JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
TRUMP TO HAMAS YOU SATANIC DEATH CULT YOU BETTER FREE ALL THE HOSTAGES NOW. OR ELSE.
EZEK 39:11-16
11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a
place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the
east of the sea: (IN THE JORDAN VALLEY) and it shall stop the noses of
the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and
they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13
Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to
them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.
14
And they shall sever out men of continual employment, (NUCLEAR
SPECIALISTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those
that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of
seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass
through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a
sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
MEANING OF HAMONAH
Hamonah,
ham-o'-nah (Heb.)-- host; multitude; noise; tumult; commotion of mind.
The prophetic name of a city that is mentioned in conjunction with
Hamon-gog: "And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city.
Metaphysical meaning of Hamonah (mbd) - Truth Unity
Strong's Lexicon-Hamonah: Hamonah-Original Word: הֲמוֹנָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location-Transliteration: Hamownah
Pronunciation: hah-mo-NAH-Phonetic Spelling: (ham-o-naw')
Definition: Hamonah-Meaning: Hamonah
Word
Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root הָמוֹן (H1995), meaning
"multitude" or "abundance."Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There
is no direct Greek equivalent for "Hamonah" in the Strong's Greek
Dictionary, as it is a specific Hebrew proper noun. However, the concept
of a multitude or abundance can be related to Greek words like πλῆθος
(G4128), meaning "multitude."Usage: The term "Hamonah" is used as a
proper noun referring to a specific location mentioned in the prophetic
literature of the Old Testament. It is associated with the aftermath of a
significant battle, symbolizing the multitude of the slain.Cultural and
Historical Background: In the context of the Hebrew Bible, names often
carry significant meaning and are used to convey theological and
prophetic messages. "Hamonah" is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, a
prophetic text that addresses the restoration of Israel and the judgment
of the nations. The name reflects the abundance of God's judgment upon
the enemies of Israel, serving as a reminder of divine justice and
sovereignty.
GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.
And here are
the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war
or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only
Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land
in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half
of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18,
Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY
OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND
IN THE FUTURE.
FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of
Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE
HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an
angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all
the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves
together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the
flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men,
and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of
all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS
TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN
FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING
BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @
39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the
earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY)
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS)
and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U
WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS)
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the
horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were
filled with their flesh.
Zephaniah 2:1-15
1 Gather together, yes, gather,O shameless nation,
2
before the decree takes effect[a] -before the day passes away like
chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before
there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 Seek the
Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands;[b] seek
righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of
the anger of the Lord.
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon
shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the
seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against
you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no
inhabitant is left.
6 And you, O seacoast, shall be pastures, with meadows[c] for shepherds and folds for flocks.
7
The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of
Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they
shall lie down at evening. For the Lord their God will be mindful of
them and restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard the taunts of Moab
(JORDAN) and the revilings of the Ammonites, how they have taunted my
people and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I
live,” declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become
like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles
and salt pits, and a waste forever.The remnant of my people shall
plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11
The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods
of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the
lands of the nations.
12 You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
13
And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy
Assyria,(SYRIA) and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like
the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of
beasts;[d] even the owl and the hedgehog[e] shall lodge in her
capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the
threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the
exultant city that lived securely, that said in her heart, “I am, and
there is no one else.” What a desolation she has become, a lair for wild
beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.Sa'ar: No
free meals; talks possible if more hostages freed Israel halts aid into
Gaza, citing Hamas refusal to extend first phase of truce
Footnotes-a
-Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth, b-Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his
judgment, c-Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves, d-Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of
every nation, e-Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl
and hedgehog is uncertain
Shalom Hamas means Hello and Goodbye –
You can choose'Trump tells ‘sick and twisted’ Hamas to free all hostages
now ‘or it is over for you’-US president issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas
and calls on its leaders to leave Gaza, saying he’s sending Israel
‘everything it needs to finish the job’ after talks seem to hit
impasse-By Jacob Magid-Today, 2:49 am-MAR 5,24
US President
Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a new ultimatum to Hamas, demanding
that the terror group immediately release all remaining hostages or be
destroyed.“‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,”
Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Release all of the hostages now — not
later — and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you
murdered, or it is OVER for you.”Trump has issued multiple ultimatums to
Hamas over the past several months with limited success. Before his
inauguration, he demanded Hamas release all of the hostages or there
would be “all hell to pay.” The terror group did not release all of
them, but did agree to a multiphase ceasefire deal with Israel that
secured 33 hostages during the first stage.Last month, after Hamas
threatened not to release a batch of those hostages, citing Israeli
violations of the agreement, Trump issued another similar ultimatum
demanding that all of them be released at noon the following Saturday.
Hamas didn’t agree to release all of the hostages, but it did free the
three it was scheduled to let go.“I am sending Israel everything it
needs to finish the job; not a single Hamas member will be safe if you
don’t do as I say,” he warned Wednesday.Trump has advanced over $11
billion in weapons sales to Israel since taking office, including a
shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that the Biden administration withheld due
to concerns they’d lead to civilian deaths in Gaza.Trump’s post was
uploaded shortly after he met with a group of eight released hostages in
the Oval Office, and amid an apparent impasse in negotiations between
Israel and Hamas after the first phase of a fragile ceasefire ended
Saturday.“This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time
to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance,” Trump declared.He noted
that he had just met with the former hostages, “whose lives you have
destroyed… Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick
and twisted!”“Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful future awaits,
but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART
decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER,”
Trump added.‘They will get the job done’Trump’s ultimatum came after
several roller-coaster days for the hostage families.As phase one of the
deal ended on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office
issued a statement announcing that it accepted what it described as a
proposal from Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the
ceasefire under new terms than the sides had agreed to in January.That
deal stipulated that Israel and Hamas would hold negotiations regarding
the terms of phase two, which envisions the release of all remaining
hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war and a full Israeli
withdrawal from Gaza.While Israel signed onto these terms, Netanyahu has
long insisted that he would not end the war before Hamas’s military and
governing capabilities have been dismantled. Accordingly, he largely
refused to hold negotiations regarding phase two.The “Witkoff proposal”
he unveiled on Saturday evening envisions the extension of the ceasefire
through Ramadan and Passover, which ends on April 19. During this
period, the remaining hostages would be released in two batches — one on
the first day of the extension and the other at the end, pending
agreements on a permanent ceasefire.Hamas quickly rejected the proposal,
insisting it was only prepared to release hostages through the original
framework that the sides reached in January. Israel, in turn, has
threatened to resume fighting and on Sunday announced that it was
blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza moving forward.While an
Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the proposal was actually
“more of an Israeli offer,” the Trump administration quickly got behind
it and issued a statement backing Israel’s stance in the hostage
negotiations.Also on Sunday, Sharon Sharabi announced that his brother
and recently released hostage Eli would be flying to Washington this
week to meet Trump, who had been shown clips of an interview he gave
about the conditions of his captivity.At that point, though, such a
meeting had not yet been finalized, a source familiar with the matter
told The Times of Israel. Nonetheless, Sharabi flew to Washington on
Monday and was accompanied by seven other released hostages: Iair Horn,
Omer Shem Tov, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron
Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani.While anticipation that a meeting would
take place on Tuesday peaked, one did not take place. Instead, many in
the group were invited to attend Trump’s address to a joint session of
Congress, leading to further expectations that they would receive a
shout-out during the speech.But Trump only ended up devoting a sentence
to the issue, saying, “We are bringing back our hostages from Gaza”
before moving on to other issues in a speech largely focused on domestic
policy.As the group waited for their meeting with Trump on Wednesday
morning, news broke that his administration has been secretly holding
direct negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing the release of American
hostages in Gaza and subsequently bringing an end to the war.The White
House said it consulted with Israel on the matter, but Netanyahu’s
office did not appear to agree with the move, issuing a terse statement
that said “Israel has expressed to the United States its position
regarding direct talks with Hamas.”Those talks are being led by Trump’s
hostage envoy Adam Boehler, who is currently in Doha, an Arab diplomat
told The Times of Israel, adding that Boehler is coordinating with
Witkoff, who is in Washington.Wiktoff met with the released hostages in
the early afternoon and informed the group that they would meet with the
US president shortly thereafter.When that meeting finally came, the
eight released hostages lined up in front of the Resolute Desk where
Trump sat and offered brief words of gratitude to the president, while
urging him to continue his efforts to secure the release of the
remaining 59 hostages.“You’ve been sent by god to release them. You can
really help. You have the power to do it,” said Omer Shem Tov in one
minute of footage from the meeting that was released to the public.“You
were our hope when we were there, and now you’re their hope,” said Naama
Levy. “Once you were elected, we heard that you want to do everything
to make a deal as soon as possible… You gave us hope.”“So you didn’t
think until I came along — you didn’t think you were going to get out?”
Trump asked the group. Several of the hostages replied, “No.”“Well, we
said, ‘You better let us have those people back, you better let them
out.’ We did say that and something happened, right. Now we’ve got to
get the rest out,” Trump said, referring to his ultimatum last
month.“Please do it again,” said Eli Sharabi, who presented Trump with a
cartoon showing a picture of Holocaust survivors at a Nazi
concentration camp with the caption “Never again,” beside a photo of an
emaciated Sharabi from his own release last month and the caption
“Again.”The hostages also gifted Trump with a plaque that reads,
“whoever saves one life saves the world entire [sic].”“Thank you all.
We’re working on it very hard,” Trump said, as each hostage approached
to shake his hand. “We’ll do the best we can… Horrible stories. Not even
believable… We’ll get them out. Watch. We’ll get them out.”He told
several of the freed hostages to take care of themselves as they thanked
him and left the Oval Office.To Shem Tov, the last to thank him, Trump
said: “You’ve got a good future. I’m telling you.”Shem Tov left with a
broad smile.In a statement issued after the meeting, White House Press
Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump took time to meet with
eight of the released hostages from Gaza. The president listened
intently to their heartbreaking stories. The hostages thanked President
Trump for his steadfast efforts to bring all of the hostages
home.”According to a readout from the released hostages, Keith Seigel
told Trump and Witkoff that they had made a deal possible.“We urged them
to continue their enormous efforts. They have done so much. We trust
them, and we know they will get the job done to get all the rest of the
59 remaining hostages held in Gaza back to their families, back to
Israel,” he was quoted as having said.Sharabi said that he asked Trump
“to ensure that the 59 hostages still being held will be released
through an agreement for their return as soon as possible,” and thanked
the US president and Witkoff for being “committed to this goal.”
US
sanctions Houthi leaders, a day after reinstating terrorist
designation-Treasury announces sanctions against 7 leaders of
Iran-backed Yemeni group in bid to cut off funds, stifle weapons
supply-By Agencies and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 9:33 pm
US
President Donald Trump’s administration sanctioned seven Houthi leaders
and an individual who sent Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in
Ukraine on Wednesday, just a day after re-declaring the group a foreign
terrorist organization.The seven sanctioned leaders “smuggled
military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of
Yemen” and negotiated arms deals with Russia on behalf of the
Iran-backed group, according to a statement from the US Treasury
Department.Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than
100 attacks on ships off Yemen in support of Palestinian terrorists
fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping.Throughout the war in Gaza,
the group repeatedly fired ballistic missiles and drones at Israel.
While most were intercepted, the missile attacks caused extensive damage
to buildings — including destroying an empty school building at
nighttime — and on one occasion killed a man in Tel Aviv.Among those
sanctioned was Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthis’ “Oman-based spokesman,”
whom the Treasury Department said had played “a key role” in managing
the group’s internal and external financing network.The Treasury
Department also sanctioned Mahdi Mohammed Hussein al-Mashat, whom it
named as the chairman of the Houthi-aligned Supreme Political
Council.“By seeking weapons from a growing array of international
suppliers, Houthi leaders have shown their intent to continue their
reckless and destabilizing actions in the Red Sea region,” said US
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.“The US government is committed to
holding the Houthis accountable for acquiring weapons and weapons
components from suppliers in Russia, China, and Iran to threaten Red Sea
security,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a separate
statement.The Treasury Department named the individual accused of
procuring Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine as Abdulwali
Abdoh Hasan al-Jabri, and accused the Houthi affiliate of fundraising
for the group.Through a private company, al-Jabri “facilitated the
transfer of Yemeni civilians to Russian military units fighting in
Ukraine in exchange for cash,” the Treasury Department said.On Tuesday,
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the department had restored
the “foreign terrorist organization” designation, which carries with it
sanctions and penalties for anyone providing “material support” for the
group.“Since 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against
commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as US
service members defending freedom of navigation and our regional
partners,” Rubio said in a statement. “Most recently, the Houthis spared
Chinese-flagged ships while targeting American and allied vessels.”In
January, the Houthis signaled that they would limit their attacks in the
Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire
began in the Gaza Strip but warned wider assaults could resume if
needed.In its waning days, Trump’s first Republican administration
designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, but the label
was revoked by successor Joe Biden over concerns it would stifle aid to
Yemen, which was considered to be facing one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises. After the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Biden imposed
the lesser designation of the Houthis as a “specially designated global
terrorist.”Besides the “foreign terrorist organization” announcement,
the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced that it
would pay up to $15 million for information that leads to the disruption
of Houthi financing.
