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)
WAR WITH IRAN - DAY 242 TUE OCTOBER 27,26 - NETANYAHU IN TIGHT RACE WITH EISINKAT.
THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.
JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam (IRAN) will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI CLAN) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)
WHEN ARE THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS IN ISRAEL IN THE SPRING TIME.(GET READY ISLAM TO BE BIRD SEED FOR THESE BIRDS)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0bXU5Xqc5M
The 500 million migratory birds in Israel during the spring arrive from Africa and head toward Europe and Asia, with the peak migration occurring in March and April. While migration starts in late February, the most intense movements, particularly of birds of prey, storks, and pelicans, occur during the third week of March and continue into April.
Key Details on the Spring Migration
Peak Period: Mid-March through April.
Main Migration Route: The birds use the Great Rift Valley, which includes the Hula Valley and Eilat, acting as a "bottleneck" where millions of birds fly through the narrow land bridge.
Best Spots: The Hula Lake Park (Northern Israel) and the Eilat Birding Center (Southern Israel) are primary locations for observing the migration.
Key Species: Hundreds of thousands of white storks, along with black kites, raptors, and pelicans, pass through over these months.
uration: The spring migration runs from late February and continues into June, though the heaviest traffic is in March/April.
The 500 million migratory birds fly over Israel in the fall between late August and mid-December. The peak migration period for the autumn, when the highest volume of bird traffic occurs, is typically October and November.
Key Fall Migration Details
Location: The Hula Valley (Agamon Hula Park) in northern Israel is the premier spot to witness this phenomenon.
Timing: Migration starts as early as late June with some waders, but intensifies from mid-August through November.
Peak Festival: The "Annual Hula Valley Bird Festival" is usually held in November to align with the peak migration traffic.
Key Species: Many birds of prey (raptors), including honey buzzards and steppe eagles, cross during this time, along with massive flocks of storks and cranes.
While roughly 500 million birds pass through in the autumn on their way to Africa, the same number crosses again in the spring (mid-February to May) on their way back to Europe and Asia.
JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23 Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)
IRAN IS PAYING TORONTO CRIMINAL GANGS TO KILL CANADIANS.AND AMERICANS.ASSASSINATIONS.
A CBC News investigation has identified roughly a dozen politically motivated, gun-for-hire shootings in Toronto that appear to have been financed or orchestrated by the Iranian government.
Key Details from the Investigation
• The Shootings: The incidents include targeted attacks such as the gunfire directed at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue in early March 2026, as well as a high-profile shooting outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto.
• The "Gig Economy" for Gunmen: Investigators found that local criminal networks and youth are increasingly being hired as a "gig economy" of proxies to carry out violent acts and intimidation campaigns on Canadian soil.
• Broader Context: U.S. and Canadian authorities have previously flagged similar plots involving Iranian intelligence using criminal gangs or proxies for extraterritorial assassinations and intimidation (including prior indictments involving plots in North America).
• Response: The Iranian government has consistently denied allegations of sponsoring global violence. Meanwhile, Canada designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization under the Criminal Code.
Why a spate of gun-for-hire shootings in Toronto were likely paid for by Iran-Attacks on Jewish, U.S. and anti-regime targets fit worldwide pattern of violence
Jonathon Gatehouse, Albert Leung · CBC News · Posted: Oct 27, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 27
A CBC News investigation has pinpointed a dozen politically-motivated gun-for-hire shootings in Toronto that appear to have been financed by the Iranian government.The attacks targeted synagogues, a school and businesses in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as the U.S. Consulate in the city's downtown. With many of the shootings coming in the hours and days after the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on Feb. 28 and assassinated the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.No one was injured in the Toronto shootings, all of which bore the hallmarks of gun-for-hire incidents: early morning attacks where suspects arrived via stolen cars and emptied handguns into building entranceways, while they — or their accomplices — filmed the acts on a phone. A CBC News investigation has obtained exclusive new footage of a high-profile shooting outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto and uncovered some of the answers about who might be behind a surge in politically motivated gun-for-hire crimes in the city.Toronto Police, the RCMP and CSIS have been investigating whether a foreign power instigated the politically-motivated attacks. But while some of the alleged trigger men have been arrested and charged, it has been harder to determine just who was paying them.The gun-for-hire model, where shootings are arranged via encrypted apps and intermediaries, provides several layers of separation between the client and the criminal."We have heard information that there may be foreign actors that are involved. We are investigating every angle," said Chief Superintendent Joe Matthews, who is overseeing the Toronto Police Service investigation."At this point, I'm not willing to confirm or deny that piece of it, but what I will say is that we don't think there's a very direct connection between the financier and the perpetrator on the street."CBC News spent weeks researching a slew of shootings in Toronto, obtaining court files where arrests have been made, and building profiles of the accused. Most of the suspects face charges for multiple attacks. Many are young — ranging in age from 15 to their early 20s. Organized crime is using encrypted messaging apps to enlist youth. This spells trouble for police-2 people, including 15-year-old, facing multiple charges after gunshot fired at U.S. consulate in Toronto-Teen sentenced for 1st-degree murder in death of tow truck driver at Scarborough gas station-What emerged was a pattern — shootings concentrated in the same corners of the city, over the same night — directed at both political and non-political targets. In several incidents, synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses were hit shortly before, or after, attacks on nearby business and residential addresses associated with waste management giant, Green For Life (GFL). Toronto Police say ballistic tests confirm that link. “We're seeing firearms that are being used in multiple shootings that aren't just geopolitical targeted, they are crossing over with GFL,” Matthews told CBC News.All of which points to the same people — hired guns — having carried out both types of attacks.In recent years, the Iranian government and its intelligence service have been linked to plots and attacks in Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., Australia and the United States.Last May, the FBI arrested Mohammad Baqer al-Saadi, whom they claim is a senior member of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), a militia group controlled by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He now faces six terrorism related charges.The indictment filed in New York State, alleges he helped plan and co-ordinate at least 18 attacks in Europe, as well as two more in Canada — the March 2026 shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto and an assault on an unnamed synagogue.Several police officers stand outside the U.S. Consulate building in downtown Toronto near dawn on a summer morning. The building is taped off with police tape. Two police cruisers are parked on the street with lights flashing.Police cordoned off the street in front of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on July 27. In June, Canada issued a joint statement with 20 other nations, condemning Iran's "lethal plotting and other malign actions" in Europe, North America and Australia."The relationship between Iranian security services and international and local criminal groups is long standing," the statement read. "Their use of these groups is deplorable."Still, allegations of Iranian subterfuge continue, most recently in the U.K., following a foiled plot to attack a Royal Air Force base in England.U.K. counter-terror police arrest British-Iranian suspect over Fairford air base investigation-Australia accuses Iran of being behind two antisemitic attacks, orders ambassador to leave-The Iranian-linked attacks follow the same blueprint that Russia has been using to sow havoc in Europe since its invasion of Ukraine, said Keir Giles, a security analyst at Chatham House, an independent policy institute in London."Certainly the Russian use of this kind of approach, they pushed the boundaries further and faster," said Giles. "But inevitably, once a technique or a method of achieving these nefarious aims has been demonstrated, other people will latch on."Gun-for-hire attacks, or Violence as a Service (VAAS) as it is also known, have been supercharged by the internet and the spread of encrypted communication apps, Giles said."It's always been the case that you could recruit willing, or unwilling, or even unknowing dupes to carry out your attacks for you," he said. "But it's become vastly easier to spread your network, to actually reach and recruit them at really, very little cost."CBC News reached out to Iran’s Foreign Ministry to ask about Tehran's alleged involvement in the Toronto attacks, but did not receive a response. The Iranian government has dismissed past claims that it has sponsored violence around the world.Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT), was one of the synagogues that was attacked in early March 2026. Its front doors and windows peppered with gunfire late on a Friday night.A bullet hole leaves the glass window in a door splintered and cracked.A bullet hole in a glass door at Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto (BAYT) synagogue following a March 2026 gun-for-hire attack. (Submitted by BAYT)-Rabbi Daniel Korobkin says there was anger and frustration following the shooting, but that the congregation refuses to be intimidated."We recognize that there are many players that are making Israel and Jews as the pariah of the story. We're used to it," Korobkin said. "It's not going to deter us from being Jews. It's not going to deter us from coming to synagogue."Korobkin is aware that the attack on his synagogue may have been ordered and paid for by someone living thousands of miles away. But to him, it hardly matters."I don't think it really makes a difference whether the person who hates us is pulling the trigger, or paying a person to pull the trigger," he said. "The end result is the same and we just want it to stop and we need to figure out how we can control it in the future."Jonathon Gatehouse can be contacted via email at jonathon.gatehouse@cbc.ca, or reached via the CBC's digitally encrypted Securedrop system at https://www.cbc.ca/securedrop/With files from Charlotte Wirth.
Russian satellites help Iran’s allies strike Saudi Arabia, data and officials say-Satellite info has aided strikes by Houthis and Iraqi militias, according to intelligence firm and Saudi and Houthi sources; targets included crucial Saudi pipeline-By Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy 27 October 2026, 7:45 pm
BEIRUT (AP) — Iranian-backed militias carried out a precision strike last month, hitting the pumping stations of Saudi Arabia’s most important oil pipeline. Days later, another attack hit a Saudi military air base, damaging an Italian fighter jet inside a hangar.Crucial to the strikes’ success was what was happening in the skies overhead: For days beforehand, a constellation of Russian spy satellites converged over the pipeline and the air base to gather intelligence.A private geospatial intelligence firm said it examined 40 missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq between July 1 and October 19. In every case, the firm found the same pattern of Russian government and military satellites orbiting above the areas for days before and after.“What we found is a 100 percent match” between the satellite activities and strikes, said Nawaf Obaid, founder of Geneva-based AURORAH Geosignal Intelligence.The findings illustrate how Russia is believed to be helping Iran and its allies in the region target Saudi Arabia’s oil and military infrastructure in attacks that have helped raise global energy prices.Three officials, including one from Saudi Arabia and another in the top ranks of the Houthis, as well as a private intelligence analyst, told The Associated Press that the Houthis and other Iranian allies have benefited from Russian intelligence, as well as Chinese capabilities. Iranian advisers in the field analyzed and transferred the intelligence to their allies, according to AP reporting.The Saudi Foreign Ministry’s deputy minister for public diplomacy, Rayed Krimly, told reporters last week that Iran and the Houthis receive intelligence from “elements in Russia and China, even commercial elements sometimes.”“We do discuss these matters regularly with China and Russia, and we will continue to do so,” he said.Russian officials had no immediate comment when asked about the allegations, including AURORAH’s findings.Russia and Iran have a longstanding military cooperation arrangement, including transferring drone technology. While Russia has not been directly involved in the wars in the region, US and European officials have said Russia has shared intelligence with Iran.Iran-backed groups were able to carry out pinpoint strikes-On the morning of September 10, multiple drone strikes from Iraq hit three critical pumping stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, immediately interrupting the flow of oil. The 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) pipeline across the kingdom has been a vital alternative route for getting its crude to market amid Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.The pumping stations are vital to moving oil through the pipeline, which rises more than 1,100 meters (3,608 feet) in altitude as it goes from eastern Saudi Arabia across the Najd Plateau then back down to the kingdom’s western coast on the Red Sea, said Obaid, a fellow at King’s College Department of War Studies who also served as an adviser to various Saudi officials from 2004 to 2016.“This is where the militias out of Iraq decided to strike,” he said.Beginning in July, his firm observed 11 of Russia’s Cosmos 2600 series satellites concentrating on those three sections of the pipeline. Flybys increased in the weeks leading up to the attacks and in the hours around the strikes, showing reconnaissance before and after, he said.A week later, King Fahd Air Base in Taif, Saudi Arabia, was hit with multiple projectiles fired by the Houthis. Along with hangars at the base, an Italian air force Eurofighter Typhoon jet was damaged, according to the Italian Defense Ministry. The Italian military has had assets deployed in Saudi Arabia for years as part of the US-led coalition’s campaigns in Iraq and Syria.In both those cases, Obaid’s firm monitored a 50 percent increase in the number of Russian satellites orbiting above the targets during a 72-hour period before and after the strikes, compared with July.Notably, the Taif attack precisely hit the Italian warplane rather than Saudi ones stationed at the same base, suggesting “highly specialized intelligence support that the Houthis and Iranians simply don’t have,” Obaid said.The Houthis have warned foreign powers not to help Saudi Arabia.A clear pattern of satellites is visible-AURORAH used open-source information as well as other intelligence sources to identify 72 Russian reconnaissance satellites out of more than 11,000 spacecraft orbiting the Earth, Obaid said. It then tracked their trajectories and maneuvers while comparing them to military activity on the ground.The firm has not intercepted actual transmission of intelligence to Iran or its allies, Obaid said. Instead, the firm has established a definitive pattern of Russian satellite positions and reconnaissance activity around strategic targets ahead of strikes, indicating that intelligence is being collected and transferred for Houthi and Iraqi militia targeting, he said.Obaid said the same satellite patterns also occurred in connection with Iranian strikes on US bases in the Middle East during the US-Iran war that began in February.