ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY NO DECISION ON MILITARY RULE IN GAZA.
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.
Remarks by President António Costa at the press conference following the European Council meeting of 20 March 2025
We have just concluded a productive European Council. We had very useful exchanges with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. And the President of the European Commission presented to the leaders the White Paper on Defence.But today we focussed mainly on our economic agenda – because that is the basis of Europe’s prosperity, our citizens’ prosperity. All member states, without exception, agree that we need to accelerate our economic agenda. And that is what the European Council did today, by taking important decisions in three key areas: cutting unnecessary red tape; making energy more affordable for citizens and companies; and turning savings into productive investments.I want to thank Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission for their work in all of these areas in the run up to this European Council, which provided an excellent and indispensable basis for our decisions today.Today we agreed on clear targets, clear tasks and clear timelines. Through the reduction of bureaucracy by 25% for all companies and 35% for SMEs we will make it easier for all companies in our economic space. Through measures to reduce energy prices, we will help companies be more competitive. Through the integration of our financial markets, businesses and citizens will get the funding for innovative companies. Business as usual is not an option, because as of today, around €300 billion of EU families’ savings flow out of European Union markets each year. There are €300 billion that don’t fund businesses in the European Union.So today we moved forward on simplification; on energy costs; and on private investments. And our goals are clear: to create more jobs, more quality jobs, and to strengthen fundamental industries, like the automotive, steel and metals sectors, in order to make sure that Europe remains a continent of innovation and technological dynamism.Today we also recalled that all of these efforts need to be pursued in line with the climate objectives we have jointly agreed to, because, competitiveness and sustainability are fully compatible when done right.A sustainable economy is also a socially fair economy, an economy that leaves no one behind. That is why today we reaffirmed our European social model and the importance of the European Pillar of Social Rights. In a nutshell: prosperity, sustainability, fairness. On all of these, there are challenges but also many opportunities. On all of these, Europe is taking decisions and moving forward. Thank you very much.
KILT, Youverse and Key State Capital on challenges for decentralized identity in EU-Mar 24, 2025, 11:31 am EDT | Masha Borak
The digital world is facing a host of problems when it comes to proving people’s identity, ranging from privacy and security to friction and slow verification. Decentralized digital identity is one of the solutions for these issues, according to its supporters, and is being embraced all around the world – particularly in the European Union.But will the EU with its standards, specifications and regulations be able to bring its citizens the benefits of decentralized identities? Biometric Update asked industry stakeholders from Kilt, Youverse and Key State Capital to share their insights into decentralized IDs role in the EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet project and its supporting regulation, the eIDAS 2.0.EU lagging on decentralized identity standards-On a global level, Europe may be lagging in standards related to Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials, says Ingo Rübe, CEO of digital identity blockchain company Kilt. At the same time, the U.S. and some initiatives in Asia are embracing these standards which could lead to incompatibility in the long run.“I have the fear that with eIDAS 2.0, we are basically decoupling ourselves from the rest of the world,” says Rübe. “It is really not such a great idea to build something that is not based on international standards. And this is what we’re currently doing.”Many practitioners working within EU projects fear that their work will be in vain in the long run, he adds. DIDs and verifiable credentials, so-called real decentralized identity, will likely prevail globally, leaving Europe with no choice but to adopt them. With time, the industry will start noticing incompatibilities, including the European digital passport that is usable only in Europe and not in the U.S. and other areas, he explains.“You have a lot of things built on permissioned private blockchains and stuff where the EU put a lot of money into it,” says Rübe. “And of course, everyone knows that this is not where it’s going to be in the long run. But still, lots has already been done, and it’s always very, very hard for people to admit that actually they should change things in the core.”A positive move is that eIDAS 2.0 regulation acknowledges the need for decentralization. The old eIDAS regulation was very much centralized: The basic idea is to have one very secure data center that holds all the data, he adds.However, new insights have shown that centrally storing data is not as secure as once thought. Around a decade ago, technologists started realizing that centralization can create honeypots for attackers, while decentralization means that attackers have to target millions of digital wallets to access information.“That is, I think, common sense, but it is very, very complicated to get the common sense into policymakers,” says Rübe. A large part of the issue is that the industry has invested a lot in centralized services, he adds.The 3 challenges of decentralized IDs-The push toward digital IDs in Europe could be criticized for the time it has taken for policymakers to define regulations and standards. But Pedro Torres, founder and CEO of decentralized reusable identity company Youverse, believes that the upside is that the continent is going for standards that are well thought out.Most of the standards for the EUDI Wallets and its Large Scale Pilots are based on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards.“It should be something that everyone can adopt,” says Torres. “Because [Europe] is a big market, 500 million people in terms of identities, it is something that other areas of the world will probably follow closely.”Summed up in three words, the benefits of decentralized identity are privacy, security and convenience. Challenges remain in all three categories, according to Torres.Users can use their digital credentials without involving a centralized entity, ensuring privacy. However, many organizations, such as service providers or merchants will still be able to store different information from verifiable credentials in their databases, he points out.“There’s a long way to go to actually fully protect privacy,” says Torres. “One of those ways, which is planned but still waiting to be adopted, is selective disclosure. I should be able to just provide the information that’s required.”A subscriber to a streaming site like Netflix, for instance, should be able to prove they are over 18 without providing any additional information.As for security, more work needs to be done to ensure the devices that hold the identity wallets which are usually smartphones. Youverse believes that a smarter way to go about verifiable credentials would be to bind them to the biometrics of the person who holds them.Finally, one challenge to the convenience of digital credentials could become the government, which tends to move slower than the private sector when it comes to creating user-friendly apps.“If you have commercially driven organizations trying to put wallets everywhere, they compete with each other, and then the best wallet wins,” says Torres, “You will have much better wallets, much better convenience, adoption, interoperability, than just one [wallet] per European country.”European vs US model-While the EU is taking a slow approach, governments around the world are jumping on the decentralized ID trend. Nearly 60 percent of the 117 countries developing digital IDs are also working on some form of decentralized digital ID, according to data from investment firm Key State Capital.The EU has a “bad track record” for developing technologies because they regulate them before they are even developed. At the same time, markets such as the U.S. regulate them long after they’ve already appeared on the market, says Thibault Serlet, partner at Key State Capital. One of these technologies is AI, which the EU is attempting to reign in with the AI Act.“Most people are not using AI in their day-to-day yet,” says Serlet. “And yet, the EU has already created these very complicated frameworks by non-technical people. And something similar is happening with digital identity where the EU has created eIDAS 2.0.Blockchain-based ID projects started appearing in 2014 and most of them didn’t seem to gain any success until 2020.“We really only got, from a technological perspective, three years and a very small handful of very niche case studies of the technology being deployed,” says Serlet. “And the EU has already gone ahead and created very rigid technological standards for what the government can and cannot do, purely based of how they imagine this future technology could look.”Despite these challenges, the market for decentralized IDs is expected to grow. Analysis from market research companies such as Precedence Research predicts that the digital ID industry could grow to $203.5 billion by 2034. And by 2035, between 25 and 35 percent of all deployed digital identity systems will be decentralized, according to the investment firm.
EU AI Act’s impact on businesses inspires simplification efforts-Mar 21, 2025, 2:41 pm EDT | Masha Borak
The European Union’s AI Act is already having a wide-reaching impact on business both inside and outside the economic bloc. Among the impacts are adding additional layers of complexity, adaptation challenges and compliance costs.But there are also some silver linings, according to business experts cited by finance-focused media outlet The Morning Star.The EU has demonstrated “stringent cross-border enforcement” when it comes to foreign AI firms operating in its market, including banning apps and launching investigations over privacy. These enforcement actions demonstrate that the EU is worried about opaque data training which could lead to stricter international data transfer rules.The EU AI Act’s implications are largest for smaller European AI developers, partly because large tech companies already have strict controls for their AI products. However, the regulation will also create opportunities for companies specializing in trustworthy AI, explainability and AI security. Large European companies could benefit from compliant and regulatory-driven AI solutions.There is still much uncertainty on how the world’s most comprehensive AI regulation will be applied and enforced. The impact will depend on enforcement across EU members which may not end up equal. The AI Act will also likely be debated as part of trade negotiations with the U.S., the analysis notes.EU considering simplification of AI Act-While the business sector is debating the potential effects of the AI Act, European bureaucrats are already pitching to simplify the regulation based on input from the industry. The EU wants AI to become the “model of innovation” and an instrument to help “every company,” Roberto Viola, director of the European Commission’s digital department, said earlier this week.“We are very determined to simplify – when necessary – rules,” says Viola. “We have listened carefully about the potential risk that there’s another burden on companies, especially in terms of reporting obligations, in terms of how it could be complicated to comply with one or the other provision of the AI Act.”One of the areas that may be simplified is the reporting obligation. According to the rulebook, AI system providers and users must inform any person exposed to it unless it is obvious from context. EU member states are expected to start consultations on simplifying the act next week, MLex reports.Viola also highlighted the importance of standards for the EU’s approach to AI, including those that measure, evaluate, or carry out third-party conformity assessments. However, technical standards still have a long way before being officially recognized, per MLex.UK AISI: AI testing not ‘sufficiently mature’In the neighboring UK, the government is taking a more hands-off approach to regulating AI.The UK AI Security Institute (UK AISI), the government agency tasked with AI safety, says that AI risk evaluations are an “emerging science” and not sufficiently mature to issue safety certificates. The views were shared this week by the institute’s director Oliver Ilott during the AI Standards Hub Global Summit in London.“The evaluations that we’re running don’t cover every risk, and the evaluations are an emerging science,” says Ilott. “We think it’s not sufficiently mature that you could issue a safety certificate.”Currently, there is no regulation in the UK requiring AI model developers to test their pre-deployment models through bodies such as the UK AISI. The institute also doesn’t provide a safety certificate on completion, according to MLex.Since the institute cannot force testing, cooperation from developers is based on their desire to discover problems in the technology they made, says Ilott. Mature standards for current AI applications should also not be expected because developers are focusing their efforts on creating even more disruptive technologies, he adds.