Israeli envoy says direct negotiations
'more than welcome'In 1st, US holding secret direct talks with Hamas to
free American hostages, end war-Trump’s envoy talking directly to the
US-designated terror group in Qatar; White House consulted Israel on
idea, but not all aspects of talks-By Jacob Magid-and ToI Staff 5 March
2025, 8:34 pmUpdated at 10:41 pm
US President Donald Trump’s
administration is holding direct talks with Hamas, aimed at securing the
release of American hostages held in the Gaza Strip as well as a
broader deal to end the war, a source familiar with the matter told The
Times of Israel on Wednesday, confirming a report by Axios.The White
House later confirmed that the US was holding direct talks with Hamas,
adding that “Israel was consulted on this matter,” but declined to
comment on what was being discussed with the terror group.Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, following the US’s public confirmation of
the talks, said Israel “expressed its stance on direct talks with Hamas”
in “contacts with the US,” but provided no further details.The secret
talks being held by Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler are
unprecedented, as the US has never before engaged directly with Hamas,
which Washington designated as a terror group in 1997.The talks have
been taking place in Doha in recent weeks, Axios said, citing two
sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations, and adding that no
deal has been reached.Asked in a press briefing about the report, White
House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Boehler “does have the
authority to talk to anyone,” and said, “Dialogue and talking to people
around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American
people is something that the president has proven that he believes
[in].”Leavitt did not comment on what was being discussed, saying merely
that the discussions are “ongoing” and that there are “American lives
at stake.”While the US consulted with Israel about the possibility of
engaging in talks with Hamas, Israel only learned about specific aspects
through other channels, Axios reported.In January, senior Hamas
official Moussa Abu Marzouk said publicly that the terror group is
prepared to open a dialogue with the Trump administration.There is one
remaining American hostage in Gaza — Edan Alexander — who is believed to
still be alive. Hamas is also holding the bodies of American-Israeli
hostages Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judi Weinstein and Omer Neutra.The Trump
administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet
with Qatar’s prime minister in Doha later this week, but has held off on
doing so due to the lack of progress in the hostage talks more broadly,
Axios also reported.Israeli envoy says talks ‘more than welcome’The
Prime Minister’s Office and the White House did not immediately respond
to requests for comment.Israel’s Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis,
however, welcomed the report, telling Fox News: “There is a new
attitude from the White House… against Hamas. They can talk with Hamas,
that’s okay.”“President Trump actually changed the whole idea. Instead
of putting Israel under pressure, President Trump is putting Hamas under
pressure, and this is the right thing to do,” Akunis said.“If the White
House wants to talk directly to Hamas and put them under pressure to
release more hostages, we will be very happy to see more hostages with
our families,” he adds, calling “a direct negotiation with Hamas… more
than welcome.”Israel has been at war with Hamas since October 7, 2023,
when some 5,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from the
Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.A
hostage-ceasefire agreement, reached in January, saw the release of 30
living hostages and the remains of eight more, as Israel released almost
2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees, with fighting
stopped in the Strip.The deal’s first phase expired on Saturday, without
continuing to a second phase, which would have seen the return of the
rest of the living hostages, and ultimately the remaining bodies as
well, in exchange for a permanent end to the war.Fighting has not
resumed, but Israel has halted the flow of humanitarian aid into the
Strip, and has maintained a troop presence in the buffer zone along
Gaza’s borders, including along the Gaza-Egypt border from which it had
been set to withdraw.Israeli leaders have said they are willing to
resume the flow of aid and extend the ceasefire but have demanded the
release of more hostages for that to happen.The Trump administration has
repeatedly called for the return of all the hostages and the end of
Hamas rule in Gaza. The president himself has insisted on an American
takeover of the enclave and the forced resettlement of its 2.2 million
residents elsewhere.An Arab plan, presented this week as an alternative
to Trump’s proposal, calls for the rebuilding of Gaza without the
permanent displacement of its residents, but largely sidelines the
matter of Hamas’s long-term status in the Strip.
Prices soar in
Gaza markets after Israel cuts off flow of aid, demanding hostages be
freed-UNICEF spokesman warns of ‘catastrophic result’ if halt on aid
continues, as nonprofit claims ‘nowhere near enough’ came in during
phase one; tents, medical supplies turned away-By Agencies and ToI Staff
5 March 2025, 6:40 pm
Israel’s cutoff of humanitarian aid to
Gaza, declaring that it will only be allowed to start flowing again once
Hamas agrees to release more hostages, has sent prices soaring and
humanitarian groups into overdrive trying to distribute dwindling stocks
to the most vulnerable.After more than 16 months of war — sparked by
the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion of
southern Israel, when thousands of terrorists killed some 1,200 people
and took 251 hostages — Gaza’s population is entirely dependent on
trucked-in food and other aid.Most are displaced from their homes and
many need shelter. Fuel is needed to keep hospitals, water pumps,
bakeries and telecommunications, as well as trucks delivering aid,
operating.Israel says the siege aims at pressuring Hamas to accept its
spinoff ceasefire proposal, which — unlike the latter stages of the
hostage-ceasefire deal agreed to in January — would see the release of
further hostages prior to any talks on a permanent end to the war.That
deal’s now-expired first phase saw Hamas release 33 Israeli and five
Thai hostages, living and dead, as Israel released almost 2,000
Palestinian security prisoners and detainees, with fighting stopped in
the Strip.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he is
prepared to raise the pressure and would not rule out cutting off all
electricity to Gaza if Hamas doesn’t budge.Arab states have called the
cutoff a “starvation policy.” Israel, which asserts the Hamas terror
group uses aid to fund its attacks and consolidate its power, reportedly
believes there is already enough aid accumulated in Gaza to last the
enclave several months.Food, fuel and shelter supplies are
imperiled-There’s no major stockpile of tents in Gaza for Palestinians
to rely on during the aid freeze, said Shaina Low, communications
adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council. The aid that came in during
the ceasefire’s first phase was “nowhere near enough to address all of
the needs,” she contended.“If it was enough, we wouldn’t have had
infants dying from exposure because of lack of shelter materials and
warm clothes and proper medical equipment to treat them,” she said.Six
infants in the Gaza Strip died from hypothermia during phase one,
according to medics and health officials in the Hamas-run territory.Aid
groups are now trying to assess what stocks they have in Gaza.“We’re
trying to figure out, what do we have? What would be the best use of our
supply?” said Jonathan Crickx, chief of communication for UNICEF. “We
never sat on supplies, so it’s not like there’s a huge amount left to
distribute.”He predicted a “catastrophic result” if the freeze
continues.During the ceasefire’s first phase, humanitarian agencies
rushed in supplies and quickly ramped up their capabilities. Aid workers
set up more food kitchens, health centers and water distribution
points. With more fuel coming in, they were able to double the amount of
water drawn from wells, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordination
Agency, or OCHA.The United Nations and associated nongovernmental
organizations brought in around 100,000 tents as hundreds of thousands
of Palestinians tried to return to their homes, only to find them
destroyed or too damaged to live in.But the progress relied on the flow
of aid continuing.The International Organization for Migration now has
22,500 tents sitting in its warehouses in Jordan, after supply trucks
brought back their undelivered cargo once entry was barred, said Karl
Baker, the agency’s regional crisis coordinator.The International Rescue
Committee has 6.7 tons (14,771 pounds) of medicines and medical
supplies waiting to enter Gaza, the delivery of which is now “highly
uncertain,” said Bob Kitchen, vice president of the Emergencies and
Humanitarian Action Department.“It’s imperative that aid access is now
immediately resumed. With humanitarian needs sky high, more aid access
is required, not less,” Kitchen said.Medical Aid for Palestinians said
it has trucks stuck at the border carrying medicine, mattresses and
assistive devices for people with disabilities. The organization has
some medicine and materials in reserve, said Tess Pope, MAP
spokesperson, but, she said, “We don’t have stock that we can use during
a long closure of Gaza.”Prices are up-The UN’s humanitarian office said
Tuesday that prices of vegetables and flour shot up after the crossings
closed.Sayed Mohamed al-Dairi walked through a bustling market in Gaza
City just after the cutoff was announced. Prices that had just started
to come down during the ceasefire had jumped back up, as sellers hiked
the prices of their dwindling wares.“The traders are massacring us, the
traders are not merciful to us,” he said. “In the morning, the price of
sugar was 5 shekels. Ask him now, the price has become 10 shekels.”In
the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah, one cigarette priced at 5
shekels ($1.37) before the cutoff now stands at 20 shekels ($5.49). One
kilo of chicken (2.2 pounds) that was 21 shekels ($5.76) is now 50
shekels. ($13.72). Cooking gas has soared even more, from 90 shekels
($24.70) for 12 kilos (26.4 pounds) to 1,480 shekels ($406.24).
BBC
chief: Gaza documentary scandal a ‘dagger to the heart’ of our
impartiality-Chair Samir Shah tells lawmakers ‘proper independent
review’ needed; teenage son of Hamas figure at center of controversy
reportedly featured in another UK news broadcast last year-By Agencies
and ToI Staff 5 March 2025, 4:45 pm
BBC chair Samir Shah told
lawmakers Tuesday that the scandal over a documentary it broadcast about
the Gaza Strip was a “dagger to the heart” of the British broadcaster’s
impartiality.The documentary about children’s lives in Gaza was found
to have been narrated by the 13-year-old son of a deputy minister in the
Palestinian enclave’s Hamas government.The new remarks came as it was
revealed that the same teenager had also featured a year earlier in
another UK network’s reporting about the Strip amid the war between
Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian
terror group led an invasion of southern Israel in which 1,200 people
were killed, mostly civilians, and 251 hostages taken to Gaza.Hamas,
which is sworn to Israel’s destruction and overtly and systematically
targeted civilians during its onslaught, is designated a terrorist
organization by Britain, the United States and the European Union.The
BBC already said last week there had been “serious flaws” in “Gaza: How
To Survive A War Zone,” made by an independent production company, and
removed it from its online platform days after it was first broadcast on
television.Shah and BBC director general Tim Davie spoke at a meeting
of the UK parliament’s Culture, Media & Sport Committee, calling for
a “proper independent review” of the broadcaster’s coverage of
conflicts in the Middle East.“What has been revealed is a dagger to the
heart of the BBC’s claim to be impartial and trustworthy, which is why I
and the board are determined to answer the questions being asked,” Shah
said. “We will get to the bottom of this and take appropriate
actions.”He said a “proper independent review” is needed and admitted
“we have had loads of complaints about our coverage.”“I have a worry
that it wasn’t so much the processes that were at fault but that people
weren’t doing their job,” Shah said.Davie asserted that the BBC works to
“navigate a course sensibly and rationally based on sensible
journalism.”He said he was “not ruling anything out” including the
option that the documentary will be returned to the online platform
following review.The BBC has commissioned an independent probe of the
documentary.On Monday, Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, sent a
letter to Shah saying it has “ongoing concerns about the nature and
gravity” of “serious failings in the production” of the Gaza documentary
“and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the
BBC’s journalism.”It said that while it will let the BBC probe the
matter, it “will continue to keep the situation under close review and
will expect regular updates from the BBC regarding both timeframes and
progress and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we
feel it necessary to do so.”Last week, the BBC said in a press release
that it had launched an immediate review into the “mistakes,” which it
called “significant and damaging,” in the making of the program, which
was produced by UK company Hoyo Films.The broadcaster said that it
shared the blame for the “unacceptable” flaws with the production
company. “BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact
that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation. We apologize,” it
added.Son of Hamas official also featured in a second program-Meanwhile,
the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Monday that the teenager at the
center of the BBC show’s controversy, Abdullah al-Yazouri, was also
featured in an award-winning current affairs program by another British
news channel a year ago, though his connection to the Palestinian terror
group largely went unnoticed until now.The Telegraph said: “For seven
months, Channel 4 News broadcast footage of Abdullah al-Yazouri, who was
then 13, without disclosing he was the son of Dr. Ayman al-Yazouri, the
deputy agriculture minister in Gaza’s Hamas-run government.”The news
program, which focused on financial hardships in Gaza, won multiple
awards, including being picked as news program of the year by Press
Gazette and the Royal Television Society (RTS), as well as winning a
Bafta and an International Emmy for news reporting, according to the new
report.The RTS was said to be reevaluating the award.According to the
Telegraph, from late 2023 until April 2024, Channel 4 News repeatedly
featured Abdullah, describing him as an ordinary Gazan while giving him a
different name and incorrectly naming his uncle as his father.Channel 4
News told The Telegraph that staff had found out about Abdullah’s real
identity last summer. However, according to the report, the network only
added an online clarification about the issues after investigative
journalist David Collier recently highlighted the matter.Collier said
Abdullah was “delivering what appears to be scripted material across
multiple broadcasts.”He told the Telegraph: “Channel 4 News has admitted
its staff knew Abdullah’s true identity but withheld it from the public
for over half a year until my revelation. This raises profound
questions about its journalistic integrity.”Collier also pointed at a
segment from a November 2023 broadcast in which Abdullah was shown among
the ruins in Khan Younis after an Israeli airstrike.The footage
“appears designed to show Israel targeting a city with no Hamas
presence. Yet moments later, viewers meet a family now known to be led
by a minister from Gaza’s Hamas-led government,” Collier told the
Guardian. “This crucial fact is withheld, leaving the false impression
we are meeting yet another ordinary Palestinian household.”ITN, which
produces Channel 4 News, told the Telegraph it is false to suggest that
the channel scripted voices for its coverage.It also contended that
Abdullah did not feature in any of Channel 4 News’s coverage that won
Emmy, RTS, or Bafta awards.A spokesman for Channel 4 News told The
Telegraph it had “thoroughly reviewed how Abdullah al-Yazouri came to
appear in three short news segments.”He said that Abdullah “was sourced
through an established journalist who has also worked for other major
global media outlets,” and that his uncle “was miscommunicated to
Channel 4 News as his father by a local fixer on the ground.”
