director of the IMK economic research institute.In a further sign of the changing times, Germany called for an overhaul of the EU's strict spending rules to allow countries to invest more in defence over the long term, European diplomats told AFP.Germany's EU ambassador surprised his European counterparts during a Brussels meeting when he suggested giving member states more room to spend, beyond a four-year exemption proposed this week, several diplomats said.EU leaders are set to approve the exemption at Thursday's summit. However, the German call to go even further was not welcomed by other states with a frugal approach.- 'Germany, Europe must invest' -Merz met on Wednesday with current Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who welcomed the moves to boost defence, according to his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.The conservative leader also travelled to Brussels, where he held talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte.Merz posted on X that the talks centred on "the defence capabilities of Europe and NATO and challenges related to security policy.""Germany and Europe must now invest massively in their own defence capabilities. That is the best protection for Europe's security."Rutte posted that Merz's leadership will be "crucial" as Europe seeks to bolster its defences."It's vital that we invest more in defence, increase defence production and continue to support Ukraine."
Germany wants long-term defence exemption in EU spending rules.
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Mar 5, 2025 - Germany has called for an overhaul of strict EU spending rules to allow countries to invest more in defence over the long term, European diplomats told AFP on Wednesday.It comes after Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, this week vowed billions of euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure.Germany's EU ambassador surprised his European counterparts during a Brussels meeting when he suggested giving member states more room to spend, beyond a four-year exemption proposed this week, several diplomats said.The proposal marks a significant shift for a country that has, in the past, maintained a hardline stance on budgets and sought to avoid any loosening of spending rules.With US President Donald Trump's pivot away from backing Ukraine casting doubt on future support for Europe as well, the bloc is planning a radical ramping up of defence investments to better protect itself.EU leaders are set to approve the four-year exemption to allow member states to surge defence spending during an extraordinary summit in Brussels on Thursday.But the German ambassador suggested that Brussels should be "going further", given the current geopolitical situation, one EU diplomat said.However the ambassador's call that was not welcomed by other states with a frugal approach to spending."The Dutch and Swedes asked not to change the text," the diplomat added.EU members are bound by spending rules demanding they keep the public deficit below three percent of economic output and debt at a maximum 60 percent of GDP.The subject of changing the rules outright could be discussed during Thursday's summit, at which leaders are expected to endorse a plan by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to spur defence investments and support Ukraine against Russia.EU powerhouse Germany is set to pour billions more into defence after Merz said Tuesday that his centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social Democrats would propose to exempt more of the spending from the country's constitutionally enshrined "debt brake".Ramping up defence expenditure, as the bloc is advocating, could make it difficult for member states to stay within the debt and deficit limits.After long and painful negotiations to agree on a reform of the EU's spending rules, the bloc struck a deal last year -- before Trump's election victory in November.
Europe will struggle to plug Ukraine's US military aid gap: analysts-By Fabien Zamora and Mathieu Rabechault with Viktoria Lukovenko in Kyiv and AFP's data graphics team.
Paris (AFP) Mar 4, 2025-The freezing of US military aid to Ukraine leaves dangerous weak spots in its defence against Russia's invasion, and European allies will struggle to plug the holes, analysts say.After Washington announced the suspension of aid in a row with Kyiv over the US approach to ending the conflict, some experts estimated Ukraine can last for only a few months before the strain starts to show.The United States single-handedly accounted for nearly half of the value of military aid to Ukraine from 2022 to 2024, according to the Kiel Institute, a German research group."Taking into account the weapons that have already come to Ukraine, and what we have, and what we actually produce ourselves, we can withstand at least six months without the nature of the war changing significantly," political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told AFP.Here are facts about Ukraine's assets in the key areas of air defence, long-range strike capability, artillery and reconnaissance -- and how much it has been relying on support from the United States and others.- Air defence -Ukraine needs sophisticated air defence guns to shoot down the barrages of missiles and drones that Russia fires daily at its towns and infrastructure.It has seven US-made Patriot air defence systems, provided by the United States, Germany and Romania."Patriot is very important to protect our cities, not troops," said researcher Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, a think tank in Kyiv.To continue using the Patriot systems, Ukraine will need munitions and spare parts, said Leo Peria-Peigne, a researcher at the French international affairs institute IFRI."Will other countries be able to buy parts from the Americans and pass them on to the Ukrainians, or will the Americans oppose that? We do not know."Germany is building a factory to make munitions for the Patriot system -- the first outside the United States -- but production is not expected to start there until 2027.In addition, for high-altitude interceptions, Ukraine has two European-made SAMP/T systems from Italy and France.It has some similar systems of its own and has been provided with others for shorter-range interceptions.Analysts say that Ukraine's European allies will struggle to make up for an end to US Patriot support."Europe has some real shortcomings in this area," said Yohann Michel, a researcher at the French university Lyon-3."The SAMP/T are very good but not very mobile, and they are not produced in sufficient numbers," he said."Production will have to be increased, or even shifted somewhere else outside France and Italy."To make that work, "you would have needed to start the process two years ago," added Peria-Peigne of IFRI.If Patriot output declines, researcher Yohann Michel said Europe could send Ukraine fighter jets to intercept missiles "and to repel the Russian bombers that are striking Ukraine".European allies have already given Ukraine F16 and Mirage 2000-5 fighters -- and Michel judged that they have the capacity to provide more.- Long-range strike power -To strike back at Russia far behind the front line, Ukraine currently relies on US aid.Washington has supplied it with around 40 ATACMS ground-to-ground rocket-launch systems mounted on HIMAR mobile units.Such items are rare in Europe, with inferior Czech systems the closest equivalent there currently, said Michel.To replace them, "the Europeans would have to quickly develop their own system, or else buy systems from South Korea," he said.For launching deep strikes from the air, Kyiv uses "mostly European and Ukrainian equipment", said Samus of the New Geopolitics Research Network.These include European-made Storm Shadow missiles -- also known as SCALP. But it is not known how many of these Ukraine currently has on order, said Peria-Peigne.- Artillery -One area where Europe is in a position to help is in the big guns needed on the battlefield.In artillery equipment, "Europe has really raised its production capacity and Ukraine too is in a less bad position," said Peria-Peigne.The European Union has forecast it will produce 1.5 million 155mm shells this year -- more than the 1.2 million it said were produced in the United States.Ukraine for its part has come up with its own anti-tank weapons, said Michel. It has also developed remotely piloted drones that can fire missiles at Russian positions.- Reconnaissance -US exports are considered indispensable for obtaining the satellites, drones and other aircraft needed for spying effectively on enemy positions."It is very important for us to continue to receive satellite intelligence from the United States," said analyst Fesenko.For such reconnaissance, European countries "have tools, but they are not as extensive," added Michel."A lot of them depend completely on the United States in this area."
