INDIA AND PAKISTAN TWO DEATH CULTS KILLING EACH OTHER OFF.

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)

INDIA AND PAKISTAN TWO DEATH CULTS KILLING EACH OTHER OFF.

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.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

NAHUM 3:13
13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.

DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.

There’s not going to be a nuclear weapon in Iran,' Huckabee says-US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Breitbart on Friday.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS-MAY 10, 2025 20:43

There will not be nuclear weapons in Iran, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a Saturday interview with Channel 12."Military action depends on them [Iran], in whether or not they believe in taking President [Donald] Trump seriously. There won't be a deal that involves Iran with nuclear capacity," he added.US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Breitbart on Friday. "The enrichment program can never exist in Iran, never. That's our red line," he said. He also said that its three enrichment facilities must be dismantled.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday that if the United States' goal is to deprive Tehran of what he said were its nuclear rights, Tehran will not back down from "any of our rights."Araqchi was speaking in Doha a day ahead of another round of planned nuclear talks between Iran and the US in Oman.The nuclear talks-American and Iranian negotiating teams will once again descend on Muscat for the fourth round of nuclear talks between the nations on Sunday.The talks, which were originally scheduled for earlier this month, were postponed due to what the Omanis termed “logistical reasons.”

On Sabena rescue anniversary, Netanyahu warns Hamas that 'the rules are about to change'The Sabena Flight 571 hijacking occurred on May 8, 1972; a young Netanyahu, under the charge of former prime minister Ehud Barak, helped rescue 90 hostages.By JERUSALEM POST STAFF-MAY 10, 2025 14:27

On the anniversary of the Sabena Flight 571 hijacking, the IDF's fifth Brigade held ground force drills attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Sabena Flight 571 hijacking occurred on May 8, 1972, when four Black September terrorists infiltrated the cockpit of a plane headed from Vienna to Lod. The terrorist were demanding the release of over 300 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Netanyahu participated in the Matkal unit's rescue operation of the 90 hostages, and recounted the events to the"Today we mark the 53rd anniversary of the operation to free the hostages on the Sabena plane," Netanyahu said on Thursday. "I was there, I was injured there."Netanyahu said that the spirit he saw in the Thursday drill matched that of his unit during the 1972 operation. Netanyahu warns Hamas: 'The rules are about to change'"The spirit has not changed - it is exactly the same spirit that I see here that pulsates among the soldiers and commanders, and unites the ranks with one goal - to achieve a great victory. This victory includes both the defeat of Hamas and the release of our hostages." The prime minister went on to say that defeating Hamas and releasing the hostages would change the face of the Middle East. "This victory goes beyond that. It radiates throughout the entire region. To this day, we have changed the face of the Middle East. We brought Hezbollah to its knees, Hamas – below the knees, the Assad regime fell. Iran also felt the strength of our arm," he said."We still face challenges, but we have a strong spirit, and that spirit is carried by our army," he added."To Hamas I say one thing: the rules are about to change very soon – thanks to you.”What happened to Sabena Flight 571? After the four terrorists hijacked the flight, Captain Reginald Levy sent distress signals to Israel. The signals were relayed to the Defense Ministry. After the plane made an emergency landing at the Lod airport, former defense minister Moshe Dayan began negotiating with the Black September members while simultaneously planning a secret rescue operation for the 90 passengers on the plane. Israeli agents secretly sabotaged the plane, leading the terrorists to believe that there was a technical failure. The Black September members then sent Captain Levy to talk with Israeli negotiators at the airport. He took the opportunity to describe the events in detail, and noted that the terrorists had not secured the emergency exits."He somehow persuaded the hijackers to let him go over to the terminal to talk to the Israelis. Before he left, they gave him a piece of the plastic explosive to show that they meant business in their threat to blow up the plane," Levy's daughter Linda Lipschitz recounted to the Post. Dayan then told the terrorists that he would send the requested Palestinian prisoners to the airport along with technicians to repair the plane. Then, a team of 16 Sayeret Matkal commandos led by former prime minister Ehud Barak approached the plane disguised as mechanics, stormed it, shot dead the two male hijackers, captured the two female hijackers, and rescued the 90 passengers.
            
India, Pakistan launch multiple attacks as US warns against 'miscalculation'.

Srinagar, India, May 10 (AFP) May 10, 2025-Pakistan launched counterattacks against India Saturday after three of its air bases were struck overnight, and as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours spiralled towards a full-blown war that sparked calls against "miscalculation".Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told a briefing Saturday there were "several high-speed missile attacks" on air bases, but "limited damage" to equipment.Pakistan earlier accused India of targeting three of its bases with missiles -- including one in Rawalpindi, some 10 kilometres (six miles) from the capital, Islamabad.Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said 11 civilians were killed by Indian shelling overnight.In a live broadcast aired by state television in the middle of the night, Pakistan's military spokesman Ahmed Sharif warned: "Now you just wait for our response."Later Saturday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told senior officials "we have given India a befitting response and avenged the blood of our innocent citizens", his office said in a statement.The clashes, involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery, are the worst in decades and have killed more than 60 civilians.The fighting was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba -- a UN-designated terrorist organisation -- of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.The countries have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.- 'Avoid miscalculation' -In a series of calls to senior officials in both countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged them to restore direct communication to "avoid miscalculation".Rubio "emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation", State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.For the first known time since the conflict erupted, Rubio also spoke with Pakistan's army chief, considered the country's key powerbroker.China also made a similar appeal as did the G7 group of industrialised nations.The overnight Indian attack on the Rawalpindi air base could be heard from Islamabad.The air base is used to receive foreign dignitaries, and Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir had departed just hours earlier.Separately, AFP journalists reported loud explosions in Srinagar, the capital of India-administered Kashmir.A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the Awantipora military airbase outside the city had been struck."Pakistan's blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions continues along our western border," the army said on X.The army said "multiple enemy drones were spotted flying over" a military cantonment in Amritsar in Punjab, a state adjoining Kashmir, and were "instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units."- Rush to leave -In Jammu, Indian-run Kashmir's second biggest city, people scrambled to board a special train dispatched to ferry people out."There are loud explosions the entire night," said Karan Varma, a 41-year-old mason."There is no choice but to leave".The overwhelming majority were poor labourers from other parts of India seeking to return to their homes.On Friday, the Indian army said it had "repulsed" waves of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight, and gave a "befitting reply".Pakistan's military spokesman denied that Islamabad was carrying out such attacks, and vowed revenge for India's initial strikes, on Wednesday.Pakistani military sources said its forces had shot down 77 drones, with debris of many incursions seen by AFP in cities across the country.Pakistan's military early Saturday claimed New Delhi's forces had bombed their own territory in Amritsar, without providing evidence.Armed groups have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule by New Delhi.The countries have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.The conflict has caused major disruptions to international aviation, with airlines having to cancel flights or use longer routes that do not overfly the India-Pakistan frontier.India has closed 32 airports, while schools in areas close to the border on both sides were shuttered, affecting millions of children.Pakistan' aviation authority said its airspace would be closed until noon Sunday (0700 GMT). burs-ach-fox

Pakistan says India has brought neighbours 'closer to major conflict'By Shrouq TARIQ, with Parvaiz BUKHARI in Srinagar.

Islamabad (AFP) May 9, 2025-Pakistan charged India Friday with bringing the nuclear-armed neighbours "closer to a major conflict", as the death toll from three days of missile, artillery and drone attacks passed 50.The bloody escalation comes after an attack on tourists last month in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people and which New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing -- an allegation Pakistan denied.India responded with air strikes Wednesday on what it called "terrorist camps" in Pakistan, fuelling the worst clashes between the two in decades.On a third day of tit-for-tat exchanges since, the Indian army said it "repulsed" waves of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight, and gave a "befitting reply".India also accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations -- two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab.Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan had "not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far".The two countries have fought several wars over Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947.- 'War hysteria' -Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman said Friday that India's "jingoism and war hysteria" should be a source of serious concern for the world."It is most unfortunate that India's reckless conduct has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict," Shafqat Ali Khan told a briefing in the capital, Islamabad.Pakistani security and government officials said five civilians -- including a two-year-old girl -- were killed by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir."In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counterattack, targeting three Indian posts," police official Adeel Khan, told AFP from Kotli district, where four of the deaths occurred.Pakistani military sources, meanwhile, said that its forces had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, claiming they were Israeli-made.In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman was killed and two men wounded by heavy overnight shelling in Uri, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the state capital Srinagar."The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India," said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit in Wednesday's strikes.In Jammu, also under Indian administration, 21-year-old student Piyush Singh said: "Our [attack] is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians."- Schools closed -Pakistan has rejected claims by New Delhi that it was behind last month's attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly male Hindu tourists.India blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba -- a UN-designated terrorist organisation -- for the attack.Militants have stepped up operations in Muslim-majority Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.On Friday schools were closed on both sides of the Pakistan and Indian border in Kashmir and Punjab, affecting tens of millions of children.India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning.The conflict has caused major disruption to international aviation, with airlines having to cancel flights or use longer routes that don't overfly the Indian-Pakistan frontier.The mega Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament was on Friday suspended for a week, the Indian cricket board announced, a day after a fixture was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Jammu, where explosions had been reported.The Pakistan Super League, meanwhile, was moved to the United Arab Emirates, after an Indian drone struck Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday.- Calls for de-escalation -American Vice President JD Vance has called for de-escalation, while underlining that Washington was "not going to get involved in the middle of a war that's fundamentally none of our business".Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint.However, the International Crisis Group said "foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent" to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation."A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic agitation and the remorseless logic of military one-upmanship have heightened the risks of escalation, particularly because for some time there was no diplomatic communication between the sides," it said.Amnesty said the warring sides "must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties".

Saudi Arabia offers to mediate in India-Pakistan conflict.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 10 (AFP) May 10, 2025-Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called his Indian and Pakistani counterparts on Sunday to offer the kingdom's services as a mediator between the two nuclear-armed states."During the telephone calls, discussions focused on efforts to put an end to the ongoing military clashes," the Saudi minister said in a statement.He underlined the "kingdom's commitment to regional security and stability, and its close and balanced relations with the two friendly countries".Riyadh had already sought to defuse rising tensions in the run-up to this week's clashes, announcing on April 25 that it had "taken steps to avoid an escalation".This week's clashes, involving fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery, are the worst in decades and have killed more than 60 civilians.Pakistan launched counterattacks against India Saturday after three of its air bases were struck overnight.The fighting was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, and which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba -- a UN-designated terrorist organisation -- of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.The countries have fought several wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but have administered separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.Saudi Arabia has adopted an increasingly high profile on the world diplomatic stage, hosting talks between Moscow and Washington in February on repairing relations shattered by Russia's war on Ukraine as well as talks between the warring parties in Sudan.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversees nuclear counterattack missile test-by Thomas Maresca.

Washington DC (UPI) May 9, 2025-North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of short-range ballistic missiles and long-range artillery in a demonstration of Pyongyang's nuclear counterstrike capabilities, state-run media said Friday.Korean Central News Agency reported that the drill, which was conducted Thursday, involved a 600-millimeter multilayer rocket system and Hwasongpho-11-Ka tactical ballistic missiles.Kim stressed the need to "steadily enhance the pivotal role of the nuclear force in all aspects of the strategy to deter war and the strategy to fight war," the report said."[Kim] said that the DPRK should continue to direct efforts to steadily improving the long-range precision striking capability and efficiency of weapons systems, proceeding from the security environment of our state and the realistic requirements of modern warfare," KCNA said.The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.The KCNA report came a day after South Korea's military said it detected the launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area on the peninsula's east coast.The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff speculated that the launch may have been a test of weapons systems meant for export to Russia.Seoul and Washington say that North Korea has supplied missiles, artillery and soldiers to Russia for its war against Ukraine, while receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology in return.Earlier this week, North Korean state media reported on a visit by Kim to a munitions factory, where he called for workers to boost their output of artillery shells.Prior to Thursday's launch, the drill inspected the operational reliability of the North's Haekbangashoe "nuclear trigger" system. First tested in April 2024, the nuclear weapons management system is used to link a launch order to its actual execution."The goal of the drill was achieved and the reliability of the command and mobilization system capable of quickly reacting to any nuclear crisis was verified," KCNA reported.The KCNA article accused the United States and its allies of staging nuclear operation drills on the Korean Peninsula and making a nuclear attack on North Korea a "fait accompli.""This reckless act of aggravating the situation requires the armed forces of the DPRK to prepare for a rapid reaction capability and a thoroughgoing war posture," KCNA said.Pyongyang frequently criticizes U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has denounced the deployment of American strategic assets, such as aircraft carrier strike groups and B-1B strategic bombers, to the Korean Peninsula.On Friday, South Korea's Unification Ministry condemned the launch, which was the North's first ballistic missile test since March 10 and its fourth of the year.The launch was "a violation of Security Council resolutions and a clear act of provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," ministry spokeswoman Kim In-ae said at a press briefing.