UK citizens told to prepare for October launch of EES-Mar 19, 2025, 2:02 pm EDT | Masha Borak
UK citizens have been advised to expect the introduction of the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES) in October 2025. However, the exact rollout date for the biometric traveler registration scheme is still unknown, according to advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).“The European Union will inform about the specific start date of the EES before its launch,” the FCDO notice says.The EES deployment has gone through several delays, the most recent one in November 2024. The border scheme is now expected to be phased in over six months in line with the EU’s decision to introduce the EES progressively. According to the scheme, third-country nationals visiting the Schengen area will need to submit fingerprints, a facial photo and other information.Following the EES, the EU is also planning to roll out the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which requires visitors to the bloc to apply for entry authorization and pay a seven euro (US$7.60) fee.According to EU rules, the EES must be fully functional for six months before ETIAS is introduced. EU authorities are expecting that the EES will be operating fully across the Schengen Area in April 2026, meaning that the authorization scheme can be introduced in October 2026 at the earliest – announcements from the EU place the ETIAS launch in the last quarter of 2026.However, ETIAS applications will be voluntary for six months, meaning the earliest date ETIAS will be mandatory is April 2027.Meanwhile, more work is being done in the UK to ensure smooth sailing through border crossings.In its latest notice, the FCDO warns that British travelers should expect increased wait times at some ports and international stations, including the UK’s Port of Dover, undersea railway tunnel Eurotunnel and St Pancras railway station in London. Longer queue times are also expected at European airports.The agency adds it has invested more than £10 million ($12.9 million) into approximately 175 registration kiosks across Eurostar stations and the Port of Dover.In maritime ports such as Dover, the Home Office has also been testing “contactless corridors” which use facial recognition to capture high-quality facial images of travelers while they are in the car. The images are matched with the confirmed passenger ID and the vehicle they are traveling in.The trial involves four suppliers, including iProov which tested the technology between December 2024 and February 2025. Similar plans are reportedly underway for airports, according to the Telegraph.
IATA advocates for rapid adoption of digital identity by air travel industry, governments-Biometrics for IDV, border control transforming airports globally-Mar 20, 2025, 1:00 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
The air travel industry is always seeking more efficiency, and the case of digital identity at airports is a prime example, with its major trade association pushing for speedy adoption of biometric technologies. Digital travel identities are forecast to generate $4.6 billion in revenue by 2029, and airports will need to have biometrics in place to utilize them.A press release from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the view is shared by government and industry stakeholders in aviation security who attended the recent Sydney Leaders Week Conference. Government reps from Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. gathered to discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing and scaling digital identity technologies at airports.IATA says it is “widely accepted” among industry leaders that digital identity can bring benefits to aviation security through stronger document integrity; cross-border, interoperable identity verification to build global trust; streamlined document verification for passengers; and increased regulatory oversight.The conference also highlighted the importance of collaboration in implementing W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC) and Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs).“Global cooperation keeps flying secure. Adopting Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers standards is a natural next step in reinforcing security, trust, and efficiency,” says Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of operations, safety and security. “Every aviation stakeholder wants flying to be even more secure – which crosses geopolitical divides. The technology is ready and proven.”Careen says the industry now needs to ride its momentum in working towards obtaining a recommendation at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly later this year.Key actions by government can support digital shift-While the industry itself can adopt the tools, governments also play a role in driving change. IATA says aviation security leaders have identified four key actions for governments to drive the industry’s digital transformation.The first is to fast-track technology integration by incorporating VC and DID technologies into national and international security frameworks, aligning with ICAO Annex 17 and Aircraft Operator Security Programs (AOSP).The second is to prioritize aviation digital ID use cases and integrate them into national digital strategies to enhance global cooperation.Investment in capacity building will equip industry stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and infrastructure for implementation.And increased stakeholder engagement through targeted education and outreach can help promote awareness and industry-wide adoption of digital identity.In January, IATA published a white paper outlining its vision for an Aviation Security Trust Framework to govern regulatory alignment, cross-sector collaboration and infrastructure in implementing digital identity. It also runs the IATA One ID initiative to promote globally interoperable digital identity standards.Digital Travel Credentials to take off by 2032: ABI Research-New findings from ABI Research forecast 15 percent global penetration for Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) by 2032, according to a release summarizing the research.DTCs, it says, are “due to become part of the growing identity metasystem worldwide as the newest manifestation of digitalized identity, driven by leading identity and biometrics vendors under the aegis of enhanced passenger efficiency and bolstered security within the travel and immigration subsegments.”ABI says that while the infrastructure to accept DTCs is still developing, and regional and global fragmentation is still expected over the next decade, technical specifications, growing digital maturity and deepening interoperability are evolving to “prime the digital ID space for DTC deployment.”The research also identifies key companies in the DTC space. “Vendors primed for success understand the necessity of partnership and solution continuity, including digital ID giants like Thales, IN Groupe, Idemia, Entrust, and SITA.”Aisling Dawson, an industry analyst at ABI Research, speaks of the holistic approach to DTCs that can unlock their potential beyond border control. “To succeed in the growing DTC market, vendors must understand their potential within and beyond the travel industry,” she says. “Considering the value of each DTC type and its broader applications will be key for market positioning. While slow standardization and lack of harmonization hinder adoption, forward-thinking is essential.”That includes factoring in both demands for smoother user experience – still “a critical differentiator for private partners and nation states selecting solutions” – and looming threats attached to quantum computing. Dawson says “prioritizing quantum-resistant DTC solutions now will help vendors capitalize on emerging opportunities and facilitate the shift toward digitalized identity,” Dawson concludes.Among firms exhibiting “specialized expertise” that can “cater to other privacy-focused use cases like attributes-based disclosure,” Dawson names Dutch startup Neoke and established digital identity and biometrics organizations Inverid, iProov, and Indicio.Geographically, ABI says the “saturation of mobile driving licenses (mDL)” in North America is expected to spur short term growth of DTCs, but “Europe will present the most fertile ground for long-term, sustained adoption of DTCs, standing on the shoulders of comprehensive legislative schemes implemented throughout the 2020s.”Facephi gets on board with fully digitized travel journey-At the recent IATA World Data Symposium, face biometrics firm Facephi showcased products aimed at enabling a fully digital air travel experience, aligned with IATA’s One ID initiative.A release says Facephi’s tech enables identity validation before arriving at the airport, reducing wait times and ensuring a seamless and secure travel experience. The system was tested in collaboration with IATA through a proof of concept last November.In keeping with IATA’s core principles, Facephi advocates for a decentralized model that leverages VCs and secure digital wallets to enable interoperability. Its approach integrates biometric verification with strong customer authentication (SCA) technologies for fast, contactless identification across checkpoints. Per the release, “from passport scanning to generating a Type 1 Digital Travel Credential (DTC) and creating verifiable credentials, travelers can securely store and manage their digital identity, streamlining check-in, security checks, and boarding processes.” The capability to create VCs at a Level of Assurance High (Immigration Level) makes it especially useful for government entities.Biometrics at all Vietnam airports, border crossing points-Vietnam’s government is promoting an initiative to accelerate digital transformation “with a vision to 2030 in ministries, agencies, and localities in 2025 and the following years.” Part of that is a directive from the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Public Security to implement biometric technology and the VNeID platform at all airports, ports, and border gates.A report from Saigon Giai Phong News says the ministries are targeting completion of the project by September 2025.Vietnam is in the midst of a rapid digital transformation across government and social services.South Korea bank app links Incheon facial recognition-South Korea’s Shinhan Bank has integrated Incheon International Airport’s Smart pass facial recognition system into its mobile app, SOL Bank. The Korea Times says the two entities signed a business agreement last year to expand service accessibility. Travelers can now access the Smart pass directly through the bank’s mobile app.Kids aged seven and older can also register through the bank app, enabling families traveling together to streamline departure screening processes.More airports in India support Digi Yatra biometrics-Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram International Airports are now offering face biometrics through Digi Yatra as a digital ID option for travelers. According to news in the Times of India, the latest additions mean all seven operational airports in the Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL) portfolio support Digi Yatra.AAHL Director Jeet Adani says its airports have seen a substantial rise in the adoption of Digi Yatra by passengers, with some showing utilization as high as 37 percent in one day (at the Mumbai airport). The group says an average of 25 to 30 percent of passengers use Digi Yatra at their airports.Per the TOI, the AAHL also has a partnership with Thales for deployment of the “innovative Airport Operation Control Centre (APOC)” at all its airports to optimize airport management by automating data processing and analytics with robust AI algorithms. The APOC system, which Thales designed and is responsible for integrating, is set to launch soon.Hawaii says aloha to biometric access upgrades-Alaska Airlines at Terminal 1 at Honolulu Airport will soon install a biometric system designed to transport travelers from curb to gate with minimal friction. A note in Beat of Hawaii says Honolulu’s hub has “complex and aging infrastructure” that requires special consideration, “from hardware durability to passenger flow.”Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, which will soon merge into one, are working on streamlining TSA access, improving gate boarding flows, and upgrading mobile tools to ensure Hawaii’s main airport reflects the islands’ promise of ease and hospitality. A precise rollout date has not been announced, but is likely to be phased in through 2025 and 2026.Saudi Arabia drives digital transformation with airport biometrics-The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has installed 152 automated e-gates at key airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah, which leaders say is a way to drive digital transformation in various sectors across the country.Arab News says the authority, in partnership with the General Directorate of Passports and aviation-management company Matarat Holding, installed the gates to automate the entry process by significantly speeding up border-control procedures. The e-gates are integrated with digital systems relating to border control, including visas, biometrics and airline operations.
