TRUMP CAPTURES MADURO AND HIS WIFE AND SON IN VENEZUALA AFTER A BOMBARDMENT.WAY TO GO TRUMP.

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

TRUMP CAPTURES MADURO AND HIS WIFE AND SON IN VENEZUALA AFTER A BOMBARDMENT.WAY TO GO TRUMP.

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

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

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

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

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

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

First From Daniel Chapter 2

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

Now From Daniel Chapter 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

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

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

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

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

WORLD POWERS IN THE END TIME

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

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

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

NIST warns token security remains a critical weakness in cloud, federal systems-Jan 2, 2026, 10:19 am EST    | Anthony Kimery

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a new draft report warning that weaknesses in how digital tokens and assertions are protected, validated, and revoked continue to pose a serious risk to federal information systems and cloud-based services.The report, Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Forgery, Theft, and Misuse, focuses on the cryptographic objects that modern systems use to authenticate users, devices, and software services and to authorize access to applications and data.These tokens and assertions are widely used across federal agencies and commercial cloud environments to enable delegated access and identity federation, allowing a single authentication event to support access to multiple systems.However, as federal systems continue to rely more heavily on distributed and cloud-based services, NIST’s report makes clear that tokens and assertions are no longer a background implementation detail. Instead, they represent a critical control point, one that demands careful design, rigorous protection, and continuous oversight to prevent misuse.According to NIST, failure to properly protect and validate these mechanisms can allow attackers to bypass authentication controls entirely and grant unauthorized access even when multifactor authentication is in place. The report emphasizes that once a valid token is accepted by an application or service, many traditional security controls are no longer effective.The guidance was developed by NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory with input from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency. It is intended to inform implementation of recent updates to NIST Special Publication 800-53, the federal government’s primary cybersecurity control framework, as agencies and cloud service providers respond to a series of high-profile compromises involving token misuse. The report draws lessons from recent incidents in which attackers obtained cryptographic signing keys or exploited weaknesses in token validation processes. In several cases, attackers were able to generate or reuse tokens that appeared legitimate to applications and services, enabling access to email systems, internal data repositories, and administrative interfaces.NIST notes that these incidents were not caused by a single software flaw, but by a combination of weak key protection, overly broad trust relationships, and insufficient validation of token contents.In cloud environments where identity services are shared across many customers, failures to properly scope signing keys or enforce strict audience restrictions increased the impact of a single compromise.“These events demonstrate that compromise of token signing keys can undermine the security of entire systems,” the report says, adding that token-based authentication mechanisms are now a primary target for sophisticated attackers. A recurring theme throughout the report is the division of responsibility between cloud service providers and the agencies that use their services. While providers operate the underlying infrastructure and identity services that issue tokens, agencies are responsible for configuring those services, determining acceptable token lifetimes, enforcing access policies, and monitoring for misuse.NIST cautions against assumptions that token security is fully handled by cloud platforms by default. Agencies are expected to understand how tokens are generated, what claims they contain, how they are validated, and under what conditions they are accepted. At the same time, providers are encouraged to design identity services that support strong key isolation, flexible configuration, and clear mechanisms for revocation and recovery.The report warns that mismatches in expectations between agencies and providers have repeatedly created gaps in token protection, particularly when tokens issued in one context are accepted by systems in another without sufficient verification.The report pays particular attention to authentication mechanisms that rely on self-contained tokens rather than centrally managed session state. These designs are widely used in distributed and cloud-based systems because they scale efficiently and support cross-domain access.However, because the token itself carries the information needed to authorize access, it remains valid until it expires unless additional controls are in place.NIST explains that this characteristic limits the ability to immediately revoke access once a token has been issued. As a result, the report recommends shorter token lifetimes, careful selection of token claims, and additional monitoring to detect misuse during the token’s validity period.The guidance distinguishes these designs from approaches that rely on centrally maintained session information, which can be terminated more easily, but acknowledges that self-contained tokens are often necessary in modern architectures.The most detailed technical guidance in the report concerns cryptographic signing keys, which NIST identifies as the most critical element in token security. These keys are used to sign tokens and assertions so that applications and services can verify their authenticity. If a signing key is compromised, an attacker may be able to produce tokens that appear valid to any system that trusts that key.NIST recommends that signing keys be generated, stored, and used in accordance with federal cryptographic standards, with stronger protections required for moderate- and high-impact systems.Hardware-based key protection mechanisms are strongly encouraged for these environments to reduce the risk of key extraction.The report also emphasizes the importance of limiting how broadly a signing key is trusted. Keys used across multiple systems or tenants should have shorter defined usage periods than keys dedicated to a single system. Automated processes for tracking key inventories, enforcing cryptoperiods, and rotating keys are highlighted as essential controls.Equally important, NIST stresses the need for clear and enforceable procedures for revoking and destroying cryptographic signing keys. When a signing key is retired or suspected of compromise, it must be removed from trust metadata, no longer accepted for token validation, and securely destroyed to prevent further use.The report emphasizes that agencies and cloud service providers must be able to invalidate affected keys in a coordinated and timely manner to limit the scope and duration of a breach.Beyond key protection, the report calls for stricter and more consistent validation of tokens and assertions by applications, APIs, and other protected resources. Systems that accept tokens are expected to verify not only the cryptographic signature, but also the issuer, intended audience, issuance time, expiration time, and other required claims before granting access.NIST notes that failures to enforce these checks uniformly have been a recurring factor in successful token-based compromises. In some cases, applications accepted tokens issued for different services or environments, or failed to enforce expiration times correctly, allowing attackers to reuse stolen credentials.The guidance also cautions against relying solely on token validity when making access decisions. While the report does not prescribe a specific architectural model, it encourages integrating additional context and policy enforcement mechanisms where appropriate, particularly for systems handling sensitive data.While the report itself is not a regulation, it is likely to influence how federal agencies implement identity controls and how cloud service offerings are evaluated under programs such as FedRAMP. The guidance aligns with broader federal efforts to strengthen identity assurance and reduce reliance on implicit trust between systems.NIST positions token protection as a foundational requirement for modern federal systems, and notes that identity mechanisms increasingly serve as the primary gatekeeper for access to data and services. Weaknesses in those mechanisms, NIST argues, can negate investments in other security controls.The document has been released as an initial public draft about which NIST is soliciting feedback from federal agencies, cloud providers, and security practitioners. Areas of interest include recommended token and key lifetimes, the feasibility of key isolation requirements in large cloud environments, and the maturity of standards referenced in the guidance.NIST plans to incorporate public comments before finalizing the report later this year. Once finalized, the guidance is expected to shape agency security architectures, procurement requirements, and risk assessments related to identity and access management.