US envoy calls enrichment 'red line' ahead of new Iran talks.

Washington, May 10 (AFP) May 10, 2025-The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear talks Sunday in Oman ahead of a visit to the region by Donald Trump, whose key negotiator staked out an increasingly hard line on the issue of uranium enrichment.Trump, who will visit three other Gulf Arab monarchies next week, has voiced hope for reaching a deal with Tehran to avert an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear program that could ignite a wider war.Three previous rounds of talks in Oman and Rome ended with notes of optimism, with the two sides saying the atmosphere was friendly despite the countries' four decades of enmity.But they are not believed to have gone into technical detail, and basic questions remain.Steve Witkoff, Trump's friend who has served as his globe-trotting negotiator on issues including on Iran, had initially suggested flexibility on Tehran maintaining low-level enrichment of uranium for civilian purposes.But in an interview published Friday, Witkoff gave his clearest message yet that the Trump administration would oppose any enrichment."An enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again. That's our red line. No enrichment," he told right-wing Breitbart News."That means dismantlement, it means no weaponization, and it means that Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan -- those are their three enrichment facilities -- have to be dismantled," he said.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier raised the possibility of Iran importing enriched uranium for any civilian energy.Trump in his first term withdrew from a nuclear agreement with Tehran negotiated by former president Barack Obama that allowed Iran to enrich uranium at levels well below what is needed for weapons.Many Iran watchers doubted that Iran would ever voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear program and give up all enrichment.But Iran has found itself in a weaker place over the past year. Israel has decimated Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia backed by Iran that could launch a counter-attack in any war, and Iran's main ally in the Arab world, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, was toppled in December.Israel also struck Iranian air defenses as the two countries came openly to blows in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which is also supported by Iran's clerical state.- 'Blow 'em up nicely' -Trump himself has acknowledged tensions in his policy on Iran, saying at the start of his second term that hawkish advisors were pushing him to step up pressure reluctantly.In an interview Thursday, Trump said he wanted "total verification" that Iran's contested nuclear work is shut down but through diplomacy."I'd much rather make a deal" than see military action, Trump told the conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt."There are only two alternatives -- blow 'em up nicely or blow 'em up viciously," Trump said.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Oman, which has been mediating, had proposed Sunday as the date and both sides had accepted."Negotiations are moving ahead and naturally, the more we advance, the more consultations we have, and the more time the delegations need to examine the issues," he said in a video carried by Iranian media."But what's important is that we are moving forward so that we gradually get into the details," Araghchi said.The Trump administration has kept piling on sanctions despite the talks, angering Iran. On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on another refinery in China, the main market for Iranian oil.Since Trump's withdrawal from the Obama-era deal, the United States has used its power to try to stop all other countries from buying Iranian oil.

NIKE laser realigns mission to support US nuclear deterrence goals .by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 06, 2025-The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has repositioned its NIKE laser-target facility to directly support the Department of Defense's nuclear strategy, leveraging its advanced capabilities to strengthen national defense priorities.This marks a major shift away from the facility's longstanding support for Department of Energy missions, particularly those under the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NIKE facility now focuses on delivering critical science and technology innovations in support of DoD nuclear deterrence.Built in 1995 with NNSA backing, NIKE was originally designed to investigate direct-drive inertial confinement fusion as part of efforts to maintain the nation's nuclear stockpile. The system is recognized as the world's most powerful krypton-fluoride excimer laser, producing ultrasmooth pulses at 248 nanometers and yielding 2-3 kilojoules of energy."NIKE is the world's most energetic krypton-fluoride excimer laser, delivering ultrasmooth pulsed beams at a wavelength of 248 nanometers with 2-3 kilojoules of energy," said Jason Bates, Ph.D., head of NRL's Laser Plasma Branch. "These unique capabilities enable researchers to generate strong, stable shock waves and create exceptionally clean experimental conditions for studying extreme physical states of matter."For years, NIKE supported NNSA's broader laser programs, including contributions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which recently reached fusion ignition-a milestone where the fusion output surpassed the input energy.NRL researchers have been instrumental in advancing laser technologies, transferring innovations such as monochromatic x-ray radiography, the Virgil gold M-band spectrometer, and flashlamp-pumped disk amplifiers for neodymium-doped glass lasers to other high-energy programs.Through collaboration with the Air Force, NIKE's enhanced capabilities are now targeting key challenges in nuclear survivability. "This partnership between NRL and the Air Force Research Laboratory represents a vital leap forward in our ability to simulate and understand the extreme environments that nuclear assets must navigate," Bates said. "NIKE's unique laser and diagnostic capabilities are unmatched, enabling us to close critical gaps in assessing the survivability of our platforms."With competitors like China and Russia pursuing similar laser systems, securing NIKE's future is vital. NRL has initiated a recapitalization strategy to ensure the facility's longevity and enhance its contributions to U.S. nuclear readiness."NRL's NIKE facility is an important national asset with unique capabilities that allow it to serve a broad range of missions supporting stockpile stewardship, fusion energy research, directed energy, hypersonics, and fundamental studies of materials at extreme conditions. Its continued operation for the good of the Nation remains our goal through its new focus," said Joe Penano, Ph.D., superintendent of NRL's Plasma Physics Division.The Division conducts integrated theoretical and experimental research in laser and plasma physics, covering topics from atmospheric laser propagation to advanced accelerator designs. Its efforts are rooted in decades of laser research that began in the 1960s and gained formal structure under the Atomic Energy Commission in 1972.Science Paper Name (unaltered)Science Paper DOI URL (unaltered)

Drones drag Sudan war into dangerous new territory By Lobna Monieb and Nada Abou El-Amaim.

Cairo (AFP) May 8, 2025-Paramilitary drone strikes targeting Sudan's wartime capital have sought to shatter the regular army's sense of security and open a dangerous new chapter in the war, experts say.Since April 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group has been at war with the army, which has lately recaptured some territory and dislodged the paramilitaries from the capital Khartoum.The latter appeared to have the upper hand before Sunday, when drone strikes began blasting key infrastructure in Port Sudan, seat of the army-backed government on the Red Sea coast.With daily strikes on the city since then, the RSF has sought to demonstrate its strength, discredit the army, disrupt its supply lines and project an air of legitimacy, experts believe.According to Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair, "this is intended to undermine the army's ability to provide safety and security in areas they control", allowing the RSF to expand the war "without physically being there".For two years, the paramilitaries relied mainly on lightning ground offensives, overwhelming army defences in brutal campaigns of conquest.But after losing nearly all of Khartoum in March, the RSF has increasingly turned to long-range air power.Using weapons the army says were supplied by the United Arab Emirates, it has hit strategic sites hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from their holdout positions on the capital's outskirts.Michael Jones, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, says the RSF's pivot is a matter of both "strategic adaptation" and "if not desperation, then necessity".- Strategic setback -"The loss of Khartoum was both a strategic and symbolic setback," he told AFP.In response, the RSF needed to broadcast a "message that the war isn't over", according to Sudanese analyst Hamid Khalafallah.The conflict between Sudan's de facto leader, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has split Africa's third-largest country in two.The army holds the centre, north and east, while the RSF controls nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur and, with its allies, parts of the south."It's unlikely that the RSF can retake Khartoum or reach Port Sudan by land, but drones enable them to create a sense of fear and destabilise cities" formerly considered safe, Khalafallah told AFP.With drones and light munitions, it can "reach areas it hasn't previously infiltrated successfully", Jones said.According to a retired Sudanese general, the RSF has been known to use two types of drone -- makeshift lightweight models with 120mm mortar rounds that explode on impact, and long-range drones capable of delivering guided missiles, including the Chinese-manufactured CH95.On Thursday, rights group Amnesty International published a report that said "Chinese GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers" used by the RSF in Khartoum and Darfur were provided by the UAE.- Sparing fighters -The Sudanese government severed diplomatic ties with the Gulf state on Tuesday, accusing it of supplying the advanced weapons systems the RSF has used to attack Port Sudan.Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied arming the RSF, despite reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organisations.According to Mohaned Elnour, nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, the RSF's "main objective is to divert the army's attention" and position itself as a potential government, which it has said it will form."It's much easier for them to attack quickly and withdraw, rather than defend territory," Elnour said.Crossing Sudan's vast landmass -- some 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from RSF bases in Darfur to Port Sudan -- requires long-range drones such as the Chinese-made Wing Loong II, deployed by the UAE, or the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 used by the army, according to Amnesty.Both sides in Sudan are in a race to "destroy each other's drone capacity", Khair said.Two years into the devastating war, the RSF has another incentive to rely on drones, she said."It allows them to spare their troops" after reports that RSF recruitment has dipped since the war began."Initial recruitment was high based on the opportunity to loot, and there's very little left to loot now," she said.Both sides have been accused of war crimes including targeting civilians, but the RSF is specifically accused of rampant looting, ethnic cleansing and systematic sexual violence.

Trump announces 'full and immediate' India-Pakistan ceasefire.

Washington, May 10 (AFP) May 10, 2025-US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks between the nuclear-armed rivals."After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE," Trump said on Truth Social, praising the two countries for "using Common Sense and Great Intelligence."US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement follows extensive negotiations by him and Vice President J.D. Vance with Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials."I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site," Rubio said on X."We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace," he added.The announcement comes after Pakistan launched counterattacks against India Saturday after three of its air bases were struck overnight and the conflict between the arch-foes escalated to dangerous levels.Pakistan's foreign minister also confirmed the ceasefire. There was no immediate comment from India.

India tells X to block over 8,000 accounts-By Anuj CHOPRA.

Washington (AFP) May 8, 2025-India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said Thursday, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed "censorship."The move appears to be part of India's sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations amid heightened tensions and deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.The order, which X said includes demands to block international news organizations and other prominent users, comes a day after Meta banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at New Delhi's request."X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company's local employees," the site's global government affairs team said in a statement.It added that in most cases, the government had not specified which posts from the accounts violated Indian laws, and in many others, it provided no evidence or justification for the blocks.The Elon Musk-owned platform said it disagreed with the demands but it had begun the process to withhold the specified accounts in India."Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech," the statement said."This is not an easy decision, however keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians' ability to access information."The move comes amid fierce fighting between India and Pakistan, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.Pakistan rejects the charge.At least 48 people have been killed on both sides of the border in escalating violence since India launched air strikes on Wednesday that it said targeted "terrorist camps."Both countries accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.X said it could not make the Indian executive orders public due to legal restrictions, but it encouraged the impacted users to seek "appropriate relief from the courts."It did not name the affected users, but in recent days the Indian media has reported that the country has blocked the X accounts of Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan's former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "provocative" content, including Pakistani news outlets.Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers -- including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the ongoing fighting.

University of Rochester and RIT Launch Experimental Quantum Communications Network-by Clarence Oxford.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 07, 2025-Researchers at the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have successfully established an experimental quantum communications network, connecting their campuses using two optical fibers. The newly developed Rochester Quantum Network (RoQNET) spans approximately 11 miles and transmits information through single photons at room temperature along fiber-optic lines. This groundbreaking work is detailed in a recent paper published in Optica Quantum.Quantum communication relies on quantum bits, or qubits, which can be formed from atoms, superconductors, and defects in materials like diamond. However, photons - individual particles of light - are considered the most suitable qubit type for long-distance communication due to their ability to travel vast distances along existing fiber-optic telecommunications lines. This characteristic makes photons particularly promising for practical quantum networks.The RoQNET project aims to create secure communication networks that are resilient to interception, leveraging integrated quantum photonic chips for quantum light generation and solid-state quantum memory nodes. This approach differentiates RoQNET from other experimental quantum networks, which often rely on more cumbersome and costly superconducting-nanowire-single-photon-detectors (SNSPDs)."This is an exciting step toward creating quantum networks that will protect communications and enable new approaches to distributed computing and imaging," said Nickolas Vamivakas, the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics, who led the University of Rochester's efforts. "While other groups have developed experimental quantum networks, RoQNET is unique in its use of integrated quantum photonic chips for quantum light generation and solid-state based quantum memory nodes."The collaborative effort between the University of Rochester and RIT combines expertise in optics, quantum information, and photonics, aiming to simplify the integration of quantum networks into existing telecommunications infrastructure. Future plans include expanding RoQNET to connect with other research facilities across New York State, including Brookhaven National Lab, Stony Brook University, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and New York University."Photons move at the speed of light and their wide range of wavelengths enable communication with different types of qubits," added Stefan Preble, professor in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering at RIT. "Our focus is on distributed quantum entanglement, and RoQNET is a test bed for doing that."

