AI'S $400BN PROBLEM.ARE CHIPS GETTING OLD TO FAST.

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

  AI'S $400BN PROBLEM.ARE CHIPS GETTING OLD TO FAST.

FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Zephaniah 2:1-15
1 Gather together, yes, gather,O shameless nation,
2 before the decree takes effect[a] -before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;[b] seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows[c] for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab (JORDAN) and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my people and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever.The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria,(SYRIA) and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts;[d] even the owl and the hedgehog[e]  shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.Sa'ar: No free meals; talks possible if more hostages freed Israel halts aid into Gaza, citing Hamas refusal to extend first phase of truce
Footnotes-a -Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth, b-Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment, c-Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves, d-Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation, e-Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain

DANIEL 2:37-45
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

DANIEL 7:17-26
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

THE WORLD IN 10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS LEAD BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THE WORLD LEADER, NOT AMERICA.I PREDICT.

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND REVIVED ROMAN WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 2:31-33,36-43, DAN 7:3-8,17

First From Daniel Chapter 2

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (HEAD OF GOLD) DAN 2:31-32,36-38, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (CHEST & ARMS OF SILVER) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (WAIST & HIPS OF BRONZE) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (2 LEGS OF IRON) DAN 2:33,40, ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) (FEET IRON & CLAY) DAN 2:33,41-43,10 TOES

Now From Daniel Chapter 7

1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (LION WITH EAGLES WINGS) DAN 7:4, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (BEAR ON HIND LEGS) DAN 7:5, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (LEOPARD 4 WINGS, 4 HEADS) DAN 7:6, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (HUGE IRON TEETH) DAN 7:7 (10 HORNS), ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) DAN 7:8,19-20,23-25 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS
REV 17:9,12, 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS, 7 HILLS ROME. REV 13:1 BEAST WITH 7 HEADS. THE E.U LEADER OF WORLD GOVERNMENT DAN 2:40-45, 7:7-8,23-25,27, 8:23, REV 13:3,7,8,12,14,16

REVELATION 17:10-12
10 And there are seven kings (7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY) five are fallen, (EGYPT, ASSYRIA, BABYLON,:MEDO-PERSIAN,GREECE and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS DAY-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,(FUTURE-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE-EUROPEAN UNION TODAY) he must continue a short space.(7 YEARS OF WORLD DOMINATION-BUT 3 1/2 YEARS OF NEW WORLD ORDER OR ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT)
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS OR REGIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS-NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind,(WORLD SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950

Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man. 

DICK MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.

THE CLUB OF ROME FOUNDER AURELIO PECCEI WANTS THE WORLD IN 10 REGIONAL TRADING BLOCKS.

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.

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

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.

HERES WHAT THE WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE (SINCE THERE WILL BE WORLD GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE)-UPDATED VERSION (10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS)

01 CANADA, U.S.A, MEXICO
02 EUROPEAN UNION,WESTERN EUROPE
03 JAPAN
04 AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, S AFRICA, ISRAEL AND PACIFIC ISLANDS
05 EASTERN EUROPE
06 SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICAS
07 NORTH AFRICA, AND MIDEAST (MOSLEMS)
08 CENTRAL AFRICA
09 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
10 CENTRAL ASIA

THE CLUB OF ROME WANTS A WORLD CHARISMATIC DICTATOR (EITHER RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR SCIENTIFICAL) TO HEAD THIS WORLD GOVERNMENT. REV 13:3,7-8, DAN 7:23-24

WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME

NORTH - RUSSIA EZEK 38:1-2, 39:1-2
SOUTH - EGYPT DAN 11:42
EAST - CHINA DAN 11:44,REV 16:12
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION DAN 7:23-24 (NOT THE U.S.A)
http://israel7777777.blogspot.ca/2012/03/10-world-trade-blocs-one-world.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2006/09/how-eu-takes-world-control.html 
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/05/one-world-religion-crislam.html 

FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

COUNCIL FOR EUROPE ON DEFENCE
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/6d6f889c-e58d-4caa-8f3b-8b93154fe206_en?filename=SAFE%20Regulation.pdf

Trump reportedly plans to tap US general to head International Stabilization Force-According to Israeli official cited by Axios, Mike Waltz told Netanyahu he knows the unnamed general personally and ‘he is a very serious guy’; move means the US intends to lead the force-By Reuters and Jacob Magid-11 December 2025, 5:10 pm

US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza.The report in the Axios news site on Thursday, citing two US officials and two Israeli officials, did not name the general in question.According to the report, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel this week that the Trump administration is going to lead the ISF and appoint a two-star general as its commander.An Israeli official quoted by the news site said that “Waltz even said he knows the general personally and stressed he is a very serious guy.”The appointment would mean that the US will officially command the nascent security force, but White House officials stressed to the site that there will not be any US boots on the ground in Gaza.The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on November 17 authorized a Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Under the plan, IDF forces — who currently control 53 percent of Gaza — will gradually withdraw as ISF troops deploy in the Strip.Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he will only announce the members of the Board of Peace overseeing the postwar management of Gaza early next year.Last week, US officials told The Times of Israel that Washington was aiming to announce a transition to phase two of Trump’s Gaza peace deal and the members of the various bodies involved by Christmas.But after US officials told reporters on December 4 there was a two-week deadline for announcing the transition to phase two of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, a reporter in the White House asked the US president when he would announce the makeup of the Board of Peace.“We’ll do it early next year,” Trump responded Wednesday, all but shutting down speculation that an announcement will be made earlier.He reiterated that the board will be headed by him and made up of many world leaders who have expressed interest in joining. So far, none of those people have come forward.The role of the board will be largely symbolic, as an intermediate-level executive committee filled by Trump’s top aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff along with former UK prime minister Tony Blair and former UN envoy to the Mideast Nikolay Mladenov will be more directly involved in overseeing the Palestinian technocratic government, which is also slated to be announced by Washington, US officials have said.Speaking Wednesday at the tail end of a visit to Israel, Waltz stressed that Washington expects the ISF to fulfill its mandate by engaging in the disarmament process, in comments that may not sit well with countries on the fence about joining.“The stabilization force in the Security Council resolution is authorized to [disarm Hamas]. We specifically put language in there that said, ‘by all means necessary.’ That’ll be a conversation with each country,” Waltz said in an interview with Channel 12 news.“[Conversations on the] rules of engagement [for the ISF] are ongoing,” he added. “President Trump has repeatedly said, Hamas will disarm one way or another — the easy way or the hard way.”While Waltz publicly named Azerbaijan as a likely contributor, an Azerbaijani official told The Times of Israel over the weekend that Baku is far from making that decision.The official said Azerbaijan was only open to taking part in peacekeeping, not a peace-enforcement mission, echoing comments from other Arab and Muslim countries pitched on the ISF, who believe involvement in the forced disarmament of a reluctant Hamas manifestly falls into the latter category.One of the issues holding countries back is Israel’s veto on Turkish involvement in the ISF. Some potential contributors feel that Ankara is needed as an insurance policy, given its ties to Hamas and its role as a mediator and guarantor of the ceasefire.Waltz indicated that the US is still working to shift the Israeli stance on the issue, telling Channel 12 that conversations on the matter are “ongoing.”

EU probes Chinese airport scanner firm over subsidies.

Brussels, Belgium, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-The European Union said Thursday it has opened an investigation into Chinese group Nuctech, a supplier of airport and port scanners, on suspicion it benefited from illegal subsidies.The probe stems from surprise European Commission inspections carried out at Nuctech's premises in Poland and the Netherlands in April 2024.The commission said it believes certain forms of Chinese government support to Nuctech "may constitute foreign subsidies distorting the internal market".Through a mix of grants, preferential tax measures, and preferential financing, the commission said it had "concerns" that subsidies for the firm may have "negatively affected competition" in the 27-nation EU.Nuctech, which manufactures detection scanners for airports, ports and customs services, was banned in 2021 by Lithuania over national security concerns."Threat detection systems... play an essential role in ensuring that Europe is open, yet secure," EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said in announcing the probe."So we want a level playing field on the market for such systems," she said.The investigation was opened under EU rules adopted in 2023 aimed at tackling unfair competition from foreign companies receiving state aid.Nuctech is a subsidiary of state-controlled Chinese group Tsinghua Tongfang, which is active in nuclear technology, IT and detection systems across several sectors.In a statement, the firm acknowledged the commission probe and stressed that it operates "independently, transparently, and in full accordance with international trade and competition rules.""We respect the commission's role in ensuring fair and transparent market conditions within the European Union," Nuctech said, while calling for the facts to be "assessed accurately and in an unbiased manner."

Taiwan to keep production of 'most advanced' chips at home: deputy FM.

Taipei, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Taiwan plans to keep making the "most advanced" chips on home soil and remain "indispensable" to the global semiconductor industry, the deputy foreign minister told AFP, despite intense Chinese military pressure.The democratic island makes more than half of the world's chips, and nearly all of the most advanced ones, that power everything from smartphones to AI data centres.Its dominance of the industry has long been seen as a "silicon shield" protecting it from an invasion or blockade by China -- which claims the island is part of its territory -- and an incentive for the United States to defend it.But the threat of a Chinese attack has fuelled concerns about potential disruptions to global supply chains and has increased pressure for more chip production beyond Taiwan's shores."We will try to maintain the most advanced technology in Taiwan, and to be sure that Taiwan continues to play an indispensable role" in the semiconductor ecosystem, Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Chih-chung Wu told AFP in an interview Wednesday."I think it's the same logic for every country, even countries not under such a very complicated geopolitical situation."China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, deploying on an almost daily basis fighter jets and warships around the island.Taiwan has responded by increasing defence spending to upgrade its military equipment and improve its ability to wage asymmetric warfare.- 'Core interest' -The island does not have enough land, water or energy to accommodate the fabrication plants, or fabs, needed to meet soaring demand for chips, "so step by step we enlarge our investment in the world, but still linking with Taiwan", said Wu, who was previously the representative to France.Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, has already invested in fabs in the United States, Japan and Germany.And earlier this year the firm pledged to spend an additional US$100 billion on US chip plants, as President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on overseas-made semiconductors.However, replicating TSMC's factories in the United States is full of challenges, said Wu, citing Taiwan's "very special culture to make the semiconductors very well".The best way to reduce risks to the chip industry was not to move fabs abroad but to "prevent the war", Wu said.US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said recently he had proposed to Taiwan a 50-50 split in chip production, an idea that Taipei rejected.While Washington is Taiwan's most important security backer, some of Trump's comments about the island and flip-flopping on Ukraine have raised doubts over his willingness to defend it.Wu, however, expressed confidence that the United States, as well as Europe, would respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan in order to protect their "national interest" in the region."It just happens that your interest and Taiwan's interest we share together," Wu said.Those interests, he said, included the semiconductor industry but also peace, and freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait, which is a key international shipping route."I think Donald Trump understands better and better, day by day, the strategic importance of Taiwan... and will defend American interests in his own way," Wu said."We are the core interest of China, but we are also a core interest of the US."

AI's $400 bn problem: Are chips getting old too fast?

New York, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-In pursuit of the AI dream, the tech industry this year has plunked down about $400 billion on specialized chips and data centers, but questions are mounting about the wisdom of such unprecedented levels of investment.At the heart of the doubts: overly optimistic estimates about how long these specialized chips will last before becoming obsolete.With persistent worries of an AI bubble and so much of the US economy now riding on the boom in artificial intelligence, analysts warn that the wake-up call could be brutal and costly."Fraud" is how renowned investor Michael Burry, made famous by the movie "The Big Short," described the situation on X in early November.Before the AI wave unleashed by ChatGPT, cloud computing giants typically assumed that their chips and servers would last about six years.But Mihir Kshirsagar of Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy says the "combination of wear and tear along with technological obsolescence makes the six-year assumption hard to sustain."One problem: chip makers -- with Nvidia the unquestioned leader -- are releasing new, more powerful processors much faster than before.Less than a year after launching its flagship Blackwell chip, Nvidia announced that Rubin would arrive in 2026 with performance 7.5 times greater.At this pace, chips lose 85 to 90 percent of their market value within three to four years, warned Gil Luria of financial advisory firm D.A. Davidson.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made the point himself in March, explaining that when Blackwell was released, nobody wanted the previous generation of chip anymore."There are circumstances where Hopper is fine," he added, referring to the older chip. "Not many."AI processors are also failing more often than in the past, Luria noted."They run so hot that sometimes the equipment just burns out," he said.A recent Meta study on its Llama AI model found an annual failure rate of 9 percent.- Profit risk -For Kshirsagar and Burry alike, the realistic lifespan of these AI chips is just two or three years.Nvidia pushed back in an unusual November statement, defending the industry's four-to-six-year estimate as based on real-world evidence and usage trends.But Kshirsagar believes these optimistic assumptions mean the AI boom rests on "artificially low" costs -- and consequences are inevitable.If companies were forced to shorten their depreciation timelines, "it would immediately impact the bottom line" and slash profits, warned Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research."This is where companies get in trouble with creative bookkeeping."The fallout could ripple through an economy increasingly dependent on AI, analysts warn.Luria isn't worried about giants like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft, which have diverse revenue streams. His concern focuses on AI specialists like Oracle and CoreWeave.Both companies are already heavily indebted while racing to buy more chips to compete for cloud customers.Building data centers requires raising significant capital, Luria points out."If they look like they're a lot less profitable" because equipment must be replaced more frequently, "it will become more expensive for them to raise the capital."The situation is especially precarious because some loans use the chips themselves as collateral.Some companies hope to soften the blow by reselling older chips or using them for less demanding tasks than cutting-edge AI.A chip from 2023, "if economically viable, can be used for second-tier problems and as a backup," Peddie said.