France, Germany and UK call on Israel to ensure ‘unhindered’ aid flow to Gaza-Hitting back, Foreign Ministry says Hamas is using supplies to rebuild and that ‘the only humanitarian suffering in Gaza is that of the Israeli hostages’By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 6:43 am-MAR 6,25
France, the United Kingdom and Germany on Wednesday urged Israel to ensure the “unhindered” delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, warning against using aid as a “political tool.”In a statement on X, the Foreign Ministry clapped back at the countries, saying there is plenty of aid in Gaza and that Hamas often uses it to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure.A ceasefire since January 19 saw an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, before Israel on Sunday announced it was blocking deliveries over what it called Hamas’s refusal to accept a proposal to extend the expiring initial stage of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.“We call on the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza,” the European countries said in a joint statement.“A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza such as that announced by the government of Israel would risk violating international humanitarian law,” they said.“Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool.”The three European nations described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic.”In its response, the Foreign Ministry noted that 25,000 aid trucks entered Gaza during the ceasefire’s first phase.“There is no shortage of essential products in the Strip whatsoever,” it wrote on X. “The only humanitarian suffering in Gaza is that of the Israeli hostages, who are being chained, starved, and held in Hamas’ tunnels.”The Foreign Ministry also said much of the aid is being exploited by Hamas to rebuild militarily, and that a large portion of the terror organization’s budget comes from trucks carrying these supplies.“Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian,” the statement added. “Enabling the enemy to resupply itself so it can regroup and attack you again is not humanitarian – it is suicidal and will not be allowed.”The Foreign Ministry also said Israel accepted what it has described US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal through Ramadan and Passover, which Hamas has rejected.The first, 42-day stage of the deal expired on Saturday night. According to the terms of the phased agreement that went into effect on January 19, Israel and Hamas were supposed to have begun holding negotiations regarding the terms of the second phase on the 16th day of the deal, February 3.Israel has largely held off on holding those negotiations, as phase two ultimately requires that in exchange for the remaining living hostages, Israel fully withdraw from Gaza and permanently end the war — something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would not accept before Hamas has been fully dismantled.During the first phase, 33 Israeli hostages were released, eight of them dead, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted terrorists serving hefty jail sentences. Five Thai nationals held hostage in the Gaza Strip were freed separately.“It is vital that the ceasefire is sustained, all the hostages are released, and continued flows of humanitarian aid to Gaza are ensured,” the three European nations said.“All hostages must be unconditionally released and Hamas must end their degrading and humiliating treatment,” they added.
Several European nations say any Gaza plan ‘must have no role for Hamas’French representative to UN adds that any proposal ‘must ensure Israel’s security and must not displace Palestinians,’ urges unity of Gaza Strip and West Bank under PA-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:58 am-MAR 6,25
Hamas must have no role in the Gaza Strip, a group of European nations said Wednesday after a UN Security Council meeting on the future of the enclave.The meeting discussed a plan adopted Tuesday by Arab countries to rebuild Gaza and place it under the Palestinian Authority, an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take control of the territory and resettle its residents elsewhere.Speaking on behalf of France, Britain, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia, French diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari said the final plan should neither allow Hamas to continue governing Gaza nor displace the Palestinians who live there.“We are clear that any plan must have no role for Hamas, must ensure Israel’s security, must not displace Palestinians from Gaza,” said Dharmadhikari, France’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.It should also “support the unity of the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority’s mandate,” he told journalists, adding that European countries are ready to support and further develop those plans.Arab League nations meeting in Cairo called on Tuesday to unite Palestinians under the Palestine Liberation Organization, which does not include Hamas.Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, who introduced the proposal, said the plan would enlist independent Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas to run the Strip in the war’s immediate aftermath. They would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip’s affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority.In a statement, Hamas said it welcomed the plan as well as the formation of the Palestinian committee, while the Trump administration and Israel rejected the proposal.The participating Arab countries were apparently split over how quickly the terror group should be phased out from power.The UAE, which sees Hamas and other Islamists as an existential threat, wants an immediate and complete disarmament of the terror group, while other Arab countries advocate a gradual approach, a source close to the matter told Reuters.Dharmadhikari also urged Israel to immediately let humanitarian aid flow into Gaza on a massive scale, saying that point was “non-negotiable.”Israel announced Sunday it was blocking aid deliveries to Gaza until Hamas accepts its terms for an extension of the lapsed first phase of the ceasefire which the two sides began on January 19.