U.S. to begin immediately removing 1,000 transgender service members from military by Darryl Coote.

Washington DC (UPI) May 9, 2025-The Pentagon will begin immediately removing 1,000 transgender service members from the military, according to a memo issued Thursday, after the Supreme Court earlier this week ruled in favor of the Trump administration's ban on transgender soldiers.The memo states that service members who suffer from gender dysphoria or have a history with the condition may choose to separate from the military voluntarily. Service members who have yet to self-identify for voluntary separation may do so until June 6, and until July 7 for active component service members.Following the closure of the self-identification window, the military will begin to to involuntary separate transgender military personnel."This is the president's agenda, this is what the American people voted for, and we're going to relentlessly pursue it," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a video statement on the directive.The approximately 1,000 service members slated for immediate removal have previously self-identified as having been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.There are reportedly 4,240 people in the military who have a gender dysphoria diagnosis. Previous studies had estimated about 14,707 transgender Americans serving in uniform. There are roughly 2.1 million troops.During his first week in office, Trump -- who ran an anti-transgender campaign -- signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to ban transgender service members by claiming that Americans with gender dysphoria serving in the military is inconsistent with the U.S. policy to "establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity and integrity."Limited exceptions exist for transgender service members to remain in the military where there is a "compelling government interest."Transgender service members challenged the policy in court, with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruling 6-3 in favor of the Trump administration's authority to enforce the ban. No reason was given.After the high court's order was made public, Hegseth celebrated on social media."No More Trans @ DoD," he said in a post to X.

Biometrics has been drafted into the battle between AI fraud and AI defenses-May 10, 2025, 11:09 am EDT    | Chris Burt

Biometrics implementations for public services are expanding in countries around the world, even as AI-enabled fraud and deepfakes threaten online trust. Businesses and governments are grappling with a rash of fraud enabled, supercharged and scaled by AI, from biometric spoof attacks and scaled fake IDs to phishing bots. The treatment for this global pandemic, by consensus amongst the professionals, is more AI, as part or parts in a layered defense.Fake people and real webinars-The layers must include injection attack detection to spot the delivery of deepfakes created with GenAI. Mitek Director of Market Strategy and Intelligence Carmel Maher explained the approach and provided some examples of how AI is used in payment fraud in a recent webinar hosted by Biometric Update.Fortunately, AI can also detect both content generated by AI and content delivered by AI to commit fraud, as AuthenticID and Darwinium will explain in the next Biometric Update webinar.And the stakes are high. Sift CMO Armen Najarian argues in a Biometric Update guest post that declined transactions based on false positives are the hidden cost of AI-enabled fraud, and offers some advice for the capabilities that organizations need.The layers and capabilities needed also go beyond AI, to measures including a fine balance of regulation, as discussed in a webinar conversation between AuthenticID, Keyless and DuckDuckGoose executives. The debate, hosted by Peak IDV and the Prism Project, also raised questions like whether it even makes sense to continue conducting job interviews online.Fake and real, for good and bad-AI agents further complicate the situation. With AI agents expected to grow to a $52.6 billion market by 2030, tools like those from ZeroBiometrics, Frontegg and Anetac for telling humans from non-humans and good bots from bad ones will be in high demand.World’s attempt to scale its own answer to the problem of differentiating non-human identities hit another barrier this week with Kenya’s High Court demanding the company delete all biometric data collected from Kenyans under a regulator’s watch.Canadian, Dutch and Danish media outlets appear to be responsible for the shutdown of the world’s largest non-consensual deepfake pornography site, Mr. Deepfakes. As usual, those least concerned about other people’s privacy are highly protective of their own.Meanwhile, another notorious use of AI, the pervasive surveillance of Xinjiang’s Uyghurs with tech from Huawei, Hikvision and Dahua has landed them in a French court.Digital public services now, REAL ID eventually-Gov.uk is switching from SMS-based verification to passkeys as the UK government attempts to get its digital public services house in order. Similarly, governments in Nigeria, Ghana and Somalia each unveiled improvements to their digital ID systems. All three will be discussed at ID4Africa’s 2025 AGM May 20 to 23, along with the recent advances in digital transformation for public services by host Ethiopia. Biometric Update will cover the event from on location in Addis Ababa.The U.S. government’s new approach to online trust involves deregulation and less funding for deepfake research, and comments on its AI Action Plan, including from iProov and Pindrop, reflect concerns with this direction. If whatever regulatory measures are in place are enforced like this week’s spoof deadline for REAL ID, other means of protection only take on greater importance.The USPTO is turning to the private sector, ID.me specifically, to secure its Patent Center platform.Please tell us about any podcasts, webinars or other content we should share with the people in biometrics and the digital identity community either in the comments below or through social media.

Nigeria unveils platform to streamline national ID authentication, verification-May 7, 2025, 9:23 am EDT    | Ayang Macdonald

A new secure platform for the verification and authentication of Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) has been unveiled.In a statement, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) said the launch of the NIN Authentication app (NINAuth) had been approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in furtherance of his vision to enhance the national digital ID management infrastructure of the country. It added that the move also underscores the NIMC’s efforts in offering Nigerians a more pleasant digital ID management experience.Following the approval of the app launch, the ID authority said the president also directed its use for access to several public sector services from government entities.The statement, issued on May 6 and signed by the NIMC’s head of corporate communications, Dr Kayode Adegoke, describes the platform as “a cutting-edge suite of services that include web, API and mobile verification designed to enhance data security, protect privacy, and simplify access to government services.”The application can be downloaded from Google Play and App Store.With it, Nigerians and other users of the NIN will be able to undergo verification or authentication for services such as immigration applications and passport processing, application for driver’s licenses and other regulatory processes, SIM card registration, the filing of taxes and other financial transactions, as well as for government social protection programs across ministries, departments and agencies, among others.“The NIMC NINAuth application is the official service for integration with the Commission’s backend infrastructure. It Introduces a robust layer of protection, empowering individuals with greater control over their personal information,” the NIMC said.“By requiring explicit consent before data is shared for Know Your Customer (KYC) processes or other verifications, the platform fosters trust, transparency, and user autonomy in digital identity management.”The new platform, the NIMC says, comes with a number of benefits which include seamless access to services, increased user control over personal data, as well as enhanced security which ensures unauthorized access to such data.The NIMC adds that the app “provides a secure, scalable, and interoperable interface for identity verification through API integration,” which is designed to facilitate real-time authentication of NIN records in a way that promotes effective service delivery, database harmonization, and compliance with the country’s national ID policy.Last month, the NIMC said it added one million digital IDs to its database in the month of March, taking the total number of NINs issued to over 118 million. The country has a target to reach 180 million digital IDs by December 31 next year.

Indonesia suspends World, Kenya says delete biometric data-May 5, 2025, 5:35 pm EDT    | Lu-Hai Liang

Indonesia has suspended World (formerly “Worldcoin”) and World ID following public complaints.The country’s Ministry of Communication and Digital has decided to pause the operation permit of World’s cryptocurrency Worldcoin and its World ID system after suspicions were raised.“The suspension is our preventative measure to mitigate its risks to the public,” said Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general for digital supervision.A probe discovered that the local operator for the World service, PT Terang Bulan Abadi, is not registered as an electronic system operator and doesn’t hold an operational permit (TDPSE) as required by law. Instead, the TDPSE for World is under the name of another company, PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara.These local operators will have to answer to the ministry as clarification is sought over the situation. Indonesian law requires that every digital service provider must be legally registered and responsible for service operations to the public.“Non-compliance to the registration requirement and abusing the identity of other legal bodies to conduct digital service operations amount to serious violations of our regulations,” Sabar said.World has attracted interest among Indonesians as the system awards tokens to new users who use its iris scanner to scan their irises. It has also raised concerns over user privacy and security. Sabar urged citizens to be cautious about unauthorized digital services and to “contribute” to keeping the country’s digital space “safe and trusted.”The company’s troubled engagements with regulators in Kenya have returned to a head, meanwhile, with the company given seven days to delete all biometric data collected from people in the country. Kenyans reports a Monday High Court ruling ordered World to delete the iris and face biometrics under the supervision of Kenya’s Data Protection Commissioner. World must also cease operations in Kenya, after Katiba Institute alleged it violated the nation’s data protection law.World has made headlines with help from co-founder Sam Altman, better known as the CEO of OpenAI, and recently announced a major push into the U.S. market. During the so-called “At Last Event” plans were unveiled to bring its spherical Orb iris scanners to Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco at standalone outlets and inside Razer retail stores. By the end of the year, the company plans to deploy 7,500 orbs.World has also been banned in Hong Kong for contravening data privacy laws, with face and iris biometric collected by World judged to be “unnecessary and excessive.” Associated company  Tools of Humanity, which is run by World co-founder Alex Blania, also ran afoul of Brazilian privacy watchdogs.The company has pushed back, with Blania and Altman claiming that World’s iris biometrics system is more privacy-preserving than existing systems. World ID is the company’s Proof of Personhood (PoP) protocol, with World ID Credentials allowing access to Worldcoins.

Oversight report fuels urgency of Congressional push for TSA biometrics reform-May 10, 2025, 10:51 am EDT    | Anthony Kimery