Luciditi first to claim certification across full spectrum of UK trust framework roles-Two new qualifying roles aim to give firms more granular insight into DIATF compliance-Dec 11, 2025, 5:45 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

Digital identity firm Luciditi has become the first provider to certify against all five roles of the UK’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF). An announcement from the firm says that means it is now certified as an Identity Provider, Attribute Provider and Orchestration Service, as well as two new roles included in version 0.4 of the DIATF: Holder Service and Component Service.“Achieving certification across all five roles is more than a technical milestone – it’s a statement of trust,” says Philip Young, CTO of Luciditi. By covering the full spectrum of roles, he says, the Luciditi platform ensures that every interaction meets the highest standards of compliance and security.“We’re enabling businesses to adopt digital identity services with confidence, while giving individuals control over their data in a way that is simple, secure and interoperable with other DVS provider services.” (These include Yoti, Post Office EasyID and Lloyds Bank Smart ID.)The Luciditi app now officially boasts the Holder Service certification, and the Luciditi Mobile SDK Component Service brings Luciditi’s trusted age and ID checks directly into apps and services customers already use.Luciditi says the latter is aimed at retail, hospitality and other consumer-facing sectors, to enable businesses to offer age and identity verification without rebuilding digital infrastructure.UK government to digital verification providers: know your role-The Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) have published an explainer on the five different roles that can qualify a service for certification under DIATF, including the two added in the recent pre-release of the gamma (0.4) publication of the framework.Holder service providers (HSPs) “allow users to store and manage their identity and attribute information for future reuse. Digital wallets and personal data stores are both types of holder services.” The Luciditi app is a pertinent example.Component service providers (CSPs) “specialize in just part of the various identity verification or authentication processes, such as fraud checks or biometric face scans.” CSPs might provide pieces of technology for other IDV and digital ID vendors.These two roles join the three existing designations. Identity service providers (IDSPs) prove and verify a user’s identity at a single point in time; they might also be called identity verification providers. Attribute service providers (ASPs) “collect, create, check, or share a single piece of information about a user, for example that they are over a certain age.” Age assurance providers – which also describes Luciditi – fall into this category.Orchestration service providers (OSPs) “act as the ‘pipes’ between different parts of the digital identity market to support secure data sharing between different participants.” These services connect and conduct data between entities in the identity ecosystem.The government says that “by splitting-out the holder and component service provider roles in the gamma publication, our primary aim was to provide greater clarity for these kinds of providers. This should make it easier to ensure that services are meeting the right certification requirements.”Services can, like Luciditi, be certified under multiple roles. That’s not mandatory – but,“end-to-end services that work with certified CSPs may find it easier and cheaper to prove compliance during their own certifications, as these parts will already have met the trust framework’s standards.”

UK startup’s AOT biometric sensor could bring liveness detection to curved surfaces-Dec 11, 2025, 4:21 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Manchester, England-based Smartkem says it has developed a biometric sensor out of an all-organic transistor (AOT) in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).The optical sensor is the first of its kind, Smartkem claims, and can be used for fingerprint or palm biometrics on flexible or curved surfaces. The novel semiconductor technology increases the sensitivity of optical recognition in these kinds of implementations, which the researchers suggest could enable advanced biometric liveness detection. The sensor is capable of capturing subtle signals like motion or blood flow with multi-wavelength or dynamic imaging, according to the announcement.The innovation is described in a research paper titled “Flexible 256×256 All-Organic-Transistor Active-Matrix Optical Imager with Integrated Gate Driver” and co-authored by Smartkem CTO Dr. Simon Ogier. The research has been accepted for publication by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was presented at the 71st Annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting on Wednesday.“This is a true world-first and a powerful demonstration of the many potential use cases for Smartkem’s organic transistor platform,” said Ian Jenks, Chairman and CEO of Smartkem. “By creating the first fully all-organic-transistor active-matrix biometric sensor, we’ve shown that OTFT technology can outperform conventional inorganic sensors in sensitivity, while enabling entirely new classes of flexible, curved biometric devices. This work opens the door to a new generation of lightweight, high-performance bio- and optical sensing.”Researchers from several companies have explored the potential for Organic photodetectors and transistors to enable advanced biometric functions on different types of devices.Smartkem says its IP portfolio includes 140 patents granted across 17 families.

Report claims UK eVisa system uses migrants as digital ID testing ground.Dec 11, 2025, 11:27 am EST    | Lu-Hai Liang

A new report raises alarm over the UK’s mandatory digital immigration status system, claiming that migrants may have been used as a testing ground for the government’s wider digital ID ambitions.The “Exclusion by Design: Digital Identification and the Hostile Environment for Migrants” report comes from researchers at the University of Warwick and University of Leicester, working with Migrant Voice and the Open Rights Group.It examines the rollout of the Home Office’s eVisa platform, which from June 2025 requires nearly all migrants entering or residing in the UK to prove their legal status exclusively through digital means.Since July 15, the UK has been preparing to officially transition to electronic visas, replacing physical visa documents with the eVisa, a secure online record of immigration status linked with a person’s passport. Millions of people already hold eVisas, which were designed to replace biometric residence cards (BRC), passport endorsements and vignette stickers in passports.According to the new report, the transition from physical documents such as Biometric Residence Permits to an online-only system has created “substantial barriers” for migrants. This includes legal uncertainty, emotional distress and exclusion from work, housing, travel and access to public services.Technical glitches, limited digital literacy, language barriers and inadequate support have compounded the difficulties, according to the report, leaving many migrants fearful that even minor errors could jeopardize their rights.The researchers argue that the eVisa system effectively pilots a digital identity infrastructure on a precarious population, normalizing experimental forms of digital identification before extending them to the wider public.The UK’s former head of MI6 (the country’s intelligence service), Sir Alex Younger, called for the introduction of digital ID cards to combat irregular migration and employment earlier this year. The UK government has since introduced a mandatory national digital identity plan, with Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones meeting with digital ID providers recently, as parliament sees heated debates over the scheme.Meanwhile, the Exclusion by Design report highlights how migrants are forced to repeatedly generate temporary “share codes” to prove their status, creating what it calls a “politics of exhaustion” that places disproportionate burdens on the most vulnerable.The report suggests that migrants’ experiences vary depending on their digital literacy, language proficiency and socio-economic resources. Those already marginalized face the greatest risks of exclusion, while even those able to navigate the system report feeling trapped and mistrustful of its reliability. Across all groups, participants described the platform as “unreadable, unreliable, unstable, stressful, and time-consuming.”The report makes a series of recommendations, including immediate support services, multilingual guidance, rapid remedies for technical errors and better communication with employers, landlords and service providers. Longer-term reforms call for legal safeguards, meaningful engagement with civil society, and an end to the purported experimental use of migrants as a test population for digital identity systems.“By prioritising accessibility, transparency and accountability, the Home Office can ensure that the digitalisation of public services does not compromise migrants’ rights,” the authors write. “Failure to act will perpetuate systemic exclusion, deepen inequalities and erode trust in public authorities.”The Home Office has yet to respond to the findings.

Ethiopia looking for contractor to supply 20M pre-personalized resident ID cards-Dec 11, 2025, 10:15 am EST    | Ayang Macdonald

Ethiopia’s National Identification Program (NIDP) has launched a call to tender for the delivery of 20 million secure pre-personalized resident identification cards.Interested companies have until January 9, 2026, to bid for the contract which is part of the Digital ID for Services and Inclusion Project sponsored by the World Bank.The firm that gets the contract will be expected to deliver, within a period of six months, cards that are tamper-proof, durable, and not easily forged, according to the call for bids.NIDP says companies willing to bid for the pre-personalized ID card contract must meet certain criteria including the submission of financial statements of the last three years, proof of experience in secure card manufacturing, and the successful completion of similar and complex projects worth $15 million.Bids must be accompanied by a bid security of 14 million Ethiopian Birr (US$140,000) or any other freely convertible currency, the announcement indicates. A bid document should also contain technical specifications, delivery timelines, and financial proposal details.Bidding will be conducted in line with the World Bank’s procurement rules and bids must be submitted in physical copies and addressed to NIDP.The winner shall be selected after an evaluation process based on compliance with technical standards, security features, production capacity, and cost-effectiveness.Any further information concerning the bidding process can be obtained from the Digital ID for Inclusion and Services Project Management Unit, either electronically or through visits on weekdays.The delivery of 20 million pre-personalised cards is part of Ethiopia’s ongoing Fayda digital ID project. Enrollment for digital ID is advancing and NIDP has set a target to issue 90 million digital IDs by 2030.Ethiopia recently launched a new five-year digital transformation strategy dubbed Digital Ethiopia 2030.

Ethiopia banks harmonize customer account information with Fayda digital ID-Dec 11, 2025, 9:34 am EST    | Ayang Macdonald

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has issued a directive calling on all banks and financial institutions under its control to make sure the account information of customers aligns with that of their Fayda digital ID.As part of the move, the NBE has set a strict deadline for all active bank accounts in all parts of the country to be linked to the Fayda digital ID. The integration process started on December 1 and will end on March 30, 2026.The NBE said in a press statement issued on December 10 that the main objective of the move is to further support the country’s digital transformation agenda and ensure seamless integration of citizen data, in line with the Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy.With the data harmonization, bank customers will be able to easily transfer funds between banks, access their bank accounts using a single national ID, use banking services more conveniently, and allow banks to maintain accurate and up-to-date customer records, thereby improving service delivery and enhancing financial inclusion.Per the central bank, customers can complete the integration either using a mobile app or by visiting their bank branch in-person.“All customers are urged to complete this integration before the deadline. New customers who have not yet registered for a national ID must first complete registration at designated centers before opening an account,” the NBE directed. Banks recently received 2,000 biometric kits to carry out Fayda enrollment.With regard to new bank account opening, the apex bank instructed all banks to do so using the VeriFayda 2 digital Know Your Customer (eKYC) system.“Previously, banks used the VeriFayda 1 system for account opening. Moving forward, all banks will transition to the enhanced VeriFayda 2 system (EthSwitch eKYC Service), which offers improved functionality and security. This upgrade was developed with the support of Ethiopian technology experts and will continue to receive ongoing support,” the statement reads.“Accordingly, banks are mandated to migrate from the old VeriFayda 1 (eKYC Service) system to the new VeriFayda 2 (new eKYC Service) system for both new account openings and the harmonization of existing accounts. The VeriFayda 1 system will be discontinued upon completion of this transition.”This new move by the NBE follows another directive earlier this year for banks to require the Fayda digital ID for all banking transactions. The measure is being implemented in some regions of the country, and a nationwide enforcement will begin on January 1, 2026. Ethiopian citizens in the diaspora were given a two-year waiver from the policy.The NBE’s data harmonization directive comes just days after national payment switch EthSwitch singed a partnership agreement which it hopes should make Ethiopia a nation with the best digital payments network by 2035.