Sprawling CES gadgetfest a world stage for AI and its hype.

San Francisco, United States, Jan 3 (AFP)-Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday.Science fiction portrays AI as superintelligence that can operate faster and better than people can, and do it autonomously.However, the technology for now is being put to work at very specialized tasks -- in gadgets that translate languages during conversations, say, or monitor health symptoms, or provide information on people's surroundings through smart glasses.Even AI being built into humanoid robots remains a work in progress, with human tele-operators overseeing their operation remotely."The gap between AI technology hype and customer experience expectations will widen at CES 2026," predicted Forrester principal analyst Thomas Husson."If software and AI models move at the speed of light, energy and hardware move at the speed of physics."Nonetheless, he expects CES to feature an array of "AI-powered smart everything devices" for consumers, including televisions, home appliances, personal computers, vehicles, and wearables such as rings that monitor health.Analysts expect the annual trade event, which drew more than 142,000 attendees last year, to be a sprawling affair with vendors pitching products from humanoid robots and exoskeletons to AI-infused toys and huge autonomous mining vehicles.With thousands of exhibitors, the week-long gathering includes connected cars, heavy equipment and AI shows. Demos, presentations and meetings will take place in a massive convention center as well as ballrooms and suites throughout the city."There's no question that some of it is going to be AI washing," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart said of hype expected at CES."But we will also see genuinely useful features driven by advances in machine learning that provide new capabilities into a range of products, everything from phones to TVs to wearables to digital health to cars."Smart glasses, like those from Meta in a partnership with Ray-Ban, will likely kick-start an AI wearables race with some 10 percent of consumers trying them by the end of this year, according to Husson.Greengart said he expects an emphasis on personal computers because of a rivalry among Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to produce chips that provide lots of AI capability while trimming power use to extend battery life.Greengart cautioned that there is a "huge cloud hanging over the PC industry" due to soaring prices for computing and memory chips.With chip makers focused on serving needs of AI data centers, supplies of basic building blocks for laptops or gaming consoles have dwindled as prices have soared, according to Greengart."AI is definitely a story that overlays CES in terms of new capabilities, but also new price pressures," Greengart said.- Trade war pressure -And while major Chinese consumer electronics companies like Lenovo, Hisense, and TCL are slated to take part in CES, many small manufacturing firms from that country will be absent due to the trade war with the United States, according to the analyst."There is definitely a smaller presence from Chinese vendors than there has been under past administrations," Greengart said, referring to US President Donald Trump."This is very much a geopolitical thing."Electronics companies have been grappling with frequent, unpredictable strategy shifts when it comes to US tariffs, he said."It's been very distracting and very difficult in areas where the president of the United States has basically changed tariffs or imposed tariffs over 100 times since being sworn in," said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association which runs CES.Still, CES remains a gathering at which deals get made and meeting face-to-face has value, according to Greengart."CES isn't where you go necessarily to find the next big thing.""But what you do see at CES is a clear view on the trends and where investment in the industry is happening."