London to introduce permanent live facial recognition cameras-Mar 25, 2025, 1:58 am EDT | Masha Borak
London police have announced their plans to install the UK’s first permanent live facial recognition cameras, catching potential criminals by matching their faces with a pre-determined database.The cameras will be set up in Croydon which has become one of the most targeted areas for facial recognition deployments in the city, leading to the arrest of approximately 200 people by November last year. The Metropolitan Police also said it could extend the surveillance across the capital.The new cameras will be installed in June or July on lampposts or buildings. The police have previously relied on vans equipped with facial recognition cameras to monitor crowds but these have become high in demand across London, according to Mitch Carr, the Met Police neighborhood policing superintendent for south London.“The end result will see cameras covering a defined area and will give us much more flexibility around the days and times we can run the operations,” says Carr.The cameras will operate only when police officers are close and can respond to a database match. If there is no match, the data captured by the camera is immediately deleted, The Times reports.However, privacy groups such as Big Brother Watch have condemned the move and called for legislative safeguards on facial recognition. The organization has challenged the legality of the London Met Police’s deployment of facial recognition after a case of misidentification.The UK currently lacks a consistent and unified legal framework regulating the technology and instead relies on a patchwork of legislation. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been warning that there are no clear guidelines for the police on using live facial recognition while the biometrics commissioner has highlighted that police are still storing images of innocent people in its databases.A recent report from the Biometrics Institute has also highlighted that the lack of regulation could heighten the risk of rejecting the technology by the public. Many other arguments against the technology were relayed by lawmakers during a discussion last year organized by UK policing minister Diana Johnston.However, Chris Philp, the Conservative MP for Croydon South and shadow home secretary, says that permanent live facial recognition is the next logical step for the city.“This technology has the potential to revolutionize crime fighting in the same way that fingerprints and DNA have in the past,” he says.
Adoption of biometric payment cards plateaus with niche applications-ABI says industry must recalibrate expectations; Goode says costs must come down-Mar 21, 2025, 3:57 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
Biometric payment cards, once seen to be the belle of the biometric ball, are mired in a rut of stagnated adoption, barriers to enrolment and excessive costs, according to a new report from ABI Research, and findings from Goode Intelligence.‘Further consolidation and/or pulling investment’ more feasible: ABI Research-In a release announcing its publication, Research Director at ABI Phil Sealy says “the reality is that biometric payment cards are not going to become a mass-market solution anytime soon. The high cost, combined with manufacturing and enrollment hurdles, means adoption will remain largely restricted to premium banking customers and niche applications. The industry must recalibrate its expectations and rethink forward-looking strategies.”ABI Research identifies three primary barriers to mass adoption. Manufacturing complexities mean high production costs and low yield rates. There are pricing limitations: biometric cards currently cost US$15 to $20 per unit, nearly 10 times the price of a standard contactless card. And the lack of a standardized, scalable enrollment process further slows adoption.“Given these limitations,” says ABI, “vendors such as Idemia, Thales, and Idex Biometrics are looking toward new opportunities, most notably within the access control and crypto cold wallet markets, where security concerns justify the added cost of biometric authentication.”Sealy says “many ecosystem players have recognized that the payments market is unlikely to deliver the scale they initially envisioned. Despite the shift toward access control and crypto wallets, where biometric security can provide real value, it remains an extremely challenging market.”The research suggests that “access control and crypto wallet ecosystems and partnerships must be developed and opened quickly.” And it contains a grim forecast: “without any tangible market success over the next 12 to 24 months, further consolidation and/or pulling investment away should be considered a more feasible likelihood.”Goode Intelligence issues darker forecast for biometric payment cards-Goode Intelligence also sees contraction in the biometric payment cards market. Its recent report on biometric payments is similarly doomy: “GI has previously been bullish on the prospects for biometric payment cards, believing that a combination of strong consumer demand, consequences of COVID-19 to hygiene control in physical spaces (avoid touching a PIN PAD), and a move towards biometrics being the de facto payment authentication mechanism would lead to high levels of adoption,” CEO and Chief Analyst Alan Goode says. “However, high levels of adoption have not been seen and GI has created more conservative forecasts for this technology.”Goode likewise sees high production costs, certification delays and enrolment challenges as major blocks to mainstream adoption. In order for payment cards to be viable, production and materials costs must come down, a stringent payment card certification scheme must be applied, and there must be a reliable, scalable and cost-effective enrolment process.Idex not abandoning payments, but survival will depend on access marketThe industry recalibration ABI Research notes is already well underway. Major names long associated with cards have shifted toward tokenized payments. Idex Biometrics recently parted ways with its CEO in light of fiscal difficulties, and announced a renewed focus on access control.However, in comments emailed to Biometric Update, the firm’s newly appointed CEO Anders Storbråten says the company’s shift to access does not mean it is abandoning payments. “Strategic focus will be placed on building the Idex Access business line, and we will be aligning resources accordingly,” Storbråten says.“We continue to support our partners and are excited to see some of our long-standing efforts in building up the Idex Pay market materializing.” He insists that “business continuity remains a top priority.”Idex’s woes stem partly from a botched deal with Zwipe, which subsequently filed for bankruptcy, leaving Idex with a loss on receivables of $600,000. The collapse of the deal has been seen as an indicator of the general state of biometric payment cards.Nonetheless, biometrics on cards are not disappearing, and Storbråten’s optimism may yet pan out. ABI Research predicts that by 2027-2029, the access control and digital wallet alternative markets will “contribute significantly to overall biometric card adoption.” And Goode Intelligence is forecasting just over 90 million biometric payment cards issued by 2030.In the end, it will come down to how biometrics providers play their cards.
China strengthening face biometrics regulation to mandate choice, consent-Mar 24, 2025, 3:47 pm EDT | Chris Burt
China’s boom in selfie biometrics and facial recognition may already have peaked, with new regulations published so businesses can plan for compliance before they take effect later this year.The new regulation is known as “Administrative Measures on the Security of Facial Recognition Technology Application,” according to Tech in Asia.Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has published new regulations for commercial uses of facial recognition, including hotel check-ins or physical access to gated communities. The agency says the regulations are a response to growing concerns about the impact on data privacy from widespread use of face biometrics. They take effect in June.The regulations specify the need for clear signage indicating when facial recognition is in use, and that companies need to gather explicit and informed consent before processing individual’s biometric data. For people under 14 years old, parental consent is required.Individuals who don’t give consent for their face biometrics to be used should be given “other reasonable and convenient options,” CAC said in a post to its website, as quoted by Reuters.Organizations handling the face biometrics of more than 100,000 people will be required to register with provincial cybersecurity authorities. Businesses must also carry out Personal Information Protection Impact Assessments (PIPIAs), DataGuidance reports.Cybersecurity rules introduced recently also place limits on the storage and handling of biometric data by payment providers.China’s Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect in November of 2021, also mandates explicit consent to process people’s biometric data. The law was introduced just as reports emerged of the Chinese public’s discomfort with the proliferation of facial recognition.The change also comes amid turbulence at Chinese facial recognition and AI “dragon” SenseTime, as Co-founder Xu Bing has resigned from the company.