Turkey ready to send troops to Ukraine 'if needed': defence ministry source.
Istanbul, March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Turkey would be ready to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a broader peacekeeping mission if needed, a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday."The issue of contributing to a mission... will be evaluated with all relevant parties if deemed necessary for the establishment of regional stability and peace," the source said.His remarks came as European Union leaders were meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels to seek ways of bolstering the defences of both Ukraine and Europe after US President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Kyiv and intelligence sharing to help it fight off Russia's invasion.Paris and London have already expressed a willingness to deploy troops to Ukraine to ensure that a possible future ceasefire is preserved, without saying what role those troops would play.Bolstering European defences has taken on acute urgency after Trump made clear his desire to quickly end the three-year war in Ukraine through direct negotiations with Moscow.NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbours since the Russian invasion three years ago and has twice hosted direct talks aimed at ending the war.
Russia says Macron address 'detached from reality'
Moscow, March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Russia on Thursday criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for an address this week in which he mulled extending France's nuclear umbrella to European partners.In a speech to the French nation on Wednesday, Macron called Russia a "threat to France and Europe" and said the French were "legitimately worried" about the United States shifting its position on the Ukraine conflict under US President Donald Trump."Every day, he makes some absolutely... contradictory statements" which are "detached from reality", Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of Macron.Zakharova compared him to Ole Lukoje, a mythical creature in a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale who holds umbrellas over sleeping children."I listened to all this, looked at him and realised who he reminds me of -- the nuclear Ole Lukoje," she said.Macron said he would launch a debate on extending France's nuclear deterrent to other European nations, following a phone conversation with Friedrich Merz, likely to be Germany's next chancellor, on extending that umbrella of protection.
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.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Global identity community prepares for MOSIP Connect 2025-Mar 5, 2025, 5:17 pm EST | Chris Burt
Foundational and digital identity and the role they play in government digital transformation will be in the spotlight next week at MOSIP Connect 2025 in Manila, Philippines.The Modular Open Source Identity Platform is co-hosting the event with the Philippine Statistics Authority from March 11 to 13.MOSIP has remained busy over the past year, with a recent integration announced in Nigeria, work on digital public infrastructure for Trinidad and Tobago delivered through a novel method, and pilots and production deployments in dozens of partner countries. The organization also recently launched its biometric device certification program, which MOSIP Head of Partner Ecosystem Sanjith Sundaram and BixeLab CEO Ted Dunstone joined Biometric Update to discuss in a recent webinar.This year’s conference is the second edition of MOSIP Connect, held in partnership with AWS and Co-Develop. Last year’s event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was considered a tremendous success, attended by more than 400 people from 28 countries.The Alan Turing Institute, OpenWallet Foundation and Upanzi Network (CMU-Africa) are knowledge partners for 2025. Identity Woman Kaliya Young and Lucy Yang will facilitate an “unconference” on day two, and Biometric Update will report from on location as MOSIP Connect media partner.The event will feature workshops on national identity projects, industry developments and insights from the academic community.Dozens of biometrics and digital ID technology providers, including HID, Secugen, Integrated Biometrics, iProov, IrisID, Laxton, Thales, Xperix and Tech5 will participate in the Solution Discovery exhibition.Students and developers will present solutions that are ready for adoption and have come out of ongoing initiatives MOSIP Decode and MOSIP Create.Watch for daily coverage of MOSIP Connect 2025 on Biometric Update throughout the event.