Moldova farmer registry, global digital ID for agriculture projects expanding.Jan 2, 2026, 4:38 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Moldova’s Digital National Farmers Register is set to become a nationwide system, with support from the UNDP and European Union.A three-year project with a budget of 3 million euros (approximately US$3.5 million) is expected to help align Moldova’s agricultural sector with EU policy, and also help modernize employment services and provide tools for access to agricultural jobs and support.The project encompasses the digital transformation of Moldova’s National Employment Agency, as well as supporting the expansion of the Farmers Register across the country by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture.The Farmers Register currently holds 20,000 records, after being established with the help of UNDP and the Government of Japan. Its expansion is expected to assist with subsidy management and improved services for farmers.Meanwhile in India, a pioneer of digital ID for the agriculture sector, the state of Puducherry has launched a Smart Farmer Identification Card (SFIC) to digitize farmers’ records and ease their access to government and financial services as part of the country’s AgriStack program.SFICs include a QR code and replace traditional identity cards or booklets with a digital identity for loan applications, subsidies and other services.The initiative is supported by India’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).India announced at the beginning of 2025 it had set a target of 110 million digital farmer IDs issued by the end of 2027.Blockchain infrastructure for farmers-Digital transformation efforts in the agriculture sector around the world also include initiatives to put agricultural records on blockchains.The introduction of the Citiesabc Impakt platform by Ztudium Group is one example. The “Agriculture-as-a-Service” platform is intended to provide infrastructure for digital identity, intelligence, finance and sustainability, according to a company announcement.The platform includes a digital ID for farmers, AI-powered weather and crop services, integrated financial services including digital wallets, and a global marketplace.“Citiesabc Impakt is a platform to empower the global agriculture ecosystem with digital infrastructure,” says Ztudium Group Founder and Executive Chairman Dinis Guarda. “It gives farmers verified identity, AI-driven intelligence, and access to markets and capital at scale.”Examples of farmer ID on distributed ledgers also include AgroWeb3, a $3 million project launched in October, 2024 by the Inter-American Development Bank to develop verifiable digital credentials for four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Smallholder farmers in those countries could use the digital credentials to manage their economic and environmental assets.A monitoring and evaluation plan for the execution of AgroWeb3 was filed at the end of November, and shows the project’s various components at between 13 percent and 60 percent complete. The plan calls for a final implementation of the interoperable protocol by the middle of 2029.

Foodstuffs releases privacy assessment for FRT trial in NZ grocery stores-Company says teens are the worst repeat offenders in stores, but won’t be included-Jan 2, 2026, 4:13 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

New Zealand grocery retailer Foodstuffs has published a Privacy Impact Assessment for its trial of in-store facial recognition technology.The facial recognition trial, which began in late October, has FRT deployed in three PakNSave supermarkets in Christchurch run by Foodstuffs South Island. It aims to explore FRT as a way to reduce crime and incidents of abusive or threatening behavior toward Foodstuffs employees, including assault, the use of weapons, incidents of verbal abuse and incidents of disorderly conduct.In its proportionality assessment, FSSI says a similar trial run by Foodstuffs North Island in 2024 was effective in “reducing serious threatening behaviour of repeat offenders in a comparable retail setting.” That trial scanned more than 225 million faces and raised 1742 alerts, with 1200 confirmed against watchlists. In its assessment, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said that “while the level of privacy intrusion was high because every visitor’s face is collected, the privacy safeguards in the trial reduced it to an acceptable level.”Auckland’s Auror gets a chance to showcase FRT tech-On the technical side, the report says, the FSSI facial recognition system is “made up of the Imagus (v10) FRT software from Vix Vizion Pty Limited,” an Australian firm, “which will be hosted and managed by FSSI as a centralised system in its own secure instance of AWS cloud,” as well as the Auror platform from Auckland-based Auror Limited, “which will be hosted by Auror Limited in Microsoft Azure and which integrates and interoperates with the FRT Software via an application programming interface (API) made available by Vix Vizion as part of the FRT Software.”Until recently, Auror focused on vehicle licence plate recognition, but has expanded its toolkit to include facial recognition, saying the technology’s accuracy has improved dramatically.FSSI aims to operate in compliance with the principles laid out in New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020. In terms of collecting personal information, its system uses biometric cameras to record facial images of every person who walks into a store, and assign a biometric template to each. “These templates are matched in real time against a centrally managed Watchlist of identified extreme and high-risk offenders,” says the report. “If there is no match, no data is sent by the FRT Software to the Auror Platform and the facial image and biometric template is deleted from the FRT Software within seconds of when the image enters the FRT Software.”A match with the watchlist triggers an alert containing the name of the identified individual, time, store location and camera image, as well as a behavior classification: “High Risk” or “Extreme Threat.” In the North Island trial, the template had to be 92.5 percent accurate for it to be flagged.According to RNZ, teenagers are the worst repeat offenders in Foodstuffs stores, and the biggest threat to FSSI staff, with six out of 10 of the top offenders across its retail network identified as being under 18. That said, minors are not included on the facial recognition watchlist, so cannot trigger alerts.