Interview'Why
would we have ties if Mr. Trump sticks to this proposal?' Abbas
confidant: If Trump advances Gaza ‘expulsion’ plan, PA will cut ties
with US-Ahmad Majdalani says Ramallah wants to turn page with Washington
after bitter first term, is maintaining contacts because it doesn’t see
president’s proposal being implemented-By Jacob Magid-5 March 2025,
3:52 pm
RAMALLAH, West Bank — A senior Palestinian official and
confidant to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says that the
PA will cut ties with the US if President Donald Trump advances his
proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and relocate all of its
residents.In an interview with The Times of Israel from his Ramallah
office last week, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Council
member Ahmed Majdalani said implementation of Trump’s proposal would
amount to the “expulsion” of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents, thereby
posing an “existential threat” to the Palestinian cause.Pressed
repeatedly as to whether such fervent opposition to the proposal meant
the PA was prepared to sever ties with Washington again, Majdalani’s
response was the same each time: “Of course.”“Why would we have ties if
Mr. Trump sticks to this proposal?” he said.The longtime PA minister
clarified that Ramallah is prepared to work with Trump if he abandons
the idea. He also pointed to comments from top aides to the US president
who have softened the proposal and suggested they would be open to
shelving it if Arab allies came up with an alternative plan for the
post-war management of Gaza that removed Hamas from power.But the plan
unveiled on Tuesday didn’t explicitly address this concern, and the
White House quickly came out against it, saying it was sticking with
Trump’s original proposal.“We have been listening to Mr. Trump’s
advisers who have explicitly said that this is just a proposal — not an
obligatory plan of action,” said Majdalani in a rare on-record interview
with Israeli media by a Palestinian official.Still, the fact that he
was willing to even entertain publicly the idea of ending ties with the
US, just over a month into Trump’s second tenure, highlighted how
alarmed Ramallah was by the president’s talk of taking over Gaza.Trying a
different approach-The PA gradually cut ties with the US during Trump’s
first term, when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and
proposed a peace plan that envisioned Israel annexing all of its
settlements, while offering the Palestinians only limited sovereignty
over the semi-contiguous West Bank land that would remain.But two senior
Palestinian officials who spoke to The Times of Israel ahead of Trump’s
return to the White House said Ramallah would take a different approach
during his second term, acknowledging that the lack of engagement with
Washington led the US to bypass Ramallah completely as it brokered the
Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab
countries.Abbas restored ties with Trump, sending him a letter wishing
him well after the then-GOP presidential nominee survived an attempt on
his life last summer. Days after Trump was re-elected, the two then held
what interlocutors described as a “warm” call — their first since 2017 —
during which the president-elect pledged to end the war in Gaza.Two
months later, Trump played an essential role in securing the ceasefire
and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas that is still holding
to date, albeit barely.Accordingly, Majdalani said Ramallah was caught
off guard when Trump weeks later announced his proposal for the US to
“own” Gaza and “permanently” relocate all of its residents.‘Deal of the
Century’ flashbacks-Majdalani is one of the closest aides to Abbas, who
has appointed him to a string of ministerial posts over the past 20
years. Last month, the PA president tapped him to head a fund that will
be responsible for a highly sensitive reform to end controversial
stipends to Palestinian security prisoners based on the length of their
sentences.Notably, despite how unpopular it was among Palestinians,
Abbas signed the decree enacting that reform days after Trump announced
his Gaza takeover idea.Trump’s proposal was unveiled in a joint press
conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who immediately
welcomed the idea. Majdalani said this was because it fits with what he
said is the premier’s effort to annex large parts of the West Bank,
thereby destroying the PA and the effort for Palestinian statehood with
it.Majdalani noted that the Arab world has similarly rejected the US
proposal, with Egypt and Jordan viewing Trump’s calls for them to take
in Palestinians from Gaza as “existential threats” to their national
security.Trump’s idea “is not the right way to achieve stability and
peace and security in the region,” he asserted.The PA rejected Trump’s
2020 peace plan with similar fervor and refused to discuss the
initiative with Washington both before and after its rollout.The plan
was largely shelved within months, while Washington pursued the Abraham
Accords. Trump’s aides hinted that it could resurface in his second
term, but the president refrained from standing by it when asked last
month.‘No normalization with expulsion’Explaining the decision to
re-engage with Trump after a first term that saw the US cut all aid to
the Palestinians and shutter their diplomatic missions in Washington and
Jerusalem, Majdalani explained that Ramallah is “acting according to
the political reality.”During their November call, “President Abbas
expressed a willingness to cooperate with President Trump and his new
administration,” said the senior member and faction leader within the
PLO — the international umbrella body representing Palestinians, which
is also dominated by Abbas.“We are ready today and tomorrow to
positively cooperate with Mr. Trump and his administration, if he
renounces and forgets his idea about taking over Gaza and expelling of
its residents en masse,” Majdalani said.That readiness would dissipate
completely if the US actually moved forward with the idea. “We will
defend our principles and our interests,” he asserted.Pressed again on
why the PA has maintained contacts with Washington, given that Trump has
yet to back away from his Gaza takeover pitch, Majdalani said that the
US has not actually begun implementing it, calling it “a proposal — not a
plan.”Trump has defended his idea, saying that Gaza is an uninhabitable
“demolition site.”“The question Mr. Trump should be asking is, ‘Who
destroyed Gaza and made it uninhabitable?'” Majdalani said, referring to
Israel’s 15-plus month bombardment of Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas
after the October 7 onslaught.“The problem is not the existence of
Palestinians in Gaza. The problem is the existence of the Israel
occupation in Gaza. So the goal should be to remove the occupation, not
the Palestinians,” he said, asserting that only a two-state solution
will provide security and stability for Israel and the region.“If
[Trump] thinks that there will be regional peace with Israeli
normalization alongside the mass expulsion of Gaza’s residents and the
annexation of the West Bank, he is wrong,” Majdalani said.Asked whether
the PA could accept the relocation of Gazans if it was done temporarily
and not by force, Majdalani rejected the premise.“There is no such thing
as voluntary emigration… in more accurate terms, it’s ethnic
reasoning,” he continued. “For us, it is not acceptable to move the
residents of Gaza — not temporarily and not permanently.”“Gaza is not
for sale in the first place. It is part of the Palestinian homeland… and
the Palestinians in Gaza will remain on their homeland.”The other half
of the interview with Majdalani about the PA’s recent reform of its
controversial prisoner payment policy was published on Tuesday.It's not
(only) about you.Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for
an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for
people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced,
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you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your
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joining something that really matters.
Syria vows end to
‘painful legacy’ of chemical arms-In first, foreign minister addresses
executive council of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons, commits ‘to dismantle whatever may be left’ from Assad
regime-By Agencies Today, 10:57 am-MAR 6,25
THE HAGUE,
Netherlands — Syria’s foreign minister on Wednesday pledged to destroy
the chemical weapons stockpiles built up under ousted leader Bashar
al-Assad, in a historic speech to the OPCW global watchdog.Asaad Hassan
al-Shaibani was the first ever Syrian representative to address the
executive council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons in The Hague.Former president Assad was repeatedly accused of
using chemical weapons during Syria’s 13-year civil war, and there has
been widespread concern about the fate of Syria’s stocks since his
December 8 ouster.“The Assad regime chemical weapons program represents
one of the darkest chapters in both Syria and the world’s history,”
Shaibani told delegates.More than a decade ago, Syria agreed to hand
over its declared stockpile for destruction, but the OPCW believes the
declaration was incomplete and more weapons remain unaccounted
for.Shaibani vowed to “rebuild Syria’s future for a foundation of
transparency, justice, cooperation with the international
community.”“This chemical weapons program, created under the Assad era,
is not our program… Nevertheless, our commitment is to dismantle
whatever may be left from it, to put an end to this painful legacy,” he
said.Assad’s ouster has offered a “new and historic opportunity” to
finally document and destroy the chemical weapons stockpile in Syria,
OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias told delegates in an opening speech
on Tuesday.Last month, Arias met Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in a
first visit to Damascus since Islamist-led rebels toppled Assad.“With
this visit, we started to lay the foundation for cooperation with the
new Syrian authorities based on trust and transparency,” said Arias.“All
this marks a significant break with the past.”The OPCW wants to
establish a permanent presence in Syria to draw up an inventory of
chemical weapons sites, and start the destruction of the stockpiles.The
organization has expressed concern that valuable evidence may have been
destroyed in the intense Israeli bombing of Syrian military assets that
followed Assad’s overthrow.Israel has said suspected chemical weapons
sites were among its targets as it sought to stop the assets from
falling into the hands of “extremists.”The strikes “create additional
challenges to the logistical, technical, and practical ones”,
acknowledged Shaibani.“As a result, there remains uncertainty about the
chemical weapons that may still exist within Syria,” said the
minister.Following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in
2013, Assad-led Syria joined the agency under a US-Russian deal and
1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed.But
three inquiries — by a joint UN-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation
and Identification team, and a UN war crimes probe — concluded that
Syrian government forces under Assad used the nerve agent sarin and
chlorine barrel bombs in attacks during the civil war that killed or
injured thousands.As part of membership, Damascus was supposed to
undergo inspections, but for more than a decade the OPCW was prevented
from uncovering the true scale of the chemical weapons program.
Daily
Briefing Mar. 5: Day 516 – Arab states plan for Gaza, are frustrated
with PA-US bureau chief Jacob Magid discusses former hostages at Trump’s
address to Congress; an Arab summit opposing the president’s plan; and
the role of the PA in postwar Gaza-With:Jessica Steinberg-Jacob Magid-5
March 2025, 1:45 pm
Briefing Feb. 28: Day 511 - As phase 1 ends,
can Cairo talks get more hostages out? Magid speaks about his interview
with a senior Qatari official who emphasized the need to stick to the
current hostage deal and said that any new ideas won’t work, insisting
that Hamas won’t accept releasing hostages en masse as suggested by the
US unless there’s an end to the war. He reviews the summit of Arab
states that gathered Tuesday to discuss an alternative to Trump’s plan
of reconstructing Gaza and relocating its inhabitants. The plan, led by
Egypt, would see technocrats ruling Gaza for an interim period and
dividing the area into zones before handing it over to the Palestinian
Authority.Magid also discusses the positioning of the PA on the Gaza
plans and the frustration of Arab countries with PA President Mahmoud
Abbas as they try to get him to be more flexible.Finally, Magid briefly
looks at PA prisoner payment reform after an interview with a senior
official, who also warned of cutting ties with the Trump administration
if the US president advances with his plan to take over Gaza.
In likely message to Iran, Israeli and US air forces carry out joint drill with heavy bomber-By Emanuel Fabian-MAR 6,25
The
Israeli Air Force held a joint exercise with the US Air Force this
week, during which pilots “practiced operational coordination between
the two militaries to enhance their ability to address various regional
threats.”The drill included Israeli F-15I and F-35I fighter jets flying
alongside a US B-52 bomber.“The exercise aimed to strengthen and
maintain the long-standing cooperation between the forces while
expanding connectivity and building integrated capabilities for a range
of scenarios,” the IDF says.The drill is potentially aimed at readying
the Israeli military for a potential joint strike with the US on Iran.
The IAF has already carried out two strikes on Iran without US support,
but would likely need the heavy capabilities of the B-52s to effectively
hit Iran’s heavily fortified underground nuclear sites.
Police on high alert in Jerusalem ahead of first Friday prayers of Ramadan-MAR 6,25-By Charlie Summers
Police
say they plan to deploy some 3,000 police and border officers across
Jerusalem tomorrow for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the
Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.A spokesman says police will operate
with additional reinforcements at checkpoints on the perimeter of
Jerusalem, in East Jerusalem and within the Old City. Police say they
aim to prevent “hostile elements from exploiting Ramadan for incitement,
disturbances, terrorism or any form of violence.”Several roads adjacent
to the Old City, including Nablus, Sultan Suleiman and Salah a-Din
Streets in the East Jerusalem downtown, will be closed to traffic from 6
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Police advise drivers to use Begin Road as an
alternative route.The holy site has been a flashpoint for violence,
particularly with large crowds gathering on Ramadan, and has seen
frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces over
the years, sometimes leading to wider violence.Last month, Hebrew
outlets reported that Israel’s security establishment plans to allow
only 10,000 West Bank Palestinians to enter the al-Aqsa compound for
Friday prayer, and only if they submit a request in advance.