At a time of intensified scrutiny of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) expanding use of facial recognition technology (FRT) at U.S. airports, the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) has released a comprehensive 125-page report which commends certain safeguards while simultaneously warning of transparency failures, unclear consent practices, and the latent risks of mission creep.“Any further expansion of the scope or application of TSA’s use of FRT should come only after a determination that the benefits of such expansion outweigh the increased risks to privacy and civil liberties, as well as full public disclosure and debate,” states the PCLOB report, which paints a detailed portrait of TSA’s biometric programs PCLOB has been investigating for the last seven years.The report was prepared by PCLOB’s past and present professional staff and released in lieu of a quorum vote. In January, one of President Trump’s first actions was to fire all three Democratic members of the board, leaving the PCLOB with only one active member, Republican appointee Beth Williams. It was Williams who made the report public. It’s unclear whether top TSA or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership have accepted the PCLOB’s findings, which provide a granular account of TSA’s use of facial recognition since its experimental phase in 2017.The report comes amidst a renewed bipartisan effort in Congress to constrain TSA’s biometric surveillance practices. Senators Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, and John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, this past week announced plans to reintroduce the Traveler Privacy Protection Act, a legislative measure that would sharply restrict TSA in expanding its use of biometrics without specific Congressional authorization.At the heart of the proposed legislation is a set of principles increasingly echoed by privacy advocates, civil libertarians, and even some in the national security community: the right to anonymity in public spaces, the necessity of informed consent in surveillance technologies, and the constitutional importance of constraining executive branch powers.The bill would establish human ID checks as the default verification method at TSA checkpoints, relegating facial recognition to an opt-in alternative rather than an expectation, and would further prohibit TSA from storing or repurposing the biometric data it collects, mandating that facial scans be deleted immediately after identity verification is complete.These legislative concerns are not hypothetical. The PCLOB report affirms many of the senators’ warnings. The report reveals a biometric ecosystem that is expanding in scope but underregulated and inconsistently implemented.By early 2025, more than 2,100 CAT-2 devices with facial recognition capabilities had been deployed across over 250 federalized airports, the PCLOB report disclosed. These systems use two biometric modalities, “one-to-one” facial matching in which a live image is compared to a government-issued ID, and “one-to-many” facial recognition in which a traveler’s face is checked against a gallery of opt-in participants expected to travel that day.The one-to-many system, which compares a traveler’s photo against a gallery of enrolled participants, is viewed as more concerning by the PCLOB. While participation is voluntary and opt-in only, the architecture of this system lends itself more easily to surveillance-style applications.PCLOB warns that if not strictly confined, one-to-many systems could eventually be adapted for broader tracking or identification of individuals beyond airport security. As such, the report underscores the need for formal limits to ensure this mode does not evolve into a general-purpose surveillance tool.According to the PCLOB report, TSA claims its systems are highly accurate, citing National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) testing showing false positive rates below 0.001 percent and face capture success rates exceeding 99 percent across demographic groups. TSA argues that the systems are efficient and superior to human screeners in both speed and precision.Yet, even with these technical assurances, the report identifies substantial cause for concern. The report emphasizes that even with high accuracy rates, issues of demographic bias persist and must be addressed. Although performance across demographic groups has improved, false negative rates can still lead to disproportionate burdens on marginalized communities, resulting in unnecessary scrutiny or delays, the report points out.PCLOB concluded that, “because TSA does not have metrics on the number of impostors detected nor estimates of the number of impostors who are currently undetected, we are unable to evaluate the absolute contribution of the [FRT] system to security or the cumulative effect of the entire passenger screening and authentication function.”PCLOB also criticized TSA’s lack of a comprehensive Privacy Impact Assessment, a significant omission that undermines public understanding and accountability. “As of the publication of this report, TSA has yet to publish a single, comprehensive Privacy Impact Assessment for its use of facial recognition,” PCLOB said, adding that “there has been a lack of clear communication about the nature and maturity of plans for deployment of FRT.”Moreover, while TSA policy nominally allows travelers to opt out of facial recognition, the report finds that signage and Transportation Security Officer (TSO) instructions often fail to clearly communicate that choice, and that travelers may feel pressure to comply.The PCLOB highlighted what it said is a troubling pattern of ambiguous language and inconsistent implementation across airport checkpoints. TSA’s use of terms like “pilot,” “proof of concept,” and “operational deployment” has, according to the PCLOB, often obscured the true extent and permanence of its biometric rollout. The result is a public that is frequently unaware of how and where their biometric data is being collected and used.TSA’s signage and TSO instructions have often failed to clearly communicate that participation in facial recognition is voluntary. “There are undeniable difficulties in establishing a program that is frequently evolving, including logistical challenges related to screening lanes and auditing performance, but travelers must be informed that they can opt out and given a meaningful opportunity to do so,” the report states.The report notes that even a sitting senator – Jeff Merkley himself – was misinformed by a TSA agent who claimed opting out would cause delays. If such confusion can reach a lawmaker, the report suggests, it is likely to affect ordinary travelers at a much higher rate.PCLOB’s findings are further reinforced by concerns about how data is stored and shared. While the report praises TSA for deleting live images within 24 hours and avoiding integration with law enforcement databases, it also notes the potential vulnerabilities inherent in expanding biometric infrastructure.“The more information gathered, the more places it is stored, and the longer it is retained, the higher the chance that the information could be accessed by malicious actors or misused beyond its intended purpose,” the report warns. To mitigate these risks, PCLOB recommends a range of reforms, from restricting data retention to mandating independent audits and establishing clear mechanisms for handling complaints.One particularly sensitive area is the demographic performance of the facial recognition algorithms. Although recent evaluations show significantly improved accuracy across age, gender, and racial lines, earlier studies – especially those prior to the adoption of newer algorithms – revealed disproportionate error rates for people of color, older adults, and women.PCLOB urges DHS to develop mandatory standards that minimize demographic disparities and ensure fairness across populations, especially in high-stakes environments like airport security where a misidentification could lead to public embarrassment, missed flights, or worse.PCLOB also criticizes TSA and DHS for lacking clear procedures to collect and respond to traveler complaints related to facial recognition. Without a formal mechanism to register concerns, travelers have limited recourse if they feel their rights have been violated. Additionally, the report stresses the importance of independent audits and public reporting to ensure compliance with privacy rules and to detect any systemic failures.Yet, for all its findings, the report stops short of calling for a suspension of TSA’s further deployment of biometrics. Instead, it offers a cautiously pragmatic framework for improvement. The underlying assumption appears to be that facial recognition at TSA checkpoints is here to stay, but that it must be made accountable, transparent, and truly voluntary. That assumption, however, is precisely what Merkley and Kennedy’s legislation challenges.In that light, their bill and the PCLOB report operate in complementary, if occasionally divergent, spheres. The former attempts to codify legal limits on biometric surveillance before the expansion becomes irreversible. The latter diagnoses the current system’s structural flaws and offers administrative remedies that might, if faithfully implemented, protect civil liberties within existing frameworks. Together, they offer a roadmap – one political, the other technocratic – for how the U.S. might govern its biometric future.What remains unclear is whether there is sufficient political will to move from recommendations to binding restrictions. Legislative action faces an uphill climb in a divided Congress where surveillance powers are often justified in the name of security, and where technology firms and government contractors have vested interests in the continued proliferation of biometric systems.That leaves the future of facial recognition governance in a precarious position. As PCLOB warns, the risks of function creep, opacity, and inconsistent implementation are not theoretical, they are already underway. If TSA’s current trajectory continues unchecked, the agency is poised to complete its biometric rollout to all 400-plus U.S. airports by 2049. And if voluntary participation continues to be undermined by unclear signage and misinformed agents, then “opt-in” could become a legal fiction rather than a meaningful right.Merkley and Kennedy are not content to wait for those predictions to be fulfilled. Their proposed legislation, bolstered by the PCLOB’s empirical findings, seeks to place a democratic perimeter around a rapidly expanding surveillance system. Whether Congress acts, or whether biometric normalization proceeds by bureaucratic inertia, it well define the next chapter in the debate over privacy, technology, and the limits of state power.

Chad issues biometric IDs to thousands of refugees with Idemia tech, UNHCR’s help-May 9, 2025, 4:16 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Refugees in Chad can now apply for a legal identity to bring them an important step closer to social and economic inclusion.Chad’s government, the country’s National Commission for the Reception and Reintegration of Refugees (CNARR) and National Agency for Secure Documents (ANATS), the UNHCR and the World Bank are all partners in the ID document-issuance project.CNARR and UNHCR have each issued ID documents to refugees in Chad in the past, but the UN refugee agency points out in a blog post that these credentials were sometimes not recognized as legitimate by local authorities, financial institutions or service providers. Without that recognition, refugees could find themselves unable to receive healthcare, open a bank account, or register a phone number.In response, a World Bank-funded pilot project was launched to register refugees with the Integrated Population and Secure Documents Management System (SIGPTS).A 2023 Digital Economy Diagnostic on Chad from the World Bank shows Idemia provided the technology behind the SIGPTS, which was used to enroll Chadians to the National Biometric Population Register and issue National Identification Numbers (NNIs).The system launched in 2020 with the capability to deduplicate the biometrics against a database of 15 million people within 10 seconds, ChadInfos reported at the time, and also enabled the biometric registration of visitors to the country.Now, the same system is being used to issue National Refugee Identification Numbers (NNIRs). Refugees receive the unique identifier after undergoing biometric verification. Having an NNIR improves access to basic services, while protecting service providers against fraud, according to the blog post.UNHCR Chab Project Lead Mohamed Doumbia says refugees see the practical benefits of the IDs and are receiving the project with enthusiasm.The pilot launched in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, where more than 4,000 refugees had received IDs as of May 1. The plan is to reach 7,000 IDs issued in the area during the pilot phase.Chad is facing influxes of refugees from Sudan, Central African Republic and Nigeria, and UNHCR hopes that over the upcoming expanded phases of the pilot it will be able to issue 25,000 IDs in total. Eventually, the project participants hope to issue ID documents to all refugees ages ten and above, in line with Chadian law.

Moldova launches digital ID card, takes another step to align with eIDAS-May 9, 2025, 4:15 pm EDT    | Masha Borak

Moldova has reached several milestones towards complying with European Union regulations on electronic identification over the past months.On April 14th, the Eastern European country officially launched its new digital identity card (eID). The government has described it as a significant step towards modernizing public services.“The Republic of Moldova has not updated its identity card for more than 11 years,” says Mircea Eșanu, director of the Public Services Agency (ASP), adding that the first million IDs will be issued free of charge.The new ID contains 30 security elements. It allows citizens to update their personal data, including their residence, and will contribute to the quality of national registries, including voter registries, the government announced.The digital ID document will also enable a wider adoption of electronic signatures and allow citizens to access public services, including the electronic nomination system for candidates provided by the Central Electoral Commission. The State Automated Information System, alongside the State Register of Voters, is currently being optimized as one core module.One of Moldova’s greatest challenges is offering the eID card and digital public services to its large diaspora. The government has announced plans to distribute approximately 40 biometric capture devices to embassies and consular posts to ease the issuing of ID cards and passports.The country has been working with partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the project. The UN agency has equipped the Public Services Agency (ASP) mobile teams with seven biometric registration kits for issuing IDs.Govt releases new figures on digital ID app EVO-UNPD has also supported Moldova’s digital identity app EVO, launched last year to ease access to digital public services. In April, the government released fresh data on the app’s usage.Over 300 of the 648 services are currently available through the EVO Public Services module. Over the last two years, citizens have applied for 99 million electronic signatures through the MSign feature and authenticated over 31 million times through the MPass system. As of 2024, over 60,000 citizens have electronic versions of their documents directly on their phones in the EVO app.Moldova continues alignment with eIDAS-Moldova has also been working to align its digital ID regulations with the EU’s Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet.On April 1st, the government announced it had reached an important step in this goal by incorporating eIDAS Regulation principles in its national Law on Electronic Identification and Trust Services, known as Law 124.The Eastern European country has been updating its legislative framework for identity with the help of EU4Digital, an initiative aiming to boost the European digital economy by bringing Eastern partner states to a single digital market. Aside from Moldova, the organization is working with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine on building a mutually recognized electronic identity (eID) and trust services through its Eastern Partnership (EaP).EU4Digital presented its initial recommendations in September 2024. After the amendments to the 124 Law are completed, EU4Digital will pass on the draft for internal national consultation procedures. The final phase will include technical assistance.To complete its alignment of its digital identity ecosystem with the EUDI Wallet, Moldova has enlisted the help of Estonian software company Cybernetica.The country has also announced participation in the second round of large-scale pilots for the EUDI Wallet. The e-Governance Agency of Moldova (AGE) will be developing secure Business-to-Government solutions that can be integrated into digital wallets with public services across the EU.

Laos readies national digital ID card rollout-May 9, 2025, 3:10 pm EDT    | Lu-Hai Liang

Laos is ready to take its nationwide digital ID card system to the next stage.The Southeast Asian country’s Department of Mass Media announced that it is moving forward with the initiative via its official Facebook page, reportes The Laotian Times. An exact timeline has not been disclosed.“In the digital age modern technology is rapidly evolving, the livelihoods of people around the world are undergoing a new transformation to meet the guidelines of digital government, digital economy and digital society,” the Facebook post says, calling the modernizing step part of the government’s strategic direction.A centralized database will be established along with infrastructure to manage citizens’ personal data securely with the aim of creating a robust digital identity system. The project is part of a broader governmental push to modernize public services and build DPI with a speech in January setting out priorities such as deploying high-speed internet and digital government systems.Laos is getting a helping hand from other countries in its efforts. Japan-based companies NEC, Ryobi System and J&C are all involved in building Laos’ digital identity system, which is being managed by the Digital Government Center run by the Ministry of Technology and Communications of Laos, with funding from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.Vietnamese and Laotian government officials have expressed a collaborative spirit in developing a citizenship database and identity card as the neighboring countries signed an MoU last summer on the implementation of such a project. This was an “important event with great significance for Lao-Vietnam relations” and Laos president Thongloun Sisoulith and then-president of Vietnam To Lam were present during the official launch of the digital ID project in July 2024, which was held in conjunction with Laos’ ASEAN chairmanship.Vietnamese officials and experts have provided strategic advice to their Lao counterparts on the building of the ID management system with the diplomatic wording suggesting a tightening alliance between the two neighbors.Regula was chosen for ID document verification technology at Wattay International Airport, with the Regula 4306 Comparator deployed under a partnership between the Laotian government, IOM and the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

MOSIP team in Sri Lanka to run tests on digital ID platform-May 9, 2025, 3:12 pm EDT    | Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera

A team from MOSIP (Modular Open-Source Identity Platform) has travelled from India to Sri Lanka to test the minimum viable product on the digital ID management platform, a top source says.“We wanted to make sure that the environment, along with the other conditions, is right to launch the MOSIP. The minimum viable product testing was extensive, and the high security biometrics for the digital ID will also go through testing,” an Information Communication Technology Agency Sri Lanka official said. MOSIP offers countries modular and open-source technology to build and own their national identity systems.The official also notes that since the MOSIP platform is designed to be a foundational identity system, the testing done focused on the core elements needed for a basic identity management platform. He also said the testing was for functionality and early validation. “The testing included features needed for the identity system to function, such as registration, verification and authentication,” he said. The testing was not to provide a complete solution, validate expectations and get insights about user needs and preferences, he says, but rather as the first step in a constant process of development and improvement.Sri Lanka’s Digital Economic Ministry is prioritizing cloud, digital ID, and bus and train tickets as high-priority projects. The ministry will analyze gaps in the current system and implement the MOSIP grant from India to revamp the digital ID system, the official added further.He said the ICTA has taken learnings from countries which have implemented MOSIP. The agency has still not finalized the rollout plan for MOSIP, the official says, as it is important for the government at large to be confident about the platform before beginning consultations with relevant authorities on the rollout.The government is also about to begin taking bids for a MOSIP system integrator.