Tencent integrates Mastercard’s payment biometrics for cross-border mobile commerce-Jan 2, 2026, 4:08 pm EST    | Masha Borak

Mastercard’s Click to Pay, which relies on biometric authentication and transaction tokenization, is coming to Tencent’s cross-border payment system MIDAS, used for its full portfolio of online entertainment content, including popular mobile games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).Tencent plans to use the technology for its MIDAS ecosystem (Mobile International Direct Acquisition Service), which serves digital entertainment businesses and their users. A part of the ecosystem is Midasbuy, a third-party recharge store which allows gamers to top-up credits for games such as PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Age of Empire Mobile and more.The Chinese technology giant says that the international payment service is used by tens of millions of players to pay for games made by 30 different gaming companies.“This collaboration sets a new benchmark for digital commerce in one of the world’s most dynamic industries,” says Mastercard Asia Pacific Executive Vice President for Core Payments Sandeep Malhotra.Click to Pay is designed to streamline online shopping by allowing customers to skip the manual entry of card details. Instead, Mastercard uses tokenization technology that replaces passwords and card numbers with random numbers, or tokens, for each transaction, as well as on-device biometrics.​The payments giant is targeting the complete replacement of manually entered credit card details with biometrics and tokenization for online purchases by the end of the decade. Payment methods have evolved significantly in Asia over the past decade, and Mastercard sees biometrics and tokenization as well on their way to replacing physical payment cards completely.Online shoppers can choose to pay with Mastercard’s Click to Pay or a card stored in the merchant’s system and then confirm payments with biometric authentication through on-device fingerprint or facial scan.​Mastercard and Tencent MIDAS have previously collaborated on fraud management and marketing promotions.“By combining Tencent’s consumer insights with Mastercard’s security expertise, we are setting new standards for digital payments and supporting sustainable growth in the global digital economy,” says Gang Li, executive of Tencent MIDAS.

Neurotechnology passes BixeLab’s Level 2 PAD test for face biometrics-Evaluation demonstrates protection against sophisticated spoof attacks-Jan 2, 2026, 1:38 pm EST    | Masha Borak

Biometric identification firm Neurotechnology has become the latest company to pass a Level 2 Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) test, with the evaluation conducted by Australian NIST, FIDO and MOSIP-accredited laboratory BixeLab.​According to the company, its face liveness technology has achieved ISO/IEC 30107-3 compliance to BixeLab’s Level 2, providing higher protection against sophisticated spoofing attacks.Level 1 PAD testing covers basic presentation attacks, which include fraudsters attempting to trick biometric systems by presenting a physical or digital photo of the genuine user. Level 2 testing, sometimes called Level B, evaluates the system against more sophisticated attacks such as 2D paper masks with cutouts, curved and 3D surface projections, shallow fakes and balaclava masks.Neurotechnology’s PAD algorithms successfully block the vast majority of sophisticated spoofing attempts while maintaining a low False Rejection Rate (FRR) for genuine users, the Lithuania-based firm says in a release.”With the increasing use of facial biometrics in high-stakes applications like banking and digital onboarding, the sophistication of spoofing attempts continues to evolve,” says Mantas Kundrotas, the company’s Liveness Project lead.​ “Achieving ISO Level 2 compliance validates our commitment to staying ahead of these threats.”The increase Kundrotas refers to is one of the factors expected to drive growth of nearly 250 percent in face liveness checks and revenue from them between 2025 and 2027, according to the 2025 Face Liveness Detection Market Report and Buyer’s Guide from Biometric Update and Goode Intelligence.The Level 2-tested technology will be included in the upcoming releases of MegaMatcher SDK, a software development kit for developing face, fingerprint, voice and iris identification systems, and the MegaMatcher ID, Neurotechnology’s digital identity management and authentication product.BixeLab has been growing its list of test services, including biometric liveness detection and presentation attack detection, matching accuracy, injection attack detection, bias and age assurance. In October, the company showed off its new facility, noting that testing related to deepfakes and AI agents is likely to increase.Among the latest companies performing tests with BixeLab is FaceTec, which conducted liveness assessments for Levels 1 to 3 for presentation attack detection and Level 5  for  injection attack detection (IAD).