Ex-prisoners released under the current ceasefire deal will not be
permitted to enter the compound.Hamas calls on Palestinian Muslims in
the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as Arab Israelis to reject
efforts to impose restrictions and to travel to the Temple Mount in
large numbers and oppose attempts by Israel to “desecrate and control”
the site, “by any means.”
China says to hike defence spending by 7.2% this year-By Oliver Hotham and Ludovic Ehret.
Beijing
(AFP) Mar 5, 2025-China's defence spending will rise by 7.2 percent in
2025, the same as last year, Beijing said on Wednesday, as its armed
forces undergo rapid modernisation and eye deepening strategic
competition with the United States.The country's expenditure on its
armed forces has been on the rise for decades, broadly in line with
economic growth.China has the world's second-largest military budget,
but lags well behind the United States, its primary strategic
rival.Despite this, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) surpasses the US
military by number of personnel.Beijing's 1.78-trillion-yuan
($245.7-billion) defence budget for this year is still less than a third
of Washington's.China's military spending last year made up 1.6 percent
of its GDP, far less than the United States or Russia, according to the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.But its defence
expansion is viewed with suspicion by Washington, as well as other
powers in the region including Japan, with which Beijing has a
territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea.China has also
increasingly flexed its muscles in the South China Sea, which it claims
almost entirely despite an international arbitration ruling that
declared its stance baseless.Beijing's spending boost is also a cause
for concern for self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing says is part of its
territory to be claimed by force if necessary.- 'Growing uncertainties'
-The budget hike comes as thousands of delegates congregate in Beijing
for the opening session of the National People's Congress, the second of
China's "Two Sessions" meetings this week.Speaking at that session,
Premier Li Qiang vowed that China would "resolutely oppose separatist
activities aimed at Taiwan independence and external interference, so as
to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations".China
describes its military stance as "defensive" and aimed at preserving its
sovereignty.But its sweeping territorial claims over areas controlled
by other governments have raised fears of a regional clash.Chin-Hao
Huang, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, told
AFP the hike took place in the context of "growing uncertainties in
China's external environment and domestic security priorities"."The
defence budget increase reflects the need to maintain and upgrade the
PLA's military capabilities to keep pace and be ready for all
contingencies," he said.The announcement also comes as Europeans are
considering significantly increasing their military budgets in the face
of American disengagement from their region."As the geopolitical tension
between China and the US increases, China cannot slow down its military
expenditures," said Niklas Swanstrom, director of the Sweden-based
Institute for Security and Development Policy.
PKK must disarm 'immediately': Turkey defence ministry source.
Istanbul,
March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Outlawed Kurdish group PKK and all groups
allied with it must disarm "immediately", a Turkish defence ministry
source said on Thursday, apparently referring to Kurdish forces in
Syria."The PKK and all groups affiliated with it must end all terrorist
activities, dissolve and immediately and unconditionally lay down their
weapons," the source said.Last week, PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan urged
his militant group to dissolve and his fighters to lay down their arms
in a historic call.The 75-year-old founder of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party has been jailed since 1999.The PKK, which has engaged in a
decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in which tens of
thousands of people have died, declared a ceasefire on Saturday and said
it would comply with Ocalan's call.But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
who has backed the peace move, was quick to warn that if the promises
weren't kept, the military would continue its anti-PKK operations."We
always keep our iron fist ready in case the hand we extend is left
hanging in the air or bitten," he said on Saturday.Since January 1, 478
"terrorists" have been "neutralised" in anti-PKK military operations,
the source said, of which 195 were in Iraq and 283 in Syria.
Iran appoints new envoy to UN nuclear watchdog.
Tehran,
March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Iran has appointed Reza Najafi as its new
ambassador and permanent representative to several Vienna-based
international organisations, including the UN nuclear watchdog, local
media reported.He will be replacing Mohsen Naziri-Asl who served in the
role since 2022, ISNA news agency said on Wednesday.Najafi, a former
deputy foreign minister, previously held the post from 2013 to 2018 -- a
period marked by Iran's signing of a landmark nuclear deal with the
United States and world powers.The deal -- known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear
programme in return for sanctions relief.It fell apart after the US
withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump's
first term. Tehran adhered to the deal until a year after Washington
pulled out, but then began rolling back its commitments.Trump, who
returned to the White House in January, reinstated his "maximum
pressure" policy of sanctions against Iran over allegations the country
is seeking nuclear weapons capability.Tehran has consistently denied the
claims and repeatedly expressed a willingness to revive the accord but
efforts to that end have faltered.Last month, UN atomic agency chief
Rafael Grossi said Iran was "enriching (uranium) at 60 percent, so
almost weapon level" and that the 2015 deal was an "empty shell" that
was "no longer fit for purpose".Trump has also recently called for
striking a new deal with Iran, but Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has said "no problem will be solved by negotiating with
America".
Nuclear monitor defends Ukraine plant visit via Russia-controlled territory.
Vienna,
March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2025-UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on
Monday defended the first ever visit by his staff to Ukraine's
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant through Russian-occupied territory,
saying the "exception" was aimed at protecting lives.Moscow's troops
seized Europe's largest nuclear power station shortly after its invasion
and later barred Ukrainian staff who refused to take Russian
nationality or sign Russian contracts. The facility close to the front
line has since become the target of repeated strikes.Staff from the UN
nuclear watchdog have been based at the plant since September 2022 to
monitor its safety, with teams rotating regularly. Until now they have
accessed the area via Ukraine-controlled territory.Over the weekend, a
monitoring mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
travelled through Russian-occupied territory for the first
time.Ukraine's foreign ministry on Sunday condemned what it called the
"violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" by IAEA
staff in its latest rotation.Kyiv said the move was a "result of Russian
blackmail and systematic attempts to impose illegal and contradictory
operational mechanisms on international organisations in the temporarily
occupied territories."But Grossi told reporters in Vienna Monday that
"the only thing that has led us... to do the rotation in this way is
that I am responsible for the security of my staff."There were a series
of episodes which led me to the conclusion that I could not take risks
with the lives of my experts," he said, referring to a drone strike that
affected a rotation in December as well as another mission that had to
be aborted."Any other political consideration, I think, is out of place
really."Grossi has repeatedly warned of the potential for a nuclear
accident at the plant.According to Ukraine's foreign ministry, fighting
in the region had prevented IAEA staff on site from being replaced "for
80 days", with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other.On Saturday, the
Russian head of the Zaporizhzhia plant announced that an IAEA team had
arrived at the facility for the first time via "Russian territory".
DANIEL 2:37-45
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and
the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made
thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after
thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third
kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And
the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh
in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these,
shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the
feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom
shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron,
forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to
another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never
be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of
the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the
brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known
to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is
certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
DANIEL 7:17-26
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19
Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from
all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his
nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue
with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of
the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn
that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was
more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22
Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of
the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,
which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole
earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the
ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and
another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first,
and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words
against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High,
and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his
hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
THE WORLD IN 10 WORLD TRADE BLOCS LEAD BY THE EUROPEAN UNION THE WORLD LEADER, NOT AMERICA.I PREDICT.
THE EUROPEAN UNION AND REVIVED ROMAN WORLD GOVERNMENT
DANIEL 2:31-33,36-43, DAN 7:3-8,17
First From Daniel Chapter 2
1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (HEAD OF GOLD) DAN 2:31-32,36-38, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (CHEST & ARMS OF SILVER) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (WAIST & HIPS OF BRONZE) DAN 2:32,39, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (2 LEGS OF IRON) DAN 2:33,40, ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) (FEET IRON & CLAY) DAN 2:33,41-43,10 TOES
Now From Daniel Chapter 7
1 EGYPT
2 ASSYRIA
3 BABYLON (LION WITH EAGLES WINGS) DAN 7:4, DAN 1:1
4 MEDO-PERSIANS (BEAR ON HIND LEGS) DAN 7:5, DAN 9:1
5 GREECE (LEOPARD 4 WINGS, 4 HEADS) DAN 7:6, DAN 11:2
6 ROME (HUGE IRON TEETH) DAN 7:7 (10 HORNS), ROM 1:6
7 REVIVED ROME (EU) DAN 7:8,19-20,23-25 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS
REV
17:9,12, 10 HORNS, 10 KINGS, 7 HILLS ROME. REV 13:1 BEAST WITH 7 HEADS.
THE E.U LEADER OF WORLD GOVERNMENT DAN 2:40-45, 7:7-8,23-25,27, 8:23,
REV 13:3,7,8,12,14,16
REVELATION 17:10-12
10 And there are
seven kings (7TH WORLD EMPIRE IN HISTORY) five are fallen, (EGYPT,
ASSYRIA, BABYLON,:MEDO-PERSIAN,GREECE and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS
DAY-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he
cometh,(FUTURE-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE-EUROPEAN UNION TODAY) he must
continue a short space.(7 YEARS OF WORLD DOMINATION-BUT 3 1/2 YEARS OF
NEW WORLD ORDER OR ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT)
12 And the ten horns (10
WORLD TRADE BLOCS OR REGIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour
with the beast.
REVELATION 17:12-13
12 And the ten horns (10
WORLD TRADE BLOCS-NATIONS) which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the
beast.
13 These have one mind,(WORLD SOCIALISM) and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
We
shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only
question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or
consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February
1950
Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in
1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a
man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection
to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten
to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept
him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.
DICK
MORRIS-This truly creates a global economic system. From now on, don’t
look to Washington for the rule making, look to Brussels.
THE CLUB OF ROME FOUNDER AURELIO PECCEI WANTS THE WORLD IN 10 REGIONAL TRADING BLOCKS
HERES WHAT THE WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE (SINCE THERE WILL BE WORLD GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE)-UPDATED VERSION
01 CANADA, U.S.A, MEXICO
02 EUROPEAN UNION,WESTERN EUROPE
03 JAPAN
04 AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, S AFRICA, ISRAEL AND PACIFIC ISLANDS
05 EASTERN EUROPE
06 SOUTHERN, CENTRAL AND LATIN AMERICAS
07 NORTH AFRICA, AND MIDEAST (MOSLEMS)
08 CENTRAL AFRICA
09 SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
10 CENTRAL ASIA
THE
CLUB OF ROME WANTS A WORLD CHARISMATIC DICTATOR (EITHER RELIGIOUS,
POLITICAL OR SCIENTIFICAL) TO HEAD THIS WORLD GOVERNMENT. REV 13:3,7-8,
DAN 7:23-24
WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME
NORTH - RUSSIA EZEK 38:1-2, 39:1-2
SOUTH - EGYPT DAN 11:42
EAST - CHINA DAN 11:44,REV 16:12
WEST - EUROPEAN UNION DAN 7:23-24 (NOT THE U.S.A)
http://israel7777777.blogspot.ca/2012/03/10-world-trade-blocs-one-world.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2006/09/how-eu-takes-world-control.html
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2012/05/one-world-religion-crislam.html
FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of
Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE
HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an
angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all
the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves
together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the
flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men,
and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of
all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS
TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN
FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING
BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @
39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the
earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY)
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS)
and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U
WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS)
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the
horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were
filled with their flesh.
EU chief unveils 800-billion-euro plan to 'rearm' Europe by AFP Staff Writers.
Brussels,
Belgium (AFP) Mar 4, 2025-EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday
presented a five-part plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros for
Europe's defence -- and help provide "immediate" military support for
Ukraine after Washington suspended aid."A new era is upon us," the
European Commission president said in a letter presenting the plan to EU
leaders, two days before a summit aimed at cementing joint action on
support for Ukraine and European security longer term."Europe faces a
clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our
adult lifetime," she wrote, as she outlined options for funding a
European defence surge."'ReArm Europe' could mobilise close to 800
billion euros of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe,"
she told reporters in Brussels as she outlined the contents of her
plan.Part one involves proposing that the EU suspend strict budget rules
to allow member states to ramp up their spending on defence."This will
allow member states to significantly increase their defence expenditures
without triggering the excessive deficit procedure," she said,
referring to a procedure that forces governments to bring deficit levels
down if they violate the rules.The second proposal will be a new
"instrument" that will provide 150 billion euros of loans to member
states for defence investment."This is basically about spending better
-- and spending together," said von der Leyen. "We are talking about
pan-European capability domains -- for example: air and missile defence,
artillery systems, missiles and ammunition drones and anti-drone
systems.""With this equipment, member states can massively step up their
support to Ukraine. So, immediate military equipment for Ukraine," she
said.The third component would involve using the existing EU budget "to
direct more funds towards defence-related investments."That would
include allowing member states to repurpose so-called "cohesion" funds
targeted at helping the development of poorer European countries -- and
using them for defence.The last two areas of action would involve the
bloc's lending arm the European Investment Bank -- which EU states want
to drop limits on lending to defence firms -- and a savings and
investments union to help companies access capital.US President Donald
Trump's direct outreach to Russia on ending the Ukraine war has thrown
the country's future into question and left Europe reeling on the
sidelines.Thursday's Brussels summit -- on the heels of weekend crisis
talks also involving Britain and NATO -- comes as Europe contemplates
the stark prospect of the United States withdrawing longer-term support
from Ukraine and more broadly from its European allies."We are living in
the most momentous and dangerous of times," von der Leyen said. "This
is a moment for Europe, and we are ready to step up."