“That is the fundamental transformation in the regional military balance: The intelligence system behind the weapon is becoming as important as the weapon itself,” he said.Adam Marsh, vice president of technological solutions at California-based Leolabs, an orbital intelligence firm, said the massing of satellites is what one would expect to see for purposes of collecting intelligence. The Russians can deny they are doing it, he said, but he noted there is only a general policy and no regulatory body: “How would you stop anybody?”Satellite intel has also helped Houthis inside Yemen-An official briefed on investigations in Saudi Arabia into recent attacks said intelligence showed that Russian satellites had helped Houthis and Iraqi militias strike sensitive targets, including the pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.The satellites also helped strikes by Iran in March on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, where a US surveillance aircraft was severely damaged, and on a CIA unit inside the US Embassy complex in Riyadh, the official said.A CNN investigation last month reported that 14 Russian spy satellites flew above the base, just days before the major Iranian strike there.The investigations found that missiles and drones used by the Houthis in their strikes had Russian- and Chinese-made components, the official said.Russian satellite intelligence has also helped the Houthis in the dramatic advances they made against Saudi-backed opponents in Yemen’s civil war, according to Obaid and a Houthi leader.AURORAH identified satellite configurations over targets in connection with an October 15 Houthi strike on the presidential palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden and a nearby command center used by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as a strike on a government recruitment center in the province of Shabwa that killed 75 new recruits, Obaid said.Iranian advisers on the ground in Yemen have been providing the rebels with data based on Russian satellite intelligence to help in targeting, a senior Houthi leader told the AP. The leader spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential role of the advisers.Mzahem Alsaloum, a security analyst who has followed Iranian-backed groups for nearly a decade and now runs a private intelligence firm, said the advisers use Russian spy satellite information to provide Iranians with target lists and operational information.The Houthi leader also said the Iranians provided the rebels with more advanced equipment, including systems for piloting drones and for helping missiles evade air defenses.The equipment was developed by the Iranians, bought commercially or provided by Russia and China, he said, though he did not know whether those countries were aware the equipment was being used in the Yemen war.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Analysis-How Trump’s ‘little detour’ to Iran became a roadblock in the US midterm elections-The war, at the eight-month mark, has spiked gas prices and left voters frustrated, imperiling continued Republican control of Congress after Nov. 3 vote; Trump downplays concerns-By Thomas Beaumont and AAMER MADHANI 27 October 2026, 5:31 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Noor Dubow says he regularly votes for Republican candidates he believes align with his economic views — even though he’s never been a fan of Donald Trump, finding himself repelled by some of the US president’s dehumanizing rhetoric toward immigrants.But this year, when Dubow cast his early ballot in the US midterm election, he found himself tipping more toward Democrats because of his frustration with Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran.“Where are the Republicans in Congress?” asked Dubow, 44, a dispatcher at a trucking logistics firm in Columbus, Ohio, where he has a bird’s-eye view of the disruption that surging fuel prices are having on the economy. “Why aren’t the Republicans holding Trump accountable?”The Iran war, which Trump often describes as a “little detour,” has emerged as an unforced liability for the president, who repeatedly promised during his 2024 campaign to keep the US out of foreign wars. Republican strategists privately acknowledge the war is severely damaging the party’s push to retain control of US Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency, as rising gasoline prices drive up costs across nearly every sector and new hostilities emerge.Voters are tired of elevated gas prices-High energy costs and voter fatigue over the nearly 8-month-old war — one Trump predicted at the onset in late February would last a matter of weeks — are weighing heavily on Republican candidates.Regardless of the outcome of the November 3 elections, an AP-NORC poll published last week found that American voters from both major political parties want the next Congress to focus on making life more affordable and ending the Iran war, which has had enormous ramifications for the global economy.The situation has only become more complicated for Republicans making their case to voters. The conflict has spread, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels carrying out attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports. A Saudi-led coalition has responded with its own deadly attacks on Houthi-held territory in Yemen.Over the weekend, the State Department said it was reducing staffing at four US embassies in the Middle East after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel in the region and elsewhere.Trump insists costs of war have been no big deal-Diesel prices continue to hover near all-time highs in the US, creating trouble for Republicans in typically conservative states such as Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas who find themselves knotted in competitive races with Democrats.Yet, Trump has consistently downplayed the conflict’s economic impact as he rallies his supporters to try to keep the Republican grip on both chambers of Congress.Trump repeatedly insists the war’s end is near, only to threaten that a new round of bombing could very well be in the offing once the election passes — often within the same campaign speech or a single exchange with reporters.An election campaign poster featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) alongside US President Donald Trump, reading, “We have an opportunity to win,” displayed on the back of a bus in Jerusalem, the general election, October 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)-There have been reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, running in Israel’s election on Tuesday, is pushing for renewed strikes on Iran. Israel launched the war alongside the US on February 28 but has largely stayed out of the conflict since April.Trump also argues that elevated gas prices are a temporary inconvenience worth paying to defang Iran.Trump at a weekend rally in Michigan said he has no regrets about launching the war and even argued that its economic impact has been less severe than he had expected.“Somebody said, ‘If you had it to do again… ,’” Trump told the friendly audience. “I said, ‘Are you kidding?’ I thought gas would be double or triple. And it’s a small price to pay for taking a nuclear weapon away from maniacs.”The president’s mixed message on Iran has left Republican candidates in a difficult, if not untenable, position, said Christopher Borick, director of the Lehigh University Opinion Observatory.“Trump’s messaging on the war is resonating with a shrinking portion of the electorate,” Borick said. “For voters disappointed with the direction of the conflict, there’s little by way of the president’s claims that would change their negative outlook.”Republican strategists have seen warning signs for months-Only a few elected Republicans have parted ways with Trump over the Iran conflict. Trump, for his part, has insisted the midterm elections would have no bearing on how he approached the conflict.But some party strategists have been sounding the alarm for months.Early in the summer, five Republican strategists involved in key races or advising campaign leadership told The Associated Press they’d begun seeing warning signs that the war could hurt their candidates if it didn’t wind down soon.In June, after Trump forged an interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran, he and White House officials appeared more confident. But the deal unraveled within weeks.At that point, campaign officials in some battleground races became more forceful during internal conversations about how House districts Trump won easily in 2024 looked as though they were becoming competitive, said the Republican strategists, who were not authorized to comment publicly on the internal party data and spoke on the condition of anonymity.Oil prices peaked in May, fell in June and surged again in September as Trump threatened to escalate the conflict before backing off and suggesting a deal could be around the corner. The national average has hovered above $4 per gallon since the middle of June.As the Labor Day holiday passed, strategists said internal polls showed voters were more frequently tying the war to higher grocery prices and travel costs.Trump has dismissed critics who argue that the war is driving an affordability crisis for Americans as pushing a “hoax” or “scam” invented by Democrats. But internal campaign polling suggests Trump’s argument has not resonated with American voters, the strategists said.ome Republican voters are frustrated-In interviews, even some Republican voters who say they support Trump’s decision to launch the war admit gas prices are testing their patience.Clay Coey, 59, said he sometimes cringes when he fills the tank of his 2010 Chrysler Sebring, even as he says he’s willing to temporarily pay higher gas prices to eliminate what he sees as a major security threat to the US.“Do I like it? No, I drive this old beast,” said Coey, an auctioneer from DeWitt, Michigan. “However, there does come a point in time where you have to sit here and say, ‘What is worth the cost?’”Some voters say Trump fumbled by predicting the war would be over in a matter of weeks.Elizabeth Marlett, 61, of Moville, Iowa, said she wished Trump had avoided setting a timeline for the conflict and wished he would order the US military to act more forcefully to force Tehran to capitulate. Still, she’s sticking with Trump.“We need to support our commander in chief, even if things take longer than expected,” said Marlett, a small-herd beef rancher from Iowa’s Republican-heavy northwest. “That’s life, and we can’t run from something we’ve started.”Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to start the war has been seen by some supporters as a betrayal of a central tenet of the Republican leader’s “America First” campaign pledge: the promise to keep the US out of the sort of “forever wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq that bogged down some of his recent White House predecessors.Sean O’Brien, 21, a student at Auburn University in Alabama, said Trump’s Iran decision left him “very disillusioned.”O’Brien earlier this year attended the Conservative Political Action Conference, a major gathering for those on the political right. Now, he’s rethinking his allegiances.“At the moment, I expect to vote Democratic,” said O’Brien, who considers himself an independent.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Qatar, Iran discuss war and Hormuz in Moscow meeting as another ship struck in Strait-Qatari FM says onus on Tehran to now ‘demonstrate good faith’, reopen Strait, stop threatening neighbors-By Agencies 27 October 2026, 4:52 pm
DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s ruler and the Iranian president discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz during a meeting in Moscow, the emir’s office said Tuesday.The high-level meeting came a day after senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran in Tehran in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting.Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met on Tuesday on the sidelines of a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Moscow.Pezeshkian was also due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.The Qatari and Iranian leaders “reviewed the current state of relations between Tehran and Doha and emphasized the importance of deepening political and economic ties and making use of existing potential to strengthen bilateral cooperation,” Iranian state television said.Qatar and Pakistan have been at the forefront of efforts to secure a lasting deal between the United States and Iran.On Sunday, a Qatari delegation visited Tehran and “reviewed developments in the regional situation, foremost among them the latest on the negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz, and energy supplies,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier.Qatari foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi said the region needed a new security framework to prevent further violence.“The ball is now in Iran’s court to commit to these principles and demonstrate good faith,” he said.“We have heard positive statements from the Iranian side… but they still need to demonstrate good faith, stop threatening countries of the region, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that all those efforts can go towards having a safe and prosperous region,” he added.Meanwhile, Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, not seen in public since succeeding his slain father in March, a day after holding talks with the representatives of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.State media said Khamenei had stressed the importance of pursuing Iran’s interests and maintaining its conditions for ending the war.“Safeguarding national and regional security by maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz and strengthening bilateral relations with neighboring countries” were among the topics Khamenei and Rezaei had discussed, it said.And in Riyadh, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chaired a meeting where he and his council of ministers reviewed the talks held in Tehran with the so-called Mecca alliance a day earlier, state media reported.“The council reviewed the substance of the talks held between the countries party to the Mecca Common Defence Agreement and senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to establishing security and stability,” read a statement released by state media.Oil tanker set ablaze-The Iranian army said an oil tanker hit mines and caught fire while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via a route not authorized by Tehran.“A few hours ago, an oil tanker in breach of regulations, having switched off its tracking systems and attempted to cross a prohibited and dangerous area east of the Strait of Hormuz, struck naval mines, causing damage and a fire,” the army said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, and has targeted vessels that attempt to cross without its authorization since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28.The Iranian military has reported on multiple occasions that tankers struck naval mines while attempting to transit areas Tehran considers off-limits.‘Very good’ talks-Monday’s talks in Tehran included Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Iran described them as “very good.”They followed warnings by the United States, Iran and Israel that hostilities could restart in the eight-month war, which saw Tehran strike US allies in the region including Qatar.An Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that there would be no discussion of Iran’s nuclear program at Monday’s meeting with the Mecca pact countries, and the issue would not be addressed until Tehran’s demands for ending the war were met. Iran rejects Western concerns that the program is military in nature.Iran’s conditions include an end to a US blockade of Iranian ports and US sanctions on Iranian oil exports. US Vice President JD Vance said three weeks ago that Iran must reduce nuclear enrichment to end the war.In early October, Putin said Russia was prepared to take part in mediation to bring an end to the war.
7 YEARS OF DEATH AND HELL.
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
WORLD TERRORISM
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.(CAN YOU SAY TORNADOES,HURRICANES,VOLCANOES,EARTH QUAKES,LANDSLIDES,FLASH FLOODING,EXPLOSIONS,SNOW STORMS,THEN FINALLY NUKESAND ANY OTHER JUDGEMENTS THE EARTH CAN VOMIT THE SINNERS OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH WITH.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
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-King James Version (YOU DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - YOUR POKING GOD IN THE EYE - GOD SAYS AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH- YOU WANNA DIVIDE JERUSALEM IN HALF - HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION 4 BILLION DIE ON EARTH.
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 and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
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.
LUKE 19:40
40 And He answered and said unto them, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
I PRAY THAT BENJAMIN NETANYAHU WINS.I HEARD THERE WAS A BIG TURNOUT.TRUMPS SAFE.SO THE 2 CAN STILL GO AFTER IRAN.IN ISRAEL YOU DEAL WITH OTHER PARTIES TO GET THE MAJORITY.SO IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT. MEANWHILE ISRAEL AND TRUMP CAN STILL GO AFTER IRAN.