Biometrics tapped to tame the internet in 2026-Jan 3, 2026, 2:34 pm EST    | Chris Burt

The most promising developments of 2025 for biometrics providers were largely found in the kind of incremental progress that is better for contracts than sensational reporting. The progress in established markets, from law enforcement to financial services, was real and steady, leading Biometric Update to publish 3784 articles in total over the course of the year. They included dozens of feature interviews with leaders in digital identity, both in print and on the Biometric Update Podcast, along with 80 guest posts from industry insiders and 4 market reports co-written with leading analyst firm and consultancy Goode Intelligence.Biometrics applications that were novel uses or emerging markets in 2024, like age assurance, entered the land-rush phase in 2025. Know-your-agent (KYA) is among the nominees for the same role in the year ahead. In terms of explosive news, age checks and AI were the two areas of the market providing the most fuel.But in many areas the year ended up demanding patience; for digital IDs and wallets to be issued, accepted and used, for border systems to come online, for fraud protections to catch up to sophisticated cybercriminals. It was also a year in which the UK and U.S. governments provoked fears around surveillance and centralized control that threaten to undermine industry efforts to promote responsible biometrics development, deployment, and data use.Defining themes of 2025 in digital identity-The year began with trepidation about the impact of deepfakes and generative AI on fraud, leading to the first wave of biometric injection attack detection (IAD) assessments. The evaluations, based on the European standard being used as the starter for an ISO standard, are now performed by several biometrics testing labs.The “2025 Deepfake Detection Market Report and Buyer’s Guide,” one of four market reports published this year by Biometric Update and Goode Intelligence, forecasts deepfake detection to grow from just over $1.5 billion in revenue this year to over $4.9 billion by 2027.IDs for non-human entities, whether bots, AI agents or businesses gained traction this year, to guard against automated fraud and mollify regulators. Actions like the UK’s Companies House requiring identity verification for businesses coincided with supply chain concerns and GLEIF’s advancing work on vLEIs.Conversation at March’s MOSIP Connect 2025 in Manilla, Philippines largely revolved around expanding digital public infrastructure to make national digital IDs useful for people. Biometric Update covered efforts spanning from integrations with systems like OpenG2P to hackathons targeting specific applications from live on location.DPI and hackathons were also major parts of ID4Africa’s 2025 AGM in Adiss Ababa, Ethiopia, held in May. But the overall theme was one of uneven progress, with a new data tool quantifying the disparity that was evident in the presentations by officials from nearly all African nations.  Those catching up must learn from their neighbors, but the quality of the lessons has undeniably improved.Age verification and facial age estimation took on greater prominence in 2025, as expected. The UK’s Online Safety Act coming into force and the completion of Australia’s Age Assurance Technology Trial were already hot topics when the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit kicked off in April, but what the Summit made clear was that a drumbeat of policy decisions aimed at applying the age restrictions of the physical world to the internet was about to begin.Now that social media companies have joined pornographers as the targets of restrictions, the volume of the arguments on this topic will increase in 2026.UK police continued to pioneer live facial recognition use in public, for better or for worse. The ongoing story followed a predictable path this year until a transparency push accompanying the latest expansion plan revealed the PND has been using an algorithm from Cognitec a half decade and several versions older than the latest update, with known demographic disparities confirmed by the NPL.The UK has also been more enthusiastic in its embrace of retail biometrics for crime prevention than most countries, but Australia and New Zealand each held public dialogue on the topic this year, and more deployments are expected in the year ahead.A proposal for a UK national ID system landed like a cautionary tale in communication management. PM Kier Starmer announced it as an immigration-reduction measure, in the immediate wake of a think tank invoking “Britcards,” and followed that up by announcing a government-owned competitor to the country’s private sector identity and attribute providers. Since then, the government has been defending the policy, clarifying what it means by “mandatory,” and how it will avoid crushing a domestic growth industry it has been nurturing.By the end of the year, the ADVP and Tony Blair Institute engaged in a civil debate between on the relative roles of the government and DIATF-certified identity service providers on the Biometric Update podcast. They found some common ground, but also laid bare areas of clear division the upcoming public consultation is sure to return to.The EU ran a series of large-scale pilots for its digital identity wallets, one of several ways in which digital wallets had a successful year, albeit more quietly than might have been expected. EUDI Wallets are supposed to be ready in 2026, but experts doubt they will be interoperable.The bloc did manage to begin implementing its EES biometric border control system, though it might have helped itself with stronger support for the Travel to Europe app. Work continued in Europe and around the world on digital travel credentials. The UK will include DTCs in its next passport deal. Companies like SITA are stitching DTCs into a larger ecosystem that extends throughout the travel experience, while technology providers like Vision-Box moving beyond e-gates with concepts like biometric corridors, even as most airports continue to play catch-up. And deployments at U.S. airports gathered pace in 2025, with the launch of EPP biometrics provided by iProov.America’s overhauled border protection system now operates throughout the country, with contracts for “bounty hunter AI agents” and the Mobile Fortify facial recognition app farmed out to ICE by CBP. The blanket of surveillance expanding across the U.S. includes residential and traffic cameras from the likes of Ring and Flock.Please tell us if you see any podcasts, online seminars or other content we should pass along to those in biometrics and the digital identity community, either in the comments below or through social media.