SecuGen upgrades all-in-one fingerprint biometrics scanner for scale deployments-Unity 20 USB-S Plus stores 20K templates-Dec 11, 2025, 9:21 am EST    | Chris Burt

SecuGen has unveiled a new version of its Unity 20 USB-S fingerprint recognition system with internal storage capacity for up to 20,000 biometric templates for large-scale, high volume biometric applications.The new Unity 20 USB-S Plus optical fingerprint scanner performs biometric matches on-device with the same U20-A sensor used in the original Unity 20 USB-S, released in September, and previous models from SecuGen. It features the company’s flagship U20-ASFX-US module and communicates with host equipment using Serial-over-USB.Biometric enrollment, template extraction, 1-to-1 verification or high-speed 1-to-N identification with SecuGen’s SecuSearch algorithm all occur on the device itself, according to the announcement.“We designed the Unity 20 USB-S Plus to meet the needs of large-scale, real-world deployments where storing on-device templates, fast identification, and rugged reliability are critical,” says Dan Riley, SecuGen’s VP of engineering.The Unity 20 USB-S Plus with a Fingerprint Manager System (FMS) listener application, so developers and integrators can use the same FMS protocol across the company’s Unity and SDA product lines. The U20-ASFX-US sensor module and Unity Developer Kit are also available for OEMs and system integrators to customize the system with.“We are continually working on products and tools to assist our developer partners,” says SecuGen CEO Won Lee. “This upgraded Unity 20 USB-S Plus is just the latest product in that regard. We remain focused and committed to building the best portfolio of products with the features needed by development organizations in the industry.”The Plus version provides “Auto-On” finger detection, SecuGen’s patented SEIR-based optical sensor and Smart Capture software for adjustments to tolerate challenging subjects or environmental conditions, and is FBI-certified for Mobile ID FAP 20 and compliant with PIV-071006 and PIV/FIPS 201 image quality and interoperability requirements.

Clear to provide online biometric identity verification for US Medicare beneficiaries-Partnership with CMS moves needle on plan to ‘kill the clipboard’ in healthcare-Dec 10, 2025, 6:30 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

Clear has scored a major contract in the healthcare industry. A release from the firm says it has inked a deal with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the single largest payer for health care services in the United States, to modernize identity verification for Medicare beneficiaries and providers on Medicare.gov.Its Clear1 secure identity platform will enable biometric identity verification completed with a selfie, for account creation, account recovery and access to healthcare information.Still arguably best known as the airport biometrics company, Clear has been making inroads into the healthcare sector of late with its Clear1 secure identity platform. Per the release, Clear1 is HIPAA-compliant and Full Service certified by Kantara Initiative against NIST IAL2/AAL2, denoting it as a high-assurance digital identity layer suited for healthcare environments facing an increasing risk of fraud and identity theft.Clear1 already boasts partnerships with Epic, Welldoc, Wellstar Health, University of Miami Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, Community Health Network and others. This week it announced a partnership with Atlanta-based Sharecare, to integrate Clear1 into as the trust infrastructure for Sharecare’s AskMD, an “AI-enabled health navigation and decision support solution.”Clear, Sharecare aligned with gov’t stance on Medicaid reform-Both Clear and Sharecare are among those collaborating with CMS to support a “voluntary, standards-based ecosystem of private-sector technology partners that integrate with the CMS Aligned Network,” according to a release. Jeff Arnold, executive chairman of Sharecare, says.AskMD “harnesses the art of what’s possible into a single trusted, interoperable and scalable health navigation and decision support solution, and Clear shares our position that trusted identity across the healthcare system is a critical foundation for delivering these services responsibly.”In tandem with the White House, CMS has made “health tech ecosystem alignment” one of its priorities, as it aims to usher in digital transformation and “kill the clipboard.”The Medicare.gov partnership will further advance those goals.“We’re pleased to support CMS in advancing more secure and seamless access to healthcare information for Medicare beneficiaries,” says David Bardan, general manager and head of healthcare at Clear. “Identity challenges impact Americans of every background, and outdated processes create real barriers to care. Clear1’s reusable, high-assurance identity can help reduce those barriers and strengthen the delivery of care for millions across the country.”Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of Clear, says the company has “spent more than 15 years building public-private partnerships grounded in the belief that identity is foundational to trust. Bringing Clear1 to Medicare.gov builds on that work and reflects our long-standing commitment to improving access to care.”

GOV.UK app downloads jump to more than 250K in November-Government takes stock of public reception, looks to data insights for improvement-Dec 10, 2025, 5:37 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

It’s been five months since the GOV.UK app launched in public beta, enabling UK citizens to access government services on their mobile devices, and the departments in charge are eager to celebrate some milestones.On its blog, the Government Digital Service says the numbers show strong organic growth for the program. “As of early October, there had been 140,000 downloads of the app. That number jumped to almost 260,000  as of 24 November, highlighting the great progress we’ve made in such a short space of time.”The July launch was technically a public beta. Development continues as the government looks to integrate the app and the forthcoming GOV.UK Wallet, the UK’s answer to the EU Digital Identity Wallet program.In the meantime, the GDS says the beta period has allowed it to gain insights into functionality, user preferences and potential improvements.What’s working with GOV.UK, and what’s to come-Users have embraced personalization options, with more than 80 percent having customized their homepage. Ease of use is a noted positive, as is the value of UX features like nudges and shortcuts to previously visited pages. Universal Credit, Driving Tests and applying for apprenticeships are what returning users come back for most often.In 2026, GDS and its new parent agency, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), will continue to refine personalization options, add more in-app content related to popular topics like driving and travel, and build on a pilot that brings “the ability for users to ask questions in their own words and get answers though our AI-powered GOV.UK Chat.”Clear objectives, data-driven decision making power GOV.UK Pay-The GOV.UK app is in the spotlight, but the system has been powering payments through GOV.UK Pay since 2016. Another blog from GDS says that, in the years since, it has “helped more than 570 public sector organisations process over 120 million individual transactions through more than 1,500 services. Recently, we’ve also surpassed the 8 billion pound milestone in payments.”In tracing the payment system’s path to success, GDS points to clear objectives and benchmarks as drivers. The team knew what it wanted to do, which it laid out in six goals: diversify payment types; enhance the user journey; improve the public sector users’ experience of managing card payments; make it easier for the GOV.UK Pay team to improve the product; run a resilient, scalable, secure and cost efficient service; and improve departmental knowledge of procurement and suppliers.Beyond that, a granular approach to data feedback has been essential to understanding how the app is working, and how the team expects it to grow: “because of the consistent growth of services joining GOV.UK Pay we can see that we are likely to get around a 25 percent increase year-on-year in services taking a payment. Our transaction growth (the number of payments that we process) is expected to increase 18 percent year-on-year.”GDS also intends to keep refining GOV.UK Pay, and has “released a procurement so that users will be able to pay by bank (also known as open banking).”Clouds forming above public-private faceoff over digital ID-The skies are not all blue for GOV.UK, however. There is ongoing tension over concerns that the government is horning in on the private digital identity sector it helped incubate. The debate has been inflamed by the new push to implement a UK digital identity. Moreover, the service has been plagued by questions about the trustworthiness of the GOV.UK One Login system, which has suffered security breaches and compliance issues; earlier this year, One Login lost its certification under the government’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)  when its biometric technology supplier, iProov, allowed its certification to lapse.

African digital ID systems need better governance by stronger independent bodies: Researchers-Dec 5, 2025, 1:38 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Digital ID systems backed by biometrics are being imposed on Africans, preventing millions from receiving essential services they are entitled to, according to a new report from the UK-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS).The report “Digital-ID in Africa: Assessing progress and challenges to date” looks at 10 countries; Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, and Tunisia. It uses the Evaluation Framework for Digital Identity developed in 2019 by the India-based Centre for Internet and Society. The CIS and Research ICT Africa applied the Framework to the digital ID systems being deployed across Africa in 2021.Researchers carried out 15 diagnostic tests to assess the legal foundations, human rights implications and risk considerations of digital identity systems.Sophisticated legal frameworks that protect human rights are in place in some African nations, the researchers found, but gaps and failings effect even those with adequate laws in place. As argued in other analysis, African governments must enable strong, independent governance of digital identity systems to realize their benefits while protecting human rights.“Translating legal provisions into tangible benefits also requires that adequate resources and expertise are dedicated to independent oversight and redress mechanisms to correct mistakes and errors that inevitably occur and demand prompt and adequate attention,” the report authors write.Common concerns around inadequate data privacy, particularly for biometrics, mission creep and exclusion are reflected in observations about all of the countries examined, though to varying degrees.The researchers conclude that “Africa’s biometric-ID systems blocking citizens from rights and services,” an outcome difficult to avoid given their observation that “Digital-ID systems in Africa emerged from colonial tools of control and post-independence mechanisms of power consolidation, and are now digitised infrastructures that increasingly serve government and corporate interests.”“To address these gaps,” they argue, “African countries must shift from rhetorical commitment to practical governance: adopting clear, enforceable protections; empowering independent regulators; and ensuring inclusive participation by those most affected.”

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6  I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.

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

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

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

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

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

6.7-114 km ENE of Hachinohe, Japan-2025-12-12 02:44:11 (UTC)-10.7 km (JUST HAPPENED)

Trip from hell': Landslides, flooding shut B.C. roads as rail, U.S. border traffic also hit-A chaotic night had mudslides and washouts on multiple highways, prompting the Ministry of Transportation to issue an advisory to drivers to avoid some routes-Author of the article:By Sarah Grochowski-Published Dec 11, 2025

“All travellers should be aware that conditions can change rapidly, with limited visibility due to high-intensity rainfall, pooling water, localized flooding and the potential for rising river levels to contribute to flooding in areas of the Fraser Valley, which could further impact road conditions,” the ministry said Wednesday.A mudslide on Highway 1 between Popkum and Hope blocked the route Haire was attempting to use Thursday.“It’s been the trip from hell,” Haire said.By Thursday morning, most of the major routes into the Lower Mainland remained closed, including Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton.Highway 1 was closed in both directions east of Bridal Falls, as was Highway 99 east of Pemberton. Highway 7 was closed east of Agassiz following a rock slide. Highway 5 was reopened in both directions later Thursday.Flooded railway at Boundary Road on the Sumas prairie. Water levels are rising on the Canada-US border at Huntingdon Thursday, as water from recent rainfall spills into the Sumas prairie. Several h Water levels are rising at Boundary Road and Second Avenue on the Canada-U.S. border at Huntington on Thursday, Dec. 11, as water from recent rainfall spills into the Sumas prairie. At least one business, Enviro Corp Recycling, was forced to evacuate.B.C. Flooding Live: Abbotsford evacuation order expanded to 400 properties, 1,800 on alert | Five people, four dogs rescued after stranded by floods | Some highways have reopened but most still closed-It was time for umbrellas as people were met by heavy rainfall Wednesday as an atmospheric river moved through the region bringing massive amounts of precipitation.Rainfall records broken in Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley-Thursday afternoon, emergency crews in Abbotsford responded to a landslide on the southeast edge of the Sumas Prairie that disrupted a section of the Southern Railway of B.C. line, which moves freight, including farm goods and cross-border shipments between the Fraser Valley and Vancouver.The adverse weather also hampered cross-border travel.The Sumas border was closed to commercial traffic, and Border Services asked drivers to avoid Highway 11 because of flooding in Washington state. Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver was also halted because of high water on the Skagit River, and was expected to be out of operation until Friday.Janelle Staite, minister of transportation and infrastructure, said Thursday ministry staff and maintenance crews were on the ground while ministry engineers conducted an aerial assessment by helicopter to evaluate risks and identify corridor impacts.“While there are road impacts, we are not near the (level) of infrastructure damage that we experienced during the 2021 event.”Staite said ground patrols of Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon confirmed that there was no damage, and the risk of debris had subsided.“So we’ve been able to reopen this road fully in both directions.”Geotechnical engineers will begin clearing the rockfall on Highway 7, between Agassiz and Hope, allowing the highway to reopen to single lane, alternating traffic.Highway 1 eastbound in the Bridal Falls area remained closed due to a mudslide. Highway 8 was closed except for local traffic.The forecast is for rain Friday. It looks like some respite with mainly cloudy skies on Saturday, but that’s followed by consistent rain from Sunday to at least next Wednesday.– With files from Tiffany Crawford and Glenda Luymes

Rainfall records broken in Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley-The rainfall warnings have ended but more rain is in the forecast for the Fraser Valley, where flooding led to evacuations late Wednesday.Author of the article:By Tiffany Crawford-Published Dec 11, 2025

An atmospheric river that hit B.C.’s South Coast Wednesday broke several records for rainfall in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.Seventeen daily precipitation records were broken in B.C. on Dec. 10, with the highest amount of rain falling in Hope at 134.2 mm, beating a record 74.5 mm from 2004, according to Ken Dosanjh, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Over Tuesday and Wednesday, Hope recorded 140 mm.Agassiz and Chilliwack both recorded 91.8 mm, smashing a record 52.6 mm set in 1896, while Abbotsford hit 86.2 mm, breaking its previous extreme of 56.7 mm in 2004.Dosanjh said some of the other records that were broken were in White Rock, Esquimalt, Victoria, Langley, and Pitt Meadows. Langley, for example, set a record 56.7 mm beating the previous mark of 55.6 mm while White Rock hit 45 mm, up from 33.8 mm set in 2004.“We did see that first push move through Monday, that kind of pre-saturated all the soil. And then the second event that we saw Tuesday night into Wednesday was longer in duration, but a little more intensity,” he said.“Looking forward, we are continuing to have this wet stream so caution is definitely needed. We’ll continue to monitor the forecast for sure, because we are looking at generally a wet, active pattern.”Dosanjh said high pressure systems are stagnant over the Yukon and California.“Think of it almost like the bread of a sandwich, where these two things are outside and inside, you’ve created essentially a storm highway where these Pacific weather systems have nowhere to go but towards B.C.’s South Coast, the North Central Coast, and Washington,” he said.He added this pattern is likely to continue for the next few days, or even a week.“We definitely have to be a little more heightened and aware of these upcoming storms. So that’s something that we’re going to continue to watch out for. And the best way for the public to be prepared is by staying informed.”B.C.’s River Forecast Centre upgraded a flood watch for the Fraser Valley to a flood warning Wednesday, while a high streamflow advisory remains in effect for Vancouver Island, much of the B.C. coast and southeast B.C.The flood warning covers the Sumas River, including the potential for spillover from the Nooksack River and the Lower Fraser tributaries including the Chilliwack, Skagit and Coquihalla rivers and other areas of the Fraser Valley around Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Hope and east through Manning Park.Dosanjh said Fraser Valley residents should have a break in the rain Thursday but there could be up to 10 mm more falling on Friday.“But again, as we start to look more toward the end of the week, Sunday into early next week, we’re going to have to heed caution on any potential systems that come through the area. So far, they don’t look to be as extreme as what we’ve seen thus far, but nevertheless, it’s kind of those additive effects that kind of create the increased vulnerabilities,” he said.

Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems by Clarence Oxford.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 11, 2025-The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems' FAST Labs research, development, and production organization a $16 million Phase 2 contract under the Oversight program, which is developing an autonomous space-based system to maintain continuous custody of many terrestrial assets using new satellite constellations.The Phase 2 award follows completion of Phase 1, when BAE Systems software was integrated into a modeling and simulation environment to demonstrate custody missions with representative satellite and sensor models. In the second phase, the company will further develop its solution algorithms and test performance with larger constellations, more complex scenarios, and higher fidelity modeling and simulation environments, ahead of physical deployment on tactical-edge satellites and ground stations."Future mission requirements are pushing capabilities to the tactical edge," said Dr. Ben Cooper, senior principal scientist at BAE Systems' FAST Labs research organization. "In space, this means operating primarily on-board satellites. Through this program, we will help make the space domain more tactically relevant for warfighters."Software and algorithms from the Oversight program are intended to run across proliferated, networked satellite constellations to deliver persistent surveillance at tactical timescales. Space-based coordination and on-orbit data processing are expected to cut latency and increase revisit rates, enabling near real-time tracking of targets.The program aims to increase the scale, availability, and timeliness of space-derived information to improve situational awareness and speed decision-making for military users. The integrated system is being designed to support custody of many assets over wide areas, linking multiple satellites and ground systems.Work will be performed at BAE Systems facilities in Burlington, Massachusetts, and Merrimack, New Hampshire, with technical contributions from subcontractor AIMdyn, Inc.

Fog temporarily halts flights at Baghdad airport.

Baghdad, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Iraqi authorities temporarily closed Baghdad International Airport early Thursday due to a thick fog that has reduced visibility, the transport ministry said.At around 12:30 am (2130 GMT), the ministry announced that "Baghdad International Airport has been temporarily closed to air traffic due to bad weather conditions and reduced visibility", according to the official INA press agency.Baghdad and other airports -- Najaf in central Iraq and Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdistan region -- will remain closed until at least midday, the ministry said in a new statement.A thick fog has blanketed the capital Baghdad and several areas in Iraq, drastically reducing visibility since the early morning hours, according to AFP correspondents.Heavy rains over the past two days caused flooding in several areas in Iraq, particularly in the northern autonomous Kurdistan region.Floods in the north killed at least three people, including a child, according to local authorities. A key bridge connecting the northern city of Kirkuk to Baghdad also collapsed.Authorities hope the heavy rains will help alleviate water shortages in drought-stricken Iraq, after water reserves in artificial lakes hit their lowest levels in the country's recent history following a dry season.Iraq, heavily impacted by climate change, has been ravaged for years by drought and low rainfall.

Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle by Clarence Oxford.

San Jose, CA (SPX) Dec 11, 2025-Momentus Inc. has been selected to participate in the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract vehicle, positioning the company to compete for rapid task orders under the program. The SHIELD effort, a component of the Pentagon's Golden Dome missile defense initiative, is intended to build a layered defensive architecture against advanced ballistic and cruise missile threats with a potential 10-year contract ceiling of $151 billion.The SHIELD contract structure provides the Missile Defense Agency with a mechanism to quickly acquire technologies judged important to national defense, including systems for missile tracking and resilient communications. Momentus expects task order competitions under SHIELD to be released on a regular basis across multiple mission categories as the Golden Dome initiative develops.Momentus plans to offer its flight-proven Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle and derivative platforms as candidates for SHIELD task orders. The company presents Vigoride as a configurable on-orbit services platform that can support missions such as space-based missile tracking, space-based communications, and potential space-based intercept capabilities.The same orbital service vehicle systems are also described as suitable for space superiority and space domain awareness roles, supporting the monitoring and protection of critical space assets. Momentus aims to provide options aligned with SHIELD's focus on resilience and rapid adaptation by adjusting payloads and configurations to new requirements.CEO John Rood stated: "Under SHIELD, Momentus stands ready to turn speed into effects. Our configurable on-orbit services can enable MDA to detect threats sooner, connect forces faster, and validate technologies today - leveraging our proven on-orbit performance. We look forward to supporting MDA and the Nation in this critical defense requirement."

Congress warned that the U.S. faces a new space race with China by Bridget Erin Craig.

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 4, 2025-The United States has entered a consequential new era of competition with China in space - one that lawmakers said will shape global power, economic security and military advantage for generations.House Science, Space and Technology Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairman Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., posed the issue during a hearing Thursday as a question for the future."Will humanity carry forward the American values of economic and political freedom, or those of the Chinese Communist Party? For generations the United States led humanity into space with unmatched ingenuity and without a true rival," Haridopolos asked.During the hearing, witnesses warned of China's expanding space program. Members of both parties cast the moment as a "defining challenge," arguing that U.S. leadership in space is at risk as Beijing accelerates its push for dominance.According to Dean Cheng, senior fellow at The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, "From the [Chinese Communist Party's] perspective, space contributes to all aspects of comprehensive national power - military, economic, diplomatic, political, scientific and technological, even cultural."Committee leaders said China is executing a long-term, whole-of-government strategy to surpass the United States across civil, commercial and military space capabilities. They pointed to Beijing's plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, establish a lunar research base by 2035 and return Mars samples years ahead of NASA.China has already accomplished a number of historic firsts, including landing and collecting samples from the far side of the moon."China has maintained a continuous human presence on its own space station since 2021 where their astronauts serve in six month rotations. In the coming years, China intends to deploy its own space based Internet service and expand its global alternative to GPS [global positioning system]," Haridopolos said.Lawmakers framed the stakes in stark terms, comparing today's competition to the 20th-century space race and even centuries-long rivalries between global powers.According to Haridopolos, China seeks not just to match the United States, but "to out pace, out maneuver and ultimately defeat our nation."Ranking members echoed that assessment, noting that China's space advances are tightly linked to national pride, geopolitical signaling and military advantage."The threat to American space systems is not simply anti-satellite weapons, but also jamming and cyber attacks," Cheng said.Along with the other witnesses Cheng highlighted China's growing arsenal of counterspace weapons, precision navigation systems and technologies such as in-orbit refueling and satellite capture. These capabilities are directly linked to strengthening the People's Liberation Army.The witnesses reinforced the urgency, describing China's methodical planning, rapid industrial capacity, and fusion of commercial and military space sectors."Military-civil fusion is about creating a fused national industrial base that can serve both military and civilian demands," Cheng said.While China still lags the United States in launch scale, witnesses said, it is closing the gap and leveraging long-term stability and strategic focus. They urged Congress to bolster U.S. science and research investment, strengthen partnerships and fully commit to maintaining American leadership in what they described as a generational contest.

IDF: Home Front Command on high alert-As Storm Byron bears down on Israel, authorities warn of unprecedented rain-Army sends soldiers on southern bases to weekend furlough early to ensure safe travel; search underway for 4 Israelis on yacht that dropped out of contact en route to Cyprus-By ToI Staff and Emanuel Fabian-10 December 2025, 1:30 pm

Intensive preparations were underway on Wednesday as Storm Byron, after battering Greece and Cyprus, hit Israel overnight, threatening flooding and high winds throughout the days to come.Amid the storm, a search and rescue operation was underway for five people, four of them Israelis, who had set off on a yacht from Ashdod days earlier and dropped out of contact Tuesday night while en route to Cyprus.In Israel, the rainfall was expected to intensify, peaking Wednesday night and Thursday, and residents of the entire country were warned to prepare for difficult weather conditions.“Winds will reach speeds of 90 km (56 miles) per hour in some places, with significant rain expected, the likes of which we have not seen,” Sgt. Yossi Deklo, from the Israeli Fire and Rescue Services, told the Kan public broadcaster.The Israel Meteorological Service issued “orange warnings” against swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and warned of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and floods throughout the country.The IDF Home Front Command was on high alert amid the storm, prepared to assist emergency services with “forming a situational picture and providing a rescue response” if required, the military said.Following a fresh assessment Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said that soldiers serving in remote bases in the south would be released for their weekend furlough early. The soldiers were being let off Wednesday, instead of Thursday or Friday, “to ensure their safe return home,” the army said.Flooding was expected in many areas of the south, where the IDF maintains several large training bases.Around the country, drainage infrastructure was expected to struggle to cope with the amounts of precipitation in the coming hours and days. Residents have been warned not to use elevators to reach underground parking lots after a tragic incident in 2020.The rainfall so far has been heaviest in coastal areas. About an inch (25 millimeters) of rain was measured in north Tel Aviv between midnight and 6 a.m. Wednesday, as the storm first reached the country.By 10 a.m., that figure had grown to 67 millimeters. Locales in the coastal region south of Haifa received about 100 millimeters in the same timeframe.Herzliya Mayor Yariv Fisher told the Ynet news site: “We’re able to take 24 millimeters (0.9 inches) per hour, not more than that. Israel’s system wasn’t built to take in more water than that.”“We’re trusting our teams, and telling our residents, not to take unnecessary chances. If you see a flooded road — don’t go there; is there an electric problem? don’t touch it,” he said.He also urged residents to check the roofs and grates in their houses to ensure there aren’t leaves or other material stuck in them.The Health Ministry said it warned hospitals and clinics to make preparations for the storm.The ministry also said that the parents of babies and young children, along with the elderly, should take particular care amid the wintry conditions.It said the public should try to stay active and warm indoors.Additionally, people should ensure that elderly people who are living alone are visited at least once a day, and should be on the lookout for cases of hypothermia, the ministry said.Contact lost with five on yacht near Cyprus, search underway-Meanwhile, there was grave concern on Wednesday for the lives of five people, including four Israelis, who were sailing on a yacht that dropped out of contact near Cyprus.Israel, Cyprus, and Greece were actively involved in the search efforts.The group included two Israeli couples in their 50s, according to Hebrew media. Outlets also reported, citing reports from Cyprus, that the yacht had not transmitted a distress signal before losing contact.“This is a race against the elements — every hour counts,” said a spokesperson for the Cypriot maritime authority, as quoted by the Greek City Times news site.Also on Wednesday, a plane bound for Israel from was diverted through Lebanese airspace amid stormy weather conditions, the Israel Airports Authority said. The Greek airline flight was under Cypriot air traffic control when the decision to divert was made for the sake of passenger safety.The IAA said responsibility for the flight was handed over to Israeli air traffic control once the plane had left Lebanese airspace.According to Channel 12 news, which first reported the unusual incident, the passengers on the Aegean Airlines flight from Larnaca in Cyprus were not aware at the time that they were in Lebanese airspace

Senior Hamas leader: We can mothball weapons but won’t disarm-Not in time for Christmas: Trump delays Gaza peace board unveiling to early 2026-US officials hoped president could announce transition to 2nd phase of peace plan before end of year, but insistence on having foreign force disarm Hamas is likely deterring potential partners-By Jacob Magid-and Noam Lehmann 11 December 2025, 3:04 am