”Yisrael Beytenu: Activists attacked by Ben Gvir supporters-‘Traitor’: Opposition candidates face attacks, harassment on election day-Man arrested near Yair Golan with knife; 2 Democrats activists punched; Man swears at father of slain soldier Itay Chen; Haredi candidate accosted, says kids were harassed at home
By Noam Lehmann, Stav Levaton, Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff 27 October 2026, 11:08 pm
Opposition politicians and activists have faced attacks and harassment on election day, with left-wing party candidate Yair Golan accosted by a man with a knife, and two activists for his Democrats party punched in the face.In addition, insurgent Haredi politician Moti Leitner was jeered by a crowd of young men at a bus stop, and said that another group of youths approached his home and threatened his children.Separately, the father of a slain hostage was called a “traitor” at a polling station, while the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu party said far-right activists destroyed one of its campaign stands.The incidents serve as a bitter coda to the acrimonious 2026 election campaign, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is in danger of being destroyed if he is not reelected, and his opponents have accused him of treason. Nevertheless, the day passed peacefully for the vast majority of voters in an election that saw a record turnout.Man arrested near Golan with knife; 2 Democrats activists punched-The Democrats party said a man was arrested after he apparently tried to stab party chief Yair Golan in Tel Aviv’s Mesila Park.Golan’s security detail blocked the man as he approached the party leader “in an intimidating manner” while Golan was campaigning, the party said.A large knife then fell out of the man’s clothes onto the ground, and the security detail tackled him and alerted police, who detained him, the party added.Golan was given a security detail this week after the party raised alarm about repeated threats on his life.Golan was quoted in the party’s statement as saying the incident was “the direct result of the poison machine operated by Netanyahu “and his Qatari agents.” Critics of Netanyahu use the term “poison machine” to refer to Netanyahu’s network of supporters in the press and social media.“The incitement and violence won’t intimidate us,” Golan said.Police confirmed in a statement that they arrested a suspect near Golan, a Jerusalem resident in his 20s, in possession of a knife, but denied that there was an attempted stabbing.Separately, two activists from Golan’s Democrats party were punched in the face at a campaign booth in Holon. One was said to have lost consciousness.Video of the incident showed a man approaching the booth as activists for the left-wing party attempted to block his path, before he punched two of them in the face, knocking one to the ground.The Democrats identified the assailant as affiliated with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, chair of the Otzma Yehudit party.They said Golan had interrupted his election-day schedule to travel to Holon and meet with the victims.“The incitement by outgoing Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has fully trickled down to the grassroots,” the party said in a statement. “We will not allow anyone to disrupt the proper conduct of the elections, and we will not be deterred or intimidated by threats and attacks.”Father of slain soldier Itay Chen called ‘traitor’Ruby Chen, the father of Israeli-American Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, who was killed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught and was held captive in Gaza, was verbally accosted outside a polling station in Netanya while holding a photograph of his son.Video of the encounter showed Chen standing alongside another man wearing a sticker promoting former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s opposition B’Yachad party, as a voter confronted Chen, repeatedly calling him a “traitor,” and making obscene gestures and screaming obscenities at him.The man standing next to Chen responded, “Have you no shame?”Chen’s son, a 19-year-old soldier, was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of southern Israel, and his body was taken captive to Gaza before being returned by Hamas on November 4, 2025.Yisrael Beytenu says activists attacked by Ben Gvir supporters-Yisrael Beytenu party, likewise, said its activists were attacked in Netanya by individuals wearing Otzma Yehudit T-shirts.“They destroyed the party’s campaign stand, scattered its campaign materials and replaced them with Otzma Yehudit flyers,” the party said in a statement, adding that the assailants fled the scene.“We strongly condemn the violence and demand that police identify the attackers and bring them to justice,” the party said, adding that the activists intended to file a police complaint.Haredi candidate accosted, says kids were harassed at home-Meanwhile, in the West Bank settlement of Modiin Illit, Leitner, chair of the Charedi Public party, was accosted by a group of youths who booed him and yelled “shame on you!” Another man also jeered him.He responded, “A Jew doesn’t act this way, for shame!” and called one of his detractors a “criminal.”The crowd booing him got more agitated when a pair of female IDF soldiers approached the scene.Leitner’s party is running as an alternative to the established Haredi parties, and takes comparatively moderate stances on ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the military and education. Its slate also includes women candidates, as opposed to Shas and United Torah Judaism.Leitner said his party received hundreds of reports of intimidation and harassment at polling stations, as videos showed ultra-Orthodox youths vandalizing a booth manned by party activists in Modiin Illit and setting campaign materials on fire.“In recent hours, we have received a wave of reports of intimidation and bullying at polling stations, including the removal of [Charedi Public] ballot slips from polling stations, attacks on our activists and, even more seriously, threats against voters,” Leitner said.He claimed voters were warned that if the party’s ballot slips are found in ballot boxes, their votes would be identified and they would face retaliation.“We call on the Israel Police to get its act together and do its job,” Leitner said. “Otherwise, we will witness one of the most violent and fraudulent election campaigns in the ultra-Orthodox community.”Leitner also said in a separate video that a group of dozens of Haredi youth came up to his home and “shouted violent shouts,” causing his children to cry and call him in panic.“I fear for the fate of my children,” he said. “They’re crazy, they’ve lost it, they’re out for blood.”Likud said already preparing to allege election was ‘stolen’
if Netanyahu loses-Party sources claim concern over possible voter fraud in Arab sector, say discussions have been held about contesting results in similar manner to Trump’s 2020 ‘rigged elections’ campaign-By ToI Staff 27 October 2026, 9:21 am
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party began preparing to challenge results from polling stations in Arab cities and towns before voting opened Tuesday morning, with Hebrew news sites on Monday quoting Likud operatives as saying that the party has discussed the possibility of claiming the vote was “stolen” if Netanyahu does not win.According to a Channel 12 news report, Likud was already drawing up a number of complaints and allegations of fraud for voting stations in Arab communities.Netanyahu’s party was reportedly readying to challenge women who show up to vote fully veiled as well as allegations that some polling stations have segregated voting times for men and women, having reportedly sent several thousand party activists to “monitor” polling sites in Arab-majority areas.The broadcaster said such issues have been addressed by Central Elections Commission regulations, but that Likud was nevertheless preparing to allege fraud.According to the Haaretz daily, the party has been preparing for a scenario in which it loses, and has discussed the possibility of alleging widespread fraud and claiming that the election was “stolen.”“Let’s say a woman comes to vote wearing a burqa,” a Likud source told Haaretz, explaining the party’s concerns of potential voter fraud in Arab communities, “and then a few minutes later another woman comes wearing a burqa – maybe it’s the same one? We’ll have to check and verify it.”Haaretz noted that party activists have no authority to ask voters to identify themselves outside polling stations, and said that the Likud source did not specify what they would do if a woman refused to identify herself to them.“In terms of preventing fraud in the Arab sector, we have made our greatest and most comprehensive effort,” the Likud source said.“Several discussions were held around the question of what to do in the event of a loss,” a source close to Netanyahu told Haaretz.“Unambiguous opinions were expressed in favor of a ‘the elections were stolen and rigged’ campaign,” they added, saying it would be similar to US President Donald Trump’s allegations of fraud against his predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2020.According to the report, Netanyahu was not personally involved in these discussions, but senior Likud officials are already “preparing the possibility” that the party will allege a stolen election if Netanyahu loses and is interested in contesting the results.Netanyahu is “considering” that option, the report said.Civil rights groups have expressed concern over declared plans by Likud and the far-right Religious Zionism parties to send 2,000 activists to voting stations in Arab communities, since such activists will have no formal role and no authority to oversee the voting.Given that the activists will have no official function, questions have been raised about what such people will do on election day. There are tight legal regulations on who can be present in polling stations and what they can do there, which police are required to enforce.Central Elections Committee director general Dean Livne has said there is no evidence of widespread fraud in Israeli elections and that existing safeguards were sufficient, while Likud and the Religious Zionism party have not explained how they determined that Arab polling stations were at risk of fraud.The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, a liberal watchdog group, announced that it would be operating an election integrity hotline to report any violations of the elections law to authorities as they happen.
Opposition leaders: Netanyahu off the rails; a security threat-In ‘unprecedented confrontation,’ IDF chief said resisting Netanyahu’s order for military action tied to Iran-Channel 12 says action could lead to conflict with Tehran just before election, Zamir demanded signed documents regarding legal authorization; PM calls report ‘nonsense’By Lazar Berman, Agencies and ToI Staff 25 October 2026, 11:54 pm
An “unprecedented confrontation” has been unfolding in recent days between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir surrounding an instruction by the prime minister for unspecified military action that defense officials believe could lead to a flare-up with Iran shortly before the election, Channel 12 reported Sunday.The TV network, which cited anonymous sources, said Zamir had been resisting carrying out the military action, no details of which were provided, and sought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization for it.The issue had come to a head in the past 24 hours, the outlet said, noting that its report was being broadcast within the limitations of Israel’s military censorship regulations.It quoted a military source saying, “This relates to an action that could lead to a flare-up with Iran, at a sensitive and dramatic moment, creating this [potential] miscalculation.”The report further quoted unnamed sources familiar with the issue, who said there was concern among military leaders of an effort by the political leadership “to utilize the Iranian issue for political benefit.”Asked about the report during an interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu called it “nonsense,” saying “there was no fight” with Zamir. Earlier in the interview, the prime minister said that he had recently “instructed the IDF and Mossad to topple the [Iranian] regime,” though this did not seem to be connected to the report of a specific instruction from recent days.The Channel 12 report said that the hostility and tension between Netanyahu and Zamir were evident at a discussion at Palmahim Airbase on Sunday, where the atmosphere in the room was “extremely sour.”The report quoted a senior security source as saying, “History will not forget the role that Zamir has played in recent days,” without offering further details.Channel 13 reported on Thursday that Zamir had said during a recent private meeting that he did not see an operational need to strike Iran before the election. “We do not see any indications of a need to strike Iran before the election. If we determine that a strike on Iran is necessary, we will carry it out,” Zamir was quoted as saying.Reports have intensified in the final stretch of the election campaign that Netanyahu could be seeking renewed conflict with Iran, allegedly to boost his election prospects or possibly delay the vote. The prime minister has denied such intentions.Chorus of opposition outrage: He’s gone off the rails-Responding to Sunday’s report, opposition leaders said Netanyahu presented a security threat to the country.Opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot posted on X, “Netanyahu, I’m watching you,” and added that the premier “refuses to understand that Israel’s security isn’t a tool in a political game, that the lives of Israel’s citizens and IDF soldiers aren’t worthless, and the State of Israel is not his private property.”Eisenkot voiced support for Zamir and said he would not let “the IDF be turned into a tool in Netanyahu’s campaign of survival.”Speaking at a campaign rally shortly before Channel 12’s report aired, Eisenkot had told supporters that Netanyahu would go to any lengths to retain power. “I see the polls, I know the data, and I know Netanyahu,” Eisenkot, who chairs the Yashar party, said. “He’ll stop at nothing — no lie, no extreme measure — to stay in power.”Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, number two in the opposition’s B’Yachad party, wrote that Netanyahu “wants to bring about an escalation and conflict with Iran just to postpone the election. The man has gone off the rails. We must send him home.”Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party and a former deputy IDF chief, voiced support for Zamir and added, “We must not allow any military step that lacks a clear security rationale, strategic goal, and responsible plan of action.”He added, “When the citizens of Israel go out to vote on Tuesday, they must remember: Netanyahu presents a security threat to Israel. He will not hesitate to sacrifice our children’s lives for his survival on the eve of the election — that’s what the IDF is trying to block.”Avigdor Liberman, chair of the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu party, wrote, “I have no doubt that Bibi is trying to forcefully drag Israel into military action in order to prevent the election. This behavior is tantamount to treason toward the state and its security.”He called on Zamir to protect the IDF and its soldiers, and not to “risk them because of the prime minister’s worry that he’s going to lose the election.”PM again warns Iran-At the same time, both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have increased their threatening rhetoric toward Iran.Netanyahu on Sunday again warned that Iran or one of its allies could attack in the coming days, urging Tehran not to “test” Israel.Making the comments in front of an Arrow anti-ballistic missile battery at the Palmahim base, Netanyahu said that the military was prepared for any scenario on “both defense and offense.”“We have intelligence signs that Iran and its proxies could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections,” he said, without elaborating.Netanyahu has issued several similar warnings in recent weeks, sparking complaints from his election rivals, who have accused him of fearmongering and pushing for a renewal of the war against Iran to influence or delay the October 27 vote.“I’m warning them,” Netanyahu said of Iran on Sunday. “Don’t test us.”“You will suffer disproportionate blows,” he said. “We are much stronger than you think. Don’t underestimate us. Don’t test us.”Netanyahu’s warning came hours after he posted an AI image on social media of a nuclear bomb exploding over Tel Aviv, and text suggesting Israel could face a second Holocaust if he was not reelected.Axios reporter Barak Ravid said officials in the White House were alarmed by the post, fearing it could cause Iranian officials to miscalculate and attack, restarting the war.He said US President Donald Trump’s statement that there would be no strike on Iran on Sunday may have been a reaction to the prime minister’s post, designed to calm officials in Tehran.Trump’s comments came just hours after saying that he was facing a crucial decision on Iran.“Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off?” he told Fox News. “That’s the only question.”“We now control the Hormuz Strait,” Trump continued, referring to the critical pathway for the global oil and gas supply, which Iran has sought to obstruct since the beginning of the war in late February. “We get everything; they get nothing.”Trump said that the US knows “exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe Mountain,” referring to a key Iranian nuclear site that has not been attacked. “We can read the badge on somebody’s shirt.”Iran says new war will not change anything-Responding to the repeated threats from Netanyahu and Trump, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a potential resumption of war would not change his country’s positions.“Recently, there has been talk of a new war, but I am already thinking about the post-war period. Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same,” said Araghchi during a televised event in Tehran.“They have already done so twice and have seen the results,” he said. “If they want to try again, they know they will achieve no different outcome from those of the past.”An April 8 ceasefire between Iran and the United States put an end to the most intense fighting, apart from sporadic exchanges of fire in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.These military flare-ups have seen a lull in recent weeks.Iran has claimed control over the strait since the outbreak of the war and has regularly targeted vessels that attempt to cross without its authorization — moves strongly opposed by Washington and countries in the region.In response, the US has been maintaining a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.In June, Iran agreed with the United States to a memorandum of understanding laying out a pathway to a permanent settlement of the conflict, only for the deal to quickly unravel as each side accused the other of violating it.Tehran has since called for a return to talks to end the conflict. According to sources, Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday as part of an effort to de-escalate regional tensions in coordination with the US, though the extent of the meeting was not reported.“The current war has changed everything. We must accept that new realities are taking hold. Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same, and the management of the strait will no longer be the same,” said Araghchi.“To achieve peace and stability, our region must move towards the complete absence of foreign forces.”