Proof of personhood protocols jockey to establish networks of ‘verified humans’AI bot invasion of Reddit prompts site to seek third party PoP services-May 9, 2025, 2:19 pm EDT    | Joel R. McConvey

Fake people are everywhere. Deepfake identities are applying for jobs, waging political campaigns, seeking romantic partners, slinging opinions online and, as of this week, testifying in court from beyond the grave.Witness a recent incident on social forum Reddit, which saw a team of researchers release what TechCrunch describes as “a swarm of AI-powered, human-impersonating bots” on the “Change My View” subreddit. The team said they wanted to see how persuasive AI could be. The bots posted over 1,700 comments, adopting identities that displayed racist traits.The sudden influx of so-called AI slop put Reddit into panic mode. This week, a post from the company CEO proclaimed that “Reddit works because it’s human” and announced that the site is exploring working with third party services that “verify humanity” –  the burgeoning market of providers offering proof of personhood (PoP) protocols, i.e. the digital assurance that one is not a bot.In the dialectics of what we think of as “tech,” a problem created with code requires a response created with code. As fake people proliferate online and our longstanding definitions of “real” feel the tremors caused by generative AI, the quest to assure others that there is flesh and blood behind a username is about to hit the mainstream. And it could change not just how we interact online, but how we come to see ourselves in relation to the machines we have developed.World U.S. launch comes with ambitions and baggage-Recently, in an Arizona courtroom, a deepfake recreation of a deceased man read his victim statement to the person who shot him dead in a road rage incident. About a week later in California, right around when the story his the news cycle, World – the proof of personhood company co-founded by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a key contributor to ChatGPT – held a livestream to announce its arrival in the U.S., bearing rectangular Orbs and fresh ambitions for a “global network of verified humans.”World wants to scan the iris biometrics of anyone who’s interested, to register them in the World Network as proven humans. Its messianic branding matches its evangelical message: we can protect you from a world overrun by AI (which we may or may not have facilitated in the first place).Yet the project also comes to the U.S. dragging behind it, like tin cans on strings, a chorus of global regulatory objections to its iris scanning practices. Thus far (as World is keen to point out) it has only been fully banned in one country: Hong Kong. However, the remaining objections are hardly trifling. Countries as far and wide as Germany, Kenya, Brazil and Indonesia have thrown shade of various depths at the company; the latter is the latest to suspend its biometrics operations, following public complaints. The likelihood of its U.S. operations going unchallenged in court seems low.Regardless, it is the giant in the roomful of PoP vendors. It has Altman’s heft and reach, a tech and PR partner in the somewhat mysterious Tools for Humanity, a developing platform that already includes cryptocurrency, a wallet, apps and messaging – and a head start on most of its competitors in the space. Google “proof of personhood,” and the AI overview tells you proof of personhood is “also known as Proof of Human” – World’s inane, semantically void sobriquet for PoP.This week saw PoP startup Humanity Protocol enter its Testnet Beta, paving the way for it to roll out its own biometric element: palm scanning. It has plans that match the size and scale of World’s. Other firms warming up on the sidelines include Civic Technologies, HumanCode, IDNTTY, the Holonym Foundation and Privado. The latter recently launched Billions, a non-biometric, decentralized PoP initiative which it calls “the first global human and AI network.”“Billions revolutionizes verification by moving away from invasive biometric scans,” says a release. “Instead, users verify their identity just with their passport and phone.”And yet a quote from co-founder Evin McMullen places Billions and its mission firmly within the emerging general model for PoP: “The fundamental mission of Billions.Network is to enable users to prove their humanity, access a plethora of benefits, and provide legal, safe proof-of-uniqueness anytime, anywhere, and for everyone.”Everyone verified everywhere all the time-Common ideas underpinning PoP tech are that it is fully anonymous in allowing people to prove their humanness, that it gives users control of their data, and that absolutely everyone should do it. The first is rooted in blockchain technology and cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), the second in data sovereignty.The third – that PoP is necessary for everyone, as soon as possible – is taken as a given, because PoP protocols’ capacity to scale collapses without it. What should concern regulators, digital trust advocates and others in the biometrics space is that it might become true – not because the world is destined to see AI integrated into every aspect of our lives, but because those who develop it have convinced us it is so.Or, it may be true already. Reddit has lived and died on anonymity, having historically required almost no personal information for users to create an account. That it is concerned enough about AI bots to modify its requirements is a troubling sign that the deepfake barbarians may already have breached the gate.

EUDI Wallet issuance is transformative opportunity for banks: Mobey Forum-May 9, 2025, 1:56 pm EDT    | Masha Borak

The financial industry is currently preparing for the introduction of the European Union Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet. While the digital ID will bring benefits, such as lower operational costs for onboarding and authentication, building a “traditional business case” will pose a challenge for organizations, according to a new report on banks and digital identity from Mobey Forum.The Helsinki-headquartered financial industry association encourages banks to define their strategies before the 2026 deadline for compliance under the eIDAS 2.0 regulation.According to the new rules, banks will be required to integrate with the EUDI Wallet, allowing customers to use it for identity verification and authentication while accessing their accounts and conducting transactions. Financial institutions must also accept and process digital IDs and trust services from any EU Member State.“By embracing EUDIW, banks can elevate customer experiences, optimize operations, and solidify their role as trusted digital intermediaries in an evolving financial landscape,” says Roland Eichenauer, vice president of Business Development at identity solutions company IN Groupe.The Mobey Forum report lays out two market scenarios for banks. In less mature markets, such as parts of Southern and Eastern Europe, banks have a significant opportunity to drive digital ID adoption. In more mature markets with strong digital ID ecosystems, including the Nordics and Estonia, banks can embed themselves more deeply into customers’ digital lives by adopting digital wallets and verifiable credentials.The report also argues that banks can take on three roles within the EUDI Wallet framework: Wallet Issuer, Credential Issuer and Relying Party.“Acting as a Wallet Issuer is the most transformative yet high-investment option, enabling banks to integrate deeply into customers’ digital lives,” says the paper. However, this role is only available to certified entities and permitted by national authorities.”In addition to these formal roles, the report proposes a fourth role of Access Provider, which means that banks integrate EUDI Wallet functionality into their existing apps without directly issuing or consuming credentials.The report, titled “Mapping the Business Case: Banks and the European Digital Identity Wallet,” presents several case studies, including Spanish mobile payment platform Bizum, the ID Austria platform and the Findynet Cooperative, a Finnish public-private organization developing a verifiable data network.The document was authored by the Mobey Forum’s Digital Identity Expert Group, including representatives from IN Groupe, BankID, Tietoevry, Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), Erste Bank, HSBC, Bank of Ireland, PostFinance and others.

G20 TechSprint seeks digital identity solutions to address trust in finance-$90,000 up for grabs-May 9, 2025, 12:35 pm EDT    | Lu-Hai Liang

The sixth edition of the G20 TechSprint challenge is inviting solutions to address trust and integrity in scalable and open finance.The global competition is calling for developments and innovations in verifiable digital identity, consumer-consented credit data portability, fraud and cyber risk mitigation. Solutions must be scalable, adaptable, and inclusive, without being undermined by security concerns.This latest edition of the G20 TechSprint was launched by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The international competition is open to developers worldwide with winners to be chosen in November by an independent judging panel.“Our collective challenge is clear: to develop scalable, adaptable, and inclusive solutions that reinforce trust and integrity across borders,” said Agustín Carstens, general manager of the BIS.Previous editions have focused on green and sustainable finance, cross-border payments, central bank digital currencies, among others. This year’s TechSprint concentrates on three problem statements formulated by the BIS Innovation Hub and SARB.These are: “Digital identity solutions: establish trust among financial institutions through innovative, verifiable and privacy-preserving digital identity technologies”.“Credit data portability: improve the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises to access finance through secure, consumer-consented data exchange solutions that facilitate seamless cross-border sharing of credit information;” and, “Solutions to mitigate fraud and cyber risks: drive the wider adoption of fast payment systems globally – and consequently promote financial inclusion and economic growth – through technology designed to reduce fraud and cyber risks.”The winners for each category will receive an award of $30,000, which means there is a total of $90,000 up for grabs, while all shortlisted projects receive a stipend of $5,000. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 20. To participate, entrants will need to register here. Participation is free.“We are looking forward to solutions that will bring more people into the digital economy and enable cross-border trade,” said Lesetja Kganyago, governor of SARB.

DNA used to recreate 3D face images in groundbreaking new investigative technique-May 9, 2025, 12:26 pm EDT    | Lu-Hai Liang

A new technique could use a person’s DNA to reconstruct a 3D model of their face.Researchers have devised a computational tool, called Difface, that uses the differences between single letters of the genetic alphabet (SNPs) to create so-called “3D facial point clouds.” These are sets of data points that represent the exterior of a face.The results are published in the journal Advanced Science and the new technique could potentially be used for crime solving as it essentially allows for the recreation of an unseen suspect’s face image through DNA.The researchers tested the technique on a Chinese database that held single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and showed that Difface could create an accurate facial reconstruction using DNA data. When information such as age, sex, and body mass index was added to the mix Difface improved the accuracy of the 3D images.“Amazingly, Difface could generate 3D facial images of individuals solely from their DNA data, projecting their appearance at various future ages,” said Luonan Chen, an author of the paper and a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.While the researchers claim Difface shows “excellent performance” in DNA to 3D image reconstruction, the method is not yet complete. “Validating Difface with datasets from multiple ethnic groups and exploring whether additional genetic loci are necessary for certain facial features will be key steps to ensuring that the model generalizes effectively across diverse populations,” according to the paper.In other words, it might not work as well with people from different ethnicities. The biggest issue using the technique however is ethical as the paper observes. “By enabling the prediction of physical traits from genetic information, DNA phenotyping intensifies concerns about the misuse of sensitive personal data, which could lead to genetic-based discrimination and privacy infringements,” the paper claims.Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) has emerged as a groundbreaking tool in criminal investigations, generating leads in cases where traditional methods have stalled. But the application of FDP raises many concerns, critics say. While FDP has made strides in predicting traits like eye and hair color with reasonable accuracy, predicting facial morphology is shakier ground and risks wrongful suspicion of individuals and groups of people.In 2022, Canada’s Edmonton Police Service asked the public to help identify a suspect from a computer-generated image based on DNA phenotyping, but quickly walked back the request. The suspect was sought for an unsolved sexual assault in 2019 in the Canadian city. The image was generated by Parabon NanoLabs, which has received criticism related to lack of transparency over its methods.