Germany's Merz vows billions for defence, economy By Jastinder KHERA.
Berlin
(AFP) Mar 4, 2025-Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said
Tuesday that his centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social
Democrats (SPD) would propose an unprecedented package of billions of
euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure.The two parties
are in talks on forming a coalition government after last month's
general election, which have been given new urgency by US President
Donald Trump's clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the
freezing of American military aid to Kyiv.Merz said at a press
conference that the two parties would bring proposals to parliament
within the next week to exempt more defence spending from Germany's
constitutionally enshrined "debt brake".He vowed to do "whatever it
takes" when it comes to defence "in light of threats to our freedom and
peace on our continent".It would be a dramatic departure for a country
that has spent decades under the American security umbrella.The
proposals would also mark a "sea change" and "a major loosening of
Germany's fiscal straitjacket", said Berenberg bank economist Holger
Schmieding, noting the country's long-standing avoidance of large public
debts.Merz's plans would see defence spending exempted from the
country's debt brake when it exceeds one percent of GDP -- or 45 billion
euros ($47.7 billion) when applied to the current size of Germany's
economy.Merz also said the two parties wanted to bring in "a special
fund of 500 billion euros for the next 10 years" for investment in
infrastructure, something the SPD has been pushing for.The fund would be
aimed at kick-starting Germany's moribund economy, which is threatened
with a third straight year of recession.The proposals would also mean
that Germany's federal states, which are currently not allowed to run
budget deficits, could take out debt equivalent to 0.35 percent of
GDP.Merz also said he wanted to get immediate approval for a
three-billion-euro aid package for Ukraine that has been held up for
weeks.He said he would meet outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday
"to speak about the urgent help needed for Ukraine, around 3.0 or 3.5
billion euros, which... can be approved now as off-budget
expenditure".Speaking alongside Merz, CSU leader Markus Soeder said the
parties were "sending a message to our enemies and our friends: Germany
is here and is not pulling back".He said "old certainties had been
recast" in recent weeks and "many of us have had our basic trust in
America deeply shaken", even those like himself who had "believed in the
US's moral leadership role since I was a child".- 'Really big bazooka'
-Merz's promise of "whatever it takes" recalled the pledge made in 2012
by the then president of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi
during the sovereign debt crisis.Schmieding described Merz's plans as "a
really big bazooka", also harking back to the phrase used to describe
the ECB's interventions under Draghi.The CDU/CSU and SPD are at pains to
rush the new financing through the outgoing parliament, where they have
the necessary two-thirds majority together with the Greens.While the
Greens are not part of talks to be in the next government, they are
staunch supporters of Ukraine and of more funding for infrastructure, so
could be brought on board with the spending plans.However Katharina
Droege, co-leader of the Greens parliamentary group, told ARD television
that the party would "not support anything automatically" and wanted to
see more in the package aimed at climate protection.The clock is
ticking: At the end of the month the new parliament will convene in
which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the far-left Linke
will together be able to veto the sweeping changes Merz has
proposed.When it comes to defence spending, German media reports suggest
that 200 billion to 400 billion euros would be needed to bring
Germany's threadbare armed forces up to scratch.Manuela Schwesig from
the SPD's negotiating team told the ARD TV channel that the proposals
set on Tuesday foresaw defence spending "rising to at least 100 billion
euros per year".Current Defence Minister Boris Pistorius hailed the
plans as a "historic day for the army and for Germany".The proposals
would mean Germany being able to play "a leading role along with others"
in European security, he told the Spiegel newspaper.While the CDU/CSU
alliance has emphasised the need to boost Germany's defence, the Social
Democrats also emphasise the need to pay for investment and social
services.SPD leader Lars Klingbeil spoke of the need for massive
investment in a country whose infrastructure had been degraded by years
of "wear and tear".
Germany set for massive rearmament as divide with US widens-By Jastinder KHERA.
Berlin
(AFP) Mar 5, 2025-Germany is set to ramp up defence spending with the
incoming government, saying it wants to invest hundreds of billions of
euros to bolster Europe's security as US guarantees look increasingly
fragile.Likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday he planned to
reform the country's strict constitutional "debt brake" to pump up
defence spending and pursue massive infrastructure investments.The
announcement came just over a week after national elections and with
talks underway between Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the
centre-left Social Democrats to forge a new governing alliance.The two
sides however agreed to try to rush through the changes before a
government is formed, as US President Donald Trump's public falling out
last week with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky added to the
sense of urgency in Europe.Trump's moves to open direct talks with
Russian President Vladimir Putin have left Europeans feeling their
interests could be overlooked in any deal to end the fighting that
started with Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago.Germany's EU
partners, who are gathering for a key summit on Thursday to discuss
Ukraine and defence, have been waiting for movement from Berlin after
months of political paralysis since the collapse of Chancellor Olaf
Scholz's government in November.- 'Dizzying' -The proposed reform of
Germany's budget rules would see military expenditure over one percent
of GDP exempted from constitutional limits on taking on new debt.In
practice, the reform could see Germany's defence budget double to 100
billion euros ($107 billion) per year, said Manuela Schwesig, a senior
Social Democrat involved in coalition talks.CDU leader Merz and his
partners also want to set up a 500-billion-euro fund to upgrade
Germany's creaking infrastructure and help drag the country out of two
straight years of recession.The size of the investments in consideration
were "dizzying", Markus Soeder, the leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister
party the CSU, said Wednesday.But the announcement sent a clear signal:
"Germany is defending itself, Germany is arming itself, Germany is
renewing itself."After coming out on top in last month's vote, Merz said
he had "no illusions" about the US president and has wasted no time in
ditching his party's traditional aversion to debt to boost Germany's
defences.The constitutional change is set to be rushed through the
outgoing parliament, where the conservatives and the Social Democrats
would have the necessary two-thirds majority with the Greens.According
to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the first debate on the
reform is planned to take place in the Bundestag on March 13, with the
final vote four days later.If the plan succeeds, it could be a "real
game changer" and "quickly overcome Germany's economic stagnation", said
Sebastian Dullien, director of the IMK economic research institute.In a
further sign of the changing times, Germany called for an overhaul of
the EU's strict spending rules to allow countries to invest more in
defence over the long term, European diplomats told AFP.Germany's EU
ambassador surprised his European counterparts during a Brussels meeting
when he suggested giving member states more room to spend, beyond a
four-year exemption proposed this week, several diplomats said.EU
leaders are set to approve the exemption at Thursday's summit. However,
the German call to go even further was not welcomed by other states with
a frugal approach.- 'Germany, Europe must invest' -Merz met on
Wednesday with current Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who
welcomed the moves to boost defence, according to his spokesman Steffen
Hebestreit.The conservative leader also travelled to Brussels, where he
held talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte.Merz posted on X that the talks
centred on "the defence capabilities of Europe and NATO and challenges
related to security policy.""Germany and Europe must now invest
massively in their own defence capabilities. That is the best protection
for Europe's security."Rutte posted that Merz's leadership will be
"crucial" as Europe seeks to bolster its defences."It's vital that we
invest more in defence, increase defence production and continue to
support Ukraine."
Germany wants long-term defence exemption in EU spending rules.
Brussels,
Belgium (AFP) Mar 5, 2025 - Germany has called for an overhaul of
strict EU spending rules to allow countries to invest more in defence
over the long term, European diplomats told AFP on Wednesday.It comes
after Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, this week vowed
billions of euros in extra spending on defence and
infrastructure.Germany's EU ambassador surprised his European
counterparts during a Brussels meeting when he suggested giving member
states more room to spend, beyond a four-year exemption proposed this
week, several diplomats said.The proposal marks a significant shift for a
country that has, in the past, maintained a hardline stance on budgets
and sought to avoid any loosening of spending rules.With US President
Donald Trump's pivot away from backing Ukraine casting doubt on future
support for Europe as well, the bloc is planning a radical ramping up of
defence investments to better protect itself.EU leaders are set to
approve the four-year exemption to allow member states to surge defence
spending during an extraordinary summit in Brussels on Thursday.But the
German ambassador suggested that Brussels should be "going further",
given the current geopolitical situation, one EU diplomat said.However
the ambassador's call that was not welcomed by other states with a
frugal approach to spending."The Dutch and Swedes asked not to change
the text," the diplomat added.EU members are bound by spending rules
demanding they keep the public deficit below three percent of economic
output and debt at a maximum 60 percent of GDP.The subject of changing
the rules outright could be discussed during Thursday's summit, at which
leaders are expected to endorse a plan by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen
to spur defence investments and support Ukraine against Russia.EU
powerhouse Germany is set to pour billions more into defence after Merz
said Tuesday that his centre-right CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social
Democrats would propose to exempt more of the spending from the
country's constitutionally enshrined "debt brake".Ramping up defence
expenditure, as the bloc is advocating, could make it difficult for
member states to stay within the debt and deficit limits.After long and
painful negotiations to agree on a reform of the EU's spending rules,
the bloc struck a deal last year -- before Trump's election victory in
November.
Europe will struggle to plug Ukraine's US military aid
gap: analysts-By Fabien Zamora and Mathieu Rabechault with Viktoria
Lukovenko in Kyiv and AFP's data graphics team.
Paris (AFP) Mar
4, 2025-The freezing of US military aid to Ukraine leaves dangerous weak
spots in its defence against Russia's invasion, and European allies
will struggle to plug the holes, analysts say.After Washington announced
the suspension of aid in a row with Kyiv over the US approach to ending
the conflict, some experts estimated Ukraine can last for only a few
months before the strain starts to show.The United States
single-handedly accounted for nearly half of the value of military aid
to Ukraine from 2022 to 2024, according to the Kiel Institute, a German
research group."Taking into account the weapons that have already come
to Ukraine, and what we have, and what we actually produce ourselves, we
can withstand at least six months without the nature of the war
changing significantly," political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told
AFP.Here are facts about Ukraine's assets in the key areas of air
defence, long-range strike capability, artillery and reconnaissance --
and how much it has been relying on support from the United States and
others.- Air defence -Ukraine needs sophisticated air defence guns to
shoot down the barrages of missiles and drones that Russia fires daily
at its towns and infrastructure.It has seven US-made Patriot air defence
systems, provided by the United States, Germany and Romania."Patriot is
very important to protect our cities, not troops," said researcher
Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network, a
think tank in Kyiv.To continue using the Patriot systems, Ukraine will
need munitions and spare parts, said Leo Peria-Peigne, a researcher at
the French international affairs institute IFRI."Will other countries be
able to buy parts from the Americans and pass them on to the
Ukrainians, or will the Americans oppose that? We do not know."Germany
is building a factory to make munitions for the Patriot system -- the
first outside the United States -- but production is not expected to
start there until 2027.In addition, for high-altitude interceptions,
Ukraine has two European-made SAMP/T systems from Italy and France.It
has some similar systems of its own and has been provided with others
for shorter-range interceptions.Analysts say that Ukraine's European
allies will struggle to make up for an end to US Patriot support."Europe
has some real shortcomings in this area," said Yohann Michel, a
researcher at the French university Lyon-3."The SAMP/T are very good but
not very mobile, and they are not produced in sufficient numbers," he
said."Production will have to be increased, or even shifted somewhere
else outside France and Italy."To make that work, "you would have needed
to start the process two years ago," added Peria-Peigne of IFRI.If
Patriot output declines, researcher Yohann Michel said Europe could send
Ukraine fighter jets to intercept missiles "and to repel the Russian
bombers that are striking Ukraine".European allies have already given
Ukraine F16 and Mirage 2000-5 fighters -- and Michel judged that they
have the capacity to provide more.- Long-range strike power -To strike
back at Russia far behind the front line, Ukraine currently relies on US
aid.Washington has supplied it with around 40 ATACMS ground-to-ground
rocket-launch systems mounted on HIMAR mobile units.Such items are rare
in Europe, with inferior Czech systems the closest equivalent there
currently, said Michel.To replace them, "the Europeans would have to
quickly develop their own system, or else buy systems from South Korea,"
he said.For launching deep strikes from the air, Kyiv uses "mostly
European and Ukrainian equipment", said Samus of the New Geopolitics
Research Network.These include European-made Storm Shadow missiles --
also known as SCALP. But it is not known how many of these Ukraine
currently has on order, said Peria-Peigne.- Artillery -One area where
Europe is in a position to help is in the big guns needed on the
battlefield.In artillery equipment, "Europe has really raised its
production capacity and Ukraine too is in a less bad position," said
Peria-Peigne.The European Union has forecast it will produce 1.5 million
155mm shells this year -- more than the 1.2 million it said were
produced in the United States.Ukraine for its part has come up with its
own anti-tank weapons, said Michel. It has also developed remotely
piloted drones that can fire missiles at Russian positions.-
Reconnaissance -US exports are considered indispensable for obtaining
the satellites, drones and other aircraft needed for spying effectively
on enemy positions."It is very important for us to continue to receive
satellite intelligence from the United States," said analyst Fesenko.For
such reconnaissance, European countries "have tools, but they are not
as extensive," added Michel."A lot of them depend completely on the
United States in this area."