Pro-Netanyahu Ch. 14 is only network to forecast win for PM's bloc-Exit polls show Israeli rejection of current Netanyahu coalition, but uncertainty on its replacement-Bloc of parties opposed to PM projected to win overwhelming majority, but still don’t have path to replace Netanyahu unless its leaders violate campaign pledges not to partner with Arab parties, which are set to win unprecedented gains-By Ariela Karmel, Stav Levaton, Leon Kraiem, Shira Silkoff, Jacob Magid and ToI Staff Today, 1:55 am-OCT 28,26
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current right-wing coalition was repudiated by Israeli voters in Tuesday’s election, with exit polls indicating it fell well short of the 68-seat majority it currently holds in the Knesset, but the anti-Netanyahu opposition parties don’t appear to have an alternative government, unless key leaders of the bloc violate campaign promises against partnership with Arab-majority factions.Exit polls from the three major networks showed the pro-Netanyahu bloc securing just 50 or 51 seats in the next Knesset, while the Jewish-led opposition parties won 51 or 52 seats — both blocs falling below a majority of 61 seats in the 120-member parliament.The remaining 18 seats in the Channel 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13 exit polls went to the two Arab-led parties. This would be an unprecedented total for the Joint List and Ra’am, which currently hold just 10 seats in the Knesset. The two parties apparently benefited from the campaigns of Netanyahu’s Likud party and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, which demonized them as national security threats.The Arab-led parties also oppose giving Netanyahu another term, meaning that there is a clear majority of 70 seats in the Knesset opposed to the premier. But three of the four Jewish-led opposition parties have ruled out joining in a coalition with Arab-majority parties, so their path to a coalition would be foreclosed if they keep those promises.Moreover, party leaders from across the political spectrum urged supporters to wait for the official results, which were only beginning to be counted overnight Tuesday-Wednesday and may not be finalized until Friday.All three major networks’ exit polls had Netanyahu’s Likud as the largest party with either 24 or 25 seats — down from its current 32.In second place was Netanyahu’s chief rival — Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar party, which were projected to win 21 to 23 seats.With Likud projected to be the largest party and Yashar projected to lead the larger bloc, both Netanyahu and Eisenkot will likely appeal to President Isaac Herzog for the chance to form a government, but the latter is expected to task the candidate seen to have the best chance at forming a government.If neither is able to form a coalition, a repeat election would be called, with Netanyahu remaining as caretaker prime minister. The country endured a similar situation from 2019 to 2022, when it held five votes, with Netanyahu as prime minister for much of that time.The election saw the highest turnout of any vote in the past quarter-century, with more than 77% of voters casting ballots. The Central Elections Committee will count those votes throughout the night and provide official figures as it tallies the ballots. The actual results often differ from exit poll projections, but unless there’s a drastic shift, the immediate outcome of the election for Israel’s voters is more uncertainty.Main exit polls show similar talliesChannels 11, 12 and 13 all showed similar results in their exit polls, with Likud and Yashar in front, followed by nine smaller parties.In third place is the opposition B’Yachad party with 12 or 13, followed by the Arab-led Joint List with 11.Next was the left-wing Democrats with nine or 10 seats, the hawkish opposition Yisrael Beytenu with seven or eight, and the Arab-led Ra’am with seven.That ultra-Orthodox Sephardi Shas party was projected to win six to eight seats, while the Haredi Ashkenazi United Torah Judaism was projected at six or seven seats.The far-right Otzma Yehudit was projected to win six or seven seats, while its fellow far-right faction, Religious Zionism, was expected to win six.Three other parties generated buzz but weren’t projected to have secured enough votes to cross the 3.25 percent electoral threshold: the right-wing People of Israel, the center-right Reservists, and the ultra-Orthodox Charedi Public party.There were three other exit polls, two of them from pro-government channels, that showed a more favorable result for Netanyahu. The staunchly pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 showed his bloc winning 62 seats, with the opposition bloc at just 40 and Arab parties with 18. And the pro-Netanyahu i24 News showed Netanyahu’s bloc with 55, the opposition with 49 and Arab parties with 16.Channel 16, a new network, showed Netanyahu’s bloc with 53, the opposition with 51 and the Arab parties with 16.Netanyahu attracts votes — but at the expense of his base-For years, polls have shown Netanyahu’s bloc, which won 64 seats in the 2022 election, failing to retain its majority. In the weeks and days ahead of the vote, Netanyahu made increasingly drastic statements, warning that the survival of the country would be at risk if he lost.That alarmist campaign appears to have boosted his numbers, but the gain looks like it has come at the expense of his own camp. The exit polls from Channels 11, 12 and 13 mirror what most of their pre-election polls showed: neither side winning a majority, with a slight edge to Netanyahu’s opponents.Dilemma for opposition parties-Shortly after the exit polls came out, Eisenkot hailed them as “a complete vote of no confidence in Netanyahu and the October 7 government by the Zionist majority and by most Israeli citizens.”He was referring to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, which happened on Netanyahu’s watch.“If these are the final results, this is a victory for Israel’s responsible Zionist majority,” he wrote on X.Eisenkot pledged to act immediately to “implement the will of the people,” replace Netanyahu’s government, and establish “a Zionist government committed to universal conscription as soon as possible.”How he will do that remains to be seen. He could push for a minority government that collaborates with the Arab-led parties, either by including one or both of them in the coalition, or relying on them to abstain from the vote on the new government, which would give him a narrow majority.But Avigdor Liberman, chair of Yisrael Beytenu, and Naftali Bennett, chair of B’Yachad, have pledged not to rely on the Arab parties to form a government. They would have to break that promise to achieve a majority in the Knesset. Both previously sat in a short-lived government with Ra’am from 2021 to 2022.Eisenkot, himself, has made statements that would appear to rule out a coalition with both the more Palestinian nationalist Joint List as well as the more moderate Ra’am.Commentators have also suggested the possibility of a unity government, with some combination of parties from both blocs. But the opposition parties have vowed not to work with Netanyahu or the ultra-Orthodox parties.Yair Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats, said on X that his faction is “ready to work with all our partners” to form a government. His post did not mention the Arab parties, but during the campaign, Golan repeatedly said the Democrats would be willing to partner with Ra’am.“The public has spoken, it has fired the Netanyahu government,” Golan wrote on X, saying this was “a historic opportunity to establish a government of change in Israel, and we don’t intend to give it up.”“We are ready to work with all our partners, to bridge the divides and take responsibility,” he wrote. “Now it’s our turn to do the work.”Arab parties celebrate historic showing-Arab parties celebrated the projected result, which would see them take an unprecedented share of the Knesset. Mansour Abbas, who heads Ra’am and has pushed to be part of the next government, said figures from both political blocs had approached him amid the deadlock.“Everyone is speaking with us, not just from the change bloc,” Abbas told Channel 12, suggesting that figures from the pro-Netanyahu bloc have also approached him.Abbas signaled his willingness to join a government led by Eisenkot, but said it must first become clear that such a coalition is viable.He acknowledged that “currently there aren’t numbers for a government,” with exit polls projecting 52 seats for the Zionist opposition parties and seven for Ra’am — two short of a 61-seat majority.Footage from the Arab-led Joint List party headquarters, meanwhile, showed supporters clapping and cheering as exit polls by major broadcasters showed the party winning 10 or 11 seats.Jubilant chants of “Go away Ben Gvir” could be heard in Arabic, with party chair Yousef Jabareen and other lawmakers and soon-to-be lawmakers joining in the jeers against the far-right national security minister.Jabareen told supporters that his party “hopes to send Bibi, [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich and the bloodstained government home.”
After losing election, Bolsonaro said to flee Brazil for United States-Sources say right-wing senator, who has yet to concede defeat, has left the country after missing a deadline to hand over his passports as part of a money laundering probe-By Ricardo Brito and Gram Slattery 27 October 2026, 9:10 pm
SAO PAULO (Reuters) — Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States after losing Sunday’s presidential election and refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to hand over his passports, two sources said.The US Embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bolsonaro’s lawyer also did not respond.It was not immediately clear where Bolsonaro was heading, what time he would arrive or whether he would seek asylum. US President Donald Trump’s administration has previously alleged Flavio’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil.Flavio’s departure for the United States threatens to deepen a rift between the two most populous nations in the Americas. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaros to put them back in power, and Reuters reported ahead of Sunday’s election on a US State Department campaign to restore them to office.Bolsonaro was favored to win Sunday’s presidential election but ended up losing in a shock result to leftist Lula. On Monday, he was given 24 hours to hand in his passports as part of a money laundering probe in which he denies wrongdoing, but that deadline has now lapsed, two other sources said, leading to his documents being canceled.It was unclear if he could seek entry to the United States with his passports canceled.Jair Bolsonaro also went to the United States after refusing to concede to Lula in 2022, when former US president Joe Biden was in office. He eventually returned to Brazil but was later given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia.His son has yet to officially concede defeat — saying on Sunday he would seek the annulment of the result over alleged voter irregularities — but his Liberal Party said on Monday it acknowledged Lula’s victory.It remains unclear how Bolsonaro was able to leave the country while he was facing a 24-hour Supreme Court deadline to hand over his passports. A senior Brazilian Federal Police official said Bolsonaro had not exited the country via any regular migration point.Right-wing influencer Paulo Figueiredo, who serves as a sort of unofficial spokesperson for the Bolsonaro family, declined to answer questions about Bolsonaro’s whereabouts.“After months of intense work that has been unfairly thwarted, I am not in the mood to speak to the press,” he said in a message. “If I have any comments to make on any matter, I will get in touch.”Eduardo Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro’s younger brother who lives in the United States, said ahead of the vote that an election loss would require a move.“If my brother does not win, I’m in favor that he would leave the country,” he told podcaster Steven Crowder this month.