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will announce the members of the Board of Peace overseeing the postwar management of Gaza early next year, in the latest sign the effort is stalling.Last week, US officials told The Times of Israel that Washington was aiming to announce a transition to phase two of Trump’s Gaza peace deal and the members of the various bodies involved by Christmas.But conversations are still in their initial stages regarding phase two and Hamas’s disarmament, which Israel says is a prerequisite for the reconstruction of Gaza in addition to the return of the last deceased hostage. The US has also yet to convince any country to join the International Stabilization Force that will be needed to replace Israeli forces in the eastern half of Gaza that Israel still controls.As the two-week deadline US officials gave to reporters on December 4 for announcing the phase two transition approaches, a reporter in the White House asked Trump when he would announce the makeup of the Board of Peace.“We’ll do it early next year,” Trump responded, all but shutting down speculation that an announcement will be made earlier.He reiterated that the board will be headed by him and made up of many world leaders who have expressed interest in joining. So far, none of those people have come forward.The role of the board will be largely symbolic, as an intermediate level executive committee filled by Trump’s top aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff along with former UK prime minister Tony Blair and former UN envoy to the Mideast Nikolay Mladenov more directly involved in overseeing the Palestinian technocratic governments which is also slated to be announced by Washington, US officials have said.To help implement the peace plan, the UN Security Council resolution adopted last month grants an international mandate for the International Stabilization Force, though the US has yet to announce any countries joining it, as just about all potential contributors are not seen as interested in engaging in clashing with Hamas in order to disarm the terror group or risking their soldiers being caught in the Israel-Hamas crossfire in Gaza.Speaking Wednesday at the tail end of a visit to Israel, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz stressed that Washington expects the ISF to fulfill its mandate by engaging in the disarmament process, in comments that may not sit well with countries on the fence about joining.“The stabilization force in the Security Council resolution is authorized to [disarm Hamas]. We specifically put language in there that said, ‘by all means necessary.’ That’ll be a conversation with each country. [Conversations on the] rules of engagement [for the ISF] are ongoing… President Trump has repeatedly said, Hamas will disarm one way or another — the easy way or the hard way,” Waltz said in an interview with Channel 12 news.While Waltz publicly named Azerbaijan as a likely contributor, an Azerbaijani official told The Times of Israel over the weekend that Baku is far from making such a decision.The official said Azerbaijan was only open to taking part in peace keeping, not a peace-enforcement mission, echoing comments from other Arab and Muslim countries pitched on the ISF, who believe involvement in the forced disarmament of a reluctant Hamas manifestly falls into the latter category.One of the issues holding countries back is Israel’s veto on Turkish involvement in the ISF. Potential contributors feel that Ankara is needed as an insurance policy, given its ties to Hamas and its role as a mediator and guarantor of the ceasefire.Waltz indicated that the US is still working to shift the Israeli stance on the issue, telling Channel 12 that conversations on the matter are “ongoing.”Asked whether the US will allow for the transition to phase two of Trump’s Gaza plan — where the ISF and a transitional mechanism for running Gaza are set up — before the body of the last hostage still held in the Strip is recovered, Waltz avoided answering directly but said that Washington is committed to bringing all captives home.Waltz was also pressed on reporting that in a call last week, Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be a better partner in the implementation of the Gaza peace plan.The US envoy downplayed the notion of a rift, insisting that the US-Israel relationship is as strong as ever under Trump, even if there are disagreements and “tough conversations” between “families” — a defense that was regularly used during Democratic administrations to downplay the notion of tensions between the countries.‘Total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance’Underscoring the difficulties on disarmament, senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said Wednesday that the terror group can “store” its weapons, but will not give them up as stipulated in Trump’s comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan.“There are those who want to impose their vision on us, contrary to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim position,” Mashal said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “For example, the issue of the resistance’s (Hamas’s) weapons.”“The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance. What is being proposed is a freeze, or storage (of weapons)… to provide guarantees against any military escalation from Gaza with the Israeli occupation,” he said.The experience of Palestinians is that “when the Palestinian is disarmed… massacres follow,” stated Mashal, citing the 1982 massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon that took place in the wake of the PLO’s expulsion from the country.“Disarmament for a Palestinian means stripping away his very soul,” he declared.Mashal also rejected the ISF as “occupation.”On the other hand, Hamas “has no objection that there be an international stabilization force on the borders,” said Mashal, citing UNIFIL, the international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, as a model.Mashal also praised Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saying that while Gaza as well as the West Bank paid a heavy price, the ensuing war with Israel exposed the country’s “ugly face” and gave the Palestinian cause new life among US and European youth.“Fifty-one percent of American youth are supportive not only of the Palestinian cause, but of Hamas,” Mashal said.AFP contributed to this report.

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.

Myanmar junta air strike on hospital kills 31, aid workers say.

Mrauk U, Myanmar, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-A Myanmar military air strike killed more than 30 people at a hospital, aid workers said Thursday, as the junta wages a withering offensive ahead of elections beginning this month.The junta has increased air strikes year-on-year since the start of Myanmar's civil war, conflict monitors say, after snatching power in a 2021 putsch ending a decade-long democratic experiment.The military has set polls starting December 28 -- touting the vote as an off-ramp to fighting -- but rebels have pledged to block it from territory they control, which the junta is battling to claw back.A military jet bombed the general hospital of Mrauk-U in western Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh, on Wednesday evening, two aid workers said.A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment.At least 20 bodies were visible on the ground outside the hospital overnight, while daybreak revealed rubble covering ward beds, masonry peppered by shrapnel and the nearby ground cratered."This is an inhuman act. It is vile and violent," said aid worker Wai Hun Aung -- who arrived on the scene on Thursday morning.He said 31 people were killed and 68 wounded."They are saying that they will hold elections on December 28," he added. "Even at this time, they are brutally killing the people."- Mass mourning -Carpenter Maung Bu Chay said the strike killed three of his loved ones -- his wife, daughter-in-law and her father."When someone informed me they were in the completely destroyed building, I realised they hadn't survived," said the 61-year-old."I feel resentful about their act. I feel strong anger and defiance in my heart."Locals hammered together plywood coffins outside a funeral hall where bodies lay inside, as mourners wept on their knees in a frenzy of grief.Hla Maung Oo, the chair of a local committee that organises free funerals, said the death toll of 31 included a months-old infant."We don't want this to happen again," he said. "It should not happen like this."Rakhine state is controlled almost in its entirety by the Arakan Army (AA) -- an ethnic minority separatist force active long before the military staged a coup toppling the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.A statement by the AA's health department said 10 hospital patients were "killed on the spot" in the air strike on Wednesday night.- State of decline -The AA has emerged as one of the most powerful opposition groups in the civil war ravaging Myanmar, alongside other ethnic minority fighters and pro-democracy partisans who took up arms after the coup.Scattered rebels initially struggled to make headway before a trio of groups led a joint offensive starting in 2023, backfooting the military and prompting it to bolster its ranks with conscripted troops.The AA was a key participant in the so-called "Three Brotherhood Alliance" but its two other factions this year agreed Chinese-brokered truces, leaving it as the last one standing.While the military-run election has been widely criticised by monitors including the United Nations, Beijing has emerged as a key backer, saying it should "restore social stability" to its neighbour.The AA has proven a powerful adversary for the junta and now controls all but three of Rakhine's 17 townships, according to conflict monitors.But the group's ambitions are largely limited to their Rakhine homeland, hemmed in by the coast of the Bay of Bengal and jungle-clad mountains to the north.The group has also been accused of atrocities including against the mostly Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority from the region.Meanwhile the military has blockaded Rakhine, contributing to a humanitarian crisis which has seen "a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition", the World Food Programme said in August.

Venezuela's national guard committed 'crimes against humanity': UN probe.

Geneva, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Venezuela's national guard has committed "serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity" for more than a decade, a United Nations-mandated investigation said Thursday.The Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), a military force tasked with maintaining public order, was a central actor in the persecution of President Nicolas Maduro's opponents, a crime against humanity, the UN's independent international fact-finding mission on Venezuela determined in its latest report."GNB officials perpetrated arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detentions, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment during law enforcement operations in the context of protests and in actions of targeted political persecution since 2014," the mission said."The persistence of these abuses reflects structural failures within Venezuela's accountability and political system which have further entrenched impunity."The report comes with 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado set to address the world in a press conference from Oslo on Thursday, according to the Norwegian government, a day after the Venezuelan opposition leader was awarded the honour in absentia.Machado, who won the Nobel for challenging Maduro's grip on power, has been in hiding since August 2024 after threats to her life.The Venezuelan security forces, including the GNB and the police, are regularly accused of abuses, especially during the repression of opposition demonstrations.The United States, Europe, and many Latin American countries, in particular, do not recognise the results of the 2024 election that secured Maduro a third six-year term.The opposition has accused Maduro of stealing the election.Marta Valinas, chair of the fact-finding mission, said it had been able to document the GNB's role in "systematic and coordinated repression against opponents or those perceived as such, which has continued for more than a decade".- 'Break victims' -The report said a highly centralised chain of command, under Maduro's direction, had facilitated such abuses.During protest peaks in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024, the GNB used excessive force, including the improper use of lethal weapons, the mission said.The report also documented mass and targeted arbitrary detentions, physical violence during arrests, planting of evidence, torture and other ill-treatment, and sexual violence inside GNB facilities used as temporary detention centres."They form part of a pattern of abuse used to punish and break victims," said Valinas.Meanwhile, the Venezuelan judicial system seems unable or unwilling to investigate such violations, the report found."The mission has reasonable grounds to believe that GNB officials made essential contributions to the crimes under investigation, including arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, gender-based violence, and persecution," Valinas said.The UN Human Rights Council set up the fact-finding mission in 2019, and tasked it with assessing alleged human rights violations committed since 2014.Since 2013, more than seven million Venezuelans have fled the country to escape the economic and political crisis.

US, Japan hold joint air exercise after China-Russia patrols.

Tokyo, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Japan said Thursday it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing.The Japanese joint chiefs of staff said Wednesday's exercise with the US Air Force was conducted in "an increasingly severe security environment surrounding our country".Tokyo said Wednesday that two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew a day earlier from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing last month by suggesting that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan.Thursday's announcement by Japan's chiefs of staff said: "We confirmed the strong resolve of Japan and the United States not to allow any unilateral change of the status quo by force, as well as the readiness of the Self-Defense Forces and the US military."In a separate statement it said that the "tactical exercises" over the Japan Sea involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s.The joint exercise came as the United States criticized Beijing for the first time on Wednesday after Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese jets on Saturday.The J-15 jets from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan, which scrambled jets in response."China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability," a US State Department spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday."The U.S.-Japan Alliance is stronger and more united than ever. Our commitment to our ally Japan is unwavering, and we are in close contact on this and other issues."Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.Tokyo also summoned Beijing's ambassador following the radar incident, over which the two countries offer differing accounts of events.Japan said it scrambled its F-15 jets because it was worried about possible "airspace violations".Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, accused Japan Wednesday of sending the jets "to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorisation, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and continue to maliciously hype up the situation".Takaichi's comments about intervening in any Taiwan emergency enraged Beijing as China claims the self-ruled island as its own and has not ruled out seizing it by force.Tokyo was forced to deny a Wall Street Journal report that said US President Donald Trump had advised Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan's sovereignty.But Tokyo is apparently frustrated at the lack of public support from top officials in Washington and has urged the US to be more vocal, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.- 'Regrettable' -NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the radar incident and the joint Chinese-Russian patrols were "regrettable", Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on X.The statement followed a 15-minute video conference between Rutte and Koizumi, the defence ministry said in a statement.Rutte "affirmed that security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions is completely inseparable", Koizumi said.South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.Beijing confirmed later on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia's military according to "annual cooperation plans".Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

Japan, NATO share 'grave concern' over China, Russia flights: Tokyo.

Tokyo, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-NATO chief Mark Rutte and Japan's defence minister shared their "grave concerns" about recent joint patrols by Chinese and Russian aircraft, Tokyo said.The incident on Tuesday came as Japan-China relations worsen after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan that enraged Beijing."Both sides shared their grave concerns over this incident and concurred to closely communicate with each other," the Japanese defence ministry said late Wednesday.The statement followed a 15-minute video conference between Rutte and Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the ministry said.Koizumi also briefed Rutte about another recent incident that involved Chinese aircraft locking its radar onto Japanese planes near Taiwan, the statement added.According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.Japan scrambled aircraft in response.South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets.Beijing confirmed later on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia's military according to "annual cooperation plans".Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

Russia's defence ministry says downed 287 Ukrainian drones.