Login.gov’s future uncertain amid government upheaval-Mar 5, 2025, 5:28 pm EST | Anthony Kimery
Login.gov has become a critical tool in the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to combat fraud and streamline digital identity verification, but it’s future could be on shaky ground.While recent upheavals within the General Services Administration (GSA) under the Trump administration led by Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have led officials to reaffirm its importance in safeguarding public resources from fraudulent activity, uncertainty about its future remains.Developed to provide a secure, centralized authentication service, Login.gov allows millions of Americans to access government services with a single sign-on.Thomas Shedd, director of GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) and An alumi of Musk’s Tesla, has reassured agencies and the public that Login.gov will continue to play a pivotal role in federal anti-fraud initiatives. His statements come in response to concerns arising from the recent dissolution of 18F, the government’s digital consultancy that was instrumental in building Login.gov. Shedd emphasized that Login.gov remains a cornerstone of federal digital security strategy and that its development will proceed without interruption.“I can assure you that Login.gov’s work carries forward as a critical part of government-wide efforts to promote efficiency and fight fraud,” Shedd wrote in a Monday email. “To that end we are working to accelerate Login’s roadmap. More to come on that soon.”According to reports, Shedd also told GSA employees that he wants to use Login.gov to uncover fraud, but at least one employee told 404 Media that his plans to use data about individuals to do so is illegal.“Fraud has always served as a powerful political trope, one that provides a rationale for cutting government,” wrote two political scientists. “The strategy is simple. Claim there’s fraud, dismantle the institutions that prevent fraud, and then capture public dollars for yourself.”Fears that Login.gov could be axed by the Trump administration have grown amid increasing concerns over identity fraud in government programs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that up to $135 billion in unemployment insurance fraud occurred during the pandemic, much of it enabled by identity theft. Proponents of Login.gov argue that by providing a secure, standardized authentication process, Login.gov serves as a key defense against such fraudulent schemes, ensuring that benefits and services reach their rightful recipients.Currently, Login.gov supports over 100 million user accounts and is integrated into more than 50 federal and state agencies, enabling secure access to services such as Social Security accounts, unemployment insurance, and Medicare. The platform has also expanded its capabilities to include facial recognition, a move intended to bolster identity verification and deter fraudulent attempts to access sensitive government resources. This expansion aligns with federal efforts to enhance cybersecurity while maintaining ease of access for legitimate users.Despite its vital role, though, Login.gov has faced political and logistical challenges. Some members of the Trump administration previously called for its elimination, arguing that it was redundant and inefficient. Emily Murphy, who served as head of GSA under Trump’s first term as president, has criticized the program, citing a 2023 GSA Inspector General (IG) report that alleged misrepresentation of its identity proofing capabilities. Murphy said in January that “GSA should sunset Login.gov,” calling it “redundant, over-budget, and behind schedule.”GSA’s IG said its “evaluation found GSA misled their customer agencies when GSA failed to communicate Login.gov’s known noncompliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63-3, Digital Identity Guidelines. Notwithstanding GSA officials’ assertions that Login.gov met SP 800-63-3 Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) requirements, Login.gov has never included a physical or biometric comparison for its customer agencies. Further, GSA continued to mislead customer agencies even after GSA suspended efforts to meet SP 800-63-3.”The NIST standard in question is in the process of being updated and can currently be met using biometrics, which is the reason that GSA has allowed federal agencies to incorporate facial recognition as part of their Login.gov sign-in.Privacy advocates have raised alarms over the integration of biometric authentication within Login.gov, particularly facial recognition. Critics argue that such measures could lead to increased government surveillance and potential biases in identity verification. Civil liberties organizations have urged caution, calling for transparency and oversight to ensure that the system does not disproportionately impact marginalized communities.Under the Trump administration thus far, however, Login.gov has not only survived these criticisms, but it has been reaffirmed as an essential component of federal digital identity management. The significance of Login.gov in mitigating identity theft and associated fraud cannot be overstated, its advocates say.The broader debate over Login.gov reflects tensions in the federal government’s approach to digital identity management. While the Biden administration considered making Login.gov the mandatory authentication system for federal services, the proposal was ultimately omitted from a cybersecurity executive order. This decision underscores ongoing debates over the best approach to identity verification in government, as well as concerns about privacy and federal overreach.The recent dissolution of 18F, which played a key role in developing Login.gov and the IRS Direct File program, has raised questions about the platform’s future. 18F was abruptly dismantled as part of broader efforts by DOGE to reduce government spending and shrink federal IT programs. The decision, announced in the middle of the night, led to the layoffs of around 90 employees, including engineers, designers, and project managers. Critics argued that eliminating 18F would disrupt ongoing modernization efforts and open the door for private-sector firms to take over government digital services.Despite these cuts, Shedd stated unequivocally that Login.gov’s roadmap will proceed, with planned enhancements such as mobile driver’s license integration and improved fraud detection tools.18F was a technology unit within GSA that played a crucial role in modernizing digital government services. Established in 2014 under the Obama administration, 18F was created to bring private-sector digital expertise into the federal government to improve how federal agencies develop and deploy technology. It was modeled after the U.K.’s Government Digital Service and was part of a broader push to make government digital services more user-friendly, efficient, and secure.The elimination of 18F has also fueled speculation about the privatization of federal digital services. Some analysts believe that dismantling government-led tech initiatives like 18F and the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) – which was transformed in to DOGE – could pave the way for private sector vendors to assume control over federal authentication services. Critics warn that shifting responsibility to private entities could introduce profit motives that may conflict with public interest, particularly in terms of accessibility and data security.The transition of federal digital services under DOGE has introduced further uncertainty. Musk’s leadership style, characterized by rapid and sweeping changes the constitutionality of which have been challenged in federal court, has led to concerns about the stability of critical government infrastructure. As Biometric Update has reported, DOGE personnel have gained access to sensitive and classified IT systems without proper clearances, raising red flags about the security of federal IT operations. Former employees of 18F and USDS have voiced concerns that these abrupt changes could jeopardize the integrity of government digital services.Despite these challenges, Login.gov remains a crucial component of the federal government’s digital identity strategy. As fraud schemes become increasingly sophisticated, the need for a secure, unified authentication platform has never been greater. Moving forward, the success of Login.gov will depend on balancing security measures with user privacy, maintaining public trust, and ensuring that government services remain safe, accessible, and effective for all Americans.The government’s apparent commitment to Login.gov reflects a broader recognition of the need for robust, secure authentication systems. While political and operational hurdles remain, the platform’s continued development and expansion signals a determination to safeguard public resources and to improve the efficiency of federal digital services. The next phase of Login.gov’s evolution should be crucial in shaping the future of digital identity verification throughout the U.S. government. However, given the upending of so many federal programs and operations amidst a time of unprecedented confusion, retention of Login.gov can’t be assumed to be a certainty.
