GENOCIDAL ISLAMIC PUPPETS OF CAMPUSES STLL PROTESTING ISRAEL.AND WANT DIVESTMENT STOPPED.AND THESE IDIOT DOPE FREAK REVELLER PUPPETS EVEN THINK THEY CAN EXTORT THESE SCHOOLS BY GIVING THEM DEMANDS LIKE THEY HAVE HOSTAGES WHILE OCCUPYING ILLEGAL LAND THEIR ON.DO WE SEE HYPOCRTITES ALL OVER THIS GENOCIDAL ISLAMIC DEATH CULT OF PUPPETS DESQUISED AS PROTESTERS.

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)

 GENOCIDAL ISLAMIC PUPPETS OF CAMPUSES STLL PROTESTING ISRAEL.AND WANT DIVESTMENT STOPPED.AND THESE IDIOT DOPE FREAK REVELLER PUPPETS EVEN THINK THEY CAN EXTORT THESE SCHOOLS BY GIVING THEM DEMANDS LIKE THEY HAVE HOSTAGES WHILE OCCUPYING ILLEGAL LAND THEIR ON.DO WE SEE HYPOCRTITES ALL OVER THIS GENOCIDAL ISLAMIC DEATH CULT OF PUPPETS DESQUISED AS PROTESTERS.

COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL AND THE ENEMIES OF ISRAEL AND THE WEST

EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA)(JORDAN) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
PSALMS 83:3-7 (COUNTRIES AGAINST ISRAEL)(EXCEPT JORDAN)
3 They (ARABS,MUSLIMS) have taken crafty counsel against thy people,(ISRAEL) and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they (MUSLIMS) have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:(TREATIES)
6 The tabernacles of Edom,(JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites;(ARABS) of Moab, PALESTINIANS,JORDAN) and the Hagarenes;(EGYPT)
7 Gebal,(HEZZBALLOH,LEBANON) and Ammon,(JORDAN) and Amalek;(SYRIA,ARABS,SINAI) the Philistines (PALESTINIANS) with the inhabitants of Tyre;(LEBANON)
ISRAEL-WEST ENEMIES EZEK 38:4-6,15-19
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts,(RUSSIA-ARAB/MUSLIMS) thou, and many people with thee,(AFRICAN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES) all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
DANIEL 11:44 (CHINA WITH RUSSIA-MUSLIMS)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)
EZEKIEL 39:1-6 ISRAELS ENEMIES DESTROYED
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

JOEL 3:2 (WW3 OCCURS WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED)
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people (ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(JERUSALEM)(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND BRINGS 3 DEAD BILLION IN WW3)

JUDE 14-16
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

WATCH THIS VIDEO-1/4 OF ISLAM MIGHT BE GONE BY MAY 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ7wh6BMTlw
THIS VIDEO COULD BE A SIGN BEING IT IS RADAM IN COCKROCH LANDS. WHILE IN THIS VIDEO A CROW TAKES AN ISRAEL FLAG OFF THE FLAG POLE. REPRESENTING THE MUSLIM COCKROACHES WANT ISRAEL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. THEN ON THE VIDEO WE SEE THE CROWS TEARING UP THE ISRAELI FLAG. TO ME THIS SAYS BY MAY 2024. THESE MUSLIM COCHROACH HORDES WILL BE COMING AGAINST ISRAEL. AND ISRAE‎L WILL NUKE 1/4 OF ISLAM. THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS WILL EAT THE MUSLIM COCKROACHES FLESH. AND THE 300 MILLION DEAD MUSLIMS WILL BE BURIED IN MASS GRAVES IN THE JORDAN VALLEY.   

DANIEL CHAPTER 9:24-27 EXPLAINED.
24 Seventy weeks (70X7=490 YEARS) are determined upon thy people (ISRAEL) and upon thy holy city,(JERUSALEM) to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.(JESUS ANNOINTED WITH HOLY OIL AS KING OF JERUSALEM FOREVER).
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, (7X7=49 YEARS) and threescore and two weeks:(62X7=434 YEARS) the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.(490-49-434=7 YR PERIOD WERE GOD DEALS WITH ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM (NOT THE CHURCH-THE TRUE CHURCH IS IS IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS FOR THAT LAST 7 YEAR PERIOD.)(DANIEL 9:26-27 IS IN THE FUTURE WHEN GOD DEALS ON EARTH WITH ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM FOR THAT FINAL 7 TEAR PERIOD. WHEN ALL OF ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED BY MESSIAH JESUS.)(AT THE END OF IT)
26 And after threescore and two weeks (69X7=483 YEARS)(ONE 7 YEAR PERIOD UNTIL PROPHECY IS FULFILLED) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (ROMANS) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;(2ND TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM) and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.(NOW THE FINAL ISRAEL-JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN FOR MESSIAH JESUS RETURN THE LAST 7 YEARS)
27 And he (HE WHO? HE HERE IS THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE LEADER THAT MAKES THE FINAL 7 YR CONTRACT WITH ISRAEL AND MANY MUSLIM COUNTRIES FOR A 7 YR PERIOD, AND THE EU WILL GUARENTEE ISRAELS SECURITY FOR THIS LAST PERIOD) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: (7 YEARS) and in the midst of the week (3 1/2 YEARS IN) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (THIS FALSE MESSIAH OR ROMAN LEADER STOPS THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES IN THE 3RD TEMPLE AT THE MIDPOINT OF THE 7 YR DEAL. A JEW MURDERS HIM WITH A SWORD WOUND AND HE HAS A FALSE RESSURECTION-SATAN INCARNATES IN HIS BODY. AND BRINGS HIM BACK TO LIFE.AND HE THEN SITS IN THE 3RD TEMPLE CALLING HIMSELF GOD AS THE WORLD SAYS HES JESUS REINCARNATED. AND BY THIS FALSE RESURRECTION GOD SENDS THIS STRONG DELUTION ON THE EARTH THAT ALL THE LOST WILL WORSHIP THIS ROMAN LEADER AS GOD AND ACCEPT HIS NAME, NUMBER OR NUMBER OF HIS NAME IN THEIR MICROCHIP IMPLANT. THAT THEY MIGHT BE DOOMED, DAMNED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE FOREVER. WHO WORSHIPS THIS ROMAN LEADER AS GOD.) and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.(WARS NON STOP DURING THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR PERIOD.

Heres the scripture 1 week = 7 yrs Genesis 29:27-28 (FROM DAN 9:27)
27 Fulfil her week,(7 YEARS) and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:(7 YEARS) and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, (NUKE WARS BREAK OUT) as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
 
ISAIAH 33:8
8  The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant,(7 YR TREATY) he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.(THE WORLD LEADER-WAR MONGER CALLS HIMSELF GOD)(1 LAST AND WORST HOLOCAUST IN HISTORY AGAINST ISRAEL BY THIS ROMAN LEADER.AFTER THIS LEADER STOPS THE ANIMAL SACRIFICES.A JEW KILLS HIM.HES RESURRECTED TO LIFE AND INCARNATED BY SATAN HIMSELF. AND SINCE SATAN HATES ISRAEL-NOW THAT HES POSSESSING THE ROMAN LEADERS BODY. HE FIRST POLLUTES THE 3RD TEMPLE BY SITTING IN THE 3RD TEMPLE CALLING HIMSELF GOD.HE THEN GOES AFTER ISRAELIS TO KILL EVERY ONE ON EARTH OF THEM.THE  FALSE MESSIAHS MASK IS OFF. AND THE ISRAELIS ARE FLOWN TO PETRA IN JORDAN WERE THEY WILL BE PROTECTED BY GOD FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.BUT THERE WILL STILL BE LOTS OF ISRAELIS IN ISRAEL YET. GOD MUST JUST PROTECT THE SAVED ISRAELIS IN PETRA JORDAN.

7 WORLD EMPIRES IN WORLD HISTORY.

1-Egyptian (3000 BC – 858 BC)-Defeated by Assyrian invasion and succeeded by them.
2-Assyrian (858 BC – 612 BC)-Nineveh destroyed by Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC then defeated by Babylonians.
3-Babylonian (605 BC – 539 BC)-Begun by Nebuchadnezzar, ended by Medes and Persians.
4-Media-Persian (539 BC – 532 BC)-Together with Medes destroyed Babylon.Established by Cyrus the Great.Ended by defeat at hands of Alexander.
5-Grecian (331 – 31 BC)-Alexander defeated the Persians and established Greek world rule.   Ended by Roman.
6-Roman (31 BC through New Testament period with “ Holy Roman Empire.”Fell to Germanic invasion.(DIED FROM INTERNAL CORRUPTION).
7-Revived Roman Empire (1957, the Treaty of Rome-(REVIVED ROME TREATY-JESUS RETURNS) is a matter of end-time prophecy.JESUS DESTROYS AND RULES FROM JERUSALEM FOR 1,000 YEARS.THEN FOREVER.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
through which the world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.

Elam (IRAN IN THE BIBLE) passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce).
Jeremiah 49:35-39
35-Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
36-And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37-For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, [even] my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
38-And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
39-But it shall come to pass in the latter days, [that] I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 32:24
24-There [is] Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.

Macron ready to 'open debate' on nuclear European defence.

Paris, April 27 (AFP) Apr 27, 2024-French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to "open the debate" about the role of nuclear weapons in a common European defence, he said in an interview published Saturday.It was just the latest in a series of speeches in recent months in which he has stressed the need for a European-led defence strategy."I am ready to open this debate which must include anti-missile defence, long-range capabilities, and nuclear weapons for those who have them or who host American nuclear armaments," the French president said in an interview with regional press group EBRA."Let us put it all on the table and see what really protects us in a credible manner," he added.France will "maintain its specificity but is ready to contribute more to the defence of Europe".The interview was carried out Friday during a visit to Strasbourg.Following Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, France is the only member of the bloc to possess its own nuclear weapons.In a speech Thursday to students at Paris' Sorbonne University, Macron warned that Europe faced an existential threat from Russian aggression.He called on the continent to adopt a "credible" defence strategy less dependent on the United States."Being credible is also having long-range missiles to dissuade the Russians."And then there are nuclear weapons: France's doctrine is that we can use them when our vital interests are threatened," he added."I have already said there is a European dimension to these vital interests."Constructing a common European defence policy has long been a French objective, but it has faced opposition from other EU countries who consider NATO's protection to be more reliable.However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the possible return of the isolationist Donald Trump as US president has given new life to calls for greater European defence autonomy.