Reporter's notebook-‘He’s united Arab Israelis’: Ben Gvir’s harsh policies drive high turnout in Arab towns-The aftermath of October 7, 2023, and subsequent political discord drives changing voting patterns in southern Israel, from communities attacked during massacre to Bedouin hamlets-By Sue Surkes 27 October 2026, 5:11 pm
By noon on Tuesday, it seemed clear that the upheaval of the past few years in Israeli society — from the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, to the inclusion of far-right parties in the government — was driving changes in voting behavior in southern Israeli communities.One of the key outcomes of the national elections was an apparent sharp rise in the Arab Israeli vote. Central Elections Committee figures were showing high turnout across non-Jewish communities.By early afternoon, according to the Central Elections Committee, the unrecognized Bedouin village of Atuana was registering the highest turnout in the country, at 64 percent, with two other similar villages in second and fourth place, at 47.9% and 47.8% respectively.In the Bedouin city of Rahat, a stronghold of Mansour Abbas’s party Ra’am, men from the al-Qassassi clan sat around after voting, accompanied by 13-year-old Zen al-Qassassi, presented as the sheikh’s grandson and a possible contender to succeed him. One after the other, the men lambasted the uptick in home demolitions of Bedouin homes under far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the failure to curb gun violence in Arab society, and the reversal of budget agreements to boost the community secured by Abbas when Ra’am joined the Bennett-Lapid government.“We hate Ben Gvir but are also grateful to him,” said Einad al-Qassassi. “He’s united Arab Israelis.”Ahmed al-Qassassi added, “I’ve voted dozens of times and never seen a crowd like this at the polling station.” Citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s famous 2015 warning that Arabs were voting in droves, he said, “This time, we are going to the polls in droves.”He was certain politicians from the coalition and opposition would try to woo Abbas once the vote count was in, despite having vowed during the during campaign not to sit with Arab parties. “We want to be part of the government,” he said.Unusually, Bedouin women were also turning out to vote. Nimr Abu Shiban said, “In the past, my wife and daughters wouldn’t have voted. But the country is in such bad hands that everyone is voting today.”A 56-year-old woman dressed in black, with only her eyes visible, said the current government’s behavior had “hurt our souls.”Voting for the first time and declining to be named or photographed, she said her children, living in an unrecognized village without electricity or running water, could not even build a hut today because Ben Gvir wanted to demolish everything.A right-wing bastionIn nearby Jewish towns, right-wing parties sought to use the high Arab vote to mobilize their own supporters.In the Ramat Shaked neighborhood of Ofakim, a Jewish southern town where more than half the population voted for Likud or Shas in 2022, coalition party posters dominated the street. A woman running a stall for Avi Maoz’s far-right Noam party saw a report on her cellphone that said 50 percent of Rahat’s residents had already voted and said to nobody in particular, “We’re crazy that we gave them the vote.”She told The Times of Israel, “They have their lands, Dubai, Iran. They’re desperate to emigrate. The British brought them in, and suddenly the Arabs had been here for 2,000 years. This is Jewish land.”Nearby, two young men stood next to a small stall representing Avigdor Liberman’s secularist Israel Beytenu. “Support for us is weak,” Daniel Saranes and Gregory Rozenfeld admitted.At the Shas stall, Yosef Levi was handing out plastic-encased charms featuring the late rabbi Ovadia Yosef, shouting to passersby that if they had that they wouldn’t need car insurance.Inside the polling station, Shirel Elhazov, 20, looked at the list of parties and told her sister, “Vote either Likud or Ben Gvir.” Shirel was visiting her grandmother in Ofakim’s western Mishor Hagefen neighborhood on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists knocked on the door. During the rampage through the town, 52 people were cut down, 39 of them in Mishor Hagefen.The family survived, but the scars remain. “I can’t support Gadi Eisenkot because he’s with Yair Golan,” Shirel said, criticizing Golan for saying there were innocent people in Gaza. “What, and there were no innocents in Kibbutz Be’eri [where around a tenth of the residents were murdered]? We weren’t innocents?” Her father, Vadim, said he had heard people say they regretted voting for Liberman in 2022 and were planning to vote for Ben Gvir instead.Still committed to peace-At Kibbutz Magen, five kilometers (three miles) from the southern Gaza border, the atmosphere was different again. Three men manned a desk outside the polling station, serving 560 residents from Magen and surrounding communities, where only Yair Golan’s Democrats were represented.Meir Tokayer, 81, who has lived in Magen for 60 years, said he thought some of his neighbors had moved rightward since October 7, asking, “Who talks peace today?”“Me,” chirped in Yitzhak Vax, 72. “My views haven’t changed. Two states for two people won’t happen tomorrow, but what’s the alternative? Will we kill or expel five million Arabs? Or have a single state with apartheid? I don’t want to lose the only Jewish democratic state we have.”On October 7, courageous action by security coordinator Baruch Cohen and his team prevented kidnappings at Magen. Two residents were killed and Cohen lost part of his leg. His wife Mina Cohen said she voted Eisenkot to bring in fresh leadership, even though she has become right wing since October 7. While her husband Baruch still believed in helping Gaza, she took a harsher stance: “From my point of view, taxis should take all of them far away.”
Houthis: Egypt’s decision to give military support to Saudi Arabia is declaration of war-Comment from member of Iran-backed group’s political bureau comes after Egyptian parliament approved support for Mecca-pact partner, though no request has yet been made-By Agencies 27 October 2026, 2:20 pm
A Houthi official said Tuesday that the Egyptian parliament’s decision to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia to defend against the Iran-backed group’s attacks on the Gulf kingdom was a declaration of war.The comment was part of a long statement reacting to a Monday visit to Tehran by the Saudi defense minister, alongside Pakistan’s army chief and Turkey’s intelligence chief, in a bid to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East war.“It is truly remarkable that while these people go to discuss what they call ‘peace in the region,’ Egypt and its parliament declare support for the so-called defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in doing so, declare war against the Republic of Yemen,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, in a Telegram post, referring to his rebel government as the legitimate leadership of the country.Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir and Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin attended the talks with Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. They also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey recently signed a NATO-style defense pact in Mecca that says an attack on one country is to be considered an attack on all three. But since the Houthis ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia earlier this month, the two other countries have not announced any strikes on the group.Al-Houthi said the pact was “a clear and blatant act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” adding that the group was “not afraid of any alliance that may be formed.”Egypt’s parliament voted to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia in a closed session Monday without publishing the tally, and no formal Saudi request for Egyptian troops has been announced. At least two-thirds of the chamber backed the measure, according to an official parliamentary statement.The statement did not specify what kind of support Egypt would provide. Taher al-Khouly, deputy head of parliament’s legislative committee, told Reuters that Egypt would send forces to Saudi Arabia in coordination between the two countries and at Saudi Arabia’s request.Several opposition groups opposed or declined to back the move. The Civil Democratic Movement, a coalition of opposition parties, rejected Egyptian military involvement in a regional war and said last week that Cairo’s role should focus on mediation.In July, Yemen’s conflict flared up again as a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.The Houthis then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before launching a major offensive in September in which they seized Yemeni government-held territory along the Red Sea coast.In response, the Houthis have reported frequent Saudi strikes targeting areas under their control.In October, the Houthis ramped up their attacks on Saudi Arabia, killing several civilians and forcing the cancellation of flagship events and a shutdown of Riyadh airport for two weeks.Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous state with one of the region’s largest militaries, joined the Saudi-led coalition in an earlier phase of Yemen’s war in March 2015 mainly as a naval partner, sending warships to secure Red Sea shipping lanes while pledging air support. It also deployed around 800 ground troops but played only a limited combat role.Egypt was involved in a costly military intervention in Yemen in the 1960s and has not undertaken a large-scale foreign ground deployment since the 1991 Gulf War.Saudi Arabia is a major political and financial partner of Cairo, providing billions of dollars in aid, deposits at the central bank and energy supplies under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Jordan strikes armed groups in Syria it says tied to church attack; Damascus: Civilians killed-Amman does not say which groups it targeted, but says ‘many members of terror group’ killed and wounded; Damascus says at least 7 killed, including women and children-By AP 27 October 2026, 10:55 am
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan on Monday night carried out airstrikes against armed groups in Syria in retaliation for Friday’s attack on a Greek Orthodox Church in the southern Jordanian city of Karak that killed nine people, the Jordanian air force said in a statement.It said the operation “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups and the destruction of a number of their vehicles.” It did not specify who the groups were or the precise location of the strikes.The operation sparked an outcry in Syria, where officials said the Jordanian operation killed several civilians and was carried out without notifying Syrian authorities.Syria’s civil defense agency said it had recovered the bodies of seven people killed in strikes in the southern Daraa and Sweida provinces. Five members of one family, including three children and a woman, were killed together in a strike that hit a tent in rural Daraa province and three other family members were injured, it said. An 80-year-old man and a 60-year-old man were killed in separate strikes, it said.The Syrian government said the Jordanian operation took place “without prior coordination or notification with the Syrian side.” It said Syrian authorities were investigating the circumstances of the incident and had opened communication channels with Jordan to discuss the situation.Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs later announced the closure of Syria’s main border crossing with Jordan.Earlier on Monday, Jordanian authorities arrested three men for last week’s attack, which also wounded more than two dozen people. The arrests followed a dawn shootout, and all three men were wounded, officials said.The attack struck the Greek Orthodox Church during a funeral in Karak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman, on Friday. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.The attack shocked the nation, and Jordan declared three days of mourning for the victims. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and the attackers’ motive remained unknown.Later on Monday, the Public Security Directorate identified the three arrested men as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, and their brother-in-law Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian. They were taken into custody in Karak, south of Amman.The agency’s chief described the gunmen as takfiri, a term used for Sunni militants, but said they were not tied to any organized group.“They only represent themselves,” Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta told a news conference. He also said a large cache of munitions was found in the abandoned house where Jordanian forces apprehended the men.Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the attack by the three was the result of “a terroristic, extremist way of thinking.”“If this way of thinking is not resolved, we will see incidents like this again,” he told reporters.Jordan’s King Abdullah II had ordered authorities to respond with “an iron fist” against what he called the outlaws of Islam and anyone attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.“We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated,” he said in a statement on Monday.Relatives of the victims said the arrests brought them some relief.“Despite the profound and immense tragedy, what happened today has eased our grief — and the grief of the Jordanian people — not just for us, the families of the martyrs,” Khaled al-Borqan, himself a survivor of the attack and a relative of three of the people killed, told Al-Mamlaka.“Despite the sadness and pain, the news brought us joy,” Fares Halaseh, an uncle of one of the victims and a survivor of the attack, told the TV station.But the pain remains, he added. “We will not forget this agony for years to come.”
Practical implementation is cross-border digital ID’s weak spot-Cambridge–Turing workshop finds governance, regulatory coordination and operational readiness lag technical interoperability standards-Oct 27, 2026, 6:09 pm EDT | Chris Burt
A workshop hosted by the Cambridge DPI Regulatory Programme and the Alan Turing Institute examined the practical barriers preventing national digital identity systems from working together across borders.The DPI Regulatory Programme will publish reports on regulatory architecture and Singapore’s Singpass next month, followed by two reports on e-KYC, says Pavle Avramović, Cambridge Centre director of research and policy at Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii). The reports draw on an ongoing series of workshops held in different countries.The Programme’s researchers have found that a growing number of regulators are involved with digital ID, including data protection and competition authorities, though central banks still tend to have the strongest voice.To help understand the differences from country to country, the Fii and Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance have developed the Regulatory Diagnostic Framework (RDF), an analytical tool to help with governance reviews.Avramović identifies infrastructure constraints, fragmented data formats across government agencies and insufficient political commitment to building trust and adoption as common interoperability challenges.Meanwhile countries are cautiously exploring how AI can help them deliver services, which adds another wrinkle for regulators.Governance means regulation in practice-Different digital ID architectures come with different risks and responsibilities. What they have in common is that tailored governance is important, along with guardrails for private sector participation and cross-regulatory coordination. Avramović presented country-level findings from Uganda, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Kenya, which will also appear in the upcoming report.Governance can differ significantly between theory and practice, with limited institutional capacity and human resources causing real-world breakdowns. One example Avramović mentions is when service delivery changes to prioritize new digital credentials in a way that makes an optional ID practically mandatory. Civil society organizations in Ethiopia participating in the workshops observed this problem, he says.The situation creates a “hot potato” of responsibility, Avramović says.Adding complexity, digital ID risks can occur anywhere in the system, depending on the context and architecture of the system. Regulators must also handle additional pressures caused by emerging technologies. Cross-regulatory sandboxes can help, but Avramović expects the challenge to continue.More training and resources on their own will not be sufficient to empower regulators to effectively address harms, Avramović warns. Technological solutions and a holistic approach are needed, he says.National DPAs often have a single biometrics expert on staff, who must handle all complaints related to the technology.3 paths and a framework of frameworks-Interoperability is typically achieved through a federated body or broker, wallet-based credential presentation, or direct API integration, Professor Carsten Maple of the Turing Institute says. These three paths come with different limitations. But all three require common trust arrangements between the parties to cover who is trusted, what data and protocols mean and set required levels of confidence. Identity records from two authorities (usually from different governments) must match and the relying party must be authorized to trust the data.Austroads, ICAO and OpenID have each shown how particular types of evidence can cross borders to support specific claims.At the same time, the SIDI Hub interoperability tests showed that work remains for systems to accommodate different national policies and architectures. The EU’s Digital Identity Wallet pilots have shown the need to test common specifications across different parties, and work by NOBID has shown that the right domestic record to authenticate against is not always clear (such as for people with the same name). LAC Digital Citizen showed the power of regional trust frameworks.Later in the workshop, Maple presented the Standards-Aligned Assessment Framework for Interoperable Identity (SAAFII), which he describes as “a framework-of-frameworks” that can be used as a diagnostic tool.During development of the tool, Turing researchers found that existing standards address much of the technical interoperability problem, while responsibility and governance remain key challenges. Technical sophistication can also conceal legal, institutional and trust gaps.Data protection and intermediary layers-Data protection regulation can also act as trust infrastructure for interoperability, according to Ibukunoluwa Owa of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission and the Digital Impact Alliance.Nigeria’s law states that data protection regulations apply to NINs wherever they are stored or processed, Owa says. That means interoperability must come with regulatory equivalence or some other mechanisms – binding corporate rules, certifications or codes of conduct, for example – in other jurisdictions.Another approach is seen in the Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX) pilot, which uses a federated trust platform owned by member states, explained Jeanne Yamfashije of Smart Africa. Benin, Ghana and Rwanda were selected for the pilot based on their readiness, but Yamfashije says the principal gap between them was trust, rather than technology.To address that gap, behind the platform sit trust lists of certified solutions and rules set by SATA (Smart Africa Trust Alliance). These are enforced by a governance structure that includes working groups, the Smart Africa Secretariat, and monitoring and supervisory committees. The platform also allows data to be processed without being transmitted to or stored in another country.Yamfashije identifies six key challenges: data protection approval, legal basis, assurance equivalence, national readiness, liability and redress, and coverage limitations.The financial industry also wants to see KYC interoperability, and is therefore happy to help governments move in that direction, says Damola Owolade of financial services market facilitator Finmark Trust at the South African Development Community (SADC).How exactly that will work in the SADC region is hard to say, however. Only a couple of digital ID wallets are available in the region, he says, and the consent mechanism built into Malawi’s wallet is a once-only process, so may not work with requirements of consent for a particular transaction.Cross-border MOSIP through eSignet and OIDC chains-Beyond technical, legal and regulatory alignment, operational factors are important too. Security and availability are also required for effective interoperability, notes MOSIP VP and Head of Country Implementation Krishnan Rajagopalan.He advises countries to remember the need for defined service-level expectations and incident escalation procedures.Dr. Mirko Bottarelli explained how MOSIP ecosystems can connect to each other through eSignet by chaining OIDC flows, which avoids data privacy or scalability challenges that he says would otherwise make cross-border interactions impractical.Bottarelli cites interoperability efforts by Mercosur, ECOWAS and Ukraine as evidence of significant progress this year. These efforts also highlight the importance of scalability, even as implementation continues to lag regulation.