Cameroonians ecstatic as issuance of new national ID card takes off-Mar 5, 2025, 4:04 pm EST| Ayang Macdonald
Scores of Cameroons this week began collecting their new generation national ID cards, marking a landmark era for ID card issuance in the country.In Yaounde, hundreds of citizens have been visiting the only two issuance centers which are open for now to get their new cards, while those in other regional headquarters have been doing same.Cameroon, represented by the General Delegation for National Security (DGSN), signed a 15-year contract in May with Augentic for the production of the ID cards which have a different physical and technological build from the old one.Launched on February 17 with online pre-enrolment, the biometric capture phase of the new ID started on February 24, but issuance didn’t start until this week because a decree of the president, Paul Biya, to define detailed modalities for the card issuance, was still awaited.The decree, which was signed by the head of state on February 28, paved the way for issuance of the ID from Monday March 3. The decree outlines regulations for the issuance of the identity card, defining various terms and specifying the different features and types of identity documents involved, which include the national identity card, residence card, refugee card, and the national disability card.Some early photos from DGSN offices have been circulating since the start of the week on the Cameroonian social media space showing bundles of the newly printed cards, while other photos have shown applicants lining up to collect their IDs.“I can’t believe my eye. I don’t know if there is a different definition of relief. I just got my card two days after I applied for it, something I have been unable to have for more than three years now,” Genevieve N. told Biometric Update this March 5, brandishing her new card.Another applicant, who also just obtained his card, said: “This is a great achievement by the Cameroonian government. I am super excited that I was able to get my card at short notice. I received an SMS about 48 hours after, informing me that my ID card was ready.”The new Cameroon ID card, produced within a period of 48 hours after a successful application process, is similar to the country’s new biometric passport regime launched in 2021. Augentic is in charge of producing both identity document.The company says the card is designed with high security features and embedded with a biometric chip which can be verified digitally using hand-held scanners.The development comes as a major relief for Cameroonian citizens, many of whom have suffered a lack of a national ID card for years. In the last five to ten years, obtaining a national ID in Cameroon has been one of the biggest headaches in the country.In his end-of-year address to the nation on December 31, 2024, President Biya recognized the severity of the problem and told Cameroonians he had given firm directives for the problem to be solved so that eligible citizens can be able to register and vote in the presidential election billed for October. Having a national ID card is compulsory for voter registration in the country.
Idex biometric payment cards order shows signs of life, but role is niche-Goode Intelligence forecasts for BPC more conservative than following pandemic-Mar 5, 2025, 5:06 pm EST | Joel R. McConvey
A release from Idex Biometrics says it has received a production order for biometric payment cards from Japanese manufacturing partner Beautiful Card Corporation (BCC). The order is worth roughly US$50,000 and is “the first of a larger biometric payment card program issued across both Mastercard and Visa for the Japanese market.”Catharina Eklof, Chief Executive Officer at Idex Biometrics, says “BCC is a clear front-runner, with a commitment to bring biometric smart cards to customers and partners world-wide, for payment and access cards. As Idex and BCC already have material ready for production, we have been able to respond to our partners’ imminent implementation program.”Idex has been staggering fiscally after a loss on receivables from a claim of $600,000 against Zwipe, which pushed that company into bankruptcy when it was upheld by an arbitrator. A quarterly report from Q4 2024 states that “the Company’s liquidity is constrained and as of December 31, 2024, more than half of Idex’s share capital was lost.”In its recent biometric payments report, Goode Intelligence says it has “previously been bullish on the prospects for biometric payment cards,” citing strong consumer demand for touchless technology in the wake of COVID-19 and a general shift towards biometrics for payment. “However, high levels of adoption have not been seen and GI has created more conservative forecasts for this technology. A combination of high production costs, certification delays, and enrollment challenges has meant that they are currently a more niche part of the payment portfolio.”According to GI, for payment cards to get back in good standing, “card issuers need to buy into the idea that biometric payment cards are viable.” Viability means meeting stringent payment scheme card certification, being cost effective, reliable and scalable, and having biometric sensors that are inexpensive, efficient, accurate and compliant.Goode Intelligence forecasts that there will be just over 90 million biometric payment cards issued by 2030.