Moscow, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Russian forces shot down 287 Ukrainian drones overnight, one of the highest single-night totals of their conflict, and Moscow airports temporarily closed, the defence ministry and officials said Thursday.Of the drones "intercepted and shot down" by Russian air defences, 32 were headed towards Moscow, the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.All four airports in the Russian capital were temporarily suspended, according to Rosaviatsia, Russia's civil aviation authority. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Aiport said it was taking diverted flights.In Ukraine, the head of the Poltava regional military administration said that Russia had attacked local energy facilities overnight, sparking fires.In an interview last week, the CEO of Ukraine's state-run gas operator told AFP the country may be facing its toughest winter since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022.Naftogaz CEO Sergiy Koretsky said this year's strikes have been more intense and started earlier in the winter, compounding the impact.According to an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force statistics, Russia has launched record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine in recent months.Ukraine and its allies have been pushing for a plan to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, with officials in Kyiv on Wednesday telling AFP that an updated proposal was submitted to Washington.

Britain sanctions Russian, Chinese entities over disinfo, cyber threats by AFP Staff Writers.

London (AFP) Dec 9, 2025-Britain on Tuesday sanctioned entities it accused of distorting information in favour of Russia as well as two Chinese companies for alleged cyber activities against the United Kingdom and its allies."Across Europe, we are witnessing an escalation in hybrid threats -- from physical through to cyber and information warfare -- designed to destabilise our democracies, weaken our critical national infrastructure, and undermine our interests, all for the advantage of malign foreign states," said a Foreign Office policy paper released along with the list of new sanctions.Among those sanctioned is Russian media outlet Rybar, "whose Telegram channel and network of affiliates in 28 languages reaches millions worldwide," said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.It used "classic Kremlin manipulation tactics, including fake 'investigations' and AI driven content to shape narratives about global events in the Kremlin's favour," she said."Masquerading as an independent body", Rybar is partially funded by Russia's presidential administration, receives funding from state corporations and has worked with Russian intelligence, she said.Also sanctioned is the Pravfond Foundation, which has been accused of being a front for Russian GRU foreign intelligence agency."Leaked reports suggest that Pravfond finances the promotion of Kremlin narratives to Western audiences as well as bankrolling legal defences for convicted Russian assassins and arms traffickers," Cooper said.Also hit was Alexander Dugin, a nationalist Russian philosopher widely thought to have influenced much of President Vladimir Putin's thinking, and his think tank, the Centre for Geopolitical Expertise.Dugin has most notably championed "neo-Eurasianism," a doctrine that says Russia must liberate the world from Western excesses by building an empire stretching from Europe to Asia.London also targeted Chinese-based "i-Soon and Integrity Technology Group, for their vast and indiscriminate cyberactivities against the UK and its allies," Cooper said."Attacks like this impact our collective security and our public services, yet those responsible operate with little regard for who or what they target," she said. "And so we are ensuring that such reckless activity does not go unchecked."

Exclusive-Netanyahu planning Cairo trip to sign multibillion-dollar gas deal with Egypt-Senior US source confirms to ToI that Israeli officials are working with American diplomats on preparations for trip, which would be PM’s first official state visit to Egypt in 15 years-By Shalom Yerushalmi Today, 2:37 am-DEC 12,25

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to travel to Cairo to sign a multibillion-dollar agreement to supply natural gas to Egypt, The Times of Israel has learned.Israeli officials have been working on the planned trip in recent days with senior US diplomats, according to a senior US diplomatic source familiar with the preparations, who confirmed details of the effort to The Times of Israel.Netanyahu is expected to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and aims to frame the visit as historic, the source said. The prime minister is also looking to score a major diplomatic and media achievement ahead of elections in Israel and shift attention away from contentious domestic issues.The Prime Minister’s Office told The Times of Israel that “the matter is not known to us.”In recent weeks, some reports have said the US is seeking to hold a trilateral summit between US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu and Sissi during the premier’s expected visit to Florida later this month.The Times of Israel has learned that Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter is leading the efforts to organize the hoped-for Cairo summit. Leiter has assumed the role of Netanyahu’s key liaison with Washington and with Arab states, including Syria and Lebanon, after former strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer resigned from his post last month.Netanyahu visited Egypt twice in the past during the rule of late Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. His last official state visit was 15 years ago, in January 2011. Other trips were held secretly.Ties between Israel and Egypt have been strained since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, with no diplomatic contact between Cairo and Jerusalem for two years, except for ongoing security coordination, particularly between the Egyptian and Israeli intelligence services on the hostage issue.There have also been disputes in recent months over the management of Rafah Border Crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, the question of taking in Gaza refugees, and potential Egyptian participation in the International Stabilization Force planned for Gaza. More recently, the relationship strained further due to smuggling attempts made from Egypt into Israel using drones.The gas deal itself remains complicated despite clear economic incentives for both sides. The agreement is described as a long-term deal worth $35 billion, but Energy Minister Eli Cohen has expressed concern that such exports could deplete Israel’s natural gas reserves and harm domestic energy security, and has therefore delayed the transaction.“I will not let Netanyahu sign an agreement until all details are ironed out, including the security disagreements we have with the Egyptians,” Cohen recently told The Times of Israel.Netanyahu, for his part, is said to see the deal as a chance to demonstrate that he is strengthening and expanding Israel’s peace agreements with its neighboring countries after the war, and to argue that the agreement advances his long-held vision of leveraging Israel’s gas resources to secure long-term state revenues.

Iranian FM says he’ll visit Lebanon, calls counterpart’s refusal to head to Tehran ‘bemusing’Talks due to take place as Beirut faces increasing pressure to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group that has held sway in southern Lebanon for decades-By Reuters and Noam Lehmann Today, 12:13 am-DEC 12,25

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Thursday that he would travel to Beirut for talks after his Lebanese counterpart had declined a day earlier to visit Tehran.The Lebanese minister said last week that Beirut was seeking to disarm Hezbollah, but that Iran would have the final word on the matter.On X, Raggi said he stressed in his response to Araghchi that “a strong state can only be built when the state alone, through its national army, has the exclusive right to carry weapons and to decide on issues of war and peace” — a veiled reference to Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal.He also emphasized that his statement did not mean rejection of dialogue with Iran, and told Reuters late on Wednesday that he had invited Araghchi “in a formal diplomatic letter to come to Beirut to hold talks.”Araghchi said on X that he would “gladly accept the invitation to come to Beirut,” although he said he found Raggi’s position “bemusing.” He said foreign ministers of countries with “full diplomatic relations” did not need a neutral venue to meet.Demands for Hezbollah’s disarmament have mounted since the onset of a ceasefire between Israel and the terror group just over a year ago.Under the terms of the ceasefire, which ended the October 2023-November 2024 conflict between Israel and a badly weakened Hezbollah, the terror group was to be disarmed and allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy fully across the country as the IDF withdrew. That disarmament has not yet happened, however, despite Lebanon having drawn up a plan to do so.Lebanon is now under pressure to speed up the process or risk a renewed Israeli military operation.Israel has retained troops in the country, and regularly conducts strikes that it says are against Hezbollah attempts to rebuild its strength. Araghchi referenced those strikes on Thursday.“Subjected to Israeli occupation and blatant ‘ceasefire’ violations, I fully understand why my esteemed Lebanese counterpart is not prepared to visit Tehran,” the Iranian minister said.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Poll: Plurality of Israelis oppose $841 million Smotrich plan to expand settlements-Plan, part of state budget, would expand construction, infrastructure in settlements, legalize outposts; survey finds PM’s coalition would win 52 of the 120 Knesset seats in election-By ToI Staff 11 December 2025, 10:42 pm

A plurality of Israelis oppose far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to spend NIS 2.7 billion ($841 million) to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to a new survey conducted this week for Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site.Almost 46 percent of Israelis said they oppose the plan, which would see funds allocated over five years to expand construction and infrastructure in settlements and to legalize outposts that were built without government permits. ֿSome of the outposts have become hotbeds for spiking settler violence against Palestinians, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly discussed evacuating some of them.Nearly 39% of Israelis said they support the plan, while 15.6% said they have no opinion on the matter.The plan was inserted as a clause in the state budget, which was passed by the cabinet last week. It needs to pass three votes in the full Knesset, along with going through committee meetings, before being adopted into law.The survey was conducted on December 10-11, 2025, by Tatika Research and Media in collaboration with the Adgenda panel, and included 500 Jewish and Arab respondents. The margin of error is 4.4%.The survey also polled respondents about their vote in the upcoming elections, which are due to be held by the fall of 2026.It found that Netanyahu’s Likud party would win the most seats in the 120-seat Knesset, taking 28.The second-largest party would be the eponymous faction led by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, which would win 21 seats.The centrist Yesh Atid, hawkish Yisrael Beytenu and Sephardi Haredi Shas parties would each win 10 seats.The left-wing Democrats would win nine seats, while the Ashkenazi Haredi United Torah Judaism would win eight.The far-right Otzma Yehudit would win six, while Yashar, a new party founded by ex-IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, would win five, as would the Islamist Ra’am.Winning four seats each would be the Arab Hadash-Ta’al and HaMiluimnikim (“The Reservists”), a new party focused on universal military conscription.The far-right Religious Zionism (Smotrich’s own party), as well as the centrist Blue and White and the Arab Balad, would fail to gain enough votes to enter the Knesset.Overall, the survey found that the current governing coalition would win 52 seats, considerably short of a 61-seat majority and far lower than its current 64. The parties generally seen as comprising the anti-Netanyahu bloc, meanwhile, would win 55 seats. HaMiluimnikim has not ruled out joining either a pro- or anti-Netanyahu coalition, making it a potential kingmaker.In total, Arab parties would win nine seats.The electoral map is expected to change ahead of the election, as parties merge, form or drop out.Knesset opinion polls are notoriously unreliable, yet highly influential in driving candidates’ decision-making.

'We are ready for greater support to Israel'Pressured by Trump and threatened by Iran, Ukraine looks to revamp ties with Israel-Deputy PM Taras Kachka, the most senior Ukrainian official to visit Israel since 2022 Russian invasion, says bilateral relationship looking up, but strains over Russia persist-By Lazar Berman-11 December 2025, 6:33 pm