Facewatch pilots free retail crime intelligence platform alongside facial recognition-Facewatch Live combines incident reporting and evidence management, with optional integration into the company's facial recognition system-Oct 27, 2026, 4:54 pm EDT | Abhishek Jadhav
Facewatch has begun live beta testing of Facewatch Live, a free retail crime intelligence platform that lets retailers document incidents, identify repeat offenders and assemble evidence for police investigations.Facewatch Live can operate independently of the company’s live facial recognition system or alongside it, allowing retailers to combine incident reporting with biometric identification.The platform also allows retailers to link multiple incidents with the same offender profile that can be compiled into structured case files for submission to police forces.The expansion comes amid growing scrutiny of Facewatch’s facial recognition technology in UK retail.Facewatch supported tighter regulation of the technology as privacy campaigners challenge its use. The debate also follows an incident in which a Sainsbury’s customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and removed from a store.Although Facewatch Live can operate without facial recognition, its incident records could still contain sensitive personal information, including CCTV images, suspected offender profiles, and allegations of theft.The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office states that data protection rights extend to suspected offenses and unproven allegations.Retailers are already adopting crime intelligence platforms to improve incident reporting and investigations. Asda plans to deploy Auror Core across its stores following a 30-store trial in London.The UK’s College of Policing has also documented the use of Auror for direct police reporting. During a Devon and Cornwall Police deployment, crimes reported through the platform had higher charge rates and shorter reporting times.Frasers Group is among the first retailers testing the Facewatch system in daily operations.“Retail operators should not have to pay simply to understand what is going on in their own businesses, and the process of reporting crime should not come with a price tag,” says Nick Fisher, chief executive officer of Facewatch.
Florida proposes Safe Screens Act to put age assurance on social media, chatbots-Proposal for declared age with parental consent mirrors Apple, Google API model-Oct 27, 2026, 3:55 pm EDT | Joel R. McConvey
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed new legislation, called the Safe Screens Act, which would build on existing laws by requiring “age determination and parental consent” before minors download or buy apps, and impose protective design features on accounts belonging to users between 14 and 17 years old.A release from the AG’s office says the law would also prohibit AI chatbots from “providing minors features that simulate companionship, encourage harm, generate sexual content, or claim to be human.”Uthmeier’s proposal lands after a court stayed an injunction against Meta demanding the removal of addictive features such as infinite scroll, 24-hour access and cosmetic filters that contribute to body-image problems. Meta had appealed the injunction.Per a report in Florida Today, Uthmeier chose further litigation instead of accepting the $17 billion multistate settlement Meta agreed to in August, which he dismisses as “peanuts” for the company. Only two other states refused.Seemingly determined to bring down the hammer on Big Social, Uthmeier says the Safe Screens Act goes further than HB 3, the current law prohibiting social media accounts for anyone under 14 – and that he is determined to see it through. “Parents deserve real control, and companies must design for safety, not addiction,” Uthmeier says, invoking the language of a digital duty of care. “If you invite Florida’s children onto your platform, you have a duty to keep them safe.”Uthmeier has been on something of a tear lately, also suing Discord and declaring the messaging platform a public nuisance. In his speech announcing the Safe Screens Act, he detailed how online predators use social media to groom and abuse kids.“We’re gonna fight back,” he says. “We told them we’ll see them in court. We stand to make a lot more money in court than caving, settling, selling out our kids for pennies on the dollar.”Age restrictions, but also time limits, hidden likes-The Safe Screens Act’s requirement for “age determination and parental consent” in fact endorses the age assurance model social media companies have campaigned for. “App stores and similar marketplaces must determine the user’s age, link minors to a parent’s account, and obtain parental consent before a minor downloads or buys an app from a covered platform,” says the AG’s office, describing the declared age range model at the OS level being deployed via APIs in Apple and Google’s app platforms.Protective design features for users under 18 include a quiet mode that blocks access from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and during school hours on academic-year weekdays. “Platforms must hide like, comment, and reaction counts by default; only a verified parent may enable them, with a 30-day opt-out prompt.” Autoplay and infinite scroll are off by default, and also require parental consent to turn on. A time limit of 2 hours daily and 60 hours monthly applies.Furthermore “AI chatbot operators and platforms must determine account holder’s age. Operating systems must apply age-appropriate restrictions at the device level based on the user’s age.” Chatbots can’t get intimate, encourage self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or illegal activity; claim to be human; or “encourage isolation or discourage help from appropriate adults.”In terms of technology specs, Florida says “all age determination must use commercially reasonable, privacy-protective methods.”“Knowing or reckless violations” are unfair practices under Florida law, and subject to fines of up to $50,000 per violation.But Uthmeier is looking for a much bigger payout than that; his “see you in court” speech references the recent court decision ordering Meta to pay $25 billion to New Mexico in a data privacy case.Age determination’ is an unnecessary lexical variant-Regardless of the success of Florida’s Safe Screens Act, it introduces a new wrinkle into the lexicon of age assurance. “Age determination” is closer in spirit to “age verification,” with its requirement for an initial reference against a date of birth, than it is to “age assurance,” which implies that the relying party can be assured a customer or user is old enough to gain access to a product or service.To “determine” implies discovery of a fact, and therefore its verification. As such, it would seem to exclude facial age estimation technologies, which do not use a date of birth for reference, but rather guess at a user’s age based on a real-time analysis of facial features and geometry.The specifics of Florida’s law are for Florida to determine. But the definitions and terminology of age assurance are now standardized under ISO/IEC 27566. One questions the wisdom of adding a redundant term into the mix, which will inevitably only weaken trust in technologies that are moving toward standardization as a matter of transparency.
Vietnam proposes digital ID law to tackle fraud, expand national framework-Legislation would extend electronic identification to digital assets and services, with new rules for authentication, security and cross-border recognition-Oct 27, 2026, 3:48 pm EDT | Lu-Hai Liang
Vietnam’s government has submitted a draft Law on Electronic Identification and Authentication to the National Assembly to strengthen digital identity security and combat online fraud.Presented by Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang, the draft legislation would establish rules for the creation, management and use of electronic identities and authentication services, according to Vietnam News.The legislation would establish a national electronic identification and authentication system incorporating Vietnam’s VNeID platform, which has been expanding its use cases. Rules for authentication providers, cybersecurity requirements and liability frameworks would be established.It also proposes mechanisms for the cross-border recognition of electronic identities, which the government says could help Vietnamese businesses meet international requirements and participate more effectively in global digital trade. Vietnam is currently in the process of piloting the connection of its VNeID with Singapore’s Singpass and Laos’ LAeID.In addition to individuals and organizations, the proposed framework would extend digital identification to a wider range of entities. This would include products, assets, databases, software, digital services, transactions and digital assets.This is designed to support trusted digital transactions while addressing challenges such as anonymous SIM cards, fake online accounts, cybercrime and increasingly sophisticated biometric fraud enabled by AI. It would prohibit the use of fake biometric data, AI-generated images and other methods used to falsify digital identities.While lawmakers broadly supported the proposal, parliamentary reviewers raised a number of concerns. These focus on privacy safeguards, data collection limits and implementation costs. There is also the practicality of extending electronic identification to a wide range of physical and digital entities, according to reports.Calls for clearer rules on data protection, interoperability standards and service-provider accountability have been raised. If approved, the law would provide the legal foundation for Vietnam’s next phase of digital identity development and support wider adoption of digital government and digital economy services.
Socure launches Agent Intelligence to verify who’s behind AI agents-New suite combines agent detection, identity verification and authorization checks as banks grapple with AI-driven account access-Oct 27, 2026, 3:39 pm EDT | Ashok Singal
Socure has launched Agent Intelligence, a suite that detects AI agents, scores whether they should be trusted, and ties each one to the verified person or business that authorized it. The October 27 launch comes as major banks acknowledge growing difficulty distinguishing authorized AI agents from other automated activity in customer accounts.Axios reported that major U.S. banks are detecting third-party AI agents inside customer accounts, some taking actions that appear independent of user instructions. Most of these agents arrive with the customer’s blessing and the customer’s password. To the bank, they look exactly like the customer. One executive told the outlet the industry struggles to distinguish one agent from another, let alone an agent the customer authorized from one that has gone rogue.The banks’ response has been blunt. Morgan Stanley has begun blocking third-party agents, while JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citi are restricting them, and most institutions are moving toward read-only access of the kind already granted to budgeting apps. Executives concede they need a middle ground but have not said what it looks like. Socure is betting that the middle ground is an identity problem, and that it already holds most of the answer.Three layers, two sides of the market-Socure describes Agent Intelligence as purpose-built for agents that cross a trust boundary when interacting with online services and applications. It comes in three layers that the company says go beyond simple Know Your Agent (KYA) tools.Agent Detection spots and classifies AI agents in a service’s traffic, and is generally available today inside Socure’s Digital Intelligence offering. Agent TrustScore judges whether a given agent, and the action it is attempting, should be trusted; it is open to beta customers now. Agent Credential gives an agent verifiable proof of who it is, who it represents and what it may do, and is due to reach general availability in the second quarter of 2027.A problem growing faster than defenses-The scale behind the launch is striking. Socure says daily requests from AI agents grew by more than 1,700 percent in the year to September 2026. The company also notes that nonhuman traffic now accounts for more than half of internet activity. McKinsey estimates that AI agents could mediate between $3 trillion and $5 trillion of global consumer commerce by 2030.In Socure’s view, the banks’ current approach of treating this as a human-versus-bot problem and restricting access is a dead end. “Block them all and you block your next customer. Let them all in and you hand fraudsters the keys. The way out isn’t better bot detection. It’s knowing which human is on the other end of the agent, which is the same problem we’ve been solving for fourteen years,” said Johnny Ayers, founder and CEO of Socure.Socure divides the emerging Know Your Agent category into two camps. Edge vendors detect automation but know nothing about the person behind the action. Credential schemes verify an attestation but cannot evaluate the principal who issued it. Both, the company argues, answer what is making a request. Neither answers whose agent it is, or whether that person should be trusted.Making the agent a known entity-Socure’s answer is to treat agents as nodes in the same global identity graph that already carries SocureID and a global device identifier, spanning more than 11 billion identity decisions a year.The first layer, Agent Detection, identifies and classifies agentic traffic across web, mobile and API interactions, whether or not the agent declares itself. Rather than issuing a binary verdict, it returns a confidence score and reason codes, because control of a session can pass between a human and an agent partway through. Socure says the aim is to go beyond flagging automation and to persistently identify agents, so a relying party can decide whether to trust one rather than block it by default. In controlled lab testing, the company says named consumer agents including Muse and Instinct were identified with near-perfect accuracy across roughly 700 behavioral variables.The second layer, Agent TrustScore, rests on the idea that each sensitive action needs its own trust assessment, even when the agent is tied to a legitimate person or business. The composite score draws on three categories of data. Identity covers who the agent is and who stands behind it. Authorization covers what it is permitted to do and whether the action falls within that permission. Risk covers what the principal’s and operator’s history indicates, including signs of replay or impersonation. The three are returned separately, so customers can weight them according to their use case, and then allow, limit, step up or deny the action under their own policy.The third layer, Agent Credential, is a W3C Verifiable Credential that operators issue to their agents through Agent Registration. It binds the agent to a KYC- or KYB-verified person or business in Socure’s identity graph and carries evidence of delegated authority. Any site can verify the credential without calling Socure. Socure says cryptographic chaining and proof of possession help maintain credential integrity across delegation chains and protect against credential theft and replay.Agnostic by design-Socure has deliberately made Agent Intelligence agnostic to agent type, presentation and credential issuer. A trust score that only worked for Socure-issued agents would be useless to a relying party, the company says, so TrustScore evaluates credentials from any issuer as well as agents that carry no credential at all. That design choice addresses the reality banks face today, where most agents arrive with nothing but a borrowed password.For banks caught between blocking and read-only access, the pitch is a third option: let agents in, but know whose they are and judge each action on its merits. Whether that holds up will depend on evidence beyond Socure’s own lab tests, on whether agent operators adopt the credential once it ships in 2027, and on how regulators and courts eventually assign liability when an agent the customer trusted does something the customer never asked for.