Breaches and legacy authentication methods inviting tax, business fraud risk-TransUnion survey shows troubling reliance on hackable data-Mar 5, 2025, 2:07 pm EST | Chris Burt
U.S. tax filers face an increased risk of fraud this year, in part because 640 million consumer records were breached last year, most of them including Social Security numbers (SSNs).According to the second half update to the “State of Omnichannel Fraud” report from TransUnion, 71 percent of breaches in the first half of 2024 included SSNs, up from 57 percent in full-year 2023.Government agencies should deploy identity verification and document authentication technologies to stop the photo-realistic credentials malicious actors can create with breached personally identifiable data (PII) and AI.Identity verification is an effective technology available for preventing fraud, according to 56 percent of business leaders surveyed by TransUnion. Behavioral biometrics was selected by 38 percent, just behind synthetic identity detection, and amidst a set of measures based on the reputation of the user’ IP, device, phone number or email address. Those reputational methods were chosen by between 35 and 47 percent of those surveyed.Phishable credentials prominent-The most common primary method of customer authentication used remains a username and password (39 percent), well ahead of biometric authentication (29 percent), which perhaps even more worryingly is followed by PINs (21 percent).If the legitimate account-holder’s device is compromised, they are in trouble, as the most popular secondary authentication method is a one-time passcode (OTP), at 35 percent.The 24-page report goes on to detail the cost of fraud for businesses and how the fraud risk associated with new account creation threatens the quality of digital experiences.The overall fraud rate in the first half of 2024, as observed through TransUnion TruValidate, was 5.2 percent. This is the lowest mark since at least the beginning of 2020, though TransUnion calls it “stubbornly high.”
Signicat, Smile ID and Regula make new strides in financial industry-Mar 5, 2025, 1:55 pm EST | Masha Borak
Identity verification, KYC and AML companies are making deals from Europe and Africa to Asia, including collaborations designed to boost the value of their products.Signicat unveils combined product with Strise-Digital identity company Signicat has announced it will unify its customer verification capabilities with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) software from Strise: The result will be a single product that will provide businesses with streamlined Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and AML.The two Norway-based companies say that the collaboration will simplify regulatory processes and enable businesses to meet compliance requirements easier. The new product is aimed at AML and KYC specialists, Relationship Managers and compliance officers. It is also connected to a wide array of eID schemes and eIDV solutions, with options for advanced authentication and bespoke workflows, according to their release.Strise provides ALM automation for highly regulated businesses. Its clients include U.S. financial company Corpay, Finland-based financial services group Nordea and Norwegian bank alliance SpareBank 1.Pakistan’s NADRA expands financial services-Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will allow the country’s citizens to deposit cash into accounts of over 50 banks with the help of biometric verification available in its 9,000 e-Sahulat franchises.The move is part of a campaign to enhance access to financial services for Pakistanis. NADRA is the central body responsible for the collection, storage and management of biometric data in Pakistan. The e-Sahulat platform was designed to provide digital services while the franchises allow Pakistanis to pay bills, collect pension payments and amend details of their national ID through biometric verification.The cash-in transactions were introduced thanks to NADRA’s deal with 1Link, the country’s largest payment gateway and switch system. The authority has also partnered with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to introduce facial recognition verification.Smile ID integrates with Plumery banking platform-Another technology integration comes from Smile ID, the identity verification and fraud prevention company targeting the African market.Smile ID plans to allow financial services companies to combine its products with Plumery’s digital banking platform. The collaboration is aimed at solving two problems for the African financial industry – authentication fraud and expensive digital banking systems. The combination will allow lower implementation costs and a stronger authentication process, the two firms said in a release.In November, Smile ID announced it has completed 200 million identity verification checks across the African continent.Regula’s products recognized by Gartner-The Gartner Market Guide for KYC Platforms for Banking, which analyzes solutions, vendors and tools in the KYC business, has recognized two of Regula’s well-known identity verification products: Document Reader SDK and Regula Face SDK.Gartner noted that Regula’s Document Reader SDK employs the most comprehensive identity document template database in the world, containing over 14,800 passports, driver’s licenses, national ID cards and other identity documents from around the world. The Regula Face SDK, on the other hand, helps businesses prevent presentation attacks and injection attacks, ensuring they are dealing with real data.The company has previously appeared on the Gartner Market Guide for Identity Verification.
Limited use of mobile biometrics, data analysis weakens immigration enforcement, US lawmakers told-Mar 5, 2025, 1:52 pm EST | Anthony Kimery
At a recent House subcommittee hearing, experts and former U.S. homeland security officials testifying on the evolving role of technology in immigration enforcement revealed a mix of successes, failures, and a pressing need for enhanced digital tools to better and more efficiently manage border security and interior enforcement.John Fabbricatore, a retired career U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official with decades of experience, emphasized the game-changing role of biometrics in identifying and removing criminal elements from the country. He highlighted facial recognition and fingerprinting systems like the EAGLE Direct Identification Environment (EDDIE) as vital in confirming identities swiftly.EDDIE was first rolled out in 2014 on the NEC NeoScan 45 FAP Multiple Fingerprint Reader, and there have been multiple procurements of the reader since the project’s inception. EDDIE technology has already played a role in intercepting heroin traffickers posing as U.S. citizens.EDDIE is a portable, cellular fingerprint and photo scanner about the size of an iPhone which allows special agents and officers to check the biometrics of those they encounter and receive very rapid response. The tool can provide the true identity of an individual, a history of law enforcement encounters, help determine alienage and removability, and whether or not the person may have outstanding warrants.