Changing its tone after years of frustration over Jerusalem’s stance on the war with Russia, Ukraine is warming to Israel, and looking to it as a model for navigating US pressure to sue for peace with a recalcitrant enemy.Visiting Jerusalem last week, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka told The Times of Israel that he was satisfied with bilateral ties of late.Still, a few days later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, sparking a short-lived diplomatic kerfuffle and demonstrating the persisting challenges the relationship continues to navigate.Kachka was the most senior Ukrainian official to visit Israel since the war broke out. He was leading a delegation to convene the first meeting of the Israel–Ukraine Intergovernmental Economic Commission since 2021.“It’s a good sign of really good cooperation between our governments,” said Kachka.Ukraine is looking to expand Israel’s humanitarian support to frontline municipalities and the rehabilitation of soldiers and civilians injured in the war, he said. The two countries are also discussing water and food technology, cooperation energy and cyber protection as well.Military support is being discussed between the two defense establishments and political leadership, he said.“We are looking for greater support and we are ready for greater support to Israel as well,” said Kachka.He indicated that Ukraine would also vote with Israel more in international forums like the United Nations: “We have more and more topics where we have a common understanding. I think that there will be more and more understanding between us in our voting as well.”While providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Jerusalem has pursued a relatively restrained response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine due to Russia’s widespread military presence in Syria, Israel’s northern bellicose neighbor, and has sought to balance security interests at home and policy abroad while maintaining relations with both Moscow and Kyiv. However, with the fall of the Russia-allied Bashar Assad regime in Syria last year,  a moderate warming of ties between Kyiv and Jerusalem has taken place.It is now expanding.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)Kachka stressed that Israel and Ukraine must work together against the common threat both countries face in Iran.“Iran supports our enemy and supports aggression,” said Kachka. “That’s why for us it is important to understand how we can counteract together and how we can coordinate our efforts.”Iran is avowedly committed to Israel’s destruction and backs many of the country’s most strident opponents, including an axis of proxies who attacked the Jewish state repeatedly during the Gaza war. Israel and Iran fought a direct war for nearly two weeks in June, setting back the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.Tehran has also provided Moscow with hundreds of exploding drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine and helped launch their production in Russia, according to Kyiv and Western intelligence. The Iranian drone deliveries, which Moscow and Tehran have denied, have allowed for barrages of long-range drone strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure.Russia and Iran signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty in January.During Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Kyiv in July, he announced that Israel and Ukraine would launch a strategic dialogue on the Iranian threat.“Iran not only threatened Israel,” said Sa’ar. “It threatened regional and global security. It threatened Ukraine. Our actions against its weapons and technology contribute to European security — and to the security of Ukraine.”Kachka said bilateral cooperation is “of utmost importance” to Ukraine, and called Iran’s support for Russia “absolutely unacceptable.”The dialogue meeting is expected to take place “in several weeks,” according to Kachka, and will be headed by the foreign ministers of the two countries. There will be military representatives and other government agencies.Despite the encouraging trends, there are ongoing strains in the bilateral relationship, including a marked lack of chemistry between Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.It’s been almost a year since the two leaders last spoke by phone in January.“I think that the interest to meet is there,” insisted Kachka. “I don’t know whether it is scheduled or not, but it’s constantly on our radars. We discuss it, like with all ministers we met.”Meanwhile, Netanyahu spoke on Monday of his close contacts with Putin, which he said were of strategic value for Israel.“I speak with President Putin on a regular basis,” Netanyahu said in the Knesset, “and this personal relationship of many years serves our vital interests.”Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk hit back at the premier for appearing to back Putin, saying in an interview with Ynet that he “was surprised by Netanyahu’s remarks, especially considering what Israel endured on October 7. One must stand on the right, moral side of history.”Korniychuk was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday over his remarks. The ministry says in a statement that the envoy was summoned “for a reprimand meeting” with the deputy director general for Euro-Asia, Yuval Fuchs.Fuchs “made clear to the ambassador that his comments were entirely unacceptable and deviated from diplomatic protocol. Moreover, the ambassador’s remarks ignore Israel’s clear position since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine – a position demonstrated, among other things, by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s visit to Kyiv this year and Israel’s votes at the United Nations,” the statement continued.Israeli guidance on US peace plans-Kachka’s visit came amid an intensive American push to end the fighting in Ukraine, but unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, the current US president is not seen as unequivocally supportive of Kyiv or willing to meet its defense needs indefinitely.Last week, after a draft of a US peace plan that seemed to echo Russia’s stance leaked, Trump’s envoys met Putin for five hours in Moscow, then held talks in Miami with Ukraine’s senior negotiator.Kachka said Kyiv broadly supports Trump’s efforts to broker an end to the war, but is wary of his insistence that Ukraine cede territory to Russia as part of a settlement.“We are glad that we have constructive dialogue between Ukraine and the United States for finding the proper approach in all elements of peace solutions. But in any case, the core problem is Russia itself because Russia is aggressive and Russia can stop this aggression anytime. So that’s why what is important is to increase pressure on Russia.”He intimated that Israel could offer some insights into how to handle American — or perhaps Trump’s — pressure to accept a deal Ukraine wouldn’t approve otherwise.“The closest example is Israel and the history of your settlement with neighbors,” said Kachka. “Since Israel and the US have a really strong bond and connections in all dimensions, the Israeli government can as well advise on what might be appropriate in this kind of plan. But the discussion is ongoing between the Ukrainian delegation and the United States.”Trump was seen as instrumental in pushing Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza in October, a goal that the Israeli premier had resisted previously, absent the destruction of Hamas. Though shaped by interlocutors Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, the deal that emerged is widely seen as hewing closely to many Israeli demands.Since Israel and the US have a really strong bond and connections in all dimensions, the Israeli government can as well advise on what might be appropriate in this kind of plans.On the issue of recognizing Russian sovereignty over territory Moscow captured in the war, Kachka declared, “We’re never going to give up territory. So this is something that I think is clear and I think for Israelis it is a core topic. We are not going to give up on anything that belongs to Ukraine.”At the same time, he hinted that Ukraine would have to accept major concessions for peace, saying that the countries recognize “what could be the price of longstanding and just peace. We will see.”But to get Russia to agree to end the war, he argued, it will take pressure, not gifts to Putin.“We need more sanctions, we need more weapons to defend, we need more diplomatic pressure,” he said.He drew a parallel between the ongoing threat that both Russia and Israel’s enemies pose to the two countries, noting the challenge of reaching an agreement that takes that into account.A peace deal has to recognize that “Russia will not stop being an aggressor, whether in actual aggression or threatening of aggression,” said Kachka. “So it’s like Israel. You can have an active phase of war, or you can have sporadic attacks, but the hostile behavior toward Israel is not ending.”Ukraine, like Israel, needs security guarantees, he stressed, including the ability to maintain a “strong and capable army to deter Russia.”Ukrainians and their Western backers often describe an “Israel model” for their country’s future — armed and mobilized, as it simultaneously develops an advanced economy based on innovation and technology.Kachka expressed a similar vision for Ukraine’s future: “I think that for a generation people will definitely need to maintain Ukraine properly defended for many years to come, before Russia will change its behavior and will become a peaceful neighbor.”The nearly four years of war have taken their toll on the country, and on its Jewish community, whose prewar size was estimated to be at least 47,000.Ukrainian Jewry managed to flourish despite multiple crises, including the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and the 2005 Orange Revolution, along with the political and financial instability it brought. Dozens of synagogues, mikvahs, Jewish schools and kindergartens opened in the past 30 years.But thousands of Jews fled the country during the war, many to Israel.Kachka was optimistic about the future of the Jewish community in Ukraine.“We have more Jews, more Jewish communities and synagogues in Ukraine than any of our neighbors,” he said. “We have a lot of politicians with Jewish origins as well as a lot of Israeli politicians having Ukrainian origin. So we have a lot in common and we have a lot of Jewish communities helping the Ukrainian army.“The threat to all of us in Ukraine — Ukrainians, Jews, other nations — is Russian missiles and Russian soldiers that are killing us.”

Austria bans headscarves in schools for girls under 14-Conservative-led government says law will protect girls ‘from oppression,’ though Amnesty International calls it ‘blatant discrimination against Muslim girls’By AFP 11 December 2025, 5:36 pm

VIENNA, Austria — Austrian lawmakers approved a law Thursday banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14, a move rights groups and experts say is discriminatory and could deepen societal divisions.The conservative-led government — under pressure from rising anti-migration sentiment — proposed the ban this year, arguing it is to protect girls “from oppression.”The opposition Green Party voted against the ban, saying it is unconstitutional.According to the text of the bill, the law will prevent girls younger than 14 from wearing headscarves that “cover the head in accordance with Islamic traditions” in all schools.“When a girl… is told that she must hide her body… to protect herself from the gaze of men, it’s not a religious ritual, but oppression,” Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm said when presenting the bill.The ban, which applies to “all forms” of the Islamic veil, including hijabs and burqas, would take full effect with the start of the new 2026 school year in September, Plakolm said.From February, an initial period would be launched during which the new rules would be explained to educators, parents and children with no penalties for breaking them.But for repeated noncompliance, parents would face fines ranging from 150 to 800 euros ($175-$930).The government said that about 12,000 girls would be affected by the new law, basing its figures on a 2019 study that showed that approximately 3,000 girls aged below 14 wore a headscarf six years ago.‘Stigmatized’Rights organizations have criticized the bill, including Amnesty International Austria.Amnesty said it “constitutes blatant discrimination against Muslim girls” and described it as an “expression of anti-Muslim racism.”Such measures risk “fueling existing prejudices and stereotypes against Muslims,” the group warned.The draft law has also drawn criticism from the IGGO, the body officially recognized as representing the country’s Muslim communities.It said the ban “jeopardizes social cohesion,” saying “instead of empowering children, they are stigmatized and marginalized.”Angelika Atzinger, managing director of the Amazon women’s rights association, said a headscarf ban “sends girls the message that decisions are being made about their bodies and that this is legitimate.”Her comments appeared in a statement published by the anti-racism group SOS Mitmensch, which also opposes the proposed law.Austria’s anti-immigration, far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which won last year’s general election but failed to form a government, said the ban did not go far enough. They want it extended to all students, teachers and other staff.The governing coalition said it was confident the revised ban would not be overturned a second time.It argued that the law provides for such restrictions if the rights of a child, which are enshrined in the constitution, would otherwise be infringed upon.But constitutional law expert Heinz Mayer has raised doubts that a ban can be constitutional, recalling the top court’s ruling in 2020, which found that “one religion was being discriminated against.”It also ruled that “if the headscarf is a symbol of oppression,” a ban puts children in “an uncomfortable situation,” but not the people who impose it on them, he told AFP.In France, authorities banned school children in 2004 from wearing “signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” — such as headscarves, turbans or Jewish skullcaps — on the basis of the country’s secular laws, which are meant to guarantee neutrality in state institutions.

Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says-Meir Amit center finds 60% of media workers killed since October 2023 were tied to Hamas or Islamic Jihad, amid ongoing international criticism of Israel’s policies on reporters-By Stav Levaton-and ToI Staff 11 December 2025, 5:36 pm

A new study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center asserts that a majority of Gaza-based journalists killed since the outbreak of the current war were operatives in, or closely affiliated with, terrorist organizations — primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.The study (Hebrew link), published Thursday, examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. According to the center, at least 157 of them — roughly 60 percent — were members of terror groups or clearly affiliated with them, including 104 linked to Hamas and 45 to Islamic Jihad.A handful of others were linked to Fatah’s armed wing — the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades — as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees.Some, the report claims, were not only affiliated but served simultaneously as armed operatives in military unitsThe center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during ground operations in Gaza.A central theme of the report is what it describes as “dual identity” — journalists who also held active roles in armed groups. According to the findings, some reporters embedded with the organizations took part in military activities or served in propaganda arms that Hamas views as integral to its information warfare strategy.The report also reiterated earlier Israeli claims that several Hamas-affiliated journalists received advance notice of the October 7 attack, arriving at the border area and later inside Israeli communities while battles were still underway and broadcasting live from the scenes.It further detailed alleged systematic cooperation between Hamas and the Qatari network Al Jazeera, including what the center says were editorial directives provided by Hamas to the channel’s Gaza bureau.Al Jazeera has rejected previous Israeli allegations as political attacks aimed at silencing coverage.Blurred lines in Gaza media-The Meir Amit Center argues that media workers employed by Hamas-run or Hamas-affiliated outlets cannot be considered independent journalists.Its researchers said that in Gaza, the lines between press and the political-military apparatus are often blurred; employment in a Hamas-operated outlet, they contended, constitutes organizational affiliation.Still, the report acknowledged that its list includes individuals whose organizational ties were unclear or unverified.Watchdog slams Israel over casualties-Despite Israel’s claims, press freedom organizations continue to criticize its handling of journalists’ safety.On Tuesday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) claimed Israel was responsible for nearly half of all journalists killed worldwide over the past year, naming 29 Palestinian journalists it said were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Its annual report tallied 67 journalists killed globally since December 2024, of whom Israeli forces accounted for 43%, making Israel allegedly “the worst enemy of journalists” in the period studied.RSF also identified the August 25 strike at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis — which killed five journalists, including two contributors to Reuters and the Associated Press — as the deadliest single attack. Israel said it had targeted a Hamas surveillance camera and expressed regret for what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “tragic mishap.” The IDF opened an investigation into the incident.Since October 7, 2023, nearly 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza, RSF said, making Israel the deadliest actor for journalists for three consecutive years.Press access to Gaza limited-The debate over who is a journalist — and who is a legitimate target — has been further inflamed by Israel’s ongoing ban on independent foreign journalists entering Gaza, a policy in place since the war began over two years ago.While Israeli reporters, and a limited number of foreign journalists, have been allowed into the Strip, all such visits are tightly controlled embed trips with the IDF, where movement, filming and interviews are restricted.The Foreign Press Association (FPA) has petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice for over a year seeking unfettered access. The state has repeatedly delayed submitting a response. Earlier this week, the court approved a ninth extension, giving the government until December 21 to present its position.“The situation is beyond absurd,” the FPA said in a statement, accusing the government of obstruction and the court of enabling it. “These repeated delays have robbed the world of a fuller glimpse of conditions in Gaza and make a mockery of the entire legal process.”In recent months, pressure has mounted internationally. In August, 28 countries, including Canada and the UK, publicly urged Israel to allow foreign press entry. In November, it was reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration was also pressing Jerusalem to open Gaza to independent reporters, following the implementation of a ceasefire.