Scottish Biometrics Commissioner lays out blueprint for regulating police use of biometrics-Jan 2, 2026, 12:58 pm EST    | Masha Borak

The Scottish Biometrics Commissioner is proposing its own blueprint and legal framework for the use of biometric data in law enforcement across England and Wales. The biometric technology watchdog has backed the creation of statutory codes of practice that would cover the police use of facial recognition and similar technologies.The proposal comes as the UK debates its lack of unified regulation for police use of biometric technology. Scottish lawmakers and Commissioner Brian Plastow have jumped to the forefront of this discussion by calling for a dedicated legislative framework.Plastow’s blueprint includes several broad measures to ensure” biometric data and technologies are used lawfully, effectively and ethically,” according to the letter addressed to the UK Home Office dated December 12th.The Codes of Practice for England and Wales should apply to all law enforcement bodies but not the retail sector, it says.Any changes to the legislative framework should not allow law enforcement to have “routine” access to the biometric databases of other branches of the UK State, such as the UK Passport images or UK driving licence images.UK police have been using the country’s immigration and passport holder databases to conduct facial recognition searches without public disclosure. The practice was uncovered by media and digital privacy organizations in 2024, inviting concerns over privacy.“There should be no ‘bulk washing’ of passport or driving licence images against retrospective police facial recognition for low level or volume crime,” says Plastow.The Commissioner, however, added that a framework for searches against these databases should be established for “specific” cases, including violence against women and girls (VAWG) or Serious and Organised Crime Groups (SOCG).Oversight and codes of practice should also be expanded to include inferential and behavioural biometrics.“I would highlight the specific examples of the use of polygraph in England and Wales and using ANPR to profile driver behaviour as examples of the sort of ‘Biometric Wild West’ that ensues when the use of such technologies is not subject to ‘meaningful’ oversight,” says Plastow.At the same time, England and Wales should reevaluate its definition of biometric data as it currently only covers DNA and fingerprints. The Home Office should look towards the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Act 2020, which allows the definition of biometric data to be changed to include the latest technological developments.Plastow is also backing the government’s plan to explore merging the functions of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner and the Forensic Science Regulator under a single body.“This would of course necessitate legislative change but in my view, it is the correct strategic direction of travel,” he says.At the same time, the Home Office should consider removing National Security Determinations (NSD’s) from the new function. These should, instead, be assigned to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO).The Commissioner has previously noted that the UK needs primary legislation that would help the police set clear boundaries around issues such as proportionality and necessity. In November, his office published a 4-Year Strategic Plan, which also includes a review of Police Scotland’s handling of biometric data.The use of facial recognition in the UK is currently regulated by a combination of different regulations and standards, leaving it on shaky legal grounds. The London Metropolitan Police, for instance, has been facing a legal challenge in court over a misidentification case.

Rumored plan to expand UK digital ID to newborns give Tories chance to attack-Labour government insists scheme will only be mandatory for right to work checks-Jan 2, 2026, 12:12 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

There is fresh panic in the UK over rumors that the government is considering extending its digital ID scheme to cover newborns, with issuance tied to the birth registration process.The plan is only hearsay – discussed in secret ministerial meetings reported by The Times – but it is not without precedent. Labour reportedly sees Estonia’s scheme, which assigns each newborn a unique number upon registration, as a blueprint. The idea has been applied in nations trying to onboard large numbers of people to a new system, and as a way to improve birth registration generally. India registers newborns under its Aadhaar digital identity scheme. Ghana and Angola are among African nations that have adopted the practice. And Brazil has also begun registering biometrics at birth registration, in part to prevent baby swaps and abductions.In the UK, the core issue around digital ID is immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has framed the project as a way to ensure effective right-to-work checks. In recent months, the debate has taken on decidedly ideological overtones, with some framing the notion of a mandatory government digital identity as incompatible with the UK’s national character and history. Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Mike Wood wonders, per the Daily Mail, “what do babies have to do with stopping the boats?”Meanwhile, the government continues to insist that its digital identity scheme will not be mandatory, except in the case of right-to-work checks: “only people starting a new job will need to use the scheme.”Debates on digital ID and immigration continue to simmer across Europe, and look likely to converge at the center of British and EU politics in 2026, alongside free speech and age checks for social media.