Facial recognition tender for Toronto police draws interest from major vendors-Mar 24, 2025, 3:32 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
Eleven biometrics providers, including large international firms, are vying to provide Toronto police with a new facial recognition system, which is stirring controversy among civil rights groups.A report from Ricochet Media says 11 vendors expressed an interest in the facial recognition contract: TCG Digital, Cumberland Strategies, Facia AI Ltd., GenVis, Idemia, IMDS, NEC Corporation of America, ROC, Securaglobe Solutions, Shufti Pro and Tech5 USA.The new contract covers a term of five years, and comes with a stated objective of acquiring a facial recognition system that offers minimal disruption in integrating with TPS’ current internal mugshot database, and improves accuracy to prevent false positives and obstruction evaluation capabilities for images with partial facial views. Specifically, TPS wants systems capable of “intaking and processing between 8,000 to 10,000 images yearly.” Vendors must be able to implement the system within a year of winning the contract.Toronto Police Services (TPS) already uses facial recognition technology from NEC called Neoface Reveal, but it says its searches are not automated. Idemia is also a current biometrics partner for TPS, providing its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The French firm also provides facial biometrics for neighboring Peel and York Regional Police forces, and police in nearby Halton region. ROC is known for supplying FRT to a number of law enforcement agencies in the U.S.The use of facial recognition by police in Toronto has caused the typical response from privacy advocates worried about police overreach, bias and potential misuse. Ricochet leans into these objections, supported by reference to the 2018 Gender Shades study.Biometric testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found that the majority of facial recognition algorithms are more likely to misidentify people with darker skin, women and the elderly, though the most accurate algorithms show very low differentials in the Institute’s latest testing.Toronto police say the contract amounts to a software upgrade. The RFP says that “significant advancements in the FR solution industry have occurred since the program’s inception. The TPS now seeks to leverage these developments to enhance FR processes, to improve accuracy and the ability to evaluate images.” But the department promises it will be used “in the same way as the current system, with no changes to processes or scope.”The scenario presents something of a Catch-22: police acquire facial recognition, which objectors say is not yet sufficiently mature. Police seek better facial recognition technology, and objectors raise concerns about mass surveillance.
OBIM spec enables vendors to build products to interact with DHS biometric system-Mar 24, 2025, 3:25 pm EDT | Chris Burt
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opened its specification for interacting with the nation’s largest biometrics database to vendors and developers. Giving biometric technology providers access to the spec enables them to create software and hardware that can interact with DHS’ biometric system, and by extension those of the whole U.S. government.The Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) Exchange Messages (IXM) spec is available through a public website for the first time since 2016, according to John Splain, Senior Biometrics SME at data and digital modernization consultancy Aver.DHS’s Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) has built an automated process for validating the conformance of stakeholder produced messages to the spec.Splain suggests more announcements about the IXM Schema and Conformance Tool are coming.DHS updated its page on “Exchanging Biometric Data” on March 11 to explain its data sharing system. The post describes how biometric data is shared between the DHS system, the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) System and the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) ABIS, as well as the international community.The FBI’s NGI uses the Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS) to receive biometric data from other agencies. The DoD, likewise, uses an EBTS, in its case based on the ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 data format.DHS shares data internationally through its Secure Real-Time Platform (SRTP).The Exchanging Biometric Data page provides an email address for interested developers and vendors to contact for access to the IXM Conformance Tool.
Nigeria facilitates student loans with G2P biometric card as NIN enrollment passes 117M-Mar 24, 2025, 3:21 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Nigeria has reported new progress in the issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN) with the figure now above 117.3 million, as of February. This announcement was made recently by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which has also concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for issuance of the recently announced multipurposed biometric card to students for a loans scheme.According to information on the NIMC dashboard, the number of unique NIN enrollment records as of February 28, stands at 117,361,324, with the State of Lagos having the highest cumulative figure of 12.6 million.The dashboard information also shows that of the 117 million registrants, 56.5 percent of them are male, corresponding to 66.2 million people, while 43.5 percent, representing 51 million persons, are female.While Lagos State tops the log with 12.6 million digital IDs issued, the States of Kano (10.2 million), Kaduna (6.9 million), Ogun (4.9 million), and Oyo (4.5 million) complete the top five states with the most enrollments.Nigeria’s ongoing digital ID enrollment project was recently revised by the World Bank with a new target for the country to issue at least 180 digital IDs by December 2026.G2P cards to streamline student loans scheme-Sometime last year, the NIMC announced plans to introduce a new multipurpose card with several benefits summed up under three key functions, one of which is the social inclusion aspect to facilitate Government-to-People (G2P) payments.In January, the NIMC said the launch of the card was imminent, and highlighted that it will greatly drive economic growth and financial inclusion in the country.As part of the development, the NIMC has now signed an MoU with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), to begin issuance of the cards to students to streamline the processing of student loans and other administrative transactions, writes Nigeria Communication Week.Going by the terms of the MoU, the biometric payment card will enable students access their financial assistance packages without necessarily waiting for bank transfers into their accounts. They could use the card at ATMs, POS machines, mobile and even web-based payments platforms for different services.The Director General of NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote said after the signing of the MoU, as quoted, that “the biometric-enabled cards are unique in promoting digital and financial inclusion because of the layers of features in them.”“They cannot be forged or faked. They have features that make cash available in students’ wallets, the students can easily access their allowances, buy books and make transfers without waiting for banks. The cards operate online and offline,” she said.NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, also praised the NIMC for the initiative, stating that it will greatly simplify identity verification for students and how they access loans and other services related to their academic journey.Early this year, the NIMC also said it was working on a plan to link the NIN with the student ID card in order to streamline the ID verification for administrative purposes.
Liberia launches digital public infrastructure project with $30M World Bank funding-Mar 24, 2025, 3:17 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
The government of Liberia has flagged off a digital transformation project that seeks to expand its digital ID coverage and build important digital public infrastructure for the country.The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning launched the Governance Reform Accountability Transformation (GREAT) project on March 20 in Monrovia, with an explanation that the move is to streamline access to many government and private sector services, The Liberian Investigator reports.Funded by the World Bank’s ID Credit Program to the tune of $30 million in commitment funding, the GREAT project seeks to facilitate the enrollment of at least two million Liberians for the national digital ID through the National Identification Registry (NIR). It is reported that the project will receive an additional $13 million for the improvement of digital infrastructure.The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning will over the project, in collaboration with a Project Implementation Team.According to Liberian officials, the project, which will run for the next five years – to November 2030 – also seeks to build a digital government ecosystem that will streamline public service delivery and administrative processes, beginning with nine major government institutions which include the civil service, taxation and revenue services, the NIR, as well as the Ministers of Education, Health, Finance, and Trade.Finance Minister, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, is quoted as saying at the launch of the project that it has four key pillars, which include enhancing access to public services, improving tax revenue by curbing corrupt practices, strengthening accountability in the public administration, and ensuring capacity building for the project’s sustainability.Speaking at the launch of the project, the Acting World Bank Country representative for Liberia, Oyewole Afuye, also highlighted its importance, noting the “sustained effort, strong ownership, and collaboration from the Government of Liberia that facilitated the preparation of the project and contributed to getting it off to a strong start.”Like the finance minister, Afuye also stated that the project aims to address major governance, revenue mobilization and accountability challenges plaguing the Liberian government, and urged collective support for the initiative, underscoring the fact that “these interconnected challenges must be addressed simultaneously.”Some major stakeholders have already praised the initiative which the government says aligns with the country’s 2025-2029 agenda for inclusive development.NIR Executive Directive, Andrew Peters, said their plan is to significantly expand national ID enrollment under the project, given that ID uptake has faced major underperformances in the past.He also noted measures such as the setting up of additional enrollment teams in the counties to enable the NIR reach out to citizens right at the clan and chiefdom levels.Liberia believes the national ID is central to its efforts of enhancing digital economy growth, digital inclusion and streamlined access to services for its citizens.