France, Germany and UK call on
Israel to ensure ‘unhindered’ aid flow to Gaza-Hitting back, Foreign
Ministry says Hamas is using supplies to rebuild and that ‘the only
humanitarian suffering in Gaza is that of the Israeli hostages’By AFP
and ToI Staff Today, 6:43 am-MAR 6,25
France, the United Kingdom
and Germany on Wednesday urged Israel to ensure the “unhindered”
delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, warning against using aid as a
“political tool.”In a statement on X, the Foreign Ministry clapped back
at the countries, saying there is plenty of aid in Gaza and that Hamas
often uses it to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure.A ceasefire since
January 19 saw an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, before Israel on
Sunday announced it was blocking deliveries over what it called Hamas’s
refusal to accept a proposal to extend the expiring initial stage of
the ceasefire and hostage release deal.“We call on the government of
Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid,
safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the
population in Gaza,” the European countries said in a joint statement.“A
halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza such as that announced by the
government of Israel would risk violating international humanitarian
law,” they said.“Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a
ceasefire or used as a political tool.”The three European nations
described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic.”In its
response, the Foreign Ministry noted that 25,000 aid trucks entered Gaza
during the ceasefire’s first phase.“There is no shortage of essential
products in the Strip whatsoever,” it wrote on X. “The only humanitarian
suffering in Gaza is that of the Israeli hostages, who are being
chained, starved, and held in Hamas’ tunnels.”The Foreign Ministry also
said much of the aid is being exploited by Hamas to rebuild militarily,
and that a large portion of the terror organization’s budget comes from
trucks carrying these supplies.“Aid that goes to Hamas is not
humanitarian,” the statement added. “Enabling the enemy to resupply
itself so it can regroup and attack you again is not humanitarian – it
is suicidal and will not be allowed.”The Foreign Ministry also said
Israel accepted what it has described US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal
to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal
through Ramadan and Passover, which Hamas has rejected.The first, 42-day
stage of the deal expired on Saturday night. According to the terms of
the phased agreement that went into effect on January 19, Israel and
Hamas were supposed to have begun holding negotiations regarding the
terms of the second phase on the 16th day of the deal, February 3.Israel
has largely held off on holding those negotiations, as phase two
ultimately requires that in exchange for the remaining living hostages,
Israel fully withdraw from Gaza and permanently end the war — something
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would not accept before
Hamas has been fully dismantled.During the first phase, 33 Israeli
hostages were released, eight of them dead, in exchange for nearly 2,000
Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted terrorists serving
hefty jail sentences. Five Thai nationals held hostage in the Gaza Strip
were freed separately.“It is vital that the ceasefire is sustained, all
the hostages are released, and continued flows of humanitarian aid to
Gaza are ensured,” the three European nations said.“All hostages must be
unconditionally released and Hamas must end their degrading and
humiliating treatment,” they added.
Several European nations say
any Gaza plan ‘must have no role for Hamas’French representative to UN
adds that any proposal ‘must ensure Israel’s security and must not
displace Palestinians,’ urges unity of Gaza Strip and West Bank under
PA-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 4:58 am-MAR 6,25
Hamas must
have no role in the Gaza Strip, a group of European nations said
Wednesday after a UN Security Council meeting on the future of the
enclave.The meeting discussed a plan adopted Tuesday by Arab countries
to rebuild Gaza and place it under the Palestinian Authority, an
alternative to US President Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take
control of the territory and resettle its residents elsewhere.Speaking
on behalf of France, Britain, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia, French
diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari said the final plan should neither allow
Hamas to continue governing Gaza nor displace the Palestinians who live
there.“We are clear that any plan must have no role for Hamas, must
ensure Israel’s security, must not displace Palestinians from Gaza,”
said Dharmadhikari, France’s deputy permanent representative to the
United Nations in New York.It should also “support the unity of the West
Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority’s mandate,” he told
journalists, adding that European countries are ready to support and
further develop those plans.Arab League nations meeting in Cairo called
on Tuesday to unite Palestinians under the Palestine Liberation
Organization, which does not include Hamas.Egyptian president
Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, who introduced the proposal, said the plan would
enlist independent Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas to
run the Strip in the war’s immediate aftermath. They would be
responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the
Strip’s affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of
the Palestinian Authority.In a statement, Hamas said it welcomed the
plan as well as the formation of the Palestinian committee, while the
Trump administration and Israel rejected the proposal.The participating
Arab countries were apparently split over how quickly the terror group
should be phased out from power.The UAE, which sees Hamas and other
Islamists as an existential threat, wants an immediate and complete
disarmament of the terror group, while other Arab countries advocate a
gradual approach, a source close to the matter told
Reuters.Dharmadhikari also urged Israel to immediately let humanitarian
aid flow into Gaza on a massive scale, saying that point was
“non-negotiable.”Israel announced Sunday it was blocking aid deliveries
to Gaza until Hamas accepts its terms for an extension of the lapsed
first phase of the ceasefire which the two sides began on January 19.
Turkey ready to send troops to Ukraine 'if needed': defence ministry source.
Istanbul,
March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Turkey would be ready to deploy troops to
Ukraine as part of a broader peacekeeping mission if needed, a Turkish
defence ministry source said on Thursday."The issue of contributing to a
mission... will be evaluated with all relevant parties if deemed
necessary for the establishment of regional stability and peace," the
source said.His remarks came as European Union leaders were meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels to seek ways of
bolstering the defences of both Ukraine and Europe after US President
Donald Trump suspended military aid to Kyiv and intelligence sharing to
help it fight off Russia's invasion.Paris and London have already
expressed a willingness to deploy troops to Ukraine to ensure that a
possible future ceasefire is preserved, without saying what role those
troops would play.Bolstering European defences has taken on acute
urgency after Trump made clear his desire to quickly end the three-year
war in Ukraine through direct negotiations with Moscow.NATO member
Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea
neighbours since the Russian invasion three years ago and has twice
hosted direct talks aimed at ending the war.
Russia says Macron address 'detached from reality'
Moscow,
March 6 (AFP) Mar 06, 2025-Russia on Thursday criticised French
President Emmanuel Macron for an address this week in which he mulled
extending France's nuclear umbrella to European partners.In a speech to
the French nation on Wednesday, Macron called Russia a "threat to France
and Europe" and said the French were "legitimately worried" about the
United States shifting its position on the Ukraine conflict under US
President Donald Trump."Every day, he makes some absolutely...
contradictory statements" which are "detached from reality", Russian
foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of Macron.Zakharova
compared him to Ole Lukoje, a mythical creature in a Hans Christian
Andersen fairytale who holds umbrellas over sleeping children."I
listened to all this, looked at him and realised who he reminds me of --
the nuclear Ole Lukoje," she said.Macron said he would launch a debate
on extending France's nuclear deterrent to other European nations,
following a phone conversation with Friedrich Merz, likely to be
Germany's next chancellor, on extending that umbrella of protection.
HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER
JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have
heaped treasure together for the last days.
REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment
come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one
hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all
the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood
afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping
and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich
all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one
hour is she made desolate.
EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast
their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be
removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to
deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy
their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the
stumblingblock of their iniquity.
MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)
REVELATION 13:16-18
16
And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM
REVELATION 16:1-2
1
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,
Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;
and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the
mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
I
KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP
WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2,
19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS
DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE
CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD
TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN
WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO
GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK
WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA,
KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS
A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM
5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A
POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E
(BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A
SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO
"GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING,
-TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα,
στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German
stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in
or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves
and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded
or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general
they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped
themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling,
Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.)
Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says
he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils,
hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of
Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary,
servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage
cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)
THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo
THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.
LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
FAMINE
EZEKIEL 5:16
16
When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be
for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will
increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
REVELATION 6:5-6
5
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him
had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the
midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines
and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from
heaven.
DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he
opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as
the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by
reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke
(DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that
they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing,
neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in
their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill
them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment
was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Global identity community prepares for MOSIP Connect 2025-Mar 5, 2025, 5:17 pm EST | Chris Burt
Foundational
and digital identity and the role they play in government digital
transformation will be in the spotlight next week at MOSIP Connect 2025
in Manila, Philippines.The Modular Open Source Identity Platform is
co-hosting the event with the Philippine Statistics Authority from March
11 to 13.MOSIP has remained busy over the past year, with a recent
integration announced in Nigeria, work on digital public infrastructure
for Trinidad and Tobago delivered through a novel method, and pilots and
production deployments in dozens of partner countries. The organization
also recently launched its biometric device certification program,
which MOSIP Head of Partner Ecosystem Sanjith Sundaram and BixeLab CEO
Ted Dunstone joined Biometric Update to discuss in a recent webinar.This
year’s conference is the second edition of MOSIP Connect, held in
partnership with AWS and Co-Develop. Last year’s event in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia was considered a tremendous success, attended by more than 400
people from 28 countries.The Alan Turing Institute, OpenWallet
Foundation and Upanzi Network (CMU-Africa) are knowledge partners for
2025. Identity Woman Kaliya Young and Lucy Yang will facilitate an
“unconference” on day two, and Biometric Update will report from on
location as MOSIP Connect media partner.The event will feature workshops
on national identity projects, industry developments and insights from
the academic community.Dozens of biometrics and digital ID technology
providers, including HID, Secugen, Integrated Biometrics, iProov,
IrisID, Laxton, Thales, Xperix and Tech5 will participate in the
Solution Discovery exhibition.Students and developers will present
solutions that are ready for adoption and have come out of ongoing
initiatives MOSIP Decode and MOSIP Create.Watch for daily coverage of
MOSIP Connect 2025 on Biometric Update throughout the event.