Biometrics providers respond to evolving market: Precise, IDNow, Hypr-May 9, 2025, 12:19 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Precise Biometrics is rebranding multiple business areas to align them under the Precise name throughout 2025 in what the company describes as a soft launch for cost efficiency.The YOUNiQ line of biometric access control solutions for commercial buildings will be known as Precise Access. The EastCoast visitor management portfolio is being rebranded as Precise Visit by EastCoast, which allows the company to capitalize on 25 years of building the Precise brand, while retaining the EastCoast name which has strong market recognition in Sweden, according to the announcement.Further complicating the legacy branding structure, EastCoast is also known as YOUNiQ in some markets.Precise acquired EastCoast Solutions in 2021 for SEK 80 million (roughly $8.3 million at today’s exchange rate).“Precise is a well-known brand for our biometric solutions, and in Sweden also for our broader offering and position as a public company,” comments Precise Biometrics CEO Joakim Nydemark in the company announcement. “The decision to streamline our brand architecture is rooted in simplicity and clarity. Operating under a single brand makes it easier to communicate a compelling and consistent offering to our customers, partners, and the investor community. It removes internal complexity and strengthens our identity in a competitive global market.”IDnow future-proofing-IDnow is repositioning itself as a company that goes beyond traditional identity verification to building a future-proof digital identity ecosystem.At this point, trust is not just a part of user onboarding, but a matter of real-time monitoring to prevent fraud at each touchpoint. CEO Andreas Bodczek says IDnow is “creating an ecosystem where trust is embedded into every interaction, enabling businesses to gain a sustainable, competitive advantage in the global digital economy.”The company notes that the digital identity landscape is increasingly complex and still changing, with AMLR and eIDAS 2.0 coming soon. IDnow says its new strategic direction makes it a one-stop shop to handle the evolving set of demands.Hypr expands to Serbia-Hypr is opening a European Center of Excellence in Belgrade, Serbia as the New York-headquartered company expands its global passwordless authentication and identity verification customer base.FIDO passkeys and hardware security keys are on track to take over as the dominant method of user authentication by 2027, according to Hypr’s “The State of Passwordless Identity Assurance 2025,” and its worldwide customer base is already expanding rapidly.The second physical office for Hypr will enable it to tap into the deep regional pool of technical talent, the company says. Hypr is also hiring in the U.S. and internationally.Douglas McLaughlin has been promoted to SVP of worldwide sales, in another move to help scale Hypr’s global sales operation.

Somalia unveils DPI tools for biometric verification, ID issuance and service access-May 8, 2025, 6:42 pm EDT    | Chris Burt

Three foundational digital public infrastructure systems have been introduced by Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and federal government to operationalize the country’s biometric and digital ID systems.The three pillars of DPI unveiled are the HUBIYE identity verification platform, the CDS (Certificate Delivery System) and the eAqoonsi app, which provides a mobile device-based digital ID for access to online and offline services.HUBIYE uses email and SMS OTPs to collect consent from individuals for their ID to be verified. The name “HUBIYE” is derived from the Somali word “hubin,” which translates roughly as “to check or verify.”NIRAs national ID records include fingerprint and face biometrics, which are used to issue a National Identification Number (NIN).A LinkedIn post by IBS Bank Head of Mobile Money Mohamed Bashir O. states that HUBIYE will eventually be used by financial institutions for biometric identity verification as part of KYC processes. Government and private sector service providers were directed by Somalia’s PM to begin integrating the national biometric ID card for customer verification and authentication in April.The digital ID provided through the eAqoonsi app is legally equivalent to the national ID card.“This launch marks a significant step in Somalia’s journey toward inclusive digital governance and modernized service delivery,” says NIRA Director General Abdiwali Ali Abdulle (Timacadde). “The systems — entirely developed by Somali engineers at NIRA — reflect strong national ownership and growing technical capacity.”The development of the infrastructure, technical and institutional capacity for NIRA to implement the DPI systems was supported by the World Bank’s $75 million Scaled-UP project. A project paper on Scaled-UP specifies that its deliverables include biometric deduplication capabilities, secure data storage and management, credential issuance, a grievance redress system and reliable authentication and ID verification for both financial service providers and social assistance programs.The DPI tools were launched Wednesday at an event in Mogadishu attended by officials from the government, central bank and the Somali Bankers Association.Second Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia H.E. Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi hailed the launch as a milestone in the country’s digital transformation, saying, “These systems will unlock secure, equitable access to services for all Somalis.”“Digital identity is not a privilege—it is a constitutional right and the foundation of trust between citizens and the state,” says Somalia Minister of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation H.E. Ali Yusuf Ali (Ali Hosh).Somalia’s government also announced a phased expansion of its digital ID registration campaign across the country and to the Somalian diaspora.

Norway, Iceland: Israel's plan to evacuate Gaza would be 'illegal forceful displacement'They also manifested concerns about Israel's plans to step up the military campaign in Gaza.By REUTERS-MAY 9, 2025 19:42

Israel's plans to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza would amount to illegal forceful displacement, would lead to more violence, and would undermine efforts to create a Palestinian state, the foreign ministers of Norway and Iceland said on Thursday.The pair are part of a group of Western European nations - which also includes Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Luxembourg - which on Wednesday condemned Israel's plans to step up its military operations in Gaza as it seeks to remove terror group Hamas.Israel's Security Cabinet this week approved a plan that may include the seizure of the entire enclave of 2.3 million people, as well as control over aid, which it has blocked from entering since March."We are alarmed and appalled by what we have heard from the Israeli security cabinet about plans to step up even stronger the military campaign in Gaza and to do what they refer to as an evacuation," Norway's Espen Barth Eide said in an interview."It will amount to forceful displacement of the Palestinian people, first from north to south, and potentially out of the country. This is clearly illegal in international law," he said, adding "it will undermine the hope for a Palestinian state ... (and be) a recipe for more bloodshed."The unconditional release of all hostages-The foreign minister of Iceland, the first Western European nation to recognize Palestine as a state in 2011, said Israel must let humanitarian aid in to help civilians."What is needed more urgently than ever is a resumption of a ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages," Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir said in the joint phone interview.The US and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary post-war administration of Gaza, Reuters reported on Wednesday, with sources citing the US administration of Iraq after the 2003 war as a possible model.Norway, which served as a facilitator in the 1992-1993 talks between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization that led to the Oslo Accords in 1993, has more recently been supporting Arab efforts for a post-war plan for Gaza.Barth Eide said Palestinian governance in Gaza was needed, not Hamas-run, but "a Palestinian governance that will be in charge of both Gaza and the West Bank.""The authority that they (the US) set up in Iraq after the Iraq war, to put it very carefully, is not universally recognized as a very good idea," he said. "That was not successful."

Britain prepares for direct Russian attack, updates war plans - report-UK defense officials, fearing a direct attack from Russia, began revising contingency plans to prepare the country for a potential wartime stance.By BEN EDIDIN-MAY 10, 2025 13:06

Britain is secretly preparing for a direct military attack amid an increased level of threat from Russia, according to a Monday report by the Telegraph.British officials have reportedly been instructed to revise 20-year-old contingency plans aimed at preparing the country for a potential wartime stance, after threats of attack from the Kremlin. Russian officials have issued repeated threats to the UK of a direct attack due to its support for Ukraine. That support may soon include British troops on the ground. Ministers are concerned that Britain could be both militarily outmatched by Russia and left exposed on the home front due to a lack of preparedness. Experts have highlighted the nation's vulnerability to attacks on key infrastructure such as gas terminals, undersea cables, nuclear power stations, and major transport networks, the report noted.UK prepares for possible attack from Russia-The updated defense plan will outline a strategy for the days following an attack on the UK mainland by a hostile foreign state.It will include scenarios in which Britain is hit by missiles, nuclear warheads, and cyber operations, the Telegraph noted.The Cabinet Office has already simulated a scenario in which a hostile state simultaneously launches missile and cyberattacks on national infrastructure. A risk assessment published in January concluded that such an attack would likely result in civilian casualties, severe economic damage, and significant disruptions to essential services.For the first time, the updated contingency plan will include provisions for cyber warfare, which intelligence chiefs have identified as one of the most serious security threats facing the UK today. State-backed hackers are capable of disrupting transport systems, triggering power outages, and temporarily disabling government departments. In October, MI5 Director Ken McCallum revealed that the number of state-related threats under investigation had risen by 48 percent over the past year, according to the Telegraph.Despite Donald Trump’s plan for a peace deal in Ukraine, Russian cyberattacks have continued in the UK. These attacks have led to British ministers officially designating Russia a national security threat for the first time.In response to growing threats from Russia, defense officials have called for Britain to develop its own version of Israel’s Iron Dome to defend against missile attacks. Last month, a senior Royal Air Force official disclosed that, had the first night of the Ukraine conflict unfolded in the UK, Russian missiles would have breached British defenses and struck critical infrastructure. Russia, China, and Iran all claim to have developed hypersonic missiles capable of reaching speeds up to ten times the speed of sound, making them far more difficult to intercept than traditional ballistic missiles.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the UK will allocate 2.5% of its GDP to defense starting in 2027. However, ministers and military leaders have yet to reach an agreement on how the funds will be allocated, as reported by the Telegraph.A government spokesperson stated, “The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.”

Israel knows what’s best for national security,’ ambassador to Germany tells 'Post'DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor speaks to The Jerusalem Post on 60 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.By ELDAD BECK-MAY 10, 2025 09:00