Enhanced monitoring techniques for nuclear explosions tested in Nevada-The 2024 Humans To Mars Summit - May 07-08, 2024 - Washington D.C.by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 03, 2024-In October 2023, the National Nuclear Security Administration initiated a new series of experiments under Nevada's desert. These tests, involving a chemical explosion equivalent to 16.3 tons of TNT within the Nevada National Security Site's "P Tunnel," aim to refine the detection of low-yield nuclear explosions globally.Dubbed Physics Experiment 1-A (PE1-A), this project marks the beginning of a non-nuclear experimental sequence designed to align computer simulations with empirical data, including seismic, acoustic, and electromagnetic responses from both underground and atmospheric tests. Stephen Myers, a researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, highlighted these efforts at the Seismological Society of America's Annual Meeting."All of this is to help further our goal of monitoring nuclear explosions better and understanding the source physics of how those explosions generate seismic waves," Myers said.The ongoing Physics Experiment 1 (PE1) builds on previous non-nuclear tests conducted at the site, which historically hosted extensive nuclear testing between 1951 and 1992. The new suite of tests, comprising seven unique experiments, will explore various emplacement conditions and include the use of sophisticated instrumentation to capture a comprehensive array of data. These include deploying a large electromagnetic coil to examine signal propagation through geological structures."These multiple experiments will help us aggregate critical data needed to verify and refine our simulation models used for predicting nuclear test signatures," Myers explained.The improved computational models benefit from advancements in high-performance computing, enabling more precise simulations of explosion dynamics. "Verifying these models against real data is crucial for confirming their accuracy," Myers noted.Data from these tests, including seismic and acoustic readings, will be accessible through a public seismic database after two years, contributing to broader research and verification efforts within the scientific community.

HyImpulse successfully launch their SR75 rocket from Southern Launch-by Simon Mansfield.

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 03, 2024-HyImpulse has successfully launched their SR75 rocket from the Koonibba Test Range, operated by Southern Launch, marking a significant step in Australia's commercial launch capabilities.The SR75, one of the largest rockets launched commercially in Australia, drew an audience of locals and VIPs from across Australia and Europe who witnessed the event on South Australia's Far West Coast.Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp stated, "We are incredibly proud to have been a part of this historic mission. The Koonibba Test Range is world-class and hosting this mission has demonstrated the outstanding expertise and experience of the Southern Launch and HyImpulse teams."This launch was the inaugural event at the newly established permanent facilities at the Koonibba Test Range, a development in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.Geraldine Ware, Chairperson of the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation, commented, "This launch was an incredible achievement for our community and a shining light for First Nations people. We had more than 30 people from the community working throughout the campaign, and to come together and see it launch was amazing. We look forward to the next launch from our launch pad."The mission, dubbed SR75-1 'Light this Candle!', was the first launch attempt for HyImpulse's SR75 rocket, signifying a major advancement for HyImpulse as they continue to refine their hybrid rocket engines.HyImpulse CEO Mario Kobald remarked, "This launch at the Koonibba Test Range was incredible and we could feel the support from everyone here in Koonibba as well as our team back home in Germany."Christian Schmierer, Co-CEO of HyImpulse, added, "Our team at HyImpulse has been developing our unique hybrid rocket technology for many years. This successful launch proves that our technology is viable and is a great step forward as we move toward developing our SL1 orbital launch vehicle."The SR75 rocket launched at 2:40 pm and is set to be recovered from the Koonibba Test Range for post-flight analysis.

Macron floats Ukraine troop deployment if frontline breached.By Francesco Fontemaggi and Stuart Williams.

Paris (AFP) May 2, 2024-French President Emmanuel Macron said the question of sending Western troops to Ukraine would "legitimately" arise if Russia broke through Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv made such a request, in an interview with The Economist published Thursday.Macron in the interview doubled down on his comments from earlier this year of not ruling out sending troops to Ukraine, which sent shockwaves through Europe and unsettled allies including Germany. Most of France's allies said at the time they would not send any forces.The news weekly said Macron gave the interview after delivering a keynote speech last week, in which he declared that Europe is "mortal" and could "die" partly due to the threat posed by Russian aggression after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.It was published at a key moment for Macron, who is due to host Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 6-7 for a state visit and has been issuing increasingly stark warnings about the threat posed by Russian aggression."Absolutely. I'm not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out," said Macron when asked if he stood by his earlier comments made on February 26.Macron said that "if Russia decided to go further, we will in any case all have to ask ourselves this question" about sending troops, describing his refusal to rule out such a move as a "strategic wake-up call for my counterparts".His latest comments come as some analysts believe that Russia could be on the verge of launching a major new offensive in Ukraine. Russia said Thursday it had captured another village in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow's forces have been making advances for days.In an apparent bid to keep harmony with Berlin ahead of Xi's visit, Macron was due to dine privately Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a Paris restaurant, a French presidential official said.- 'Clear strategic objective' -Macron described Russia under President Vladimir Putin as "a power of regional destabilisation" and "a threat to Europeans' security"."I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine," Macron said."If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe."Who can pretend that Russia will stop there? What security will there be for the other neighbouring countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and the others?" he asked."It has broken all the frameworks and has basically returned to a logic of total war," he said.But he suggested that Moscow's war machine was not sustainable over the long term."Devoting a third of its budget to defence is not sustainable for a country whose gross domestic product is lower than that of France, Germany or the United Kingdom," he said.Reaffirming his mantra that Europe must reduce its defence dependence on the United States, Macron said Europe needed a "credible strategic concept of joint defence" adding that "nuclear weapons must be included in the debate."After Britain's exit from the European Union, France is the sole EU power with its own atomic weapons.Hungary, whose Prime Minister Victor Orban is seen as the strongest supporter of Putin within the EU, took issue with Macron's latest statements."If a NATO member commits ground troops, it will be a direct NATO-Russia confrontation, and then it will be World War III," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.- 'Existential risk' -Macron said Europe faced not just a military and security risk but also "an economic risk for our prosperity" and "an existential risk of internal incoherence and disruption to the functioning of our democracies.""Things can fall apart very quickly," the French president added.He said Europe must defend its "strategic interests" in its economic relations with China to address imbalances and restore "reciprocity" in economic ties.Indicating that Ukraine would loom large in the talks with Xi, Macron said: "It's not in China's interest today to have a Russia that destabilises the international order."With European Parliament elections looming next month in which the far-right is set to make gains in France, he warned voters against voting for nationalists."I say to Europeans: Wake up... All European nationalists are hidden Brexiteers. It's all the same lies," he said, referring to those in Britain who backed its exit from the European Union."Make no mistake. If you entrust the keys to people who think like they do, there is no reason why Europe should become a great power," he said.

OneNav introduces new L5-direct GNSS receiver in response to increased GPS jamming-The 2024 Humans To Mars Summit - May 07-08, 2024 - Washington D.C.by Clarence Oxford.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 03, 2024-oneNav, a developer of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology, has launched L5-direct, a GNSS product capable of directly acquiring and tracking L5-band signals. This innovation arrives amid growing concerns over Russian forces using GPS jamming techniques in Europe to impair American drones in Ukraine.In March 2024, over 1,600 civilian aircraft in Eastern Europe experienced mysterious GPS disruptions, further underscoring the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure to such attacks. These disruptions are part of a broader pattern of GPS interference in the region attributed to Russian operations.The significance of L5-band signals lies in their enhanced resilience against jamming and spoofing, being 6-7 times more robust than the older L1 C/A signals, which originated over half a century ago. Traditional GNSS receivers require acquisition of L1 signals before L5, but oneNav's newly developed hardware architecture, featuring a GNSS Application-Specific Array Processor (ASAP), allows for the direct acquisition of L5 signals.An April 2024 field study conducted near the Ukrainian front confirmed the superior performance of L5 signals under conditions of frequent GPS jamming. The study revealed that while L1 signals were heavily jammed from Finland to Turkey, the L5 signals remained unaffected."Advances in GNSS technology give us the opportunity to better protect our economy, our critical industries, our military, and our E9-1-1 services from bad actors looking to exploit outdated L1 technology," said oneNav CEO Steve Poizner. "In addition to providing greater accuracy, L5-band signals are more resilient to jamming and interference by design. Unlike existing GNSS receivers that must first acquire old L1 signals before benefitting from advanced L5-band signals, oneNav's L5-direct acquires these modern signals without using any L1 - a gamechanger for the GNSS industry."The L5-direct not only offers superior performance but also boasts a smaller interference radius against future L1/L2/L5 jamming transmissions. It simplifies GNSS receiver design and lowers costs by eliminating the need for two antennas and two RF receiver chains.oneNav's silicon-proven technology is now available for evaluation and integration by chip developers.Israel builds 'cyber dome' against Iran's hackers-The 2024 Humans To Mars Summit - May 07-08, 2024 - Washington D.C.By Alexandra VARDI.Tel Aviv (AFP) May 3, 2024-Israel's Iron Dome defence system has long shielded it from incoming rockets. Now it is building a "cyber dome" to defend against online attacks, especially from arch foe Iran."It is a silent war, one which is not visible," said Aviram Atzaba, the Israeli National Cyber Directorate's head of international cooperation.While Israel has fought Hamas in Gaza since the October 7 attack, it has also faced a significant increase in cyberattacks from Iran and its allies, Atzaba said."They are trying to hack everything they can," he told AFP, pointing to Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement but adding that so far "they have not succeeded in causing any real damage".He said around 800 significant attacks had been thwarted since the war erupted. Among the targets were government organisations, the military and civil infrastructure.Some attacks could not be foiled, including against hospitals in the cities of Haifa and Safed in which patient data was stolen.While Israel already has cyber defences, they long consisted of "local efforts that were not connected", Atzaba said.So, for the past two years, the directorate has been working to build a centralised, real-time system that works proactively to protect all of Israeli cyberspace.Based in Tel Aviv, the directorate works under the authority of the prime minister. It does not reveal figures on its staff, budget or computing resources.Israel collaborates closely with multiple allies, including the United States, said Atzaba, because "all states face cyber terrorism"."It takes a network to fight a network," he said.- 'An impressive enemy' -Israel's arch foe Iran is "an impressive enemy" in the online wars, said Chuck Freilich, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, which is affiliated with Tel Aviv University."Its attacks aim to sabotage and destroy infrastructure, but also to collect data for intelligence and spread false information for propaganda purposes", he said.Iran has welcomed Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 34,596 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.Regional tensions have soared, particularly after Iran for the first time fired hundreds of missiles directly at Israel last month in retaliation for a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.It was the most dramatic escalation yet after a years-long shadow war of killings and sabotage attacks between Israel and Iran.Freilich argued in a study published in February that Iran was relatively slow to invest in cyberwarfare, until two key events triggered a change.First, its leaders took note of how anti-government protesters used the internet as a tool to mobilise support for a 2009 post-election uprising.In the bloody crackdown that crushed the movement, Iran's authorities cut access to social media and websites covering the protests.Then, in September 2010, a sophisticated cyberattack using the Stuxnet virus, blamed by Iran on Israel and the United States, caused physical damage to Tehran's nuclear programme.Freilich said the attack "demonstrated Iran's extreme vulnerability and led to a severe national shock".Since then, Iran has gained substantial expertise to become "one of the most active countries in cyberspace", he said.- 'Concern for future' -While Israel is considered a major cyber power, Iran was only likely to improve, said Freilich.He pointed to assistance from Russia and China, as well as its much larger population and an emphasis on cyber training for students and soldiers alike, adding that the trend was "concerning for the future".Atzaba insisted that the quantity of hackers is secondary to the quality of technology and the use it is put to.For the past two years, we have been developing a cyber dome against cyberattacks, which functions like the Iron Dome against rockets," he said."With cyber dome, all sources are fed into a large data pool that enables a view of the big picture and to invoke a national response in a comprehensive and coordinated manner."The Israeli system has various scanners that continuously "monitor Israeli cyberspace for vulnerabilities and informs the stakeholders of the means to mitigate them", he said.Israel's cyber strength relied on close cooperation between the public, private and academic sectors, as well as Israel's "white hat" hackers who help identify weaknesses."We work hand in hand", he said.