Hong Kong launches corporate identity sandbox, connects e-gov services with Shanghai-Jan 2, 2026, 10:29 am EST    | Masha Borak

Hong Kong has launched a sandbox for its business identity program CorpID, inviting public and private service providers to conduct proof-of-concept testing and develop applications.The sandbox was launched on Wednesday by the Digital Policy Office (DPO) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, which manages the city’s Cyberport business park. The CorpID Sandbox Programme will provide a simulated Application Programming Interface (API), allowing service providers to test CorpID’s functions.The CorpID Platform is expected to be launched by the end of 2026 and will be used by Hong Kong corporations and local businesses for corporate identity authentication, digital signing, pre-filling of forms and storing licences and permits, according to the Digital Policy Office.Corporations can apply for the business identity through the CorpID Platform or the CorpID mini-program inside the iAM Smart, a biometrics-based digital identity platform available to Hong Kong Identity Card holders.Through corporate identity verification, users can access e-government and private business services such as remote account opening, authenticating corporate identities and verifying authorized representatives. For e-signatures, users have access to both the personal digital signing function in iAM Smart and the CorpID Platform digital signing.Meanwhile, Hong Kong is also working on boosting the iAM Smart digital ID and integrating e-government services with cities in Mainland China.​The platform has been successfully connected to the Public Service Platform of Shanghai Municipality, the Working Group on Shanghai and Hong Kong Digital Cooperation said on Wednesday. The integration means that Hong Kong residents can use the digital ID to log in to Shanghai’s e-government platform, Suishenban, and access services such as marriage registration.​The iAM Smart platform has over 3.8 million users as of November 2025.Shanghai officials also confirmed they will participate in Hong Kong’s business identity program, working on cross-border identity authentication between China Mainland and the Special Administrative Region (SAR). The goal is to enable mutual recognition of corporate identity, connecting the public service platforms of the two cities and establishing projects based on open data.The cooperation is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Economy Cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong, signed in April 2025. Efforts are also underway to establish cross-border public service access between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province and Shenzhen.

Kantara Initiative seeking public comment on update to Identity Assurance Framework-Organization aims to set criteria by which good identity services are assessed in US-Jan 2, 2026, 10:21 am EST    | Joel R. McConvey

The Kantara Initiative has issued a call for public comment on the draft of its Identity Assurance Framework (KIAF): SP 800-63-4A Service Assessment Criteria (SAC) & Statement of Criteria Applicability (SoCA).The call is the first step toward updating Kantara’s Identity Assurance Process, to align it with version 4 of NIST SP 800-63, published in July 2025. The update covers Volume 63A – Identity Proofing and Enrollment. Drafts covering Drafts 63B and 63C will follow.The current draft document, comment form, and submission instructions are available now. Kantara is open to comment until January 20, 2026.“Your participation is essential in ensuring that the criteria remain accurate, complete, and fully aligned with the Kantara Initiative’s Identity Assurance Framework,” the organization says.On LinkedIn, Kantara Initiative Chair Andrew Johnson encourages people to contribute: “Don’t sleep on the chance to provide your feedback here. These will be the criteria by which *good identity services* will be assessed in the U.S. for years to come.”In November of 2025, Kantara Initiative became the first conformity assessment body (CAB) accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify organizations against the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF), giving it a solid footing in the UK’s evolving digital identity ecosystem.