Login.gov’s future uncertain amid government upheaval-Mar 5, 2025, 5:28 pm EST | Anthony Kimery
Login.gov
has become a critical tool in the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to
combat fraud and streamline digital identity verification, but it’s
future could be on shaky ground.While recent upheavals within the
General Services Administration (GSA) under the Trump administration led
by Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) have led officials to reaffirm its importance in safeguarding
public resources from fraudulent activity, uncertainty about its future
remains.Developed to provide a secure, centralized authentication
service, Login.gov allows millions of Americans to access government
services with a single sign-on.Thomas Shedd, director of GSA’s
Technology Transformation Services (TTS) and An alumi of Musk’s Tesla,
has reassured agencies and the public that Login.gov will continue to
play a pivotal role in federal anti-fraud initiatives. His statements
come in response to concerns arising from the recent dissolution of 18F,
the government’s digital consultancy that was instrumental in building
Login.gov. Shedd emphasized that Login.gov remains a cornerstone of
federal digital security strategy and that its development will proceed
without interruption.“I can assure you that Login.gov’s work carries
forward as a critical part of government-wide efforts to promote
efficiency and fight fraud,” Shedd wrote in a Monday email. “To that end
we are working to accelerate Login’s roadmap. More to come on that
soon.”According to reports, Shedd also told GSA employees that he wants
to use Login.gov to uncover fraud, but at least one employee told 404
Media that his plans to use data about individuals to do so is
illegal.“Fraud has always served as a powerful political trope, one that
provides a rationale for cutting government,” wrote two political
scientists. “The strategy is simple. Claim there’s fraud, dismantle the
institutions that prevent fraud, and then capture public dollars for
yourself.”Fears that Login.gov could be axed by the Trump administration
have grown amid increasing concerns over identity fraud in government
programs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that up to
$135 billion in unemployment insurance fraud occurred during the
pandemic, much of it enabled by identity theft. Proponents of Login.gov
argue that by providing a secure, standardized authentication process,
Login.gov serves as a key defense against such fraudulent schemes,
ensuring that benefits and services reach their rightful
recipients.Currently, Login.gov supports over 100 million user accounts
and is integrated into more than 50 federal and state agencies, enabling
secure access to services such as Social Security accounts,
unemployment insurance, and Medicare. The platform has also expanded its
capabilities to include facial recognition, a move intended to bolster
identity verification and deter fraudulent attempts to access sensitive
government resources. This expansion aligns with federal efforts to
enhance cybersecurity while maintaining ease of access for legitimate
users.Despite its vital role, though, Login.gov has faced political and
logistical challenges. Some members of the Trump administration
previously called for its elimination, arguing that it was redundant and
inefficient. Emily Murphy, who served as head of GSA under Trump’s
first term as president, has criticized the program, citing a 2023 GSA
Inspector General (IG) report that alleged misrepresentation of its
identity proofing capabilities. Murphy said in January that “GSA should
sunset Login.gov,” calling it “redundant, over-budget, and behind
schedule.”GSA’s IG said its “evaluation found GSA misled their customer
agencies when GSA failed to communicate Login.gov’s known noncompliance
with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special
Publication (SP) 800-63-3, Digital Identity Guidelines. Notwithstanding
GSA officials’ assertions that Login.gov met SP 800-63-3 Identity
Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) requirements, Login.gov has never included a
physical or biometric comparison for its customer agencies. Further, GSA
continued to mislead customer agencies even after GSA suspended efforts
to meet SP 800-63-3.”The NIST standard in question is in the process of
being updated and can currently be met using biometrics, which is the
reason that GSA has allowed federal agencies to incorporate facial
recognition as part of their Login.gov sign-in.Privacy advocates have
raised alarms over the integration of biometric authentication within
Login.gov, particularly facial recognition. Critics argue that such
measures could lead to increased government surveillance and potential
biases in identity verification. Civil liberties organizations have
urged caution, calling for transparency and oversight to ensure that the
system does not disproportionately impact marginalized
communities.Under the Trump administration thus far, however, Login.gov
has not only survived these criticisms, but it has been reaffirmed as an
essential component of federal digital identity management. The
significance of Login.gov in mitigating identity theft and associated
fraud cannot be overstated, its advocates say.The broader debate over
Login.gov reflects tensions in the federal government’s approach to
digital identity management. While the Biden administration considered
making Login.gov the mandatory authentication system for federal
services, the proposal was ultimately omitted from a cybersecurity
executive order. This decision underscores ongoing debates over the best
approach to identity verification in government, as well as concerns
about privacy and federal overreach.The recent dissolution of 18F, which
played a key role in developing Login.gov and the IRS Direct File
program, has raised questions about the platform’s future. 18F was
abruptly dismantled as part of broader efforts by DOGE to reduce
government spending and shrink federal IT programs. The decision,
announced in the middle of the night, led to the layoffs of around 90
employees, including engineers, designers, and project managers. Critics
argued that eliminating 18F would disrupt ongoing modernization efforts
and open the door for private-sector firms to take over government
digital services.Despite these cuts, Shedd stated unequivocally that
Login.gov’s roadmap will proceed, with planned enhancements such as
mobile driver’s license integration and improved fraud detection
tools.18F was a technology unit within GSA that played a crucial role in
modernizing digital government services. Established in 2014 under the
Obama administration, 18F was created to bring private-sector digital
expertise into the federal government to improve how federal agencies
develop and deploy technology. It was modeled after the U.K.’s
Government Digital Service and was part of a broader push to make
government digital services more user-friendly, efficient, and
secure.The elimination of 18F has also fueled speculation about the
privatization of federal digital services. Some analysts believe that
dismantling government-led tech initiatives like 18F and the U.S.
Digital Service (USDS) – which was transformed in to DOGE – could pave
the way for private sector vendors to assume control over federal
authentication services. Critics warn that shifting responsibility to
private entities could introduce profit motives that may conflict with
public interest, particularly in terms of accessibility and data
security.The transition of federal digital services under DOGE has
introduced further uncertainty. Musk’s leadership style, characterized
by rapid and sweeping changes the constitutionality of which have been
challenged in federal court, has led to concerns about the stability of
critical government infrastructure. As Biometric Update has reported,
DOGE personnel have gained access to sensitive and classified IT systems
without proper clearances, raising red flags about the security of
federal IT operations. Former employees of 18F and USDS have voiced
concerns that these abrupt changes could jeopardize the integrity of
government digital services.Despite these challenges, Login.gov remains a
crucial component of the federal government’s digital identity
strategy. As fraud schemes become increasingly sophisticated, the need
for a secure, unified authentication platform has never been greater.
Moving forward, the success of Login.gov will depend on balancing
security measures with user privacy, maintaining public trust, and
ensuring that government services remain safe, accessible, and effective
for all Americans.The government’s apparent commitment to Login.gov
reflects a broader recognition of the need for robust, secure
authentication systems. While political and operational hurdles remain,
the platform’s continued development and expansion signals a
determination to safeguard public resources and to improve the
efficiency of federal digital services. The next phase of Login.gov’s
evolution should be crucial in shaping the future of digital identity
verification throughout the U.S. government. However, given the upending
of so many federal programs and operations amidst a time of
unprecedented confusion, retention of Login.gov can’t be assumed to be a
certainty.
Cameroonians ecstatic as issuance of new national ID card takes off-Mar 5, 2025, 4:04 pm EST| Ayang Macdonald
Scores
of Cameroons this week began collecting their new generation national
ID cards, marking a landmark era for ID card issuance in the country.In
Yaounde, hundreds of citizens have been visiting the only two issuance
centers which are open for now to get their new cards, while those in
other regional headquarters have been doing same.Cameroon, represented
by the General Delegation for National Security (DGSN), signed a 15-year
contract in May with Augentic for the production of the ID cards which
have a different physical and technological build from the old
one.Launched on February 17 with online pre-enrolment, the biometric
capture phase of the new ID started on February 24, but issuance didn’t
start until this week because a decree of the president, Paul Biya, to
define detailed modalities for the card issuance, was still awaited.The
decree, which was signed by the head of state on February 28, paved the
way for issuance of the ID from Monday March 3. The decree outlines
regulations for the issuance of the identity card, defining various
terms and specifying the different features and types of identity
documents involved, which include the national identity card, residence
card, refugee card, and the national disability card.Some early photos
from DGSN offices have been circulating since the start of the week on
the Cameroonian social media space showing bundles of the newly printed
cards, while other photos have shown applicants lining up to collect
their IDs.“I can’t believe my eye. I don’t know if there is a different
definition of relief. I just got my card two days after I applied for
it, something I have been unable to have for more than three years now,”
Genevieve N. told Biometric Update this March 5, brandishing her new
card.Another applicant, who also just obtained his card, said: “This is a
great achievement by the Cameroonian government. I am super excited
that I was able to get my card at short notice. I received an SMS about
48 hours after, informing me that my ID card was ready.”The new Cameroon
ID card, produced within a period of 48 hours after a successful
application process, is similar to the country’s new biometric passport
regime launched in 2021. Augentic is in charge of producing both
identity document.The company says the card is designed with high
security features and embedded with a biometric chip which can be
verified digitally using hand-held scanners.The development comes as a
major relief for Cameroonian citizens, many of whom have suffered a lack
of a national ID card for years. In the last five to ten years,
obtaining a national ID in Cameroon has been one of the biggest
headaches in the country.In his end-of-year address to the nation on
December 31, 2024, President Biya recognized the severity of the problem
and told Cameroonians he had given firm directives for the problem to
be solved so that eligible citizens can be able to register and vote in
the presidential election billed for October. Having a national ID card
is compulsory for voter registration in the country.
Idex
biometric payment cards order shows signs of life, but role is
niche-Goode Intelligence forecasts for BPC more conservative than
following pandemic-Mar 5, 2025, 5:06 pm EST | Joel R. McConvey
A
release from Idex Biometrics says it has received a production order for
biometric payment cards from Japanese manufacturing partner Beautiful
Card Corporation (BCC). The order is worth roughly US$50,000 and is “the
first of a larger biometric payment card program issued across both
Mastercard and Visa for the Japanese market.”Catharina Eklof, Chief
Executive Officer at Idex Biometrics, says “BCC is a clear front-runner,
with a commitment to bring biometric smart cards to customers and
partners world-wide, for payment and access cards. As Idex and BCC
already have material ready for production, we have been able to respond
to our partners’ imminent implementation program.”Idex has been
staggering fiscally after a loss on receivables from a claim of $600,000
against Zwipe, which pushed that company into bankruptcy when it was
upheld by an arbitrator. A quarterly report from Q4 2024 states that
“the Company’s liquidity is constrained and as of December 31, 2024,
more than half of Idex’s share capital was lost.”In its recent biometric
payments report, Goode Intelligence says it has “previously been
bullish on the prospects for biometric payment cards,” citing strong
consumer demand for touchless technology in the wake of COVID-19 and a
general shift towards biometrics for payment. “However, high levels of
adoption have not been seen and GI has created more conservative
forecasts for this technology. A combination of high production costs,
certification delays, and enrollment challenges has meant that they are
currently a more niche part of the payment portfolio.”According to GI,
for payment cards to get back in good standing, “card issuers need to
buy into the idea that biometric payment cards are viable.” Viability
means meeting stringent payment scheme card certification, being cost
effective, reliable and scalable, and having biometric sensors that are
inexpensive, efficient, accurate and compliant.Goode Intelligence
forecasts that there will be just over 90 million biometric payment
cards issued by 2030.
Breaches and legacy authentication methods
inviting tax, business fraud risk-TransUnion survey shows troubling
reliance on hackable data-Mar 5, 2025, 2:07 pm EST | Chris Burt
U.S.
tax filers face an increased risk of fraud this year, in part because
640 million consumer records were breached last year, most of them
including Social Security numbers (SSNs).According to the second half
update to the “State of Omnichannel Fraud” report from TransUnion, 71
percent of breaches in the first half of 2024 included SSNs, up from 57
percent in full-year 2023.Government agencies should deploy identity
verification and document authentication technologies to stop the
photo-realistic credentials malicious actors can create with breached
personally identifiable data (PII) and AI.Identity verification is an
effective technology available for preventing fraud, according to 56
percent of business leaders surveyed by TransUnion. Behavioral
biometrics was selected by 38 percent, just behind synthetic identity
detection, and amidst a set of measures based on the reputation of the
user’ IP, device, phone number or email address. Those reputational
methods were chosen by between 35 and 47 percent of those
surveyed.Phishable credentials prominent-The most common primary method
of customer authentication used remains a username and password (39
percent), well ahead of biometric authentication (29 percent), which
perhaps even more worryingly is followed by PINs (21 percent).If the
legitimate account-holder’s device is compromised, they are in trouble,
as the most popular secondary authentication method is a one-time
passcode (OTP), at 35 percent.The 24-page report goes on to detail the
cost of fraud for businesses and how the fraud risk associated with new
account creation threatens the quality of digital experiences.The
overall fraud rate in the first half of 2024, as observed through
TransUnion TruValidate, was 5.2 percent. This is the lowest mark since
at least the beginning of 2020, though TransUnion calls it “stubbornly
high.”
Signicat, Smile ID and Regula make new strides in financial industry-Mar 5, 2025, 1:55 pm EST | Masha Borak
Identity
verification, KYC and AML companies are making deals from Europe and
Africa to Asia, including collaborations designed to boost the value of
their products.Signicat unveils combined product with Strise-Digital
identity company Signicat has announced it will unify its customer
verification capabilities with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) software from
Strise: The result will be a single product that will provide
businesses with streamlined Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and AML.The two
Norway-based companies say that the collaboration will simplify
regulatory processes and enable businesses to meet compliance
requirements easier. The new product is aimed at AML and KYC
specialists, Relationship Managers and compliance officers. It is also
connected to a wide array of eID schemes and eIDV solutions, with
options for advanced authentication and bespoke workflows, according to
their release.Strise provides ALM automation for highly regulated
businesses. Its clients include U.S. financial company Corpay,
Finland-based financial services group Nordea and Norwegian bank
alliance SpareBank 1.Pakistan’s NADRA expands financial
services-Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)
will allow the country’s citizens to deposit cash into accounts of over
50 banks with the help of biometric verification available in its 9,000
e-Sahulat franchises.The move is part of a campaign to enhance access
to financial services for Pakistanis. NADRA is the central body
responsible for the collection, storage and management of biometric data
in Pakistan. The e-Sahulat platform was designed to provide digital
services while the franchises allow Pakistanis to pay bills, collect
pension payments and amend details of their national ID through
biometric verification.The cash-in transactions were introduced thanks
to NADRA’s deal with 1Link, the country’s largest payment gateway and
switch system. The authority has also partnered with the State Bank of
Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to
introduce facial recognition verification.Smile ID integrates with
Plumery banking platform-Another technology integration comes from Smile
ID, the identity verification and fraud prevention company targeting
the African market.Smile ID plans to allow financial services companies
to combine its products with Plumery’s digital banking platform. The
collaboration is aimed at solving two problems for the African financial
industry – authentication fraud and expensive digital banking systems.
The combination will allow lower implementation costs and a stronger
authentication process, the two firms said in a release.In November,
Smile ID announced it has completed 200 million identity verification
checks across the African continent.Regula’s products recognized by
Gartner-The Gartner Market Guide for KYC Platforms for Banking, which
analyzes solutions, vendors and tools in the KYC business, has
recognized two of Regula’s well-known identity verification products:
Document Reader SDK and Regula Face SDK.Gartner noted that Regula’s
Document Reader SDK employs the most comprehensive identity document
template database in the world, containing over 14,800 passports,
driver’s licenses, national ID cards and other identity documents from
around the world. The Regula Face SDK, on the other hand, helps
businesses prevent presentation attacks and injection attacks, ensuring
they are dealing with real data.The company has previously appeared on
the Gartner Market Guide for Identity Verification.