“Technology has been a game-changer in the realm of biometrics, allowing us to collect and analyze unique physical characteristics for identification purposes,” Fabbricatore told the subcommittee. “Facial recognition technology, in particular, has become increasingly sophisticated and effective in identifying individuals who may pose a threat to national security or public safety. This type of technology has proven invaluable in disrupting human trafficking networks and preventing fraudulent entry into the country.”However, Fabbricatore argued that the government remains too reliant on outdated methods, often forcing officers to sift manually through multiple databases instead of using AI-driven targeting systems. “We need to evolve with the times and leverage all existing technology in the private sector to enhance targeting and create high volume targeting packages through automation software,” Fabbricatore said.Dr. Doug Gilmer, a 35-year veteran of law enforcement with the majority of that time spent with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), echoed Fabbricatore’s concerns. He emphasized that while technology is crucial in countering human trafficking and transnational criminal organizations, bureaucratic inefficiencies and outdated procurement processes slow its adoption. “In my last field assignment, we only had about five EDDIE machines for HSI personnel statewide,” he said.“Technology can aid in targeting the most extreme threats, identifying trends and patterns, identifying victims, and to analyze vast amounts of data quickly, allowing for a faster and more efficient law enforcement response, while protecting personally identifying information,” Gilmer argued, adding that “the government has been routinely hampered by its ability to effectively integrate the latest technology, however, and at times has ineffectively used technology in ways that impeded investigative efforts.”One of the most pressing issues raised by the witnesses is the role of Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs. Simon Hankinson, a senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation outlined the challenges with ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which uses GPS monitoring and facial recognition through SmartLINK to track migrants awaiting immigration proceedings.While proponents argue that the program is cost-effective compared to traditional detention, critics point to the high rate of absconders. Hankinson cited a leaked ICE report from 2020 showing that 84 percent of migrants in the ATD program ultimately vanished before their cases concluded.“Roughly 87 percent of aliens in ISAP are tracked using SmartLINK, a phone application which uses facial-recognition technology to allow participants to check in using a cell phone,” Hankinson said. “Roughly half of those enrolled use their personal cell phones, and half are provided with devices by the contractor that are limited exclusively to the SmartLINK function. The SmartLINK app can be used to monitor location via GPS tracking, but so far ICE has not required the contractor to use this feature and location tracking by phone is ‘not in use for any ISAP participant.’”Deborah Fleischaker, a former high-ranking DHS official, took a different stance, arguing that enforcement challenges are not necessarily about access to data, but rather the ability to process and prioritize it effectively. She noted that ICE already has vast data repositories through interoperability with the FBI and state databases, but lacks the analytical tools to turn this data into actionable intelligence.“In my experience, immigration law enforcement already has access to vast amounts of data and technology, and immigration officers have no shortage of potential enforcement targets. What they do not have enough of, however, is the ability to analyze, sort, and prioritize that data to ensure they are focused on the right targets,” Fleischaker told lawmakers. She said ICE’s “efforts to modernize how it uses data has been hampered by competing demands in a resource-constrained environment. Ultimately, ICE’s data modernization efforts have been cannibalized by its other, more-immediate operational demands.”While each witness agreed on the need for better technology, they differed on what that technology should prioritize. Fabbricatore and Gilmer pushed for greater automation and AI-driven targeting to streamline enforcement. Gilmer advocated for more extensive use of automated license plate readers, live video analysis, and AI-assisted fraud detection to identify illegal immigration patterns. However, Fleischaker warned that such expansive data collection efforts must be balanced with privacy protections and oversight to prevent overreach.Another technological hurdle is the integration of existing systems across agencies. Hankinson and Gilmer criticized the siloed nature of ICE and DHS databases, which often prevent seamless information sharing. While programs like Secure Communities once facilitated real-time data exchange between federal, state, and local law enforcement, political shifts have led to its suspension and reinstatement multiple times over the past decade, creating uncertainty for enforcement officers.The witnesses also shed light on the broader implications of technological inefficiencies. Fabbricatore and Hankinson pointed to the rise of transnational criminal organizations like Tren De Aragua which have exploited weaknesses in immigration enforcement to establish operations in major U.S. cities. According to Gilmer, many of these groups engage in human trafficking and drug smuggling, with law enforcement often forced to rely on better-equipped private sector partners for intelligence gathering.One of the few success stories highlighted was the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking’s overhaul of the Continued Presence process. Previously, trafficking victims seeking protection could wait over a year for approval. A newly digitized system has reduced processing times to as little as three weeks. This example, Gilmer argued, proves that when properly implemented, technology can drastically improve enforcement efficiency.Looking forward, the witnesses outlined several key recommendations for leveraging technology more effectively. Fabbricatore called for increased funding for tech-driven enforcement programs, particularly AI-based analytics that can parse through existing data more efficiently. Hankinson suggested that ICE should prioritize GPS tracking throughout the entire immigration process rather than terminating ATD supervision prematurely. Fleischaker urged a more cautious approach, emphasizing that while technology can enhance enforcement, it should not come at the cost of due process or civil liberties.The consensus among the witnesses was clear: technology has the potential to revolutionize immigration enforcement, but only if it is deployed strategically, efficiently, and with proper oversight. With a growing non-detained docket surpassing 7.6 million individuals and the increasing complexity of transnational crime, the government faces an urgent need to modernize its approach.However, as Fleischaker warned, the challenge is not merely acquiring more data, but ensuring that enforcement officers have the right tools to act on it effectively. As lawmakers consider these insights, the future of immigration enforcement will likely depend on their ability to balance security, efficiency, and privacy.