On May 12, 1965, 60 years ago, history was made: Israel, the young Jewish state and the even younger Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) – known at the time as West Germany – established diplomatic relations.Twenty years after the end of World War II and the genocide of Jews organized by Germans and perpetrated by Germans and their European collaborators, this official reconciliation was highly controversial on both sides.In Israel violent demonstrations accompanied the arrival of the first German ambassador, Rolf Pauls, who fought during the war as an officer of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern front, and was awarded a high military decoration for bravery in the battlefield by the Nazi regime.In West Germany, many within the governmental and political establishment feared that the price of getting closer to Israel would be losing the diplomatically and economically important ties with the Arab world.At the time, the two parts of Germany, the democratic West and Communist East, were competing over international recognition. Public opinion in the FRG – which in its vast majority opposed the reparations agreement signed already in 1952 by the FRG, Israel, and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany – was also not very enthusiastic about the diplomatic rapprochement with Israel. Communist East Germany, which accused the FRG of being the “heir of the Nazi Reich,” started attacking Israel as the  “Fourth Reich.” From annihilation to allies-SIXTY YEARS later, the reunited Germany is considered one of Israel’s greatest allies.“These relations are not to be taken for granted,” said the Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prosor, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “[They] were born in the shadow of the Holocaust and became over the years a strategic partnership.“We witness the intensity of a conscious decision to build a common future on the basis of remembering the past, bearing responsibility for it, and sticking to moral principles. The last 60 years taught us that we must maintain the memory, but that memory is not enough. We have to deal also with the question, what support does the nation-state of the Jewish people need, as it is facing challenges that not all Germans understand.“On the other hand, we saw how both sides – Israel and Germany – grew to contribute to one another in many domains.“On a personal level, I have always said that I wanted to be ambassador to Germany. It’s not only squaring a family circle. It’s a feeling of an honor to return here as the representative of the Jewish nation-state, since the relations between both countries are deeply important to me.“A few months ago, the Israeli side had the impression that the German government wasn’t so interested in celebrating the 60th anniversary of relations with Israel. The war might have been a reason for that,” estimated Prosor.“But don’t forget that the Germans were occupied with their recent elections. Now that the elections are over and there is a new government, President [Isaac] Herzog will visit Germany on May 12, President [Frank-Walter] Steinmeier will travel later to Israel, different delegations are planning to visit Israel, amongst others, to celebrate 100 years of the Hebrew University [of Jerusalem].“I want to thank all those in Germany who for years have been working to promote relations between our countries.“The depth of relations between states depends on the people-to-people relations,” explained Prosor. “It’s not only the Berlin-Jerusalem line. Germany is a federation of 16 states. For the first time ever, Israel’s ambassador, was invited to give a speech in the conference of all the 16 prime ministers of those states. We also plan that each state would send to Israel in 2025 a delegation of 10 people representing different domains of activities.“This year we are also celebrating 70 years of the establishment of student and youth exchanges between the countries. Some 700,000 German pupils and volunteers were hosted over the years by Israeli families and met Israeli society on a personal and direct level, talking about soccer, music, and any other topic other than politics. This is something that really shapes the dimension and nature of relations between peoples and countries.“I also hope that this year we will renew governmental consultations, which haven’t taken place since 2018 due to the political crisis in Israel, COVID, and the war.”What essence would you like to give them?“More cooperation and a change of voting modus in the international arena, in international institutions, in the EU. On the academic level the Germans already assist us a lot in the EU in face of countries that wish to see the EU boycotting Israel.“I also see developing the youth exchange as part of it, being the real bridge between the peoples.”Prosor was six-and-a-half years old when the FRG and Israel established diplomatic relations. His family fled Germany soon after the Nazis were given control over Germany. His first diplomatic post abroad, at the end of the ’80s, was the last spokesman of the Israel Embassy in the FRG and first spokesman in the reunited Germany. After a rich diplomatic career, during which he was director-general of the Foreign Ministry, ambassador to Great Britain and to the UN, he was appointed as ambassador to Germany in 2022.“When I first came here as a young diplomat, Germany was divided,” he recalled. “I experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall and the transformation which the five ‘new’ federal states of the former German Democratic Republic [East Germany] went through, not only within the reunification process but in their attitude to Israel.“In Communist times Israel was considered the long arm of US capitalism. All of a sudden, with the fall of Communism, the vision of Israel has completely changed and became for many very positive. East Germany was for us Israelis like a terra incognita, where a different infrastructure of relations with Israel could be built.“Germany of today is different on certain levels. After World War II Germany stood for the idea that war should be avoided at any price. German society became largely pacifist. But when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin invaded Ukraine, [Germans] understood that dialogue was not the only option to solve conflicts. Suddenly, Germany realized that it must defend itself.“When Angela Merkel was chancellor, she wanted to purchase Israeli military Heron drones. The Social Democrats in her government and the Greens from the opposition totally refused the purchase of weaponized drones.“After the Russian invasion of 2022, both parties – this time partners in a joint government – ordered supplementary drones from Israel and wanted all of them to be weaponized. The Green Party, which preached for pacifism, holds now the most aggressive positions regarding the war in Ukraine. Germany today feels endangered and understands that it has to defend itself.“Often I have to explain this change to Israelis. Germany bought in 2024 from Israel Arrow 3 missile defense systems. The fact that the nation-state of the Jewish people helps to defend Germany and Europe is something that my father and grandfather never dreamed of.”Not only Germany changed, but also the balance in the relations between both countries. In the ’50s and ’60s Israel needed German assistance, including military, in order to survive and develop. Now Germany needs Israeli assistance in many fields, including military.“We still have a lot to learn from Germany,” underlined Prosor, “But Israel today is such a technological, defensive, and political power that Germany can learn a lot from us as well, mainly in the fields of national security, confronting terrorism and radical Islam, and digitalization. This creates a change of balance in the relations.“In the domains of cyber and AI, we have cooperation on an equal basis, [from] which both sides benefit. There is a very good connection between German engineering craft and Israeli innovation. In many domains we complement each other.”What would you say today to those in Israel who opposed 60 years ago the establishment of these relations, so soon after the Holocaust? Have we Israelis forgiven the Germans too quickly?“I don’t think we can judge those who opposed this move. Some of them were Holocaust survivors; others lost all their family. The wound was still bleeding. Beyond the rage, the fresh memory of the Holocaust was part of the Israeli identity. I can even imagine, through the history of my own family, which fled Germany, how heavy the burden on [prime minister David] Ben-Gurion was when he shook hands for the first time with [German chancellor] Konrad Adenauer.“With the passage of time, I think that this effort to achieve reconciliation was a courageous step of the Israeli leadership. It did not give up the commitment to memory. It transformed memory into a binding moral fundament.“Germany is probably the only country that, soon after World War II, took responsibility for its past and coped with it on almost all levels of society.“I think that Germans still try to understand their past, despite the fact that you see more and more of them who are calling to end dealing with the past.”Israeli criticism of Germany is focusing on three points: interference in Israel’s internal affairs; generous financing of political organizations in Israel and on the Palestinian side – including UNRWA; and lack of support in the international arena.“We have to differentiate between critical dialogue and political pressure. We should nourish the first and put limits to the second. “Those who wave at us an accusing finger are mainly coming from the pretentiously innocent progressive-left circles. They like to give us advice, what is right for us to do and what is not. More than once, elements within the German foreign ministry thought they knew, better than Israel, what is Israel’s best national interest.“Here is an example: After we eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, former leader of Hezbollah, I was told that this act might destabilize the whole of Lebanon, and that would not serve Israel’s interests. Moreover, I was told that Nasrallah’s death wouldn’t be good for Israel. I responded by saying that only Israel and its government will decide what serves Israel’s national interest.“Even after the ‘pagers operation,’ the accusing finger was pointed again at Israel and not at Hezbollah, God forbid.“Regarding UNRWA, we presented the Germans with detailed information according to which 19 workers of this agency participated in the massacres of October 7. We gave them 1,462 names of UNRWA workers who had received salaries from Hamas. We showed how UNRWA educated hate in its schoolbooks.“However, all this information didn’t bring the Germans to stop financing UNRWA or even admit that UNRWA is part of the problem and not the solution.“I will continue working on this issue, which kept me busy already when I was serving as ambassador to the UN.“On the issue of voting in the UN, it cannot be that a few days after October 7 Germany would abstain in a vote on a resolution that doesn’t mention Hamas or the Israeli hostages. Abstaining is not a position. I see in this issue of supporting Israel in the international arena a main layer of the war against the demonization and delegitimization of Israel. Our expectation from Germany is that it will stand more by our side.“Having said all that, I would like to stress that after October 7 the German government under former chancellor Olaf Scholz stood firmly with us. The number of German politicians who visited Israel – the president, the chancellor, the president of the Bundestag, ministers – is without any comparison to other European countries.“There is no doubt that, despite all criticism, Germany is our greatest friend in Europe and Israel’s second most important strategic partner in the world after the US.“I expect that, with the new government, these ties will even get stronger. But I want to emphasize that the former chancellor was and is a great friend of Israel, and he showed it in his actions.”However there was and still is a huge gap between the support to Israel of the political leadership and public opinion, which is far less supportive of Israel. The gap is growing bigger, especially among the young generations.“This gap is real and a reason for concern,” warned Prosor. “The younger generations are less connected to the memory of the Holocaust and are more influenced by anti-Israeli and antisemitic propaganda spread by social networks. Polls show very clearly that 38% of the Germans agree that an end should be put to dealing with the Nazi past. Almost 13% don’t even know what the meaning of the term ‘Shoah’ is.“On the governmental and political levels, there is still a commitment to the historical responsibility of Germany, even within the education system.“But in the media, it diminishes. We see an increase of antisemitism under the cover of criticism of Israel. One can see it also in the academic sphere among the progressive Left. ‘Don’t buy Israeli products’ is the light version of ‘don’t buy by from the Jews.’ And that antisemitism is very frequent in the culture and art spheres.“We are facing antisemitism from the political-right spectrum, Islamic antisemitism, and antisemitism from the progressive-left political spectrum.“It is very clear in Germany what right-wing antisemitism is. The political and judicial systems here know how to identify it and deal with Nazis and fascists.We’re not alone in this fight. “With all what is happening now in Germany – terrorist attacks, Muslims demonstrate in the streets and shout that they want to establish in Germany a caliphate with Sharia [Islamic law] – it is relatively clear what Muslim antisemitism is, and also in dealing with it we are not necessarily alone.“The front in which we find ourselves totally alone is that of the antisemitic progressive Left – in art, culture, media, and academia. We are witnessing the abuse of freedom of speech, the transformation of free speech into the freedom to incite. If filmmakers want to be accepted to the Berlin International Film Festival, they must first denounce Israel. Jews and Israelis are being brought onstage to promote hatred of Israel. They grant legitimacy to the delegitimization of Israel.“In the past we didn’t react to such events. We are working both publicly and behind the scenes to combat this phenomenon. But the turning point came when Omri Boehm [an Israeli-German philosopher] – whose lifework, cloaked in academic respectability, is the trivialization of the Holocaust – was invited to speak at the memorial ceremony of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, all in the name of ‘freedom of speech.’ Following my direct intervention [and] by the head of the memorial foundation of Buchenwald, the speech was ultimately canceled. “However, it is clear to us that the battle over the legacy of remembrance is far from over, and we will continue our efforts. The German political and judicial systems don’t know how to deal with such a phenomenon. Germany has to act against it according to the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”Now that you are almost three years again in Berlin, do you have an explanation of why Berlin became a center of Israel hatred?“Berlin was always a center of antiestablishment movements and multiculturalism. It has a big Muslim immigrant community. Thus a combination of the Muslim migratory elements and a very strong progressive Left was created. This combination expressed itself during the last electoral campaign within the radical-left parties, Die Linke and BSW. We see in Berlin the usage of violence, the situation in the universities.“Recently I visited a school in the neighborhood of Neuköln, where many Middle Easterners live, and I tried to promote the idea of a student exchange with a school in Israel.“The director listened politely and then answered. ‘Your excellency, it’s a great idea, but first I would like to organize such an exchange with a school from Prenzlauer Berg, a bourgeois neighborhood of Berlin. Eighty-five percent of the pupils in my school are Muslims.’”A new German government was sworn in this week, on May 6, under the conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It’s the fourth “grand coalition” between the conservatives and their Social Democrat rivals in 20 years, however the first not led by Angela Merkel.“I have big expectations from the new government,” said Prosor, “because the new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and his team are fully committed to Israel, they consider the strategic relations with Israel very important, they understand better the challenges that Israel is facing in our region and Israel’s legitimate right and duty to defend itself.“In February 2024 I accompanied Merz, the new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, and other members of the CDU on a visit to Israel. We visited northern Israel, and I could see how all of them understood the needs Israel has in the situation we are going through.”The far-right party, Alternative for Germany, has become in the last general elections the second biggest party in the Bundestag. Latest polls suggest that if elections were held soon, it might even win an election. However, a few days ago the German internal intelligence agency declared that the AfD is considered an extreme-right party and as such it will be closely controlled by the agency. Such a drastic move, which was harshly criticized by the American administration as being antidemocratic, might lead to legally banning the AfD. Israel has been boycotting the AfD since its foundation in 2013.“Israel has a very clear policy on this matter, as outlined by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar: there will be no contact whatsoever with the AfD at any level,” stressed Prosor.“This is both a moral and a strategic stance. Morally – because this is a party with neo-Nazi and antisemitic roots. Strategically – because the AfD is surrounded by a political ‘firewall’ created by all other German parties. That firewall is no longer just political – Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has officially classified the AfD as a proven right-wing extremist party. We have nothing to gain by engaging with a party that is boycotted across the political spectrum and is under legal surveillance.“That said, I want to emphasize that what should concern us no less than the AfD are the antisemitic elements in the German Left, as seen within the Die Linke and BSW parties. We often focus on the AfD, but we face a serious problem within the progressive Left as well.”So, you don’t see a possibility that the AfD will go through a process as did the French RN, which enabled the normalization of relations with Israel?“I don’t think that’s possible at this stage. While not all members of the AfD are antisemites, some have made deeply troubling statements regarding Jewish life and the State of Israel. At present I see no real possibility for dialogue.“That said, we must not turn a blind eye to parties on the Left that also contain antisemitic elements.”

A FALSE PROPHET COMES FROM THE VATICAN ALSO AT THIS TIME.

ISAIAH 23:15-17
15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.