South Africa’s bank network for issuing biometric IDs delivers 1M in 7 months-Smart ID service expands to 669 bank branches as government prepares to retire Green ID Books by 2028-Oct 27, 2026, 3:20 pm EDT | Chris Burt
More than one million South Africans have obtained biometric Smart ID cards through the country’s banks in seven months, accelerating the replacement of fraud-prone Green ID Books.The Department of Home Affairs launched the decentralized issuance model in March to accelerate the replacement of Green ID Books, 14.7 million of which are still in circulation. Home Affairs plans to stop producing Green ID Books on March 31, 2027, and withdraw their recognition as valid identification on March 31, 2028.The new cards are intended to enable biometric verification of holders to confirm their eligibility for social benefits delivered by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).The milestone is a win for the Home Affairs @ home digital reform effort, according to a government announcement.Home Affairs issued just over 4 million Smart IDs in 2025 and 3.4 million in 2024. About 2.7 million Smart IDs were issued between 2022 and 2023, Home Affairs said at the beginning of 2026. That means not counting Smart IDs issued directly by Home Affairs this year, there are now approximately 11.1 million Smart IDs issued in total.South Africans were only able to register for and receive Smart IDs through 214 permanent Home Affairs offices when the Government of National Unity took power mid-2024, according to the announcement.Home Affairs partnered with a series of banks earlier this year, including Absa in July, expanding the Smart ID service to 669 bank branches nationwide.“This milestone serves as unequivocal proof that our focus on the wholesale digital transformation of all departmental processes is rapidly addressing long-standing challenges,” says Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Leon Schreiber. “Through this reform programme, we are transforming security, eliminating queues and paperwork, combatting identity theft, and redefining the efficiency of public service delivery – all at once.”Schreiber says five-minute digital applications for Smart IDs and passports, along with home delivery, will be available at more than 1,000 bank branches within months.The Minister was also the first person in the country to receive the national digital ID a month ago. The planned reforms also include an upgrade of the MyMzansi DPI platform, which the government announced a $9 million budget boost for last week.
BixeLab confirms Advance.ai liveness to Level 3 PAD-Advance.ai records zero errors across 125 sophisticated spoofing attacks in Level 3 testing against ISO/IEC 30107-3-Oct 27, 2026, 12:57 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Advance.ai has passed a Level 3 biometric presentation attack detection (PAD) evaluation conducted by BixeLab against the ISO/IEC 30107-3 standard.The result of the ISO/IEC 30107-3-based test indicates protection against more advanced spoof attacks than the Level 2 test iBeta performed for Advance.ai in 2024.That means it offers higher-security protection for KYC processes with selfie biometrics, a timely development given that victims across East and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand lost as much as US$114 billion in 2025, according to stats from a UN report cited in the announcement.The company’s Liveness Detection SDK v4.2.0 completed the test with an Attack Presentation Classification Error Rate (APCER) of 0 percent across 125 highly sophisticated presentation attacks. Two classification errors were observed across 50 bona fide presentations. Both were observed with the same test subject, though, which also completed other attempts successfully and carried out five additional validation transactions without errors, according to the Letter of Confirmation. Advance.ai also earned confirmation of compliance to the CEN/TS 18099 European standard for biometric injection attack detection (IAD) from BixeLab earlier this year. The new evaluations combine to represent protection against sophisticated fraud attacks that use AI to either defeat legacy liveness detection or bypass it altogether.“Sophisticated fraudsters are getting better at bypassing liveness checks that confirm a real person is present when opening an account or applying for a loan,” says Advance.ai Head of AI Alfred Yu. “Passing PAD Level 3 gives banks and financial services firms third-party proof that our biometric technology holds up against sophisticated spoofing attacks, and greater confidence in the security of their identity verification processes. This milestone puts Advance.ai among a select group of identity verification providers worldwide to pass PAD Level 3.”
Agentic authorization emerges as biometrics’ next killer use case-New tools connect biometric liveness, cryptographic credentials and human authorization as AI agents raise questions of trust and accountability-Oct 24, 2026, 12:03 pm EDT | Chris Burt
Biometrics is emerging as a pillar of governance for AI agents. In a moment where agents are going rogue and wreaking havoc, the need for an auditable connection between the live presence and intention of a real person and the authorization an agent is acting under has never been stronger.Tools combining biometric liveness detection, cryptographic credentials and delegated authorization are coming to market, promising stronger accountability for AI agents operating in financial services, enterprise systems and other digital environments. Demand boom ahead for governance tools-A good governance policy is the first ingredient in a secure mobile credential, Security Industry Association Director of Standards and Technology Cameron Walker-Miller notes in the latest episode of the Biometric Update Podcast. But effective governance is not in place for AI agents, Amantrue CEO Evin McMullen says, which is why we are experiencing “Black October.”The language used to describe artificial intelligence can also influence how it is governed, a question explored in a recent Biometric Update audio essay.Socure calls this period of AI-powered attacks “World War Fraud.” In a report, the company’s head of fraud insights, Mike Cook, argues that AI is changing how people perceive committing fraud, ushering in what he calls “Fraud’s Napster Moment.”Transmit Security has appointed Matt Thompson to be its new CEO as it embarks on a new phase focussed on agentic commerce. The company also launched Agentic Trust to allow financial institutions and merchants to interact with agents.Seventh Sense co-founder and CTO Varun Chatterji explains how the company’s new SenseCrypt software integrates full passkey security with privacy-preserving biometrics in a paid post. The enterprise technology provides an audit trail from actions back to the authorized human, and therefore can also fill a critical role in governing AI agents.World has released a suite of tools for biometric proof of personhood in banking and finance, which includes World ID for Agents. World co-founder and Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania suggested that a future where agents carry out most online transactions has always been central to its development.iProov’s HAPS implementation connects the company’s biometric liveness detection with AI agent authorization through integrations with agentgateway and Cerbos.The increasingly crowded marketplace also includes a new fingerprint biometric smartcard from Token, offering phishing-resistant MFA for human and agentic users, Proof’s newly launched x401 protocol, and Microsoft’s Project Perception for agents operating within the enterprise. Agentic authorization is also extending beyond online transactions to industrial systems and robotics. RaonSecure is researching how decentralized identities can support delegated authorization for robots and other AI systems.African digital identity collaborations-Digital identity initiatives also advanced in Africa this week, with developments in national service delivery, cross-border interoperability and regional infrastructure planning.Mohamed Dubo, director general of Somalia’s Unified Public Service Delivery Center, Halmeel, explains plans to integrate the country’s national ID with its digital government platform to Biometric Update. Somalia is taking lessons on the capacity and resources it will need from neighbors Ethiopia and Kenya.An interoperability pilot involving the national digital IDs of Benin, Ghana and Rwanda through the Smart Africa platform is coming up, though no date has been announced yet.The question of what should drive investment in digital public infrastructure is also coming into sharper focus. In an interview with Biometric Update, ID4Africa Executive Chairman Joseph Atick argues that governments should prioritize the public services that digital identity systems are intended to support, rather than build infrastructure based primarily on projected demand.At the eGov’A 2026 summit in Cameroon, participants called for greater investment in interoperable digital identity, payments and data exchange systems, alongside sovereign cloud infrastructure to support African digital transformation.And ministers from African Union governments will meet next week in Gabon to discuss how to close DPI gaps as they work toward digital transformation and an integrated digital market.Please let us know if you find any podcasts, video presentations or other content that we should share with the biometrics and digital identity community in the comments below or through social media.
Amadeus confirmed as supplier for UK contactless biometric border gates-Seamless Gates are live at East Midlands Airport, with Birmingham next and a nationwide eGate upgrade planned by early 2027-Oct 20, 2026, 10:46 am EDT | Chris Burt
Amadeus has been revealed as the supplier for biometric gates that will allow travellers returning to the UK to clear border checks using a completely contactless process that skips showing a passport.Amadeus Seamless Gates are already operating at East Midlands Airport and are scheduled for introduction at Birmingham Airport, followed by 11 other international airports. The company says every eGate covered by its long-term contract with the UK Home Office and Border Force will be upgraded by early 2027.The rollout was reported earlier this month, when Biometric Update noted that the UK’s existing biometric eGates were supplied by Vision-Box, which Amadeus acquired in 2024.Under the new system, returning UK passport-holders will only have to place their passport on the reader if further checks are required.Eventually, the UK plans to extend the same contactless border control process to eligible foreign nationals.UK Border Force Director General Phil Douglas called the upgrade “a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country. By using state‑of‑the‑art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security. Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families.”Amadeus is in the midst of an aggressive push to expand its airport biometrics footprint, from its acquisition of Idemia PS to a new contract in Thailand to founding membership in the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition launched weeks ago.
THE FALSE VATICAN POPE LEO 14TH LEADS THE MULTIFATH FALSE CHURCH.
ISAIAH 23:15-17
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.
REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, 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 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:(VATICAN)
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.(THATS PEDOPHELIA-FORNICATION IS SINGLES HAVING SEX OUT SIDE OF MARRIAGE)(AND SINCE PREISTS CAN NOT MARRY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS FALSE CHURCH GOES AGAINST THE BIBLE.THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECOMES A HOMOSEXUAL HAVEN OF PEDOPHILIAS FACTORY).
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:(THE VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)
HOW THE FALSE POPE IS ELECTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3Qnr_30Z4
POPE FRANCIS SISTER (PEDOPHILIA WAY WORSE THEN THOUGHT) (CARDINAL MATEO TERESCO-THE NEXT COVERUP POPE OF PEDOPHILIA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFshfmBPmY
FALSE POPE LEO 14TH 2012 INTERVIEW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXVkJ5TQi1s
POPE 14TH WILL BE WORSE THAN FRANCIS.
https://banned.video/watch?id=681cf97a22a2c8ae0e09b5d0
Holy See at UN: Redirect arms spending towards integral human development-Archbishop Christophe El Kassis calls for resources devoted to weapons to be redirected towards people living in poverty, warning that rising military expenditure stands in stark contrast to urgent humanitarian and development needs.By Roberto Paglialonga .
The Holy See has called for resources devoted to armaments to be redirected towards humanitarian assistance and integral human development, expressing concern over the proliferation of conventional weapons and rising global military spending.Speaking on 22 October at the thematic discussion on conventional weapons in the First Committee of the 81st UN General Assembly, Archbishop Christophe Z. El Kassis, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, warned that the proliferation and use of conventional weapons erode mutual trust, “thereby compromising the pursuit of a just and lasting peace”.He also described as “equally troubling” the “relentless surge in global military expenditure, which reached almost 2.9 trillion US dollars in 2025”.“The vast resources devoted to armaments are in stark contrast to the urgent need for humanitarian aid and development,” he said, particularly as millions of people continue to live in poverty without access to essential services.Human control over lethal force-Archbishop El Kassis also voiced concern over withdrawals from the conventions on anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, calling for the integrity of both treaties to be preserved and for their universal adoption to be promoted.Turning to lethal autonomous weapons systems, he welcomed the progress made this year by the Group of Governmental Experts, while reiterating the Holy See’s call for “a legally binding instrument that establishes clear prohibitions and regulations of these systems”.Recalling Pope Leo XIV’s words in Magnifica Humanitas, the Archbishop stressed that “the decision to use lethal force cannot be delegated to opaque or automated processes, but must remain under effective, self-aware and responsible human control”.Protecting civilians in populated areas-The Archbishop highlighted the “devastating humanitarian consequences of using explosive weapons in populated areas”.The widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the lasting suffering inflicted on affected communities, he said, underline the need for universal endorsement and effective implementation of the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, known as EWIPA.Tackling the illicit arms trade-Archbishop El Kassis also addressed the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, which “fuels violence and undermines development”.He called for stronger implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, together with the International Tracing Instrument.Meeting the needs of the poorest-Concluding his address, the Archbishop stressed that resources devoted to armaments could instead meet the urgent needs of people living in poverty, expand access to education and healthcare, and promote integral human development.“Redirecting these resources towards such priorities would contribute meaningfully to building a more just and lasting peace,” he said.