Agentic AI holds gigantic potential to improve and challenge ID verification-Mar 5, 2025, 11:36 am EST | Chris Burt
AI agents have entered the tech hype cycle, with significant implications for online payments and other digital interactions, and new requirements for digital ID systems. Businesses and individuals are expected to interact through AI agents integrated with digital wallets for identity verification.Agentic AI is already changing identity verification, IDVerse argues in a blog post, and not just by generating demand to differentiate people from their AI representatives.IDV Intelligence applies fraud detection proactively, and tailors verification with risk-based decision-making, IDVerse says. It also continuously refines itself based on the outcomes of verifications. Agentic AI allows ID verification systems to detect and block deepfakes before they show up in fraud attempts, adjust verification steps or reduce wait times for trusted users, and scale instantly to handle demand spikes.IDV Intelligence is built to process data on users’ devices, and provide real-time fraud protection in compliance with global privacy laws. At the same time, the improvement over time that it makes results in fraud prevention, not just detection, while reducing false positives.These advantages are largely a product of agentic AI’s ability to move beyond pre-set rules, IDVerse SVP of Enterprise Product Management Emily Hendley writes.AI agent breakthrough ahead-The global market for agentic AI is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 43 percent, and near $200 billion by 2034, Peak VP of Strategy and Partnerships Chris Ashley says.AI agents act independently, Ashley emphasizes. They don’t just respond to prompts, but take action, led by the large language model (LLM) “brain” of the agent. The use of tools from search engine to code-builders “is where agents really shine,” he says.Ashley discussed what differentiates AI agents from each other in the market, and the ways they can help businesses, including several lofty claims of productivity and efficiency gains by enterprises. Realizing those gains is not simply a matter of flipping a switch to turn on AI agents though, Ashley notes. Testing, iterating, fine tuning and more are necessary to go from capability to reliability.As businesses familiarize themselves with the potential benefits agentic AI can deliver, investment capital is flowing, and the AI developers are entering the market.Market shaping up-San Francisco-based startup Human.org has raised $7.3 million to develop and market its blockchain infrastructure layer to support interactions between verified AI agents and real people, and its “Agent ID” authorization protocol.Human.org’s infrastructure layer is offered in the form of a Human Network platform, and its portfolio also includes the native Human Dollar cryptocurrency and the Human App, a digital wallet which provides proof of humanity. It does so through a combination of face biometrics, “social graph, and ‘notarized credentials.’”Twenty-three-year-old Founder Kirill Avery says use cases for the Human Network and Human App include self-sovereign identity (SSI) for interacting with organizations across a wide range of sectors.Avery is aiming to keep bot accounts to less than 0.01 percent of the total Human Network. The company plans to use the funding to continue developing its technology. More details on the verification process are expected by mid-2024.OwnID is adding native identity support for AI agents to its platform, for what the company calls “Customer and Agency Identity Management (CAIM).”The digital identity solution is comprised of agentic access control system AgentLogin, a dynamic policy and consent enforcement layer, AgentGuard, and a system that creates a comprehensive audit trail, AgentTrace. The FIDO2-certified passkey-provider uses native device biometrics to authenticate humans on its platform.OwnID CEO Dor Shany suggests AI agents “from personal shopping bots to enterprise assistants,” will soon represent millions of users.Combatting AI agents is one of the stated purposes of Self Protocol, which provides digital identity infrastructure that uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to make token launches resistant to Sybill attacks.The protocol has launched following the acquisition of OpenPassport by Self Labs. It can also be used for privacy-preserving identity verification, location or age verification and DeFi integrations, according to a company blog post.
IAM company Identity Automation acquired for $215m-Mar 5, 2025, 11:35 am EST | Masha Borak
Jamf, a platform that helps manage and secure Apple devices, is acquiring identity and access management (IAM) company Identity Automation in a bid to combine identity and device management in a single product.The company signed the US$215 million acquisition agreement on Monday. The deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2025.Houston, Texas-headquartered Identity Automation, backed by Spotlight Equity Partners, specializes in dynamic identity and access management (IAM), meaning that it is suitable for industries that experience frequent role changes, such as education and healthcare. In K-12 education, for instance, the system adjusts identities for educators and students based on class, grade, school and district, devices and security policies.By incorporating dynamic identity management into its products, Jamf plans to offer a comprehensive security solution for mobile solutions in education and other industries such as healthcare, retail and aviation services, the firm explains in a release.“We see the huge potential to help organizations that have a shared-device model, deskless workers, temporary staff, or contractors,” says John Strosahl, CEO at Jamf. “By removing cumbersome onboarding and off-boarding processes, users can be productive as soon as they pick up a device.”Identity Automation’s software also offers features such as customizable multi-factor authentication policies with role-based access, Single Sign-On (SSO), rostering, access governance and identity lifecycle management. Its solutions can operate standalone or integrate with other Single Sign-On solutions such as Okta, Clever and ClassLink. It integrates with Microsoft Active Directory (AD) for authentication and MFA and enables federation and SSO access for Google’s cloud-based applications.In 2020, it acquired account management and education-focused SSO provider Enboard.“As technology becomes more integral to the learning experience, safeguarding student data, securing access, and preventing cyber threats are more important than ever,” says Jim Harold, CEO of Identity Automation. “But security shouldn’t add friction. An intuitive user experience is essential to ensuring technology enhances rather than hinders the classroom experience.”