NATO condemns Russian 'malign activities' on its territory-The 2024 Humans To Mars Summit - May 07-08, 2024 - Washington D.C.by AFP Staff Writers.

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) May 2, 2024-NATO on Thursday condemned Russian "malign activities" on its territory, saying actions like disinformation, sabotage, violence and cyber interference threatened the alliance's security.The incidents "are part of an intensifying campaign of activities" Russia is carrying out across the Euro-Atlantic area and NATO allies "express their deep concern over Russia's hybrid actions, which constitute a threat to allied security", NATO said in a statement.Authorities in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Britain have recently investigated and charged people in connection with "hostile state activity".NATO said allies would work together to deter and defend against the hybrid actions and that they would remain steadfast in supporting Ukraine as it struggles to fend off Russia's invasion, now in its third year.Last month, a 20-year-old British man was charged with masterminding an arson plot against a Ukrainian-linked target in London. Moscow's ambassador Andrey Kelin dismissed claims of links to Russia as "absurd" and "unfounded".In late March, Czech authorities said they had busted a Moscow-financed network that spread Russian propaganda and wielded influence across Europe, including in the European Parliament.

France orders firms to prioritise anti-air missile orders-The 2024 Humans To Mars Summit - May 07-08, 2024 - Washington D.C.by AFP Staff Writers.

Paris (AFP) April 29, 2024-France has ordered firms involved in production of Aster air defence missiles to prioritise those contracts, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday.It was "the first time" he had used special powers to compel queue-jumping for defence orders, meaning "civilian orders must from now on have lower priority," Lecornu said in Calvi, Corsica, where he was meeting his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto."Players in the defence industry must understand that they have to work faster, and that the country's future depends on this work," Crosetto said.Aster 15 and 30 missiles are produced by pan-European manufacturer MBDA, and Italy and France have supplied an unspecified number to Ukraine as it defends against Russian invaders.Kyiv has asked for more of the missiles, which have also been used to defend against drones launched by Yemen's Huthi rebels against ships in the Red Sea.A source familiar with the matter said a major supplier affected by the order was Aubert et Duval, which produces specialist steel for items including submarines and the barrels for Caesar truck-mounted cannons supplied to Ukraine.MBDA says it will reduce production times for Aster missiles to "less than 18 months by 2026" -- from 42 months in 2022.Output of Asters should increase by 50 percent over the same timeframe, CEO Eric Beranger has said.One brake on production is the fact that missile components "cross the Alps several times" during the manufacturing process.Lecornu said it was "urgent to simplify the bureaucracy" around shipping the weapons between France and Italy.Final assembly of Aster missiles currently takes place in France, but Lecornu said he looked "favourably" on Rome's request to set up a second production line in Italy.

Spain says will send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine.by AFP Staff Writers.

Madrid (AFP) April 26, 2024-Spain will send US-made Patriot air defence missile systems to Ukraine, which has asked for more military equipment to resist Russian attacks, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Friday.Madrid will supply "a set of long-range Patriot anti-aircraft interceptor missiles", Robles told a ministerial meeting of the so-called contact group for the defence of Ukraine, the defence ministry said in a statement.It did not specify how many missiles Spain would provide.This month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NATO members that his country needed a minimum of seven Patriot or other high-end air defence systems to counter Russian air strikes, urging them to step up their military assistance for Kyiv.European Union foreign and defence ministers vowed at a meeting on Monday to maintain their aid to Ukraine, but without committing to the delivery of air defence equipment.Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares avoided answering repeated questions about whether Madrid would send Patriot units to Ukraine.

France's EDF, Korea's KHNP bid in Czech nuclear tender.

Prague, April 30 (AFP) Apr 30, 2024-French electricity firm EDF and South Korea's KHNP have submitted final bids to build four nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic, the state-run power group CEZ said Tuesday.Prague initially launched a tender worth billions of dollars in 2022 for one new reactor.But it later sought bids for a total of four new units: two each at the Soviet-built Temelin and Dukovany power stations."We will now evaluate the bids and... submit a report to the... government for final approval," said CEZ board member Tomas Pleskac.The contracts should be ready for signing by the end of next March, CEZ said, adding that the first reactor is due to be launched in 2036.EDF Group chairman and chief executive Luc Remont said his company's EPR 1200 reactors were "the best technology with the best long-term benefits for the Czech industry and economy".EDF has lobbied hard for the contracts and French President Emmanuel Macron visited Prague last month.But EDF has had trouble with delivering on time and budget the original version of the reactor, and recently announced a significant delay and additional costs for two EPR reactors for the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Britain.KHNP chief executive Jooho Whang said his company would deliver its APR1000 reactors on time and at the agreed price, citing "successful projects in Korea and the United Arab Emirates"."We believe that KHNP is the best option for the Czech Republic in terms of timely completion of the first reactor by 2036 and energy security," he added.CEZ currently runs six nuclear units at the two plants located in the south of the country, which last year accounted for about 40 percent of national electricity output.The Czech government aims to raise energy production significantly while phasing out high-emission and obsolete units.The government earlier eliminated US giant Westinghouse from the tender over flaws in its offer and Russia's Rosatom and China's CGN on security concerns.

NATO condemns Russian 'malign activities' on its territory-by AFP Staff Writers.

Brussels, Belgium (AFP) May 2, 2024-NATO on Thursday condemned Russian "malign activities" on its territory, saying actions like disinformation, sabotage, violence and cyber interference threatened the alliance's security.The incidents "are part of an intensifying campaign of activities" Russia is carrying out across the Euro-Atlantic area and NATO allies "express their deep concern over Russia's hybrid actions, which constitute a threat to allied security", NATO said in a statement.Authorities in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Britain have recently investigated and charged people in connection with "hostile state activity".NATO said allies would work together to deter and defend against the hybrid actions and that they would remain steadfast in supporting Ukraine as it struggles to fend off Russia's invasion, now in its third year.Last month, a 20-year-old British man was charged with masterminding an arson plot against a Ukrainian-linked target in London. Moscow's ambassador Andrey Kelin dismissed claims of links to Russia as "absurd" and "unfounded".In late March, Czech authorities said they had busted a Moscow-financed network that spread Russian propaganda and wielded influence across Europe, including in the European Parliament.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) 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)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

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

Heatwave swells Asia's appetite for air-conditioning.

Hong Kong, May 3 (AFP) May 03, 2024-A record-breaking heatwave is broiling parts of Asia, helping drive surging demand for cooling options, including air-conditioning.AC exhaust units are a common feature of urban landscapes in many parts of Asia, clinging like limpets to towering apartment blocks in Hong Kong or tucked in a cross formation between the windows of a building in Cambodia.They offer relief from temperatures that have toppled records in recent weeks, with many countries in the region hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) or higher.Scientists have long warned that human-induced climate change will produce more frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves.Only 15 percent of homes in Southeast Asia have air-conditioning, according to a 2019 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).But that figure obscures vast variations: ranging from around 80 percent installation in Singapore and Malaysia, to less than 10 percent in Indonesia and Vietnam, the IEA said.Forecasts suggest that higher temperatures and better wages could see the number of air-conditioning units in Southeast Asia jump from 40 million in 2017 to 300 million by 2040.That would stretch local electricity capacity, which is already struggling under current conditions.Myanmar is producing only about half the electricity it needs each day, with the junta blaming weak hydropower because of scant rains, low natural gas yields and attacks by its opponents on infrastructure.Thailand has seen record power demand in recent weeks, as people retreat indoors to cooled homes or businesses.Air-conditioning is already responsible for the emission of approximately one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the IEA, out of a total of 37 billion emitted worldwide.Still, cooling options like air-conditioning are a key way to protect human health, especially for those who are most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat: children, the elderly and those with certain disabilities.With demand surging, dozens of countries last year signed up to the United Nations' Global Cooling Pledge, a commitment to improve the efficiency of air conditioners and reduce emissions from all forms of cooling.Some countries have been trying to reduce the impact of cooling for years.Since 2005, Japan has encouraged office workers to ditch ties and jackets so air conditioners can be kept at 28 degrees Celsius.The annual "Cool Biz" programme took on new significance during power shortages in 2011 following the shutdown of nuclear plants after the Fukushima disaster.