Rights group has also accused Israel of genocide-In first, Amnesty accuses Hamas of crimes against humanity on Oct. 7 and during Gaza war-Organization had accused terror group of war crimes, now stresses systematic ‘extermination’; Hamas rejects charge, while Israel says report ‘falls far short’By ToI Staff and Agencies 11 December 2025, 11:55 am

Amnesty International on Thursday accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of crimes against humanity, including extermination, during and after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.“Palestinian armed groups committed violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity during their attacks in southern Israel that started on 7 October 2023,” the human rights watchdog said in a 173-page report.The group has previously accused Hamas and others of committing war crimes.War crimes are serious violations of international law against civilians and combatants during armed conflict. Crimes against humanity can occur in peacetime and include torture, rape and discrimination, be it racial, ethnic, cultural, religious or gender-based. They involve “a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.”Amnesty has also accused Israel of genocide, an accusation that Jerusalem vehemently denies. However, Amnesty said any Israeli wrongdoing, or Palestinian groups’ crimes against other Palestinians, were outside the scope of this report.Amnesty said that the mass killing of civilians in Israel on October 7 amounted “to the crime against humanity of extermination.” Among the other crimes listed were murder, imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, and sexual violence.Hamas rejected the report, saying it contained “inaccuracies and contradictions.”Israel also critiqued the report, noting that it came out more than two years after the attack, with the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, saying it “falls far short of reflecting the full scope of Hamas’s horrific atrocities.”“The horrors perpetrated by Hamas and Palestinian civilians on October 7 and thereafter are so grave that even a biased organization like Amnesty International could not overlook them,” he continued. “Fortunately, the world does not need Amnesty International to recognize the truth of the sheer monstrosity of Hamas.”A reservist, with his gun slung across his back, looks at a house destroyed during Hamas’s invasion of Israel, during a memorial event two years later on October 7, 2025. (Tsafrir Abayov/FLASH90)Amnesty said Hamas, including its armed wing the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, were “chiefly responsible” for the crimes committed on October 7. Hamas ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and “unaffiliated Palestinian civilians,” were responsible to a lesser extent.Amnesty called on Hamas as the de facto authority of Gaza, as well as Israel and the Palestinian Authority, to investigate and prosecute the offenses.It noted that PA President Mahmoud Abbas “has called for the release of hostages and condemned the killing of civilians, [but] Amnesty International is not aware of any recognition or condemnation by him or any other leaders of the State of Palestine of the scope and scale of violations.”The organization said that after the attack, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza “continued to commit violations and crimes under international law in their holding and mistreatment of hostages and the withholding of bodies seized.”“The holding of hostages was done as part of an explicitly stated plan explained by the leadership of Hamas and of other Palestinian armed groups,” the report determined.Hamas accused Amnesty of echoing Israeli “lies.”“The report’s repetition of the lies and allegations promoted by the occupation [Israeli] government concerning rape, sexual violence, and the mistreatment of captives clearly demonstrates that the purpose of this report is incitement and distorting the image of the resistance,” the terror group said in a statement. It called on Amnesty to retract the “flawed and unprofessional report.”During the October 7 onslaught, thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, including the bodies of some 36 people they had killed.“Contrary to claims by Hamas leaders that their fighters only targeted military objectives, the overwhelming majority of those killed were civilians and most of the locations targeted were residential communities or other places in which civilians were gathered, namely two music festivals and a beach,” Amnesty said.The human rights group determined that Palestinian assailants committed sexual assault during the attack, but said it could not determine the “scope or scale” of the violence or the affiliations of most of the perpetrators.Additionally, the group said it “found no evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups gave orders to their fighters to commit acts of sexual violence during the attacks.”It noted that the accounts of five freed hostages indicate criminal sexual violence to which they were subjected in captivity, including “sexual assault, forced nudity, and/or forcible shaving of body hair,” and that hostages heard accounts from other captives of sexual violence as well.Amnesty said it collected evidence indicating that rape likely took place during the assault — citing one person’s direct testimony as well as media reports and the testimony of therapists — but said it could not “definitively conclude that rape, as opposed to sexual assault more broadly, was committed.”In May 2024, the International Criminal Court applied for arrest warrants for Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s armed wing Mohammed Deif, and head of Hamas and October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar. The ICC withdrew the applications after the trio were all killed later that year by Israel.The court also issued a still-active arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the war in Gaza.In December 2024, Amnesty also accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza during the war with Hamas that followed the October 7 attack. It then claimed late last month that Israel was “still committing genocide,” despite a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.When Amnesty made the accusation, Israel’s Foreign Ministry vehemently rejected it as “entirely false” and called the report “fabricated” and “based on lies.” As evidence, Israel has cited efforts made to avoid civilian casualties in the war, including evacuation orders ahead of assaults on terror strongholds in Gaza.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 70,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7, 2023, onslaught.Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 476.

US considers hitting UNRWA with terrorism-related sanctions-State Department official says ‘everything on the table’ but no final decision made, slams the UN agency as a ‘corrupt organization with a proven track record of aiding and abetting terrorists’By Reuters and ToI Staff 11 December 2025, 5:13 am

Officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration have held advanced discussions on hitting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, UNRWA, with terrorism-related sanctions, said two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, prompting serious legal and humanitarian concerns inside the State Department.The United Nations agency operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing aid, schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to millions of Palestinians.Top UN officials and the UN Security Council have described UNRWA as the backbone of the aid response in Gaza, where the two-year war between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas unleashed a humanitarian crisis.Israel and the Trump administration, however, have accused the agency of links with Hamas, allegations UNRWA has vigorously disputed. Israel has published evidence of UNRWA employees taking part in the October 7, 2023, onslaught and in taking and guarding hostages, as well as accusing the agency’s school of consistently glorifying terrorism and opposing the State of Israel’s right to exist.Washington was long UNRWA’s biggest donor, but halted funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the massive Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio then accused the agency in October this year of becoming “a subsidiary of Hamas,” which the US designated as a terrorist organization in 1997.It is not immediately clear if current US discussions are focused on sanctioning the entire agency or just specific UNRWA officials or parts of its operation, and US officials do not appear to have settled on the precise type of sanctions they would deploy against UNRWA.Among the possibilities that State Department officials have discussed include declaring UNRWA a “foreign terrorist organization,” or FTO, the sources said, though it is not clear if that option — which would severely isolate UNRWA financially — is still a serious consideration.Any blanket move against the entire organization could throw refugee relief efforts into disarray and cripple UNRWA, which is already facing a funding crisis.‘Unprecedented and unwarranted’Sanctioning UNRWA on terrorism-related grounds would be striking and unusual, as the United States is a member and the host country of the United Nations, which created the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in 1949.William Deere, director of the UNRWA office in Washington, said the agency would be “disappointed” if US officials were in fact discussing an FTO designation. He said such a move would be “both unprecedented and unwarranted.”“Since January 2024, four independent entities have investigated UNRWA’s neutrality including the U.S. National Intelligence Council. While occurring at different times and from different perspectives, they have all come to the same conclusion: UNRWA is an indispensable, neutral, humanitarian actor,” Deere said.In response to a request for comment, a State Department official called UNRWA a “corrupt organization with a proven track record of aiding and abetting terrorists.”“Everything is on the table,” the official said. “No final decisions have yet been made.”The White House did not respond to requests for comment.The State Department and other departments have various sanctioning options at their disposal, which generally allow for asset freezes and travel bans targeted at specific individuals and entities. An FTO designation would be among the most severe tools available to Washington and such designations are generally reserved for groups who kill civilians, like branches of Islamic State and al-Qaeda.Dozens of key US allies provide funding to UNRWA, raising questions about whether foreign officials could face sanctions for aiding an organization if Washington sanctions UNRWA or one of its officials on terrorism-related grounds.The United Nations has said that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon — killed in September by Israel — was also found to have had a UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations made and has repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided.Discussions provoke humanitarian, legal concerns-The sources directly aware of the UNRWA discussions, who requested anonymity to disclose non-public deliberations, privately expressed various humanitarian and legal concerns, given the organization’s singular role in aiding displaced Palestinians.Politically-appointed staff at the State Department who have been installed since the beginning of Trump’s term have generally led the push to hit UNRWA with terrorism-related sanctions, the sources said.Many career State Department officials – including some lawyers responsible for drafting designations language – have pushed back, those sources added.In recent weeks, the potential sanctions have been discussed by officials in the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and members of its Policy Planning Staff, a powerful internal policymaking entity, one of the sources said.Gregory LoGerfo, the nominee for the department’s top counterterrorism post, has recused himself from the UNRWA discussions while he awaits Senate confirmation, that source added.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for years called for UNRWA to be dismantled, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitement. Since January 30, Israel has banned UNRWA’s operation on Israeli land — including East Jerusalem, which Israel extended sovereignty over decades ago in a move not recognized internationally — and contact with Israeli authorities.Israel and Hamas signed a US-brokered peace deal in October, but apparent ceasefire violations have been routine, and progress toward fulfilling the broader terms of the peace plan has been halting. More than 370 UNRWA workers have been killed in Gaza during the war, the UN agency has said.

North Korea's Kim vows to root out 'evil', scolds lazy officials.

Seoul, Dec 12 (AFP) Dec 12, 2025-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to root out "evil" and scolded lazy officials while praising his troops fighting with Russia against Ukraine, state media said Friday, capping a major meeting of Pyongyang's top brass.The three-day meeting of the regime's central committee discussed key policy issues as well as plans for a congress of its ruling party, expected in early 2026 -- North Korea's first in five years.Wrapping up the meeting on Thursday, Kim condemned "the wrong ideological viewpoint and inactive and irresponsible work attitude" of some officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.He called on officials to have "greater confidence in and courage for the future of our cause and struggle".State media did not offer specifics, though it did say the ruling party had revealed numerous recent "deviations" in discipline -- a euphemism for corruption.The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.Their work, Kim said, "demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state as the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of international justice".- 'Modern' armed forces -Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies from Russia in return for sending troops.Kim's mention of the troops "signalled Pyongyang's intention to maintain that deployment", Ahn Chan-il, a researcher originally from North Korea, told AFP."North Korea is also highly likely to seek a role in post-war reconstruction in Russia once... the conflict ends," he added.Kim also hailed efforts this year in "modernising" the country's defences in the face of great "global geopolitical and technological changes".Pyongyang's central committee began meeting on Tuesday, the same day North Korea fired a salvo of artillery from a multiple rocket launcher system, which analysts say could strike the South.Last week, South Korea's dovish President Lee Jae Myung said he felt an apology was due to the North over his predecessor's alleged order to send drones and propaganda leaflets across the border.Pyongyang has not responded to the overture from Lee, who has sought to mend fractured ties with the North.And Friday's readout made no mention of South Korea or the United States, whose leader Donald Trump had hoped to meet Kim during a visit to Asia in October.The pair -- who Trump once famously declared were "in love" -- last met in 2019 at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas after the US leader extended an invitation to Kim on Twitter.But analysts now say that the North Korean leader, increasingly emboldened by his growing ties with Russia, had few good reasons to join the photo-op.

British navy says it tracked Russian sub for three days in Channel.

London, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-The British navy said Thursday it tracked a Russian submarine navigating through the Channel for three days, as it steps up efforts to police its seas against such threats.A British naval supply ship with an on-board helicopter was deployed to track the stealthy Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar and the tug Altay, the Royal Navy said in a statement.The Russian ships had arrived from the North Sea and entered the Channel."Expert aircrew were prepared to pivot to anti-submarine operations if Krasnodar had dived below the surface," the statement said.But it sailed on the surface throughout the operation, despite unfavourable weather conditions.Near the island of Ouessant, off northwest France, the British said they handed over monitoring of the vessels to a NATO ally, without saying which one.The British military carried out a similar shadowing operation in July, after spotting the Russian sub Novorossiysk in its territorial waters.Defence minister John Healey announced on Monday the launch of a multi-million pound programme to improve the Royal Navy's capabilities in the face of Moscow's "underwater threats".According to London, Russian submarine activity in British waters has increased by about a third over the past two years.In early December, the UK and Norway signed a cooperation agreement to jointly operate a fleet of frigates to "hunt down" these submarines in the North Atlantic.

Zelensky says Donetsk among key disagreements in peace talks.

Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec 11 (AFP) Dec 11, 2025-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the status of the eastern Donetsk region and future control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were the two key points of contention in talks with Washington on a deal to end the war with Russia.He said Washington was still pushing for Kyiv to make big territorial concessions to Russia to halt the conflict that started with Moscow's February 2022 invasion and that has killed tens of thousands.Washington wants only Ukraine to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region, where it would install a demilitarised buffer between the two armies, Zelensky said."They see Ukrainian forces leaving the territory of Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter this territory ... which they already call a 'free economic zone'," Zelensky told reporters.That, he added, remained one of the key points of contention in the talks with the United States that have intensified after Washington drafted a plan to resolve the conflict that was seen as heeding to much of Russia's demands."We have two key points of disagreement: the territory of Donetsk and everything related to it, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. These are the two topics we continue to discuss," Zelensky told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing.He also said that any potential compromise on territory should be decided by a popular vote."I believe that the people of Ukraine will answer this question. Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine," he told journalists.Ukraine said on Wednesday it handed over the updated plan for ending the Russian invasion to Washington but said it was not disclosing details of its amendments pending the American side's reaction.