New Workforce MFA from iProov offers scalable, device-independent authentication-Device-agnostic biometric layer fights fraud, reduces costs associated with hardware tokens-Mar 24, 2025, 3:05 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
A new biometric authentication product from iProov aims to address the scourge of account takeover. A release from the UK firm says iProov Workforce MFA is a device-independent, FIDO Alliance-certified, biometric facial authentication tool targeting workplace identity theft.The risks associated with account takeover and identity fraud are well-known: major financial losses, reputational damage and operational disruptions. Per the release, traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) tools falter when users don’t have access to their devices. Fraud rings offering fraud-as-a-service leverage “a massive fleet of upskilled and well-armed threat actors eager for large-scale paydays.”On top of losses to fraud, the basic maintenance of account security can be expensive. iProov cites research from Gartner and Forrester showing that password reset processes now “consume 40 percent of help desk calls at an astounding average of $70 each time.”“Identities can be compromised at every stage in the user lifecycle, from the interview process through to offboarding,” says Andrew Bud, CEO of iProov. “These risks are exacerbated by the complexities of remote work and extended workforces, exposing the vulnerabilities of traditional MFA solutions.”The firm says biometric verification with liveness detection adds an “irrefutable layer” of security to multi-factor authentication (MFA) systems, and can be used in conjunction with passkeys or independently of the device. “With no additional devices, distribution costs, integration coding or MFA fatigue,” Bud says, “iProov Workforce MFA strengthens access management and empowers organizations with seamless, secure authentication on any device, delivering frictionless security for the whole organization.”The iProov Workforce MFA tool supports the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol enabling no-code integration with major digital identity providers like Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, OneLogin, Ping Identity, SailPoint and Saviynt. It is supported by real-time threat updates and managed detection and response (MDR) from the iProov Security Operations Center (iSOC).While inherence-based authentication makes the tool phishing-resistant and anti-spoofing liveness detection offers dual levels of identity assurance, iProov promises a seamless user experience that reduces costs and is highly scalable. The firm says it is “ideal for organizations with frontline staff, extended workforces, and confidential, mission-critical, high-security environments.
UK, Hong Kong plan digital IDs for businesses-Mar 24, 2025, 1:34 pm EDT | Masha Borak
The UK Minister of AI and Digital Government Feryal Clark says exploring a digital company ID could strengthen the country’s financial sector.The government has been exploring a digital company identification scheme named Digital Company ID as a business version of the GOV.UK Wallet, a digital wallet that allows British residents to verify their identity. The platform would help confirm a company is real through verifiable data points and credentials in order to prevent fraud.“Financial crime has a huge impact not only on individual businesses but on our wider economy,” says Clark. “That’s why it’s so crucial that organizations up and down the country continue to innovate –harnessing technology to make their financial protections stronger than ever,” says Clark.The business verification initiative comes amid changing regulations for businesses operating in the UK. Starting in Autumn 2025, anyone setting up, running, owning, or controlling a company in the UK, namely directors and persons with significant control (PSCs), will be required to verify their identity. Company directors and PSCs can already voluntarily verify their identity through Gov.uk One Login or an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP).The Digital Company ID would also slash red tape and boost productivity, the Minister noted during an industry summit organized last Tuesday by the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) and software company Sage.The partly government-funded group has been advocating for the adoption of Digital Company ID as a tool to fight economic crime and boost the smart data economy. CFIT has been developing a prototype of the Digital Company ID app with the help of 70 organizations. In February, it also published a white paper analyzing the UK’s legislative and regulatory readiness for the identification tool.During the event, CFIT also discussed introducing data sharing through collaboration with the industry and the government., introducing standards for interoperability and launching pilots to test the Digital Company ID.“Financial services is a priority sector for the adoption of digital identities,” says Chi Onwurah, chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee.Hong Kong launching CorpID in 2026-The former British colony of Hong Kong is forging its own path towards digital company identification. The city plans to roll out the Digital Corporate Identity Platform or CorpID by the end of 2026, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong announced last Wednesday.The platform would provide corporate identity authentication, allowing firms to pre-fill forms and store digital licenses and permits. CorpID would also help companies access government services and conduct business transactions.Minister Sun also revealed that Hong Kong’s smartphone biometrics-based digital identity platform iAM Smart has reached over 3.3 million registered users since its launch in 2020, the Standard reports. The government is also expecting to make all of its services accessible through the platform by the end of next year. Among them is an electronic driving license (eDL): The government is currently amending the Road Traffic Bill to allow the city’s 2.5 million drivers to obtain mDLs through the iAM Smart app and the Transport Department’s e-Licensing Portal.Last year, the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC), a government-funded advisory body, said that digital ID is “crucial” for Hong Kong’s strategy to become a leading international financial center.
Dock Labs teams up with Identity Fusion on digital ID upgrade-Mar 24, 2025, 11:32 am EDT | Masha Borak
Reusable digital identity provider Dock Labs will be providing its technology to Identity Fusion, the identity and access management (IAM) company that serves clients such as Toyota, Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency.Identity Fusion plans to integrate Dock’s verifiable credentials to upgrade its identity offerings, the company’s CEO Bill Nelson announced.“By integrating Dock Labs’ verifiable credential technology, we’re transforming legacy IAM systems into modern, fraud-resistant solutions that reduce costs and improve user experiences,” says Nelson.Verifiable credentials and ID wallets will help eliminate redundant identity proofing, reduce fraud and enable reusable identity verification across industries like finance and healthcare, the firm says in a release.The U.S. and UK-headquartered firm is known for architecting, deploying, and supporting products in the ForgeRock Identity Platform, Okta’s Identity Suite and Ping Identity’s PingOne Platform.“This partnership represents a major step forward in how businesses verify and manage identities, ensuring security without sacrificing convenience,” says Nelson.Dock Labs, on the other hand, is promising to deliver verifiable credentials that are cryptographically secured and cannot be altered or forged. The Swiss firm has recently published a webinar inviting Amazon to talk about digital credentials, mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and the EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet.
After passports, Nigeria readies to unveil digital ID enrollment app for citizens in diaspora-Mar 24, 2025, 11:05 am EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Nigeria’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has restated plans for the rollout of a mobile application that will enable Nigerians living abroad to easily register for the National Identification Number (NIN).Nation Online reported the reiteration recently, from an interview it had with a representative of the Chief Executive Officer of the NIMC, Abisoye Coker-Odusote.The NIMC first discussed plans to rollout a NIN enrollment app for citizens in the diaspora early this year.The move comes months after the Nigerian Immigration Service, under the coordination of the Ministry of Interior, also launched a contactless app to facilitate passport applications for Nigerians living abroad.In the latest outing on the digital ID enrollment app, the ID authority’s spokesperson explained the strides which they have recorded over the years, including efforts to simplify how Nigerians, both home and abroad, get access to identity services.From staff welfare improvement, to debt clearance, and partnerships, the NIMC official said the agency has shown unflinching commitment to the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in ensuring that Nigeria gets an inclusive and sustainable national digital identity ecosystem which is necessary for streamlining governance and driving digital economy growth.Citing one of the innovations by the NIMC, the official mentioned the self-service NIN modification app which is already in use, serving NIN holders who want to make changes to some of their personal information without the need to visit a NIN registration office.In like manner, the planned introduction of the NIN enrollment app for diaspora Nigerians is to facilitate their access to digital ID services such that there is no need for them to travel home to complete ID enrollment processes or to have access to certain government services.The NIN is increasingly being required by the government for ID verification and authentication in order to access several important public and private sector services.The NIMC CEO’s representative also discussed efforts around the imminent launch of the general multipurpose biometric card which was announced last year, noting that “the card could be used for different types of financial transactions both online and offline,” and by Nigerians living in any parts of the country.NIN pre-enrollment portal, dedicated authentication platform coming-Apart from the enrollment software for Nigerians abroad, the NIMC has also announced its intention to unveil a NIN pre-enrollment portal that will facilitate digital ID registration by reducing the queues often reported at registration offices around the country. With this portal, digital ID applicants will only have to visit NIN offices for biometric capture after successfully submitting their application online.Another platform dubbed “NINAuth” which is designed to facilitate NIN authentication is also in the process of being launched, which is part of ongoing efforts to upgrade the country’s national Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).“The NIN Auth introduces a robust layer of protection, empowering individuals with greater control over their personal information. The consent-based platform fosters trust, transparency, and user autonomy in digital identity management by requiring explicit consent before data is shared for Know Your Customer (KYC) processes or other verifications,” Tribune Online quotes the NIMC official as saying.As of February 28, over 117.3 million Nigerians had enrolled for the NIN, both at home and abroad.