Police: More than 25% of arrested Columbia protesters not connected to university-NYPD says 60% of those arrested at City College were not students; numbers released after Mayor Eric Adams highlighted role of ‘outside agitators’By Luke Tress Today, 2:51 pm-MAY 3,24

New York Jewish Week via JTA  — More than a quarter of the people arrested when police cleared pro-Palestinian protesters out of an occupied building at Columbia University on Tuesday night were not affiliated with the school, the NYPD said.An initial analysis by police found that of the 112 people arrested at Hamilton Hall, 80 were affiliated with Columbia. The remaining 32 were neither students nor faculty, the NYPD told the New York Jewish Week.The role of outsiders in the protest has become a focal point in the aftermath of the police crackdown, and Mayor Eric Adams cited the alleged presence of “outside agitators” as a reason for ordering the NYPD to clear out the building. But authorities had not previously specified any details about the people arrested in the building.The arrested protesters ranged in age from 18 to 64, according to a joint statement from the NYPD and mayor’s office, and they face charges including burglary, criminal mischief, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct. Adams said in a statement that the figures made clear “the extent to which outsiders were actually present.”The numbers came amid mounting revelations about the identities of people who participated in the protests at Columbia. At least one person arrested was affiliated with the university’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, the anti-Zionist group that has joined the encampment movement, according to a JVP spokesperson.At least two unaffiliated protesters who were involved in Columbia’s pro-Palestinian encampment have been identified: One is Lisa Fithian, 63, a longtime progressive activist who was spotted in footage of the Hamilton takeover, according to The New York Times. The other, Nahla Al-Arian, was cited by Adams in an interview with National Public Radio. Neither was among those arrested.“What really was a tipping point for me was when I learned that one of the outside agitators’ … husband was arrested for federal terrorism charges,” Adams told NPR on Thursday. “I knew I could not sit back and state that I’m going to allow this to continue to escalate.”Al-Arian visited the encampment on April 25; her husband, Sami Al-Arian, was arrested in 2003 for allegedly supporting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, which is based in Gaza. He was not convicted but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in 2015 and was deported to Turkey.Nahla Al-Arian told The Associated Press that she visited the encampment but did not engage with the protesters. Her husband posted a photo on X showing her sitting outside a protest tent.My wife Nahla in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students. pic.twitter.com/ximkHFbZeo— Sami Al-Arian (@SamiAlArian) April 26, 2024-During the two weeks when the protest encampment was up, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered daily on the street outside the campus, sometimes engaging with the student protesters through a security gate. The university arrested more than 100 people when the encampment first formed but later entered into negotiations with the protesters, who had demanded that Columbia divest from Israel and cut ties with Israeli academic institutions.The occupation of Hamilton Hall, an academic building on Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus, came after those negotiations ended in an impasse and Columbia ordered the encampment dismantled. It rocked a university already reeling from months of disruptive protests — during which Jewish students told the New York Jewish Week that they believed the most openly antisemitic protesters were not Columbia students — and reverberated nationwide.The protesters forcibly took over the building overnight on Monday. Some smashed the hall’s windows with hammers and barricaded themselves inside with couches and vending machines. Following the Hamilton Hall takeover, the university again called in the police, who could only access the private campus at the invitation of the administration or in the case of a life-threatening emergency.Videos released by the NYPD on Wednesday and Thursday showed officers climbing into Hamilton Hall via a vehicle-mounted ladder, breaking through a door using a hammer and crowbar, cutting through chained doors with a power saw, and scuffling with masked demonstrators.NEW New York City Police has released body-worn camera footage of NYPD ESU breaching into Columbia University Hamilton Hall during the raid. pic.twitter.com/ukMTCdOYNY— Oliya Scootercaster ???? (@ScooterCasterNY) May 2, 2024-The NYPD said most of the arrested protesters did not cooperate with police by providing them with information, slowing down the identification of Columbia students and faculty. Police shared a photo of the encampment’s “community guidelines” handwritten on a sign, which included a directive against complying “with any demands” from the NYPD.Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, has asked the police to remain on campus until May 17, two days after commencement ceremonies are slated to take place.The number of unaffiliated protesters among those arrested raises questions about how they accessed the campus. Entry was restricted to those with a Columbia ID, though at previous points since the encampment went up, ID holders were allowed to bring guests to campus.After Hamilton Hall was occupied and barricaded, the access rules were tightened further, excluding everyone but students who live on campus and essential personnel. Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Police also cleared protest encampments at the City College of New York and New York University. Neither is a closed campus, and those arrested at both of those schools included a large number of non-students.At the City College of New York, 68 of the 102 protesters arrested, or 60%, were not students, police said.The student protesters at Columbia had previously collaborated with external pro-Palestinian groups, including hardline organizations. In March, students held an unauthorized “Resistance 101” event in campus housing that saw speakers praise Hamas. Speakers at the event included leaders of the pro-Palestinian groups Within Our Lifetime and Samidoun, both of which back terror groups.

ICC prosecutor slams effort to ‘intimidate’ him on possible arrest warrants for Israelis-Karim Khan warns against trying to impede investigation into Israel’s conduct in Gaza, after US lawmakers reportedly meet with senior court officials-By ToI Staff Today, 3:45 pm-MAY 3,24

Officials at the International Criminal Court warned on Friday against efforts to try and sway the court after reports that Israel and its allies are attempting to dissuade the UN court from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza.While the ICC “welcomes open communication” with government officials and non-governmental bodies alike, it will only engage in such dialogue so long as it is “consistent with its mandate under the Rome Statute to act independently and impartially,” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement.“That independence and impartiality are undermined, however, when individuals threaten to retaliate… should the office, in fulfillment of its mandate, make decisions about investigations or cases falling within its jurisdiction,” he added, demanding that “all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence its officials cease immediately.”In recent weeks, Israeli officials have become increasingly concerned that the UN court could issue arrest warrants for senior political and military officials over the nearly-seven-month-old war in Gaza, including against Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.Israel fears that the warrants will be sought due to the humanitarian crisis that the war against Hamas has created in the Strip, with countries that accuse Israel of breaching international law said to be leading the effort.A group of Republican and Democrat senators held a virtual meeting on Wednesday with top ICC officials, Axios reported Friday, in an attempt to dissuade it from issuing arrest warrants.Quoting sources with knowledge of the meeting, Axios reported that the senators — whose identities were not disclosed — used the meeting to “voice concerns about how the ICC investigation regarding the war in Gaza is being conducted.”The meeting between the ICC and the senators reportedly came about after extensive efforts by Israel to persuade the US to prevent arrest warrants from being issued. In recent weeks, Israel has reportedly told the US that the Palestinian Authority may be pushing the court to issue the arrest warrants and warned that it would retaliate against the PA if they came to be.The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Oliver de la Haye / iStock)-Earlier this week, Axios reported that US Congress members from both parties had warned the ICC that Washington would also retaliate against the court, including by passing legislation that would sanction ICC officials, if it issues the potential warrants, amid fears that such a move could sink a hostages-for-truce agreement in the works between Israel and Hamas.In an English-language video statement earlier this week, Netanyahu accused the court at The Hague of trying to prevent Israel from defending itself against terrorism, calling the possibility of arrest warrants being issued “a distortion of justice and history.”Both Foreign Minister Israel Katz and President Isaac Herzog have also sharply condemned the possibility of the dramatic step being taken against Israel.In addition to governmental efforts to dissuade the ICC, the right-wing Shurat HaDin Law Center in Israel wrote to US President Joe Biden on Friday appealing for assistance on the matter.The letter, signed by close to 200 attorneys from Israel, the US and elsewhere, requested that Biden “use your authority, executive powers and moral responsibility to act on behalf of your closest Middle Eastern ally, Israel, and take all action to stop the ICC from issuing any arrest warrants or bringing indictments against Israeli leaders and senior IDF officers.”Not only would the arrest warrants be “completely unfounded and unjustified,” Shurat HaDin continued, but they would “carry tremendous repercussions for Israel and for Jewish communities across the world.“They will render Israel under an existential threat due to the de facto denial of its right of self-defense, they will jeopardize the lives of Israeli and American citizens still held hostage by Hamas, and will pose a strategic risk to American interests due to a distorted and political application of the Laws of War by the ICC, which will soon put also American officials and servicemen at considerable risk,” the letter continued.Urging the US to act in support of Israel, Shurat HaDin alleged that “for more than 200 days the ICC prosecutor has refrained to act against the true perpetrators of the hideous war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on October 7, 2023 and beyond. It allowed Hamas to continue its atrocities, to hold hundreds of hostages and to torture them. Despite being invited into Israel to witness the atrocities in person – the ICC’s prosecutor refrained to act where its actions could literally save lives.”Khan visited Israel in December 2023 at the request of families of Hamas hostages. During his visit, he toured some of the communities attacked during the October 7 Hamas onslaught, including Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and heard testimonies from survivors of the massacre.Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan visits a Gaza border town attacked by Hamas, on December 3, 2023. Following his visit, he said that the ICC was investigating the crimes against Israeli civilians as “some of the most serious international crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.”Established in 2002, the ICC is a permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals for war crimes and other crimes against humanity.In 2021, then-chief prosecutor Fatouh Bensouda announced that she was opening an investigation into possible crimes in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. That investigation will examine the region but controversially starting from June 13, 2014 — one day after Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, meaning the ICC will not look into the crimes that sparked Israel’s war in Gaza that summer.Israel often levels accusations of bias at the UN and international bodies, and Netanyahu slammed the decision to probe “fake war crimes” as hypocritical and antisemitic.