Limited use
of mobile biometrics, data analysis weakens immigration enforcement, US
lawmakers told-Mar 5, 2025, 1:52 pm EST | Anthony Kimery
At a
recent House subcommittee hearing, experts and former U.S. homeland
security officials testifying on the evolving role of technology in
immigration enforcement revealed a mix of successes, failures, and a
pressing need for enhanced digital tools to better and more efficiently
manage border security and interior enforcement.John Fabbricatore, a
retired career U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official
with decades of experience, emphasized the game-changing role of
biometrics in identifying and removing criminal elements from the
country. He highlighted facial recognition and fingerprinting systems
like the EAGLE Direct Identification Environment (EDDIE) as vital in
confirming identities swiftly.EDDIE was first rolled out in 2014 on the
NEC NeoScan 45 FAP Multiple Fingerprint Reader, and there have been
multiple procurements of the reader since the project’s inception. EDDIE
technology has already played a role in intercepting heroin traffickers
posing as U.S. citizens.EDDIE is a portable, cellular fingerprint and
photo scanner about the size of an iPhone which allows special agents
and officers to check the biometrics of those they encounter and receive
very rapid response. The tool can provide the true identity of an
individual, a history of law enforcement encounters, help determine
alienage and removability, and whether or not the person may have
outstanding warrants.“Technology has been a game-changer in the realm of
biometrics, allowing us to collect and analyze unique physical
characteristics for identification purposes,” Fabbricatore told the
subcommittee. “Facial recognition technology, in particular, has become
increasingly sophisticated and effective in identifying individuals who
may pose a threat to national security or public safety. This type of
technology has proven invaluable in disrupting human trafficking
networks and preventing fraudulent entry into the country.”However,
Fabbricatore argued that the government remains too reliant on outdated
methods, often forcing officers to sift manually through multiple
databases instead of using AI-driven targeting systems. “We need to
evolve with the times and leverage all existing technology in the
private sector to enhance targeting and create high volume targeting
packages through automation software,” Fabbricatore said.Dr. Doug
Gilmer, a 35-year veteran of law enforcement with the majority of that
time spent with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland
Security Investigations (HSI), echoed Fabbricatore’s concerns. He
emphasized that while technology is crucial in countering human
trafficking and transnational criminal organizations, bureaucratic
inefficiencies and outdated procurement processes slow its adoption. “In
my last field assignment, we only had about five EDDIE machines for HSI
personnel statewide,” he said.“Technology can aid in targeting the most
extreme threats, identifying trends and patterns, identifying victims,
and to analyze vast amounts of data quickly, allowing for a faster and
more efficient law enforcement response, while protecting personally
identifying information,” Gilmer argued, adding that “the government has
been routinely hampered by its ability to effectively integrate the
latest technology, however, and at times has ineffectively used
technology in ways that impeded investigative efforts.”One of the most
pressing issues raised by the witnesses is the role of Alternatives to
Detention (ATD) programs. Simon Hankinson, a senior researcher at the
Heritage Foundation outlined the challenges with ICE’s Intensive
Supervision Appearance Program, which uses GPS monitoring and facial
recognition through SmartLINK to track migrants awaiting immigration
proceedings.While proponents argue that the program is cost-effective
compared to traditional detention, critics point to the high rate of
absconders. Hankinson cited a leaked ICE report from 2020 showing that
84 percent of migrants in the ATD program ultimately vanished before
their cases concluded.“Roughly 87 percent of aliens in ISAP are tracked
using SmartLINK, a phone application which uses facial-recognition
technology to allow participants to check in using a cell phone,”
Hankinson said. “Roughly half of those enrolled use their personal cell
phones, and half are provided with devices by the contractor that are
limited exclusively to the SmartLINK function. The SmartLINK app can be
used to monitor location via GPS tracking, but so far ICE has not
required the contractor to use this feature and location tracking by
phone is ‘not in use for any ISAP participant.’”Deborah Fleischaker, a
former high-ranking DHS official, took a different stance, arguing that
enforcement challenges are not necessarily about access to data, but
rather the ability to process and prioritize it effectively. She noted
that ICE already has vast data repositories through interoperability
with the FBI and state databases, but lacks the analytical tools to turn
this data into actionable intelligence.“In my experience, immigration
law enforcement already has access to vast amounts of data and
technology, and immigration officers have no shortage of potential
enforcement targets. What they do not have enough of, however, is the
ability to analyze, sort, and prioritize that data to ensure they are
focused on the right targets,” Fleischaker told lawmakers. She said
ICE’s “efforts to modernize how it uses data has been hampered by
competing demands in a resource-constrained environment. Ultimately,
ICE’s data modernization efforts have been cannibalized by its other,
more-immediate operational demands.”While each witness agreed on the
need for better technology, they differed on what that technology should
prioritize. Fabbricatore and Gilmer pushed for greater automation and
AI-driven targeting to streamline enforcement. Gilmer advocated for more
extensive use of automated license plate readers, live video analysis,
and AI-assisted fraud detection to identify illegal immigration
patterns. However, Fleischaker warned that such expansive data
collection efforts must be balanced with privacy protections and
oversight to prevent overreach.Another technological hurdle is the
integration of existing systems across agencies. Hankinson and Gilmer
criticized the siloed nature of ICE and DHS databases, which often
prevent seamless information sharing. While programs like Secure
Communities once facilitated real-time data exchange between federal,
state, and local law enforcement, political shifts have led to its
suspension and reinstatement multiple times over the past decade,
creating uncertainty for enforcement officers.The witnesses also shed
light on the broader implications of technological inefficiencies.
Fabbricatore and Hankinson pointed to the rise of transnational criminal
organizations like Tren De Aragua which have exploited weaknesses in
immigration enforcement to establish operations in major U.S. cities.
According to Gilmer, many of these groups engage in human trafficking
and drug smuggling, with law enforcement often forced to rely on
better-equipped private sector partners for intelligence gathering.One
of the few success stories highlighted was the DHS Center for Countering
Human Trafficking’s overhaul of the Continued Presence process.
Previously, trafficking victims seeking protection could wait over a
year for approval. A newly digitized system has reduced processing times
to as little as three weeks. This example, Gilmer argued, proves that
when properly implemented, technology can drastically improve
enforcement efficiency.Looking forward, the witnesses outlined several
key recommendations for leveraging technology more effectively.
Fabbricatore called for increased funding for tech-driven enforcement
programs, particularly AI-based analytics that can parse through
existing data more efficiently. Hankinson suggested that ICE should
prioritize GPS tracking throughout the entire immigration process rather
than terminating ATD supervision prematurely. Fleischaker urged a more
cautious approach, emphasizing that while technology can enhance
enforcement, it should not come at the cost of due process or civil
liberties.The consensus among the witnesses was clear: technology has
the potential to revolutionize immigration enforcement, but only if it
is deployed strategically, efficiently, and with proper oversight. With a
growing non-detained docket surpassing 7.6 million individuals and the
increasing complexity of transnational crime, the government faces an
urgent need to modernize its approach.However, as Fleischaker warned,
the challenge is not merely acquiring more data, but ensuring that
enforcement officers have the right tools to act on it effectively. As
lawmakers consider these insights, the future of immigration enforcement
will likely depend on their ability to balance security, efficiency,
and privacy.
Agentic AI holds gigantic potential to improve and challenge ID verification-Mar 5, 2025, 11:36 am EST | Chris Burt
AI
agents have entered the tech hype cycle, with significant implications
for online payments and other digital interactions, and new requirements
for digital ID systems. Businesses and individuals are expected to
interact through AI agents integrated with digital wallets for identity
verification.Agentic AI is already changing identity verification,
IDVerse argues in a blog post, and not just by generating demand to
differentiate people from their AI representatives.IDV Intelligence
applies fraud detection proactively, and tailors verification with
risk-based decision-making, IDVerse says. It also continuously refines
itself based on the outcomes of verifications. Agentic AI allows ID
verification systems to detect and block deepfakes before they show up
in fraud attempts, adjust verification steps or reduce wait times for
trusted users, and scale instantly to handle demand spikes.IDV
Intelligence is built to process data on users’ devices, and provide
real-time fraud protection in compliance with global privacy laws. At
the same time, the improvement over time that it makes results in fraud
prevention, not just detection, while reducing false positives.These
advantages are largely a product of agentic AI’s ability to move beyond
pre-set rules, IDVerse SVP of Enterprise Product Management Emily
Hendley writes.AI agent breakthrough ahead-The global market for agentic
AI is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 43
percent, and near $200 billion by 2034, Peak VP of Strategy and
Partnerships Chris Ashley says.AI agents act independently, Ashley
emphasizes. They don’t just respond to prompts, but take action, led by
the large language model (LLM) “brain” of the agent. The use of tools
from search engine to code-builders “is where agents really shine,” he
says.Ashley discussed what differentiates AI agents from each other in
the market, and the ways they can help businesses, including several
lofty claims of productivity and efficiency gains by enterprises.
Realizing those gains is not simply a matter of flipping a switch to
turn on AI agents though, Ashley notes. Testing, iterating, fine tuning
and more are necessary to go from capability to reliability.As
businesses familiarize themselves with the potential benefits agentic AI
can deliver, investment capital is flowing, and the AI developers are
entering the market.Market shaping up-San Francisco-based startup
Human.org has raised $7.3 million to develop and market its blockchain
infrastructure layer to support interactions between verified AI agents
and real people, and its “Agent ID” authorization protocol.Human.org’s
infrastructure layer is offered in the form of a Human Network platform,
and its portfolio also includes the native Human Dollar cryptocurrency
and the Human App, a digital wallet which provides proof of humanity. It
does so through a combination of face biometrics, “social graph, and
‘notarized credentials.’”Twenty-three-year-old Founder Kirill Avery says
use cases for the Human Network and Human App include self-sovereign
identity (SSI) for interacting with organizations across a wide range of
sectors.Avery is aiming to keep bot accounts to less than 0.01 percent
of the total Human Network. The company plans to use the funding to
continue developing its technology. More details on the verification
process are expected by mid-2024.OwnID is adding native identity support
for AI agents to its platform, for what the company calls “Customer and
Agency Identity Management (CAIM).”The digital identity solution is
comprised of agentic access control system AgentLogin, a dynamic policy
and consent enforcement layer, AgentGuard, and a system that creates a
comprehensive audit trail, AgentTrace. The FIDO2-certified
passkey-provider uses native device biometrics to authenticate humans on
its platform.OwnID CEO Dor Shany suggests AI agents “from personal
shopping bots to enterprise assistants,” will soon represent millions of
users.Combatting AI agents is one of the stated purposes of Self
Protocol, which provides digital identity infrastructure that uses
zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to make token launches resistant to Sybill
attacks.The protocol has launched following the acquisition of
OpenPassport by Self Labs. It can also be used for privacy-preserving
identity verification, location or age verification and DeFi
integrations, according to a company blog post.
IAM company Identity Automation acquired for $215m-Mar 5, 2025, 11:35 am EST | Masha Borak
Jamf,
a platform that helps manage and secure Apple devices, is acquiring
identity and access management (IAM) company Identity Automation in a
bid to combine identity and device management in a single product.The
company signed the US$215 million acquisition agreement on Monday. The
deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of
2025.Houston, Texas-headquartered Identity Automation, backed by
Spotlight Equity Partners, specializes in dynamic identity and access
management (IAM), meaning that it is suitable for industries that
experience frequent role changes, such as education and healthcare. In
K-12 education, for instance, the system adjusts identities for
educators and students based on class, grade, school and district,
devices and security policies.By incorporating dynamic identity
management into its products, Jamf plans to offer a comprehensive
security solution for mobile solutions in education and other industries
such as healthcare, retail and aviation services, the firm explains in a
release.“We see the huge potential to help organizations that have a
shared-device model, deskless workers, temporary staff, or contractors,”
says John Strosahl, CEO at Jamf. “By removing cumbersome onboarding and
off-boarding processes, users can be productive as soon as they pick up
a device.”Identity Automation’s software also offers features such as
customizable multi-factor authentication policies with role-based
access, Single Sign-On (SSO), rostering, access governance and identity
lifecycle management. Its solutions can operate standalone or integrate
with other Single Sign-On solutions such as Okta, Clever and ClassLink.
It integrates with Microsoft Active Directory (AD) for authentication
and MFA and enables federation and SSO access for Google’s cloud-based
applications.In 2020, it acquired account management and
education-focused SSO provider Enboard.“As technology becomes more
integral to the learning experience, safeguarding student data, securing
access, and preventing cyber threats are more important than ever,”
says Jim Harold, CEO of Identity Automation. “But security shouldn’t add
friction. An intuitive user experience is essential to ensuring
technology enhances rather than hinders the classroom experience.”
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