Zambia obtains World Bank funding support to advance DPI implementation-Mar 21, 2025, 3:08 pm EDT | Ayang Macdonald
Zambia has secured funding to the tune of $120 million from the World Bank’s Digital Development Partnership to carry on with the implementation of its digital public infrastructure (DPI) agenda.The country’s Minister of Science and Technology, Felix Mutati, disclosed the information on March 18 in the United States where he is leading the Zambian delegation at the Global Digital Summit in Washington, DC. He was speaking after paying a courtesy call on the Zambian Ambassador to the United States, Chibamba Kanyama.According to a post on the ministry’s Facebook page, the funds will enable the country drive its digital transformation by developing and boosting the use of AI, enhancing connectivity and encouraging digital skills acquisition, among other things.The funding will complement the digital transformation efforts already being made by the country within the framework of the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP) for which the World Bank has provided funding. Last year, Zambia obtained a $100 million grant from the World Bank to build a digital ecosystem that will facilitate the delivery of public services for citizens.During the meeting, Mutati highlighted the importance of digital transformation for the country’s digital economy growth, and underlined the importance of effective collaboration between government and the private sector.“Technology will save you on time, efficiency, and accuracy. That’s what we understand as technology, and its spillover effect is huge. In order to move forward, we needed to engage with the private sector,” Mutati said.“If we remove import duty on digital infrastructure, you are going to expand connectivity. And with the expansion of connectivity, you are now going to be able to generate the revenue that is required.”In January, The SMART Zambia Institute (SMART Zambia) – the government body leading the country’s digital transformation program – announced that tenders for different aspects of the DZAP will be published in due course.Zambia is in the “strategy and design” phase of its DPI implementation, and last year, some World Bank experts advised the country to watch out for certain potential risks so as to “design inclusive and safe processes, build trust in the system, and actively engage all players and partners for streamlined and efficient coordination.”As part of efforts to make progress in the building of its DPI, Zambia also joined the 50-in-5 campaign which is an initiative aimed at enabling countries share knowledge and resources to build at least one component of safe, secure and interoperable DPI in the next four to five years.
Aadhaar enables an ‘epidemic’ of IDs in India-Mar 21, 2025, 3:07 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
The Aadhaar ecosystem continues to grow, but it’s not all good news. The proliferation of IDs like the “One Nation, One Student ID” is opening up challenges and vulnerabilities, according to critics.An analysis by the Economist begins brightly, calling the initial promise of the biometrics-based national identity system a “glorious one.” It observes how the 12-digit unique ID has helped cut corruption and fraud in the benefits system and sped up applications for bank accounts or switching mobile operators. But then there is a change to criticism.This is because, apparently, India’s government has forgotten the system was meant to reduce duplication, according to The Economist.The British publication highlights the rolling out of separate digital IDs for “yet another” set of people. This includes doctors, nurses, patients, organ donors, disabled people; teachers, pupils, foreign and domestic students. There are unique IDs for athletes, judges, farmers, gig workers, and so on. “That is in addition to the existing IDs, which include passports, voter cards, driving licenses and an array of tax identifiers,” the article says.While testament to the success of Aadhaar, the column judges that IDs have become epidemic in India and that much of the new crop of IDs is simply branding, with government departments believing they must have their own ID system.But this leads to government wastage, duplicative demands for data, and extra bureaucracy, all of which Aadhaar was intended to alleviate. “In the guise of cutting bureaucracy, the Indian state is instead entrenching it,” the piece ends, pithily.Half of Indians have ABHA ID-One in every two Indians now has an ABHA ID or Ayushman Bharat Health Account, which is a “flagship scheme” under prime minister Narendra Modi. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) aims to create a national digital health ecosystem with digitization of health records, facilities and professionals across India.“As of today, one in two Indians has created their Ayushman Bharat Health Account,” said Himanshu Burad, Officer on Special Duty to Joint Secretary and Mission Director (ABDM), National Health Authority, told News18. “Gradually, they can start linking their health records with ABHA to create their health history.”The ABHA card contains a unique 14-digit identification number called ABHA ID. This links with the person’s entire medical history, consultation details, and prescriptions, which eliminates the need to carry health records while visiting hospitals.According to Indian government data, more than 90 million tokens have been issued under the “scan and share” feature which allows patients to scan the QR code located at the OPD registration counter and share their ABHA profile for instant registration. Burad said the feature is available in over 19,000 hospitals across 640 districts.The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has partnered with Sarvam AI, a Bengaluru-based, indigenous, full-stack Generative AI company to “enhance user experience” for Aadhaar services.Sarvam will deploy voice-based interactions for resident-centric use cases, and this will help obtain near real-time feedback from Aadhaar number holders for their enrollment and update processes, including information on overcharging of residents (if any). Sarvam is making use of AI to spot anything suspicious during authentication requests.Voice interaction and fraud detection will be available in 10 languages including Hindi, English, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi and Malayalam. Language options are expected to expand in the coming months.Farmer and student IDs proliferate-The registration process for AgriStack Farmer Identification Numbers (Farmer ID) has reached a milestone with 50,000 farmers successfully completing their registration under the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture in Daund taluka, a subdivision of Pune district in Maharashtra, India.India’s voluntary student ID, APAAR, also provides a unique 12-digit identifier. But critics of the program say the student information collected is vulnerable due to a lack of legal safeguards or data protection measures, and errors during enrollment can lead to problems for children and parents, The Hindu reports. Further, Aadhaar is voluntary and a prerequisite for APAAR applications, but demands by some states that schools furnish APAAR records risk making it practically mandatory to avoid educational exclusion.Nigeria has faced similar criticism for ID sprawl and duplicative credentials.
INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.
2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
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:
17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
NAHUM 3:13
13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
Israeli officials say no decision made on military rule in Gaza-Foreign Minister Sa’ar tells EU foreign policy chief that PA President Abbas is lying about reforms; Kaja Kallas says fighting in Gaza must stop and negotiations resume-By Lazar Berman Today, 8:06 am-mar 25,25
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Monday that Israel had not yet come to a decision on whether it would impose military governance in Gaza.“It has not yet been decided by our cabinet,” Sa’ar said during a Jerusalem press conference, responding to a question from The Times of Israel.Another Israeli official told The Times of Israel later Monday that the government had not yet decided on what it will do “on the civilian side” in Gaza, including on the question of instituting military rule.Jerusalem has until now avoided pushing for military rule of the Strip, but with a new IDF chief of staff and defense minister — not to mention a new president in the White House — Israel’s thinking appears to have changed, The Washington Post reported, citing current and former Israeli officials, as well as others briefed on the developments.During a visit to Washington, DC, this week, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will discuss with senior US officials a plan for Israeli military control over Gaza, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Sunday.Last September, Netanyahu asked the IDF to examine the possibility of taking over aid distribution, to prevent Hamas from pilfering supplies, but both then-defense minister Yoav Gallant and then-IDF chief of staff Herzl Halevi opposed the idea.However, by February, Israeli officials were telling international aid agencies of plans for humanitarian resources to be screened in “logistic hubs” set up by Israel, some agency officials told the US newspaper.Standing alongside European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas at a Monday press conference, Sa’ar said that when Israel once again allows aid into Gaza, “it will be done in a different way than it happened during the first 17 months of this war.“I will not elaborate how, but in a way that will not empower Hamas, will not give [it] the opportunity to use it as a financial agent, and the financial engine that is helping [its] military efforts,” said Sa’ar.Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid intended for Gazan civiliansEli Sharabi, a former hostage released by Hamas in Gaza last month, described in an address to the UN last week how Hamas terrorists stole UN aid and withheld it from Israeli hostages and Gazan civilians.“I saw Hamas terrorists carrying boxes with the UN and UNWRA emblems on them into the tunnels, dozens and dozens of boxes, paid for by your governments,” Sharabi said.Sa’ar insisted that Israel is following international law in the wake of its announcement three weeks ago that it would block all aid from entering Gaza.“No country is obliged to facilitate a war against itself,” Sa’ar said. “Israel must not be held to a different standard.Kallas was unconvinced by Israel’s arguments.“The fundamental steps here are reinstating the ceasefire, ensuring the release of all hostages and resuming the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza with the goal of a permanent ceasefire,” she said to Sa’ar.“Israel’s security is very important to the European Union, but also the rights of Palestinians need to be respected,” Kallas continued.The military resumed fighting in Gaza last week at the instruction of Netanyahu, who vowed that all negotiations for a hostage deal moving forward would be held under fire, after Hamas rejected proposals to extend phase one of the ceasefire.Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.‘Unbearable uncertainty’ for hostages-Kallas lamented the resumption of fighting in Gaza, arguing that “resuming negotiations is the only feasible way to end the suffering on all sides.”Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday, killing two senior Hamas officials. The Israel Defense Forces also indicated it was preparing to expand ground operations, redeploying an armored division that had been stationed on the border with Lebanon.“Violence feeds more violence,” Kallas said, adding that the renewed fighting is causing “unbearable uncertainty” for the hostages and their families, and “horror and death for the Palestinian people.”“Israelis must be able to feel safe in their own homes,” she stressed. “Israel has the right to self-defense against terror attacks, whether from Hamas, the Houthis, or Hezbollah. However, military actions must be proportionate.”Kallas also said that the EU welcomes Egypt’s plan for Gaza reconstruction and that the bloc sees “no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.”An AI image of the reconstructed Gaza Strip from Egypt’s-Responding to a question about Israeli strikes in Syria, Kallas said that “these things are unnecessary because Syria is right now not attacking Israel, and that feeds more radicalization that is also against Israel, which we don’t want to see.”Israel has said it will continue to act against all threats in Syria as the country’s new regime grapples with consolidating power in the wake of the collapse of the decades-long rule of the Assad family.Pinning blame on the PA-After a deadly terror attack in northern Israel on Monday morning, Sa’ar sought to pin the assault on the Palestinian Authority, telling reporters that the attack “is a result of the ongoing incitement of the Palestinian Authority.”An elderly driver was shot dead, and a soldier was seriously injured in the attack. The alleged terrorist was killed by Border Police officers who happened to be passing by the scene of the attack, near the Lower Galilee city of Yokne’am.According to an Israeli readout, Sa’ar panned PA President Mahmoud Abbas in his meeting with Kallas, insisting that he “says one thing in English and another in Arabic. He lies about reforms in the Palestinian Authority while continuing to pay salaries to terrorists and their families.”After meeting with Sa’ar, President Isaac Herzog and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, Kallas headed to Ramallah to meet with Abbas and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.The new antisemitism-Visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum with Kallas, Sa’ar said the “new antisemitism is the persecution of the State of Israel, the state of the Jewish people. It uses demonization, delegitimization and double standards towards the Jewish state.”“The so-called international courts and institutions are trying to tie Israel’s hands,” said Sa’ar. “They are attempting to assassinate its sacred right to self-defense.”The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last year for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.Sa’ar said it was “only natural” for Israel to expect the European Union’s support in the ongoing conflict against Islamic terrorism.“We are now fighting the war of the free world. Iran, Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah are attacking us because we are nearby. But make no mistake, the war is against Western civilization. Against its values and its ways of life,” he said.