How cutting ties with Israel could hamstring Colombia’s military, ground Air Force-Jerusalem sole provider of maintenance to Colombia’s aging fleet of Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets and a key supplier of other weapons and cyber security; trade will also be harmed
By ASTRID SUAREZ Today, 11:46 am-MAY 3,24

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia has become the latest Latin American country to announce it will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, but the repercussions for the South American nation could be broader than for other countries due to longstanding bilateral agreements over security matters.Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and announced his government would end diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday. But he did not address how his decision could affect Colombia’s military, which uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and a free trade agreement between both countries that went into effect in 2020.Also in the region, Bolivia and Belize have also severed diplomatic relations with Israel over the Israel-Hamas war that started when Hamas assaulted southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 253 hostages.Here’s a look at Colombia’s close Israel ties and fallout: Why is security cooperation between Colombia and Israel important? Colombia and Israel have signed dozens of agreements on wide-ranging issues, including education and trade, since they established diplomatic relations in 1957. But nothing links them closer than military contracts.Colombia’s fighter jets are all Israeli-built. The more than 20 Kfir Israeli-made fighter jets were used by its air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The strikes helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.But the fleet, purchased in the late 1980s, is aging and requires maintenance, which can only be carried out by an Israeli firm. Manufacturers in France, Sweden and the United States have approached Colombia’s government with replacement options, but the spending priorities of Petro’s administration are elsewhere.Colombia’s military also uses Galil rifles, which were designed in Israel and for which Colombia acquired the rights to manufacture and sell. Israel also assists the South American country with its cybersecurity needs.Will the move affect Colombia’s military contracts with Israel? It remains unclear.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement that “all communications related to this announcement will be made through established official channels and will not be public.” The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, while the Israeli Embassy in Bogota declined to address the issue.However, a day before Petro announced his decision, Colombian Defense Minister Iván Velásquez told lawmakers that no new contracts would be signed with Israel, though existing ones would be fulfilled, including those related to maintenance for the Kfir fighters and one for missile systems.Velásquez said the government had established a “transition” committee that would seek to “diversify” suppliers to avoid depending on Israel. He added that one of the possibilities under consideration is the development of a rifle by the Colombian military industry to replace the Galil.Security cooperation has been at the center of tensions between the two countries. Israel said in October that it would halt security exports to Colombia after Petro refused to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war and compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. In February, Petro announced the suspension of arms purchases from Israel.For retired Gen. Guillermo León, former commander of the Colombian air force, the country’s military capabilities will be affected if Petro’s administration breaks its contract obligations or even if it complies with them but refuses to sign new ones.“At the end of the year, maintenance and spare parts run out, and from then on, the fleet would rapidly enter a condition where we would no longer have the means to sustain it,” he told AP. “This year, three aircraft were withdrawn from service due to compliance with their useful life cycle.”What is the trade relationship between the countries? A free trade agreement between Colombia and Israel went into effect in August 2020. Israel now buys 1 percent of Colombia’s total exports, which include coal, coffee and flowers.According to Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, exports to Israel last year totaled $499 million, which represents a drop of 53% from 2022.Colombia’s imports from Israel include electrical equipment, plastics and fertilizers.Neither government has explained whether the diplomatic feud will affect the trade agreement.Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.

Anti-Israel campus protests spread across the US border to Canada, Mexico-Far from the US, an encampment springs up at University of Sydney; Sciences Po University in Paris is closed after students occupied buildings-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 11:31 am-MAY 3,24

The anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protests that erupted on college and university campuses across the United States in recent weeks have spread beyond the country’s borders and into neighboring Canada and Mexico, as well as further afield, with students in Australia and France setting up encampments of their own in recent days.Students at top Canadian universities including the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Montreal’s McGill University had all established protest encampments as of Thursday, calling for their places of study to divest from Israeli universities and businesses that support the Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza.Quebec Premier Francois Legault said on Thursday that the encampment at McGill University should be dismantled, and while the school had requested police intervention, law enforcement had not stepped in to clear the encampment and said in a statement Thursday evening it was monitoring the situation.“We want the camp to be dismantled. We trust the police, let them do their job,” a spokesperson for Legault said.There was also a pro-Israel counter-protest in Montreal on Thursday, although the two sides were kept separate by a line of police and no skirmishes occurred.The CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, reported that the pro-Israel protesters set up screens facing the pro-Palestinian encampment and played video footage of interviews with released Hamas hostages.On Thursday morning, students at the University of Toronto set up an encampment in a fenced-off grassy space at the school’s downtown campus where some 100 protesters gathered with dozens of tents.According to a statement from organizers, the encampment will stay until the university discloses its investments, divests from any companies that “sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine” and ends partnerships with some Israeli academic institutions.Israel rejects any allegations of apartheid, saying its own Arab citizens enjoy equal rights and that it granted limited autonomy to the Palestinian Authority at the height of the peace process in the 1990s and withdrew all its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005.A university spokesperson told Reuters it was “in dialogue with the protesters” and that, as of midday Thursday, the encampment was “not disruptive to normal university activities.”University of Toronto graduate student and encampment spokesperson Sara Rasikh told Reuters they will remain until their demands are met.“If public disruption is the only way to get our voice heard, then we are willing to do that,” she said.As in the US, some Jewish groups have accused protesters of antisemitism, a charge which organizers deny, although protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or displaying signs bearing antisemitic slogans.McGill. This, apparently, is what higher education now does to you. pic.twitter.com/t2wos9HclU— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) May 2, 2024-Asked to comment on the encampments, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office pointed to a statement he made on Tuesday, saying: “Universities are places of learning, they’re places for freedom of expression … but that only works if people feel safe on campus. Right now … Jewish students do not feel safe. That’s not right.”The protests which began at New York’s Columbia University and rapidly spread came about in response to Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza.War erupted on October 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a massive cross-border attack on Israel, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, 129 of whom remain captive, not all of them alive.Vowing to stamp out Hamas and topple its regime in Gaza, Israel launched a military campaign that also aims to free the hostages, and which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says has killed at least 34,400 Palestinians. The figures cannot be independently verified and include some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.On the other side of the US’s southern border, dozens of pro-Palestinian students from Mexico’s largest university camped out at a newly established encampment.Mounting flags and chanting “Long live free Palestine,” the protesters set up tents in front of the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s (UNAM) head office in Mexico City.The students called on the Mexican government to break diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel.“We are here to support Palestine, the people who are in Palestine, and the student camps in the United States,” said Valentino Pino, a 19-year-old philosophy student.Jimena Rosas, 21, said she hoped the protest would have a domino effect and spread to other universities in the country.“Once people see that UNAM is beginning to mobilize, other universities should start as well,” she said.Some 10,000 miles away from New York’s Columbia University, students at Australia’s University of Sydney rallied on Friday, demanding that the university, one of Australia’s top institutes of higher education, divest from companies with ties to Israel.Unlike in the US, where police have forcibly removed scores of defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges, protest sites in Australia have been peaceful with scant police presence, and the university’s vice-chancellor Mark Scott told local media on Thursday that the encampment could stay on campus in part because it was absent the violence seen in the US.Standing in the chanting crowd of more than 300 with his two-year-old son on his shoulders, Matt, 39, said he came to show it was not just students angry at Israel’s actions in Gaza.“Once you understand what is going on you have a responsibility to try and get involved and raise awareness and show solidarity,” he told Reuters, declining to give his last name.Several hundred meters away from the protest and separated by lines of security guards, hundreds gathered under Australian and Israeli flags to hear speakers discuss the lack of safety felt by Jewish students and faculty amid the campus protests.“There’s no space for anybody else, walking through campus chanting ‘Intifada’ and ‘from the river to the sea’ it does something, it’s scary,” said Sarah, an academic who declined to give her name for fear of repercussions.In contrast to the lack of animosity between University of Sydney faculty and protesters, France’s Sciences Po University in Paris announced that it would be closed on Friday after a debate between the institute’s leadership and students on the war in Gaza failed to ease tensions, prompting protesters to occupy it overnight.The elite political sciences university this week became the center of a wave of protests at several schools in France over the war and academic ties with Israel, although not on the same scale as seen in the United States.A group of around 70 students were occupying Sciences Po’s main buildings in central Paris on Friday morning after having spent the night there. Jack, one of the protesters, told Reuters in a text message, adding: “By the way, the negotiations with leadership are making no progress.”Sciences Po’s director on Thursday rejected demands by protesters to review the schools’ relations with Israeli universities, prompting protesters to continue their movement with at least one person entering a hunger strike, according to a student speaking on behalf of the protesters.

More than 2,100 people arrested at anti-Israel campus protests across the US-Over 100 people were taken into custody at Columbia earlier this week – where officer accidently fired gun – and 200 at UCLA early Thursday morning as Biden decried-By AP and ToI Staff Today, 9:29 am-MAY 3,24