Holy See: Nuclear weapons are one of gravest threats to humanity-At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN insists on the need to eliminate nuclear weapons in order to promote peace and international security.By Isabella H. de Carvalho
The elimination of nuclear weapons needs to be a priority in order to strengthen international security and peace, Archbishop Christophe El Kassis, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said in a statement on Monday, October 19.“The deterioration of the international security environment cannot justify deeper reliance on nuclear weapons. On the contrary, it makes the pursuit of their elimination all the more urgent,” he highlighted at the Thematic Discussion on Nuclear Weapons, in the First Committee of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.“As Pope Leo XIV recently recalled, ‘Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice.’”"The continued existence of nuclear weapons remains one of the gravest threats to humanity," he added. The contradiction of deterrence-In his statement, Archbishop El Kassis noted how “at a time of profound instability, nuclear arsenals are being modernized and expanded, nuclear rhetoric is becoming more pronounced, and deterrence continues to occupy a central place in security doctrines.”This, he explained, is exacerbating instability, rather than strengthening international security, and is perpetuating a situation “in which peace hinges on the threat of catastrophic destruction.”The Permanent Observer warned that a “security architecture that relies on the credible threat of nuclear weapons use,” as is the case with deterrence, “leaves humanity in a permanent state of vulnerability” and is a “profound contradiction.”He also pointed out that the integration of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies into nuclear systems creates new risks. In this regard, he called for keeping “effective, self-aware and responsible human control and judgement.”Eliminating nuclear weapons-“The only lasting response to the dangers posed by nuclear weapons is their total elimination. While measures to reduce nuclear risks are necessary, they cannot substitute for disarmament,” Archbishop El Kassis insisted.In this respect, he emphasized that the Holy See calls all nuclear-armed states to fulfil their obligations to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, such as pursuing progress towards nuclear disarmament.He also reiterated the Holy See’s support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, encouraging States who have not yet participated to do so.Lastly, he underlined how the Holy See also appeals for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Assisi Peace Meeting: 'We can choose life' in a world threatened by nuclear arms-Speaking of the importance of keeping the human person at the center of arguments regarding nuclear weapons, a forum in Assisi brings together a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, a Catholic archbishop of Nagasaki, and a representative of an organization that received the Nobel Peace Prize.By Kielce Gussie – Assisi
On the second day of the International Meeting for Peace in Assisi, one of the morning forums focused on nuclear weapons, disarmament, and proliferation. The panel was full of researchers, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Catholic archbishop of Nagasaki, Japan, and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.While the threat of nuclear attacks, to some, may seem a distant possibility, Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura brought a concrete example of the lasting effects and reality of the use of these weapons.In Assisi, the archbishop brought a piece of history and Catholic devotion from the heart of Nagasaki. The head of a wooden Marian statue—the only surviving part found in the city’s Urakami Cathedral Church—was found among the rubble.Sixty years after the bombing, a new memorial chapel was dedicated to the bombed remains of the statue.A day in August 1945-Speaking of her memory as a six-year-old walking to school on that August day in 1945, Katsuko Tanaka recalled a tremendous flash, her hair, neck, and arm being burnt before everything went dark.Her house was badly damaged, and her body was so burned that her mother did not recognize her. That night, Tanaka explained she came close to dying. But she survived. Why? This was a question that remained in her mind for years.The memory was so difficult that she never spoke of her experience until her 70th birthday. Then, she began to share her story.In her speech, Tanaka stressed the importance of continued conversation on disarmament and non-proliferation amongst countries. “As long as one exists, it must be used,” she argued.She invited leaders of countries at war to imagine looking down at the world from a spaceship. From space, Tanaka highlighted, “you cannot see national borders. You see oceans and land. We all live on this earth. To me, it is one spaceship.”Reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the bomb, she remembered seeing the blue sky—the same one as the day before. “That blue sky I saw that day is still in my heart. There are no borders from the sky,” Tanaka reiterated.The topic of disarmament and non-proliferation must never fall off the list of topics to discuss. If these discussions become concrete actions, then Tanaka’s closing wish can be fulfilled: Never create another Hiroshima.A changing world-On the other side of the coin are the numerous people around the world who have dedicated their lives to promoting nuclear disarmament.One of these activists is Susi Snyder, who works with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and to get an international treaty negotiated and adopted to ban those weapons.Snyder explained that nuclear deterrence was invented by people to justify having nuclear weapons in the 1950s. Nuclear weapons were seen as the answer to the power of conflict.Listen to Susi Snyder's interview-But the world of 2026 is very different. “We don’t have just two superpowers battling it out. What we have instead are multiple countries that have nuclear weapons, and that is a huge risk because everybody is unpredictable,” she stressed.Today, one hundred and ninety-one countries have signed and are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The goal is to prevent the spread of these weapons, achieve disarmament, and promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.The root of the danger of having and using these weapons comes from the fact that they eliminate the human aspect of war and killing. “Nuclear weapons, nuclear deterrence relies on the dehumanization of the other. It strips us of human dignity, and it takes away the brotherhood of all,” Snyder highlighted.For this reason, organizations, activists, and survivors of the atomic bombs in Japan have been calling for an end to nuclear weapons. Currently, there are about 12,500 nuclear weapons in the world, and more have become available over the last few years. Moreover, the systems tied to these weapons are becoming more autonomous.Machines are analyzing the situations in which to use nuclear weapons. Snyder cited a study released by King’s College in London that revealed that “when artificial intelligence was applied to nuclear weapon command, control, and communications, the artificial intelligence chose for nuclear war every single time without fail.”It removes human life from consideration.Is there hope for the future? What hope is there? This is where faith-based organizations can play a role, Snyder said. They “remind people of our common humanity, of our shared dignity, they remind each other that we have a choice in who we want to be in the world.”Alessja Trama with the “Be the Hope Foundation” shared Snyder’s hope for the future. She highlighted that young people have an important role to play in promoting nuclear disarmament.Listen to Alessja Trama's interview-“It is important to know that we don’t have to be something special or different,” Trama shared. “You can build peace pursuing whatever you are passionate about with your art or music. This is creating peace.”Moreover, she argued that people need to realize they are not alone in fighting for a truly unarmed and disarming peace. Trama noted the importance of building a strong network, so that young people, especially, can be aware of the fact that their voices can make a change.“The youth are not the future. They are the present. They are the protagonists of today,” she reiterated.Snyder stressed, “There is hope for something better, even on this planet, in our lifetimes.” We have the choice. We can decide whether “nuclear weapons will end us, or we will end nuclear weapons. So, I look forward to choosing life with everyone else.”
Holy See: Online hate and religious intolerance are forms of racism-The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations addresses the 81st session of the General Assembly on the elimination of racial discrimination and warns against “materialist and nationalist ideologies” that affront human dignity – the cornerstone of building “a true international community.”Vatican News.
The dignity shared by every human being, “bestowed by God” and “fundamental to the building of a true international community,” is today being undermined by forms of discrimination that are spreading into an ever-wider range of areas, from online spaces to religious settings, as well as through indifference towards migrants and refugees.Archbishop Christophe Zakhia El-Kassis, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, warned against “materialist and nationalist ideologies” that undermine the unity of the human family in a statement delivered to the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Delivered on 8 October, the address concerned agenda item 68: “Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.”Safeguarding equality-Reaffirming the Church’s teaching that every human being possesses equal and inviolable dignity, the archbishop condemned racism, discrimination, xenophobia and all related forms of intolerance as affronts to “the unity of the human family.”Pope: Europe must embrace its roots to build peace and unity-Pope Leo XIV addresses a meeting on “The Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity,” saying Europe’s Christian roots “help us understand more clearly that openness to the transcendent is ...Rejecting racist ideologies-A genuine international community cannot be complacent towards “materialist and nationalist ideologies” that obstruct harmony within the human family, Archbishop El-Kassis reiterated.Indeed, the scourge of racism persists in various forms, “despite apparent progress,” and continues to manifest itself on the basis of “the mistaken belief that one person, reduced to a single characteristic, is superior to another.”The Holy See representative then highlighted several areas in which discriminatory practices remain widespread. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, in particular, continue to be victims of such practices. Instead of finding safety and a better life, as the Pope pointed out during the Mass celebrated last Jubilee Year for them, they often encounter “the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination.”Online and religious hatred-From migrants to digital environments, new forms of exclusion and prejudice are emerging, amplifying hatred and polarisation.“In the digital age,” Archbishop El-Kassis observed, “social justice requires that data and technologies be used to promote human dignity and the common good.”The prelate also drew attention to religious intolerance. “Whether it takes the form of antisemitism, Christianophobia, Islamophobia or other forms of hostility rooted in anti-religious prejudice,” it must be “firmly rejected,” he stated.The address concluded with an appeal to intensify efforts “to cultivate and promote respect for the inalienable dignity of every human person and to foster a culture of encounter and openness to others, grounded in mutual respect.”
Cardinal Parolin at UN: ‘Restore trust’ through dialogue, justice and peace-Addressing the General Assembly in New York, the Vatican Secretary of State calls for an end to wars, respect for international law, responsible use of artificial intelligence and renewed multilateralism.Vatican News.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin has called on the international community to restore trust through dialogue, justice and respect for international law, warning against the growing reliance on force in international relations.Addressing the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday, the Vatican Secretary of State conveyed the greetings of Pope Leo XIV and said this year’s theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that delivers for All,” represents “an urgent moral and political imperative.”“Every international institution, beyond its legal framework, requires mutual trust among its members to be effective,” he said, stressing that trust is fostered through “mutual respect and dialogue” and a commitment to human dignity and justice.A diplomacy of dialogue-Cardinal Parolin highlighted Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on peace, justice and truth as essential principles for diplomacy. He recalled the Pope’s call for a shift from a “culture of power” to a “genuine ‘culture of negotiation’,” in which dialogue and diplomacy become the normal means of resolving conflicts.“Peace is not a ‘negative’ word,” Cardinal Parolin said, recalling that peace requires truth and justice and must be built through patient efforts to establish just relationships within and among nations.“Peace is the fruit of justice,” he added, pointing to inequality, exclusion, violations of fundamental rights and the failure to recognise others as brothers and sisters among factors that contribute to conflict.The Cardinal also called for renewed efforts towards disarmament, warning that legitimate concerns for national defence should not become a race towards massive rearmament.Human dignity and artificial intelligence-A significant part of the intervention focused on technological transformation, particularly artificial intelligence.“In an age that risks reducing the person to consumer, data, or instrument,” Cardinal Parolin said, “Pope Leo XIV insists that the human person remains the measure of all progress.”He highlighted the moral questions raised by lethal autonomous weapons systems and stressed that responsibility for the use of lethal force cannot be transferred to machines.“The decision to use lethal force cannot be delegated to opaque or automated processes, but must remain under effective, self-aware and responsible human control,” he said.The Holy See, he added, supports an international framework capable of limiting a technological arms race while ensuring accountability and protection for civilians. Technology must respect “the primacy of the human person,” allowing human conscience and freedom to guide technological development and determine its limits.Appeals for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East-Cardinal Parolin addressed several ongoing conflicts, calling for an immediate end to hostilities and a return to diplomacy.On Ukraine, he said that after more than four years of war, the death toll continues to rise. “Peace cannot be postponed; weapons must fall silent, and bombardments must cease,” he said, urging support for “an immediate, complete and effective ceasefire.”Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Holy See reiterated its call for an end to violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. Cardinal Parolin also expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, citing widespread destruction, mass displacement and severe shortages, and urged the international community to work towards a two-state solution “with a view to bringing about a just and lasting peace.”He also addressed conflicts and humanitarian emergencies in the Gulf region, Myanmar, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Venezuela, Haiti and elsewhere, repeatedly calling for dialogue, humanitarian assistance, reconciliation and respect for human dignity.Protecting human dignity-The Holy See’s intervention also emphasised the universality of human rights and the protection of those most vulnerable, including migrants and refugees.“Dignity is not dependent on geographical location or socioeconomic status,” Cardinal Parolin said. “Those who move, or are forced to move, always maintain their dignity.”He also highlighted religious freedom and condemned discrimination, violence and persecution against Christians and other religious communities.“The defence of any one community’s freedom strengthens the freedom of all,” he said.Renewing multilateralism-Returning to the theme of the General Assembly, Cardinal Parolin acknowledged that “multilateralism is in crisis”, while stressing that this makes renewed international cooperation all the more necessary.“The crisis of multilateralism does not diminish its importance,” he said. What is required, he argued, is “the will to uphold justice rather than resort to violence; the will to uphold the rule of law rather than submit to domination; the will to choose peace over destruction.”
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON THE MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS-PROPHECY SIGNS) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION-HEAVENLY OBJECTS) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
Heavy rains close highways, hiking trails in south; effect on voter turnout unclear-Entrance to southernmost city of Eilat blocked; authorities warn against driving or hiking in affected areas due to fear of flash floods; weather expected to worsen as night falls-By ToI Staff 27 October 2026, 5:43 pm
Heavy rains poured down on southern Israel and parts of the center on Tuesday, cutting off the main entrance to the southernmost city of Eilat, amid a national election that had seen record-high turnout through mid-afternoon.Downpours on the Negev and Aravah deserts, and eastward to the Judean Foothills and Dead Sea, prompted the closure of Route 90, which leads to Eilat. Traffic from the city was open only to Ramon International Airport, police said.Route 12, which connects the city to the Eilat Mountains, was also closed, as were Route 13, from the Menuha Junction to the Tzihor Junction, and Route 40, from Mitzpe Ramon to Keturah Junction.At one measuring station near Eilat, the Israel Meteorological Service reported 17 millimeters (0.7 inches) over 3 hours. The rains were expected to get stronger as the day wore on, and to continue into the night.State agencies warned that driving or hiking during the rainfall was dangerous, as flash floods have proved fatal in the past.The Israel Police ordered the closure of all hiking sites from Beersheba to Eilat, and called on the public to avoid any walking trails or streams.Rains also fell in the center of the country, with thunderstorms hitting Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Modiin and Ramle in the late afternoon.It was not immediately clear how the weather might disrupt voter turnout, which was at a record high with more than half of eligible voters casting ballots by 4 p.m., the most for that hour in the more than half-century that records have been kept.Among those turning out in record numbers were Bedouin voters in the south, with the largest year-on-year surge in voter turnout as of noon found in the small community of al-Atawneh in the Negev, and the southern city of Rahat also seeing a particularly large increase compared to previous elections.