Anti-Israel Columbia University student sues to block her deportation-Filing on behalf of Yunseo Chung, who has been in the US since she was 7, follows her arrest this month during protest at which demonstrators handed out Hamas pamphlets-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 6:39 am-MAR 25,25
A Korean Columbia University student, who is a legal permanent US resident and has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel, sued the administration of US President Donald Trump on Monday to prevent her deportation, a court filing showed.Yunseo Chung, 21, has lived in the US since she was seven, but her legal team was informed two weeks ago that her lawful permanent resident status was being revoked, according to the court filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.The Trump administration says her US presence hinders its foreign policy agenda, according to the lawsuit. Chung has not yet been arrested. Immigration agents have made multiple visits to her residences looking for her.Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and accused them of supporting terrorist group Hamas, of posing hurdles for US foreign policy and of being antisemitic.Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the administration wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas. Human rights advocates have condemned the government’s moves.Columbia protester Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested this month and is legally challenging his detention, is also a lawful permanent resident. Trump has accused Khalil of supporting Hamas, which the latter denies.Actions against Chung “form part of a larger pattern of attempted US government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech,” Monday’s lawsuit says.“The government’s repression has focused specifically on university students who speak out in solidarity with Palestinians and who are critical of the Israeli government’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza,” referring to the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught against Israel.A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security alleged Chung has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by police during a protest at Barnard College earlier this month that DHS termed “pro-Hamas” as the demonstrators who took over the campus handed out Hamas pamphlets.The spokesperson did not elaborate further on the specifics of that conduct in question but said she was “sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws” and will have a chance to present her case before an immigration judge.Along with the cases at Columbia, Badar Khan Suri, an Indian studying at Georgetown University, was detained last week. A federal judge barred Suri’s deportation.US officials on Friday asked Cornell University student Momodou Taal to turn himself in, Taal’s attorneys said, adding his visa was being revoked.
Abbas planning to replace longtime spy chief, capping off purge of PA security heads-PA president under growing pressure to make space for new generation of leaders, as world community hopes Ramallah can ready to take on larger task of resuming governance in Gaza-By Jacob Magid and Nurit Yohanan-Today, 3:51 am-MAR 25,25
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to replace his longtime intelligence chief Majed Faraj, capping off a wider purge of security heads in Ramallah that began several months ago, a Palestinian official, a European diplomat and a Palestinian source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.Faraj is one of Abbas’s closest confidants and has worked to bolster security coordination with Israel in the West Bank since becoming head of the PA’s General Intelligence Service in 2009.But Abbas is facing mounting pressure from Arab and Western allies to reform the Palestinian Authority and make way for a new generation of leaders, so that the PA is better equipped to potentially take on the larger task of once again governing Gaza after the war there.Last March, Abbas fired all of his ministers and formed a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, another longtime ally. In recent months and weeks, he has replaced the heads of the PA’s Security Forces, Preventive Security Service, police and civil defense. Three of those four agencies are now headed by former senior members of Abbas’s security detail.Faraj is the last security chief to remain in his post, and the three sources speaking to The Times of Israel said he is hoping to avoid the fate of his now-former counterparts. At the very least, Faraj is hoping to shift to a spot on the Palestine Liberation Organization’s powerful Executive Committee.The sources said a final decision regarding Faraj’s fate is expected in the coming weeks, with the PA president likely to appoint a new intel chief. Spokespeople for Abbas and Faraj did not respond to requests for comment.In a further bid to address demands from allies and donor countries to reform the PA, the 89-year-old Abbas announced earlier this month that he would create the position of vice president in addition to granting amnesty to expelled members of his Fatah party.Speaking at a Cairo summit of Arab leaders to discuss plans for the post-war management of Gaza, Abbas said that he will also soon convene the PLO’s long-dormant legislative body, the central council.Abbas, who has not stood for elections since winning a four-year term in 2006, insisted he is willing to do so if Israel allows balloting in East Jerusalem.In November, Abbas declared that if his post were to become vacant before elections are held, he would be temporarily replaced by Rawhi Fattouh, the former speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.A statement posted to the PA’s official Wafa news site said that in such an event, Fattouh will serve as interim president for no more than 90 days, during which presidential elections will be held. But if it is not possible to hold elections, the Palestinian Central Council can grant a one-time extension to the interim president’s term.Another reform announced by Abbas in February — which was aggressively pushed by Western countries — saw the cancellation of legislation that conditioned welfare payments to Palestinian security prisoners on the length of their sentence in Israeli jails.Payments to prisoners and the families of slain attackers have not yet been updated, though, because the cash-strapped PA is running several months behind on the stipends, two Palestinian officials told The Times of Israel last week.