LOS ANGELES — Police have arrested more than 2,100 people during pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings.One officer accidentally discharged his gun inside a Columbia University administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside, authorities disclosed Thursday.No one was injured by the officer’s mistake late Tuesday inside Hamilton Hall on the Columbia campus, the NYPD said Thursday, asserting that he was trying to use the flashlight attached to his gun at the time and instead fired a single round that struck a frame on the wall.There were other officers but no students in the immediate vicinity, officials said. Body camera footage shows when the officer’s gun went off, but the district attorney’s office is conducting a review, a standard practice.More than 100 people were taken into custody during the Columbia crackdown, just a fraction of the total arrests stemming from recent campus protests against Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which began following the October 7 massacre carried out by the Hamas terror group in southern Israel.A tally by The Associated Press on Thursday found at least 50 incidents of arrests at 40 different US colleges or universities since April 18.Early Thursday, officers surged against a crowd of demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, ultimately taking at least 200 protesters into custody after hundreds defied orders to leave, some forming human chains as police fired flash-bangs to break up the crowds. Police tore apart a fortified encampment’s barricade of plywood, pallets, metal fences and dumpsters, then pulled down canopies and tents.Like at UCLA, tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war against Hamas have spread across other campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century.Iranian state television carried live images of the police action at UCLA, as did Qatar’s pan-Arab Al Jazeera satellite network. Live images of Los Angeles also played across Israeli television networks.Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks and violent threats, protest organizers say it is a peaceful movement to defend Palestinian rights and protest the war.US President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the right of students to peaceful protest but decried the chaos, destruction of property, violence and antisemitism witnessed in recent days.The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia on April 17 in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. War erupted on October 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a massive cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, amid numerous atrocities. The roughly 3,000 attackers who burst into southern Israel also abducted 253 people of all ages who were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.Vowing to stamp out Hamas and topple its regime in Gaza, Israel launched a military campaign that also aims to free the hostages, of whom 129 remain in captivity, more than 30 of whom are no longer alive.At least 34,400 Palestinians have been killed and over 77,600 injured in Gaza since the start of the war, the Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip says. The figures cannot be independently verified and include some 13,000 Hamas gunmen Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.On April 18, the NYPD cleared Columbia’s initial encampment and arrested roughly 100 protesters. The demonstrators set up new tents and defied threats of suspension, and escalated their actions early Tuesday by occupying Hamilton Hall, an administration building that was similarly seized in 1968 by students protesting racism and the Vietnam War.Demonstrators from the pro-Palestinian encampment on Columbia’s campus show a banner as they barricade themselves inside Roughly 20 hours later, officers stormed the hall. Video showed police with zip ties and riot shields streaming through a second-floor window. Police had said protesters inside presented no substantial resistance.The officer’s gun went off at 9:38 p.m., the NYPD said, about 10 minutes after police started pouring into Hamilton Hall. The department did not name the officer, whose actions were first reported by news outlet The City on Thursday.The confrontations at UCLA also played out over several days this week. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block told alumni on a call Thursday afternoon that the trouble started after a permitted pro-Israel rally was held on campus Sunday, resulting in skirmishes with at least one person reported to have been injured.In the following days, administrators tried to find a peaceful solution with members of the encampment and expected things to remain stable, Block said.That changed late Tuesday, he said, when counterdemonstrators clashed with the pro-Palestinian encampment, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another as days of tensions over the war in Gaza burst into outright violence.It took several hours for campus administrators and police to intervene or call for backup, and no one was arrested that night, but at least 15 protesters were injured. The delayed response to the brawl drew criticism from political leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and officials pledged an independent review.“We certainly weren’t thinking that we’d end up with a large number of violent people, that hadn’t happened before,” Block said on the call.By Wednesday, the encampment had become “much more of a bunker” and there was no other solution but to have police dismantle it, he said.The hourslong standoff went into Thursday morning as officers warned over loudspeakers that there would be arrests if the crowd — at the time more than 1,000 strong inside the encampment as well as outside of it — did not disperse. Hundreds left voluntarily, while another 200-plus remained and were ultimately taken into custody.Meanwhile, protest encampments at other schools across the US have been cleared by police — resulting in more arrests — or closed up voluntarily. But the University of Minnesota officials reached an agreement with protesters not to disrupt commencements and similar compromises have been made at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, Rutgers University in New Jersey and Brown University in Rhode Island.Ariel Dardashti, a graduating UCLA senior studying global studies and sociology, said no student should feel unsafe at school.“It should not get to the point where students are being arrested,” Dardashti said on campus Thursday.Dardashti, who is Jewish, said he can relate to the trauma suffered by Palestinians.
“When my dad was fleeing Iran, he prayed that his children wouldn’t have to face antisemitism,” Dardashti said. “We’re afraid of having to flee again in the same way our parents did.”

Syria says 8 soldiers hurt in alleged Israeli strike that caused ‘material losses’Targeted building said controlled by Iran-backed Hezbollah since 2014; strike appears to be first in Syria since the April 1 killing of a top Iranian general, also blamed on Israel-By Emanuel Fabian,-ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 8:55 am-MAY 3,24

Eight Syrian soldiers were wounded and material losses were caused in an alleged Israeli strike on Damascus on Thursday evening, Syria’s state-run SANA broadcaster reported, citing a military source.According to the report, shortly before 11 p.m., Israeli warplanes launched missiles from over the Golan Heights in northern Israel at a site on the outskirts of Damascus.The strike appears to be the first in Syria since the April 1 killing of several top Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers, a strike also blamed on Israel.Speaking to Reuters, a security source in the alliance that backs Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government alleged that the building, situated just south of the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine, was used by Syrian security forces. The report was disputed, however, by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor which claimed that the building has been used by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group as a detention center since 2014.There was no comment on the strike from the Israel Defense Forces. While Israel’s military does not, as a rule, comment on specific strikes in Syria, it has admitted to conducting hundreds of sorties against Iran-backed terror groups attempting to gain a foothold in the country, over the last decade.While there has been an increase in strikes on Iranian targets in Syria since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in October, the alleged strike overnight is the first one since an April 1 airstrike leveled what Iran said was a consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals. While Israel didn’t comment on the strike, both Iran and Syria blamed Jerusalem.After vowing revenge for the April 1 strike, Iran launched a first-ever direct missile and drone attack against Israel on April 13-14, against which Israel and its allied partners mounted a successful defense. Following the unprecedented attack, world leaders including Israel’s closest allies in the United States urged restraint, warning that any further action between the arch-foes could send the region spiraling into an all-out war.On April 19, however, a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery in the central Iranian city of Isfahan was hit, causing precise damage. Israel did not publicly take responsibility for the strike, and Tehran appeared to downplay what had occurred, with its Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani claiming that the “harassment attack caused no damage whatsoever and Iran’s defensive system carried out their duties.”In the months following the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught in southern Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, several rocket launches have been carried out against Israel from southern Syria, which have not caused any injuries.Recent months have seen several alleged sorties carried out against sites in Syria as part of Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent Iran from supplying arms to its proxy Hezbollah, which has stepped up attacks on northern Israel over the past several months amid the ongoing war in Gaza.Since October 8, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel, Hezbollah has engaged in cross-border fire on a near-daily basis, launching rockets, drones and missiles at northern Israel in a campaign it says is in support of Hamas.The attacks forced most residents several kilometers from the border to evacuate. Israel has responded with its own regular strikes on Hezbollah targets and has warned it will not be able to tolerate the terrorists’ continued presence on the border.The Iran-backed terror group Hamas launched a massive onslaught on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapping 240, mostly civilians, amid horrendous acts of brutality and sexual assault.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

Regulators hound Worldcoin digital ID project as it expands in Latin America-Worried governments still unsure what firm will do with huge iris biometrics database-May 2, 2024, 2:18 pm EDT-Joel R. McConvey

Worldcoin continues to take its iris biometrics and digital identity scheme into new territories – and, like clockwork, trigger alarms among governments who remain unclear on exactly what the company is doing with the biometric data it collects. Latin America is the latest hot zone, as Argentinian legislators push to regulate Worldcoin’s activities, and Mexican politicians seek clarity on data protection ahead of the opening of new iris scanning locations.BA legislature hears proposal for registry of firms using biometric data-Diputados Bonaerenses reports that MP Carlos Puglelli has presented a proposal to the Buenos Aires Legislature to establish a clear regulatory framework for iris scanning initiatives. Puglelli is looking to ensure user data protections are in place, with enforceable penalties for non-compliance. His initiative proposes establishing a Provincial Registry of Digital Applications of Biometric Data, which defines a range of potential sanctions ranging from economic penalties to the withdrawal of permits.“It is essential to adapt our legislation to the challenges posed by the digital age,” Puglelli says. “This law seeks to protect the rights of consumers and users in an increasingly digitalized environment, ensuring the privacy and security of their data.”Also at issue is clear user consent, which critics say is not explained clearly enough in Worldcoin’s agreement. The addition of payola to the mix further complicates matters: part of Worldcoin’s success hinges on offering a certain amount of cryptocurrency in exchange for an iris scan and the creation of a “World ID” digital identity. Some say this muddies the waters of free, express and informed consent. An article in Rest of World paints a picture of reluctant registrants in Argentina forced into trading biometrics for money to fight soaring rates of inflation and unemployment. The specter of predatory opportunism hovers over its operations in nations seized by economic crisis.Furthermore, Worldcoin and its parent company, Tools for Humanity, are based in the Cayman Islands, putting them outside of regional jurisdictions. Puglelli’s proposal would require biometrics businesses to have “a domicile in the Buenos Aires territory.”Worldcoin, which is co-owned by Silicon Valley maverick Sam Altman, operates more than 50 iris-scanning outlets in Argentina. This is not the first call from politicians to investigate the company’s activities. The country’s national data protection agency launched its own investigation into Worldcoin back in January. The province of Buenos Aires has already threatened Worldcoin with a fine of up to one billion Argentine pesos (~US$1.15 million) for including “abusive clauses” in its customer agreements. Puglelli’s colleague, provincial deputy And Romina Braga, has also asked the country’s leadership to press Worldcoin to clarify its intentions. “Today it is unclear what the company does with iris scans,” she says. “WorldCoin does not have legal status in Argentina and is acquiring biometric data in a way where privacy is at stake.”More iris-scanning Orbs coming to cities in Mexico-Regardless of the doubter’s chorus, Worldcoin soldiers on. In a post on X (née Twitter), the firm says it is expanding its operations in Mexico. “Increased access to World ID’s verified proof of humanness is coming to Mexico,” says the post. This means more iris-scanning Orbs will be deployed in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.On cue, legislators are raising red flags. Criptonoticias reports that, on April 15, Congressional representative María Eugenia Hernández requested a formal evaluation of the data protection practices and potential impacts of Worldcoin’s iris biometrics project.The company already operates nine scanning centers in Mexico. The new additions will further enlarge its footprint in Latin America, which also includes 21 biometric scanning centers in Chile.While it may appear to have taken an aggressive approach to this point, the company is showing signs that it may be getting the message about privacy concerns. In Malaysia recently, its executives met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other government officials in advance of setting up Orbs in the country.Meanwhile, no one can deny the company’s impressive growth from rapid adoption. The company already has 10 million users, half a million of which are in Argentina. To scale up its Latam operations, it is currently hiring for roles in communications, customer experience and market operations. It is exploring partnerships with OpenAI and PayPal. And it is making more Orbs, as its supply of the spherical biometric capture devices runs low.