REVELATION 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 17:1-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:(VATICAN)
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.(THATS PEDOPHELIA-FORNICATION IS SINGLES HAVING SEX OUT SIDE OF MARRIAGE)(AND SINCE PREISTS CAN NOT MARRY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS FALSE CHURCH GOES AGAINST THE BIBLE.THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECOMES A HOMOSEXUAL HAVEN OF PEDOPHILIAS FACTORY).  
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:(THE VATICAN GOES AGAINST A PRIEST MARRING A WOMAN-LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS-AND WHATS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD-HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA JUST LIKE THIS SCRIPTURE SAYS-FORNICATION IS THE SINGLE HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAVING UNMARRIED FORNICATION OR SEX WITH SINGLES-IN THIS CASE ITS SEX WITH CHILDREN OR PEDOPHILIA)
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(GOD HIMSELF GIVES THE OK TO NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.(VATICAN)

HOW THE FALSE POPE IS ELECTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3Qnr_30Z4
POPE FRANCIS SISTER (PEDOPHILIA WAY WORSE THEN THOUGHT) (CARDINAL MATEO TERESCO-THE NEXT COVERUP POPE OF PEDOPHILIA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFshfmBPmY

Habemus Papam! White Smoke Rises From Chimney of Sistine Chapel-We await the name of our new pope.May 8, 2025

White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel today at 6:09 p.m. Rome time, signaling the College of Cardinals has chosen a new pope. Of the 133 cardinals sequestered in the Vatican since May 7, one has now been elected as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope, Takes Name Leo XIV-The Catholic Church has the first American pope.Cardinal Robert Prevost greets thousands gathered in Vatican Square, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.CNA Staff Vatican-May 8, 2025

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.White smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on May 8, signaling that the College of Cardinals had chosen a successor to Pope Francis, who died on April 21.Thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers as the bells of the basilica began to toll, confirming the election of a new pontiff. The crowds gathered as word spread throughout Rome that a new pope had been chosen.The new Pontiff appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica late in the afternoon, Rome time, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals and prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, announced in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”)Before appearing on the balcony, the newly elected Pope spent time in the “Room of Tears,” a small chamber adjacent to the Sistine Chapel. This traditionally named room is where new pontiffs first don the papal vestments and have a moment of private prayer and reflection as they absorb the magnitude of their election to the Chair of St. Peter.Following the announcement, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and those watching around the world, offering his first blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world) as the new Roman pontiff.“Peace be with all of you!” were the Roman Pontiff’s first words to the faithful.An American Pope-Pope Leo XIV, former prefect of the influential Dicastery for Bishops since April 2023, spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms. Born on Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) in 1977 and made his solemn vows in 1981.His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and both a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. His doctoral thesis was on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”Aged 69, he is closely aligned with Pope Francis’ vision regarding the late pope’s pastoral priorities, especially regarding environmentalism, outreach to the poor and migrants, and a pastoral approach that emphasizes meeting people where they are. He has publicly stated that bishops should not act as “little princes sitting in their kingdoms.”  The Chicago-born Pontiff has faced controversy related to handling of clergy-sexual-abuse cases, but has been defended in the face of the accusations. He is known for his discreet and thoughtful approach and has been praised by peers for his attentive listening skills, ability to synthesize complex issues, and judicious questioning. He had a lengthy missionary service in Peru, first as a priest and later as a bishop over a total of 22 years.Francis’ Legacy-Pope Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 after serving as pope for more than 12 years. Francis was the first Jesuit and the first pope from Latin America.The late pontiff was known for his emphasis on mercy, concern for the poor and marginalized, commitment to care for creation as expressed in his encyclical Laudato Si, and a concerted effort to focus on synodality. His final years saw both praise for his global moral leadership and internal tensions over reform agendas and doctrinal questions.Pope Francis was buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major rather than in the Vatican grottoes, marking his special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.Register staff added to this report.

Leo XIV is the new Pope-"Peace be with all of you!" - the first words of Pope Leo XIV. The Conclave has elected Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome. The new pope was announced to the waiting crowds by Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti.Annuntio vobis gaudium:HABEMUS PAPAM-Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum Robertum FranciscumSanctae Romane Ecclesiae Cardinalem Prevost-qui sibi nomen imposuit Leo XIV-I announce to you a great joy:WE HAVE A POPE-The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord Robert Francis-Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Prevost
who has taken the name Leo XIV-Just a few moments ago, from the central loggia of Saint Peter's Basilica, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti pronounced the formula "Habemus Papam," proclaiming to the city of Rome and to the whole world the news of the election of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as Pope Leo XIV

Meeting with the College of Cardinals, 10.05.2025

This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV met with the members of the College of Cardinals, to whom he delivered the following address, followed by a conversation that returned to some of the topics and proposals that emerged during the speeches in the General Congregations. The following is the text of the address delivered by the Holy Father:Address of the Holy Father-Thank you very much, Your Eminence. Before taking our seats, let us begin with a prayer, asking the Lord to continue to accompany this College, and above all the entire Church with this spirit, with enthusiasm, but also with deep faith. Let us pray together in Latin.Pater noster… Ave Maria…In the first part of this meeting, there will be a short talk with some reflections that I would like to share with you. But then there will be a second part, a bit like the opportunity that many of you had asked for: a sort of dialogue with the College of Cardinals to hear what advice, suggestions, proposals, concrete things, which have already been discussed in the days leading up to the Conclave.Dear Brother Cardinals,I greet all of you with gratitude for this meeting and for the days that preceded it. Days that were sad because of the loss of the Holy Father Pope Francis and demanding due to the responsibilities we confronted together, yet at the same time, in accordance with the promise Jesus himself made to us, days rich in grace and consolation in the Spirit (cf. Jn 14:25-27).You, dear Cardinals, are the closest collaborators of the Pope. This has proved a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us. Your presence reminds me that the Lord, who has entrusted me with this mission, will not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility. I know, before all else, that I can always count on his help, the help of the Lord, and through his grace and providence, on your closeness and that of so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who believe in God, love the Church and support the Vicar of Christ by their prayers and good works.I thank the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re – who deserves applause, at least once, if not more – whose wisdom, the fruit of a long life and many years of faithful service to the Apostolic See, has helped us greatly during this time. I thank the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell – I believe he is present today – for the important and demanding work that he has done throughout the period of the Vacant See and for the convocation of the Conclave. My thoughts also go to our brother Cardinals who, for reasons of health, were unable to be present, and I join you in embracing them in communion of affection and prayer.At this moment, both sad and joyful, providentially bathed in the light of Easter, I would like all of us to see the passing of our beloved Holy Father Pope Francis and the Conclave as a paschal event, a stage in that long exodus through which the Lord continues to guide us towards the fullness of life. In this perspective, we entrust to the “merciful Father and God of all consolation” (2 Cor 1:3) the soul of the late Pontiff and also the future of the Church.Beginning with Saint Peter and up to myself, his unworthy Successor, the Pope has been a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this. It has been clearly seen in the example of so many of my Predecessors, and most recently by Pope Francis himself, with his example of complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house. Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith.It is the Risen Lord, present among us, who protects and guides the Church, and continues to fill her with hope through the love “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). It is up to us to be docile listeners to his voice and faithful ministers of his plan of salvation, mindful that God loves to communicate himself, not in the roar of thunder and earthquakes, but in the “whisper of a gentle breeze” (1 Kings 19:12) or, as some translate it, in a “sound of sheer silence.” It is this essential and important encounter to which we must guide and accompany all the holy People of God entrusted to our care.In these days, we have been able to see the beauty and feel the strength of this immense community, which with such affection and devotion has greeted and mourned its Shepherd, accompanying him with faith and prayer at the time of his final encounter with the Lord. We have seen the true grandeur of the Church, which is alive in the rich variety of her members in union with her one Head, Christ, “the shepherd and guardian” (1 Peter 2:25) of our souls. She is the womb from which we were born and at the same time the flock (cf. Jn 21:15-17), the field (cf. Mk 4:1-20) entrusted to us to protect and cultivate, to nourish with the sacraments of salvation and to make fruitful by our sowing the seed of the Word, so that, steadfast in one accord and enthusiastic in mission, she may press forward, like the Israelites in the desert, in the shadow of the cloud and in the light of God’s fire (cf. Ex 13:21).In this regard, I would like us to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, from which I would like to highlight several fundamental points: the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation (cf. No. 11); the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community (cf. No. 9); growth in collegiality and synodality (cf. No. 33); attention to the sensus fidei (cf. Nos. 119-120), especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety (cf. No. 123); loving care for the least and the rejected (cf. No. 53); courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities (cf. No. 84; Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 1-2).These are evangelical principles that have always inspired and guided the life and activity of God’s Family. In these values, the merciful face of the Father has been revealed and continues to be revealed in his incarnate Son, the ultimate hope of all who sincerely seek truth, justice, peace and fraternity (cf. Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, 2; Francis, Spes Non Confundit, 3).Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.Dear brothers, I would like to conclude the first part of our meeting by making my own – and proposing to you as well – the hope that Saint Paul VI expressed at the inauguration of his Petrine Ministry in 1963: “May it pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love kindled in all men and women of good will. May it shed light on paths of mutual cooperation and bless humanity abundantly, now and always, with the very strength of God, without whose help nothing is valid, nothing is holy” (Message Qui Fausto Die addressed to the entire human family, 22 June 1963).May these also be our sentiments, to be translated into prayer and commitment, with the Lord’s help. Thank you!

Christian leaders across the world welcome Pope Leo XIV-Following the election of Pope Leo XIV Christian leaders across the ecumenical spectrum send messages and statements highlighting a shared commitment to unity, peace, and collaborative witness in the spirit of dialogue.By Linda Bordoni

The election of Pope Leo XIV has been met with messages of joy, support, and hope from across the Christian world. Leaders from Anglican, Lutheran, Orthodox, and evangelical communities have offered their congratulations and prayers, emphasising shared values of peace, justice, and unity.Anglican Communion: "Visible unity without fear"The Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, issued a statement saying "With great joy, we welcome the election and appointment of Pope Leo XIV... We share our prayers, celebration and encouragement as His Holiness takes up his global ministry."Highlighting the Pope's commitment to unity through dialogue, Revd Poggo said, "We welcome Pope Leo’s commitment to building bridges through dialogue, and his summons to all the faithful to visible unity without fear."He reaffirmed the Anglican Communion's collaboration with the Catholic Church through ecumenical institutions such as ARCIC and IARCCUM.Lutheran World Federation: "Shared witness to Christ"Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), extended congratulations and prayers:"It is with deep joy and gratitude in the Holy Spirit that the Lutheran World Federation welcomes your election as Bishop of Rome."She voiced optimism for continued cooperation: "We will be praying for the new pope’s ministry, that together, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran churches will continue to grow towards unity through joint service to people in need and shared witness to Christ so that the world may believe."Eastern Orthodox Churches: Embracing dialogue-Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, welcomed the new pontiff with "fraternal esteem":"The elevation, for the first time, of a Pontiff who hails from the United States is truly a milestone. His ministry... resonates strongly with the enduring commitment of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew toward ecumenical dialogue, reconciliation, and care for the most vulnerable among us," he said.Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reflected on the Pope’s choice of a name:  "Indeed, a Pope of American origin has been elected, who took the name Leo the Fourteenth... Leo XIII was distinguished for his social teachings. We hope that Leo XIV will also embrace the Church’s contribution to the world..."Patriarch Bartholomew expressed intent to attend the installation Mass:"I intend to travel for his enthronement and propose that we advance the dialogue between East and West."Gazan Orthodox community: Hope for peace-In war-torn Gaza, Orthodox Christians also responded with hope. Father Youssef Asaad, a Greek Orthodox priest, told Reuters: "We are confident he will give importance to our peace, as Pope Francis did."

Metropolitan Gudziak: Pope Leo XIV is a shepherd who speaks to us all-Welcoming Pope Leo XIV's election, fellow American and leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia recalls that the newly elected Pope once studied theology at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and expresses his view that he is a pastor and a theologian.By Svitlana Dukhovych and Linda Bordoni

Welcoming the new Pope and reflecting on the significance of his election, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, told Vatican News: "I share the joy of many Americans that an American has been chosen Pope, but my joy is hardly a national one. It’s an ecclesial joy. It’s a spiritual joy."Metropolitan Gudziak went on to describe the new Pope as “a leader who prays, a leader who is tender.”"He wants to reach out," the Metropolitan continued. "He’s continuing the message of openness that marked Pope Francis’ pontificate, but probably adding juridical order - he is, after all, a canon lawyer."A name rich in meaning-Reflecting on the name Leo, chosen by the new Pope, Metropolitan Gudziak pointed to its historical and theological resonance.“Pope Leo XIV has taken the name of his predecessor Leo XIII,” he noted, “who really articulated Catholic social doctrine in a modern way — a doctrine based on the Gospel, and a response to the plight of the poor and labourers during the 19th century industrialisation. But it was also a response to the rise of Marxism and communism.”Yet the significance goes even deeper he explained, “We shouldn’t forget that Leo was not only a pope of the 19th century, Pope Leo the Great was a very important theologian, the Pope of the Council of Chalcedon - a Council that helped the Church understand who Christ is: truly God and truly man.”Metropolitan Gudziak sees in the name Leo a theological and pastoral vision that is both rooted and forward-looking. “It represents a very broad theological tradition which includes clarity in doctrine and a very radical social outreach. Those characteristics are represented in the choice of the name, and I hope they are also something that Pope Leo XIV will be able to articulate in a fruitful, life-giving manner.”A gentle shepherd-“He has a very kind face,” the Archbishop continued, “He speaks in a gentle, loving way, emphasising that we are all loved by God. He encourages the world and the Church to build bridges, to engage in dialogue, to be open to all.”“I thank God,” Metropolitan Gudziak concluded, “and I thank the cardinals for choosing a Holy Father, a bishop of Rome, who will speak to me, will speak to you, will speak to all of us about God’s love.”