Israel intercepts 3 rockets fired from north Gaza; Islamic Jihad takes responsibility-No injuries or damage caused by rockets; in response to attacks, IDF warns Gazans to evacuate areas from where the projectiles were fired-By Emanuel Fabian-Today, 1:52 am-MAR 25,25
Sirens went off in Sderot and neighboring communities near the Gaza border twice on Monday evening as Israeli air defenses successfully intercepted three rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists from the northern part of the enclave, the military said.Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. Neither attack caused any injuries or damage.The two volleys were the third instance of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel since the military resumed its offensive against Hamas last week. Hamas on Thursday launched three long-range rockets at central Israel, and on Friday fired two rockets at the southern coastal city of Ashkelon.In the first attack Monday at around 7 p.m., two rockets were fired from Gaza, setting off sirens in Sderot, Netiv Haassara, Karmia, Zikim, Nir Am, and Ibim. Both rockets were intercepted by air defenses, according to the Israel Defense Forces.The second attack of one rocket occurred at 9 p.m., setting off sirens in Sderot, Ibim and Nir Am. It was also intercepted, according to the IDF.Following the first round of rocket fire, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun areas, where the two projectiles were fired from.In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, published a map of the area to be evacuated, while issuing a “final warning” before the military was to carry out strikes there.The IDF issued an additional evacuation warning for residents of the Jabalia area after Islamic Jihad fired a third rocket from the region two hours later.Earlier Monday, the IDF said it carried out dozens of airstrikes, including on empty white pick-up trucks belonging to the Hamas terror group, of the type used in the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel and in propaganda ceremonies for the release of hostages.Over 100 pickup trucks used by Hamas terrorists were destroyed in the airstrikes, the military said.The IDF and Shin Bet security agency also confirmed on Monday that top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum was targeted and killed in a strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis the night before.Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, was chief of the terror group’s finances and the successor to Issam Da’alis, the de-facto prime minister of Gaza, who was killed last week, according to the military and Shin Bet.In mid-January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage, ceasefire, and prisoner-release deal that officially lasted 42 days, and saw the terror group release 30 living hostages and the bodies of eight slain captives, while Israel released almost 2,000 security prisoners and inmates, before the expiration of the deal’s first phase.The deal had originally envisioned a potential second phase that would see a permanent end to the war in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages, but Israel has refused to allow any long-term settlement that would keep Hamas as the governing power in the Strip.After talks for an alternative temporary ceasefire and hostage-release framework, Israel resumed fighting a week ago, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring that any further negotiations would take place “under fire.”Nurit Yohanan and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
US antisemitic conspiracy theorist meets top Houthis in Sanaa-IDF downs Houthi ballistic missile; debris from interception lands in Beit Shemesh-No injuries or damage caused by missile attack, which set off sirens across central Israel; Iran-backed Yemeni group has now targeted Israel six times in the past week-By Emanuel Fabian-and Zev Stub-Today, 12:54 am-MAR 25,25
Sirens sounded across central Israel on Monday afternoon as the Iran-backed Houthis launched a ballistic missile from Yemen, which the IDF said it shot down before it crossed into Israeli territory.Several pieces of shrapnel from the missile continued to fall after the missile was intercepted, reaching Israel and landing in the city of Beit Shemesh outside Jerusalem.No injuries or major damage were reported as a result of the projectiles’ impact, according to rescue authorities.Sirens went off in Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, Rehovot and the outskirts of Jerusalem at around 8 p.m.The Houthis later issued a statement claiming responsibility for the missile launch, which like other recent attacks it claimed targeted Ben Gurion Airport.The missile launch marks the sixth Houthi attack on Israel in the past week, following the IDF’s renewed offensive against Hamas in Gaza last Tuesday.The missiles have all been intercepted by Israeli air defenses or fallen short of reaching Israel, but have nevertheless sent much of the country scrambling to shelters.On March 15, the US announced a wave of airstrikes that officials said killed senior Houthi leaders, and which the rebels’ health authorities said killed 53 people.The American strikes, ongoing for over a week, were the first since US President Donald Trump returned office and came after the rebels threatened to renew attacks on Israeli shipping.US airstrikes that continued into Monday pounded sites across Yemen, with the Houthi group saying an attack on Sanaa killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others.The rebel-controlled SABA news agency reported, citing health officials, that the US-attributed strike on a residential neighborhood in western Sanaa killed one and injured 13, including three children.According to the Saudi Al Hadath network, a senior Houthi official was killed in the strike on the capital. However, the report did not identify the official by name or by position.The latest US strikes came after antisemitic influencer Jackson Hinkle visited Yemen over the weekend and met with senior Houthi leaders at a conference in Sanaa entitled “Palestine: The Central Issue of the Nation – You Are Not Alone.”Hinkle, a US citizen known to spread disinformation and conspiracy theories about Israel and Ukraine on social media, met with members of the US-listed terrorist organization at the conference in apparent violation of American law, though he currently resides in Russia.Hinkle also attended the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon last month.The conference on Saturday included Hamas representatives in Yemen, former South African parliamentarian and grandson of Nelson Mandela, Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Brazilian analyst Deb Escobar, former Member of European Parliament Mick Wallace, and others.The conference discussed the strategic dimensions of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the dangers of normalization, and the role of resistance in confronting the Zionist entity, according to its press announcement.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
China slams US 'interference' in Venezuela over Trump oil tariff threat.
Beijing, March 25 (AFP) Mar 25, 2025-China on Tuesday accused the United States of "interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs" after President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on imports from countries that bought oil and gas from the South American nation.On Monday, Trump said the new levy, effective from April 2, would apply to all goods entering the United States from countries that buy Venezuelan oil.China is the largest importer of Venezuelan oil, while other buyers include India, Spain, and the United States itself."We call on the US to stop interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs (and) abolish the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed on Venezuela," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference.He urged the United States to "do more things that are conducive to the peace, stability and development of Venezuela and other countries".Venezuela has been under US sanctions for years, including a new round in January that increased the rewards offered for information that led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro and other government officials.Announcing the planned tariffs on Monday, Trump accused Venezuela of "purposefully and deceitfully" sending "undercover, tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals" to the United States.Trump has already hit China with a universal 20 percent tariff on its imports which he linked to efforts to halt the flow of fentanyl into the United States.Beijing has called for "dialogue" but also responded with levies of up to 15 percent on a range of US agricultural goods including soybeans, pork and chicken.China, the world's top steel producer, has also vowed to take "all necessary measures" in response to separate US tariffs on steel and aluminium.Guo on Tuesday said a trade war would have "no winners" and "imposing additional levies and tariffs will only lead to American businesses and consumers bearing greater losses".
Sudan army strike on Darfur market kills hundreds: monitor.
Khartoum, March 25 (AFP) Mar 25, 2025-A Sudanese war monitor accused the army Tuesday of killing hundreds of people in an air strike on a market in the country's western Darfur region.The Emergency Lawyers group of volunteer legal professionals who have documented atrocities on both sides of Sudan's nearly two-year war said army warplanes carried out "an indiscriminate air strike on Tora market in North Darfur, killing hundreds of civilians and seriously wounding dozens".It did not specify when the strike occurred.AFP could not independently verify the toll due to a telecommunications blackout in Darfur.The army, which has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the conflict since April 2023, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.The RSF, which controls nearly all of Darfur where the United States has accused it of committing genocide, said the army had committed the "massacre" on Monday.The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted more than 12 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.Darfur, a vast region the size of France, has faced some of the war's worst violence, including reports of barrel bombs on civilian areas, paramilitary attacks on famine-hit displacement camps and rampant ethnic violence.Though the paramilitary has deployed highly equipped drones in Darfur, the army retains the advantage in the skies with its warplanes, regularly striking RSF positions across the region.
Japan, China in new spat after three-way talks.by AFP Staff Writers.
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 24, 2025-Japan and China became embroiled in a new spat on Monday with Tokyo accusing Beijing of misrepresenting its position after high-level weekend talks also involving South Korea.The discussions in Tokyo were billed as a chance to improve historically frosty relations against a backdrop of US trade tariffs, North Korea's missile activities and the Ukraine war.But Japan on Monday took exception to a Chinese statement that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that he "respects the positions elaborated by the Chinese side".Chief government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan had "protested to the Chinese side... and asked to immediately remove the inaccurate statement"."Since this is a diplomatic exchange, I will refrain from disclosing the details, including the Chinese response. It is regrettable that an announcement different from the facts was issued," Hayashi told a regular briefing."Is it not a normal thing for countries to respect each other's positions in their interactions with each other?," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday when asked about Japan's protest."As far as I know, this important and beneficial meeting and interaction between China and Japan embodied this spirit," he said.The talks on Saturday followed a rare summit in May in Seoul and came ahead of a mooted state visit to Japan by China's President Xi Jinping.Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he, Wang and South Korea's Cho Tae-yul "had a frank exchange of views on trilateral cooperation and regional international affairs... and confirmed that we will promote future-orientated cooperation"."The international situation has become increasingly severe, and it is no exaggeration to say that we are at a turning point in history," Iwaya said.Patricia M. Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that while "trilateral dialogues have been ongoing for over a decade", this round "carries heightened significance" due to the new US position.Beijing "has been working actively to improve relations with other major and middle powers amid growing frictions with the United States", she said before the talks.
SpaceX launches classified payload from Florida for Defense Department-SpaceX Falcon 9 NROL 69 3/24/2025 @1:48pm ET - Screen Grabs from Launch Video by Chuck and Jen Briggs at C&J Images for SpaceDaily.com by Allen Cone
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 24, 2025-SpaceX on Monday launched a Falcon 9 rocked carrying a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.Liftoff was at 1:48 p.m. from Pad 40, and the first stage landed about 8 minutes later at Landing Zone 1 at the station in Florida.Weather was 95% favorable, according to SpaceX officials.This was its second flight for the first-stage booster with the previous launch of Starlink satellites on Feb. 27.In partnership with SpaceX, the Defense Department's National Reconnaissance Office Launch has sent 150 satellites in space over the past two years, "creating the largest and most capable government constellation on orbit in our nation's history," the agency said in a news release.NROL-69 is the first NRO mission launched with SpaceX from the phase 2 contract signed in August 2020.This launch "is an important step in safeguarding our nation's interests in space," said Col. Eric Zarybnisky, director of NRO's Office of Space Launch. "Together, we are advancing national security by ensuring the U.S. maintains resilient and cost-effective space capabilities to meet evolving threats and deliver vital intelligence."It was the 25th orbital rocket launch thus far this year from the two launch sites in Florida: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center.The last launch was a SpaceX Falcon 9 with Starlink satellites on Tuesday.At this rate, SpaceX will surpass the annual record of 93 last year, Florida Today reported.The private company is targeting 11:20 p.m. March 31 to launch Fram2, the first crewed spaceflight to orbit above Earth's polar regions. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.Except for Apollo lunar missions from 1968 to 1972, the North and South Poles have not been fully visible to other astronauts in orbit.