Startup OVE reveals prototype for flexible biometric payment device-May 2, 2024, 2:17 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

San Francisco-based startup OVE has unveiled a prototype of its Touch & Go fingerprint scanner for biometric retail payments.Co-founder and CEO Ciao Buchalla shared images of the device, which OVE refers to as a “Sensor,” in a LinkedIn post.The Touch & Go’s capacitive fingerprint sensor is provided by Fingerprint Cards, Buchalla told Biometric Update in an email. The device can be deployed at the point of sale, but is small enough to be portable, and the company claims it can be adapted to access control and self-checkout use cases.“The sensor was designed to be mobile and adaptable to every scenario, from opening tabs at bars to paying at the table at restaurants, and from self-checkouts at grocery stores to gas station pumps,” Buchalla says.He reveals that OVE is currently conducting a seed funding round to back the industrialization of the OVE sensor. Pre-seed funding came from private investors in the U.S. and Buchalla’s native Brazil. The company hopes to bring the Touch & Go to market by the end of 2024. Talks with PCH are ongoing, but progressing well, he says.The company is working on securing certification from what Buchalla characterizes as a “major credit card processor,” and the system accepts debit cards from most U.S. banks and all major credit card brands, according to the company website. OVE also offers the flexibility for different payment methods to be linked to each of a person’s fingerprints.The system connects to the retailer’s existing POS system through Wi-Fi.Buchalla and his co-founders began developing the device in 2020, and has overcome significant challenges, particularly on the hardware side.“One of our biggest challenges was creating a system capable of securely storing millions of fingerprint hashes in the cloud and ensuring accurate matching when a consumer uses our system,” Buchalla tells Biometric Update. “Previous technology primarily focused on 1-to-1 fingerprint matching stored locally on smartphones. We had to develop a matching system capable of handling 1-to-millions of encrypted fingerprint data in the cloud. To achieve this, we’ve integrated AI into our system to support the biometric matching algorithm, enabling continuous learning and refinement with each match, and we also added a few extra hardware pieces into our device.”Buchalla sees user experience as a key differentiator for OVE. The ubiquity of facial images online and concerns about AI voice generation also set it apart from some biometric payment methods on offer.The company’s business model involves distributing scanners “to merchants through partnerships with payment companies,” and consumers register payment methods to their fingerprints using the OVE Touch & Go app.The Touch & Go is protected by US patent 11961081B2, which covers payments from a range of account types through fingerprint biometrics.

Bank of Ireland to introduce voice biometrics to authentication for phone interactions-May 2, 2024, 2:15 pm EDT- Bianca Gonzalez

Bank of Ireland announced it will invest more than €34 million (roughly US$36 million) to upgrade its phone and CRM systems, including adding voice biometrics for authentication.The use of voice biometrics will improve fraud protection and reduce waiting times for customers. This investment follows an announcement of €60 million (US$64 million) on ATMs and branch networks, and €50 million (US$54 million) on fraud protections.“This is the largest single investment in enhanced systems and technology for our frontline colleagues in branches and contact centers that the Bank has ever made. We receive more than 11,000 calls on average each day and when customers call us they want speed, expertise and security,” says Susan Russell, CEO, Bank of Ireland Retail Ireland.“This investment equips colleagues with the latest technology to provide better and faster resolution of calls, and colleagues will now have a ‘single view’ of the customer at the touch of a button providing them with instant access to all their information without having to talk to another part of the bank. This investment will make things faster and better for customers and for colleagues, it’s a win-win.”Customers use biometrics in banking around the world-This follows a global trend of banks implementing biometrics to streamline services. As many as 75 percent of Brazilian banks use face biometrics to identify clients according to the first phase of a 2024 survey on banking technology by Deloitte Consultoria for the Brazilian Federation of Banks. Twenty-four banks participated, amounting to 81 percent of all banks in Brazil.Indian commercial banks are considering using iris scans to verify transactions, particularly for senior citizens, as fingerprint biometrics may be less reliable.In Australia, Waave is introducing the biometrically secured Waave Wallet and for its pay-by-bank product that was launched in early 2023. Customers can use their fingerprint or Face ID for authentication before authorizing payments.In the Republic of Azerbaijan, it is now mandatory to perform facial recognition for transactions using digital wallets. And in the U.S., two credit unions will join the MemberPass biometric member authentication pilot.

Video injection attacks: What is that and the way forward? May 2, 2024, 2:14 pm EDT-Konstantin Simonchik-By Konstantin Simonchik, Chief Science Officer and co-founder at ID R&D.

Do you remember the scene in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ where Danny Ocean’s team cleverly tricks the casino’s security system? They injected a pre-recorded video feed of an undisturbed vault, leading Terry Benedict and his security team to believe that nothing was amiss, even as the heist was in full swing. This cinematic moment showcases the power and potential danger of video injection attacks. In the real world, detecting such breaches in surveillance and data systems is paramount. In this article, we will delve into the methods and technologies behind video injection detection, ensuring that life doesn’t imitate art in our most secure spaces.‘Ocean’s Eleven’ movie: injection of a pre-recorded video into the casino’s security system (bottom), after the real video back (top).Understanding video injection attacks-Video injection attacks are a form of cyber assault where unauthorized video content is inserted into a surveillance or data stream. This can mislead viewers, mask illegal activities, or compromise the integrity of a system. In the context of KYC (Know Your Customer) systems, which are pivotal in the financial industry for identity verification, such attacks pose a significant threat.What are video injection attacks? A video injection attack involves inserting fraudulent data streams between the capture device (the sensor) and the biometric feature extractor during identity verification​​. This is particularly relevant in KYC systems where biometric data, such as video frames of a person’s face, is compared against an identity document. The goal is to establish a fraudulent identity by manipulating the video feed.Growing threat of video injection attacks-This evolving threat landscape has ushered in an era of sophisticated digital attacks. Video injection attacks have become notably more prevalent, being five times more common than traditional presentation attacks like masking a camera. The increase in these attacks, especially through the use of synthetic imagery, is attributed to the ease of automation and the widespread availability of malware tools. Mobile platforms, in particular, have seen a substantial 149% rise in such attacks.Deepfake technology, previously a topic of debate, is now a prevalent tool in cybersecurity attacks. Attackers are creating highly realistic 3D videos to trick systems into authenticating false identities. Notably, the rise of real-time face swap attacks in 2022, increasing by 295% in just half a year, poses a significant challenge to both active and passive verification systems.Methods employed in video injection attacks-Below is a list of video injection vectors fraudsters use to spoof remote facial recognition in remote onboarding and KYC systems, when a user explores a regular smartphone or laptop/PC to open a banking account, for instance.Virtual Cameras: These are widely used for fraud, with apps like ManyCam streaming prerecorded or deepfake videos to appear as if from a real camera. Fraudsters often rename these virtual cameras to mimic physical ones and may manipulate web browser functions to favor their use.Hardware Video Sticks: These devices, which connect via USB, don’t use optics but capture digital video streams, such as from another device’s screen. They’re recognized by operating systems as standard USB cameras.JavaScript Injection: For web-based KYC, malicious JavaScript code injected into a browser can alter or substitute the video feed, tricking the verification process with fake or prerecorded content.Smartphone Emulators: Used mainly in mobile app development, emulators can replicate a real smartphone’s functionality. Attackers use them to run apps and fake video streams, bypassing security checks meant for actual devices.Intercepting Network Traffic: By accessing and altering video data during transmission, attackers can replace legitimate video feeds with fake ones. This is particularly risky on public or insecure networks, where encryption might not be standard.It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list of injection attacks. More complex and sophisticated techniques exist, such as hardware injection, which require advanced skills and are less commonly seen in practice.The inadequacy of current approaches in remote onboarding and KYC-While KYC systems are proficient in detecting standard presentation attacks, as guided by well-established standards like ISO/IEC 30107 and certified by organizations such as iBeta Quality Assurance Lab, they are increasingly challenged by the emerging threat of video injection attacks. These sophisticated attacks are not fully addressed by the current standards, revealing specific vulnerabilities in KYC systems:Standard Recognition Protocols: Commonly, KYC systems identify cameras using device names or identifiers from the operating system. However, they often cannot differentiate between a real physical camera and a skillfully configured virtual one.Lack of Physical Hardware Verification: Regular practices in KYC development focus on securing data transmission and encrypting communications. Yet, these measures generally do not include verifying the physical authenticity of the hardware. Consequently, a system can be misled by a virtual camera that convincingly emulates a real one.Inadequate Anomaly Detection: Most KYC systems are adept at spotting irregularities in user behavior or data transmission but fall short in verifying the source of the video feed. This gap allows virtual cameras to go unnoticed.Encryption and Obfuscation Limitations: While encryption effectively secures data during its transfer, it does not authenticate the data’s origin. Similarly, JavaScript obfuscation protects web-based KYC systems from code tampering but fails to prevent manipulation of the video feed prior to its arrival in the browser.Deepfake and Synthetic Video Challenges: The advancement of deepfake technology further complicates this landscape. The high fidelity of modern synthetic videos poses a challenge in distinguishing them from authentic feeds, even for systems that can detect anomalies in video content.Adherence to the ISO 27000 family standards does not necessarily mitigate the risks posed by video injection attacks. For instance, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, while establishing a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS), typically lacks guidelines for verifying camera authenticity. Consequently, a KYC system compliant with this standard might still be susceptible to attacks using virtual cameras. Furthermore, the ISO/IEC 27002:2013 standard, which outlines information security controls, mainly addresses data protection and integrity, not the validation of the video feed’s source.The way forward: enhancing video injection attack mitigation-To strengthen defenses against sophisticated threats like video injection attacks, including deepfakes in KYC systems, specific and advanced strategies are essential:Implement Comprehensive Detection: Utilize technologies that combine presentation attack detection with injection attack detection. This technology can detect various attack contents, including deepfakes and face morphs​​.Target Delivery Channels: Focus on shutting down channels like virtual cameras in desktop browsers and hardware attacks that fraudsters use to deliver deepfakes and other fraudulent content​​.Adopt User-Friendly Security: Implement security measures that do not require user interaction and do not add friction to the user experience​​.Utilize AI for Detection: Leverage deep learning algorithms for AI-powered detection, which can identify complex attack patterns that are challenging for humans to detect​​.In conclusion, there’s a hopeful anticipation that the security landscape for KYC systems will evolve with the development or enhancement of specific standards targeting video injection attacks. The establishment of dedicated certifications and evaluation laboratories is an essential step forward. Such advancements would not only standardize defenses but also significantly bolster the integrity and reliability of digital verification processes amid rapidly advancing technological threats.About the author-Konstantin Simonchik is ID R&D’s Chief Science Officer and co-founder. He brings a wealth of experience not only as the former science head of a large biometric firm in Europe but also as a professor of Speech Information Systems at a leading research university. He has authored more than 30 scientific papers devoted to speaker recognition and anti-spoofing, holds multiple patents, and has received numerous recognitions and awards from organizations including IEEE, ASVspoof, and NIST.DISCLAIMER: Biometric Update’s Industry Insights are submitted content. The views expressed in this post are that of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Biometric.

Reported Australian biometric data breach prompts arrest and hysteria-May 2, 2024, 5:07 pm EDT- Chris Burt

An apparent data breach of personal information including face biometrics of about a million Australians has been reported, and an arrest made.People claiming to be former developers for Outabox in the Philippines created a website claiming they have “facial recognition biometric, driver licence [sic] scan, signature, club membership data, address, birthday, phone number, club visit timestamps, slot machine usage” data. It also says the hack is a response to Outabox’ failure to pay them for 18 months.The data was apparently collected from 19 venues in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory operated by ClubsNSW. The firm had contracted Outabox, a hospitality IT provider, which is the source of the allegedly breached data. Outabox received the data from systems operated by gambling machine supplier IGT, according to the website.The claims made on the site have not been verified.Australia has been embracing face biometrics as a tool for enforcing responsible gaming measures like self-exclusion.Outabox and the website claiming to share the details of the breach have released statements and responses alleging and denying poor data management practices and violations of privacy regulations.An unnamed 46 year old man was arrested in the Sydney area and is expected to be charged with blackmail, The Australian Financial Review reports. AFR also notes that the local arrest may indicate that the website registered in the Philippines may be a ruse to throw investigators off the real perpetrators’ trail.The purported hackers’ website claims facial and driver’s licenses images were stored, the former appearing not to have been converted into templates, and therefore not directly useful for biometric comparison.Wired wrong: “hidden danger” vs “no real risk”Wired’s coverage refers to the “hidden danger of biometrics,” but as terms like “template” and “encryption” do not appear either on the purported hackers’ website or the news article.“The biometric line is a good headline, but it’s likely a little hyperbolic: data that a verifier captures in order to match biometrics is not necessarily usable in other contexts and possibly poses no real risk,” cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who created the website Have I Been Pwned, posted on X.This is because facial images cannot be matched by facial recognition algorithms unless the biometric data is presented in the form of a template. Reverse engineering biometric templates is possible in theory, but has yet to be observed in the wild.Wired quotes Hunt assessment of the veracity of the claims, and even links to his posts on X, but declines to note the contradiction to its headline.

UNDP transforming lives in Namibia with digital legal ID initiative-May 2, 2024, 2:12 pm EDT- Ayang Macdonald

An Accelerator Lab programme implemented by UNDP Namibia is enabling many citizens to enjoy basic services they hitherto were cut off from for lack of digital legal identity.Via a series of blog posts, UNDP Namibia is spotlighting the impact of the program which started with a pilot in Groot Aub – a poor community on the outskirts of the country’s capital – and later deployment at scale. It is implemented by UNDP Namibia in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MHAISS), and it is said to be the first time the UNDP’s model governance framework on digital legal identity is being deployed anywhere in the world.The UNDP defines digital legal ID as a physical or digital credential as well as the enabling process which seeks to ensure that the credential is both recognized and trusted.In part one of the blog post, the UN agency narrates how one Groot Aub resident, Lydia, was, for many years, unable to enjoy essential basic services because she did not have a digital legal identity. She was among many other citizens who couldn’t have access to services in different sectors such as health, education, and finance.The Lab has sailed on the wings of a strong partnership with local relevant stakeholders who have shown concerted efforts to see the project succeed, the agency says.These efforts led to the Lab obtaining funds which were used to “procure, deploy and test a portable and mobile device designed for the digital management of remote citizen registration and identity documents.”The success of the pilot prompted even stronger collaboration and the scaling up of a biometric registration process in many more communities of the country, which has gone a long way in opening up opportunities for marginalized people.A good governance framework for digital legal identity is vital in driving inclusion in underserved communities, according to the UNDP.The agency emphasizes that given the risks that come with digitalization, putting in place a good governance framework like the model being implemented in Namibia is an important step towards mitigating those risks and protecting people’s human rights.Namibia, a trailblazer-The UNDP says Namibia’s trailblazing implementation of the model governance framework for digital legal identity will serve as an example for many countries in the region, notes part two of the blog series.Since the model was introduced to government in 2023, the process has not been without challenges, the agency, but it has proven to be a transformative force that is propelling the country towards meeting its sustainable development goals targets.Details of the digital legal ID governance framework implementation process in Namibia and the lessons learnt will be outlined in a third blog post.Last year, Namibian lawmakers examined a legislation that introduces reforms in the country’s civil status registration and identity management system.

Steps towards digital ID card issuance taken in Gabon and Tunisia-Cameroon reportedly nears contract decision-May 2, 2024, 2:09 pm EDT-Chris Burt

Gabon kicked off a civil registry issuance campaign in the greater Libreville area ahead of a broader national initiative. Registration centers for Gabonese people to apply for their Numéro d’Identification Personnel (NIP) were visited by government officials as they consider the expansion of registration both within greater Libreville and the surrounding country.The NIP is required for applications to receive Gabon’s digital ID card, the Carte Nationale d’Identité Electronique (CNIE).Registration centers are found at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Documentation and Immigration (DGDI), at the Commissariat de Belle Vi vue 2 in the 3rd arrondissement and the Public Garden in the first arrondissement of Owendo.The operation began successfully, albeit with some technical difficulties, according to the government announcement.The issuance of the national digital ID card has long been anticipated in Gabon, and Thales was reportedly awarded the contract last year.High-ranking officials from Tunisian government ministries held a working session recently to decide on practical implementation measures and use cases to activate for the country’s biometric national identity cards and biometric passports in the first half of calendar 2025.National press agency TAP reports that the meeting followed talks on the issuance process for the ID cards and passports.The move comes in part to comply with advice from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for all countries to adopt biometric passports by 2026.And a report by Africa Intelligence suggests that Cameroon in considering awarding the contract for production of its national digital ID card to Augentic. The company is reported to be bidding against incumbent supplier Thales DIS.No official decision has been announced yet, however public pressure to move ahead with the ID card project is mounting.

India introducing more stringent KYC rules for financial industry-May 2, 2024, 12:04 pm EDT- Masha Borak

India’s financial sector is beefing up its Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols under pressure from regulators.Financial institutions aim to add more verification layers for identifying accounts and account holders. Multiple accounts opened with a single phone number will receive special attention.Banks will also require heightened verification from individuals who have multiple accounts opened with different identification documents, The Business Standard reports.The clean-up comes amid increasing scrutiny of popular payment apps such as Paytm over lax KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) enforcement.In February, the Indian government established a committee to standardize and enforce KYC rules across the industry. Currently, financial institutions allow for verifying account holders in multiple ways, including passports, Aadhaar, voter cards, NREGA job cards, Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards, or driving licenses. The committee, working under the Ministry of Finance, is aiming to achieve “inter-usability of KYC records across the financial sector.”Another identity verification factor that could be an option for KYC is iris biometrics, which Indian banks are reportedly considering to secure transactions by senior citizens, according to the Times of India.In 2016, India introduced the Central KYC Records Registry (CKYCRR) which holds interoperable and unified KYC records. The database, however, is restricted to the securities market and cannot be used for opening bank accounts.Meanwhile, KYC rules are changing in other domains. India’s central bank has published draft regulations this month outlining KYC procedures for payment aggregators and small and medium-sized merchants.Payment aggregators, which allow payments between the merchant and consumers, will have to conduct Contact Point Verification (CPV) and verify bank accounts in which the funds of small merchants are settled. For medium-sized merchants, payment aggregators will perform Contact Point Verification (CPV) and obtain and verify one officially valid document of the business owner and the business, according to The Business Standard.India Stack is reducing the cost of KYC: IT Minister-India has been promoting its vision of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), especially during its presidency of the G20 last year. Last week, its achievements were presented at the UN’s first international conference on DPI held under India’s leadership in New York.During the conference, Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw shared how India Stack’s digital tools, including digital identity, digital signature, and digital locker, have enabled the unbanked to access financial services and improved KYC processes.“The cost of KYC has reduced dramatically from about $7 to just less than four cents. This has enabled engagement of 510 million bank accounts for people who were earlier unbanked,” he says.India has established a global repository for DPIs collecting 55 projects from 16 countries. The country has pledged US$200 to accelerate DPI adoption, especially in developing countries, adds Vaishnaw, who is also the Minister for Railways and Communications.Earlier this month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launched an initiative with the support of the World Bank to measure DPI adoption in individual Indian states. The index will analyze gaps in the digital economy and financial inclusion.

Launch of government app brings New Zealand one step closer to mDLs-Digital Drivers License program part of minister’s digital transformation efforts-May 1, 2024, 12:59 pm EDT-Joel R. McConvey

The New Zealand Transit Agency (NZTA) has launched a trial phase of the app that will host New Zealand’s mobile driver’s licenses, and wants citizens’ feedback, according to a government release.Judith Collins, the minister for digitizing government, has pitched the app as a unified platform for drivers to access government services. In addition to mDLs, it will enable drivers to pay vehicle registration and road usage charges, and display expiry dates for cars’ Warrants of Fitness. A planned update will add toll payments and safety ratings to the app.“I want to encourage New Zealand drivers to help us with testing this new app,” Collins says. “Your engagement and feedback will help greatly improve functionality of the services and information available before a version is released to app stores in coming months.”In a profile in Reseller News, Minister Collins, who supported NZTA in seeking accreditation under the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023, calls New Zealand’s Digital Drivers License program “an important step towards digitizing government, which will ultimately lead us to better digital services and better outcomes for the public.” The government is hoping the app will cut out unnecessary bureaucracy in the interest of making services more accessible.In pursuing her remit to lead digital transformation of public services, Collins cites digitization efforts in the Australian state of New South Wales as a model to follow (“as opposed to the rest of Australia”), praising how it enables customers to engage and transact with government through digital channels. She notes the need to focus on achievable actions in New Zealand, given the government’s instructions to find cost efficiencies in tandem with innovation. The chief digital officer’s mandate includes strengthening foundations by getting more agencies on to cloud services, addressing AI, overseeing digital investment, and enabling the safe use of government data.Mobile driver’s licenses are seeing adoption across continents, as governments pursue digital transformation efforts en masse, and businesses seize the market opportunity. Kiwis interested in testing their own version may also wish to provide feedback on New Zealand’s draft rules for the use of biometrics, which is also currently open to public input.