Contactless fingerprint, face biometrics added to Pakistan’s national IDV system-New specifications provide alternative for failed fingerprint verification-Jan 2, 2026, 10:18 am EST    | Chris Burt

Facial photographs and iris scans are now legally recognized as biometric identifiers for Pakistan’s national and digital identity system, complementing fingerprints with new modalities to avoid situations where identity verification is prevented. These situations arise from changes in the fingerprints of individuals over time due to medical conditions or manual labor, or from “the use of substandard or low-quality fingerprint readers,” NADRA says in an announcement.The government has amended the country’s National Identity Card Rules to expand the definition of biometrics, and NADRA, under directives from Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control, has introduced technical specifications to enable contactless fingerprint scanning and facial recognition for biometric matching.Contactless fingerprinting and face biometrics are available at NADRA registration centers and through the Pak ID mobile app. They are live for vehicle registration transfers in Islamabad and online passport applications, and will soon take effect for proof-of-life certificates from Federal Government pensions.The new definition for biometrics was drafted in mid-2025 as the agency was updating the rules for Child Registration Certificates.NADRA will begin issuing verification certificates based on face biometrics at its registration centers for those who are unable to complete fingerprint verification on January 20. The certificates are issued by NADRA for a fee of 20 Pakistani rupees (roughly US$0.07), and can then be submitted to institutions to satisfy identity verification requirements.Certificates will identify the purpose of the facial verification, the probe photograph taken by NADRA for the verification and the reference image from the national database that it was matched to. They also include the bearer’s CNIC number, name, father’s name, a unique tracking ID and a QR code. Their validity will last for seven days.Relying parties use information from the certificate, which can also be verified online through NADRA.NADRA is calling on all public and private sector institutions using the national ID verification system to upgrade their hardware and software to enable the acceptance of the new verification method. After upgrading their systems to accept biometric verifications by NADRA, they are expected to install cameras into their existing KYC systems to allow face verification through NADRA at the point of service.

METEORS OR ASTEROIDS OR SATELLITES FALLING STARS HIT THE EARTH DURING THE 7 YR TRIB.

AMOS 5:7,18-20-6:1
7  (WOE 1) Ye who turn judgment to wormwood,(POISON) and leave (CAST) off righteousness in the earth,(GROUND)
18 (Woe 2) unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
AMOS 6:1
1 (Woe 3) to them that are at ease in Zion,(JERUSALEM) and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!(WOE 3 IS THIRD WAVE OF WW3 WHEN ALL NATIONS MARCH TO JERUSALEM FOR BATTLE)

JOB 9:6-9 (COMPARE TO REV 6:12-17)
6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place,(QUAKE) and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not;(THE SUN BLACKEND) and sealeth up the stars.(WHICH NOW FALL FROM HEAVEN)
8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.(THESE SAME MEORITES MIGHT POISON ALL THE EARTHS WATERS ALSO)
9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.(AND IT IS INTERESTING GOD THRONE IS IN THE NORTH.AND FROM THE SOUTH THESE METEORITES WILL BE FALLING ON EARTH)

COULD THE FALLING STARS-PLANETS BE PLEIADES AND ORION-JUST MY THOUGHT
Historically, the Pleiades were seen as a group of seven stars – its brightest stars: Alcyone, Atlas, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta and Pleione are visible to the keen naked eye. However modern observations show that this most famous of open clusters is comprised of several hundred stars wreathed in intricately structured nebulosity.As the Pleiades cluster is close to the ecliptic (within 4°) in the constellation of Taurus it is a spring and autumnal 'seasonal' object in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Being close to the ecliptic, there are frequent occultations of the cluster with the Moon and planets. To our superstitious ancestors these were, no doubt, portentious events. Likewise, the apparent annual motion of the cluster would have been highly significant. The heliacal (near dawn) rising of the Pleiades in spring in the northern hemisphere has from ancient times augured the opening of the seafaring and farming season: while its dawn autumnal setting marked the season's end.And also Spring and fall are Bird migration seasons in Israel.It would not surprise me if Israeli wars are not fought around the time of the Pleiades-Orion happenings.The Bible contains three direct references to the Pleiades in Job 9:9 and 38:31, and Amos 5:8, and a single indirect reference in the New Testament. This latter passage (Revelation 1:16) describes a vision of the coming of the Messiah – who holds, in his right hand, seven stars.Well since the meteors do hit the earth in the last 6 months of the 7 year tribulation period.I believe.Jesus' return will be only 6 months or so from happening.So this Pieades (meteorites) earth hit would be warning the world that Jesus is about to return to earth literally.
AMOS 5:8 (FORGET ABOUT PLANET X-NIBURU)(HERES THE FALLING STARS HERE)
8 Seek him (GOD) that maketh the seven stars (plieades) and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death (darkness) into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

JOB 38:31-33
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (BIND AND LOOSE THESE STARS)(GOD GIVES US A HINT-THESE ARE THE ONES THAT FALL TO EARTH)
32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? (GOD TELLS US-I CAN THROW THESE STARS TO EARTH-I AM IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS)

MATTHEW 24:29-31
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days (NEAR THE END OF THE TRIB)(IS THE ASTEROID HIT) shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,(AS A RESULT OF THE METEORITES OR ASTEROID HITTING THE GROUND-IT SHORTENS THE DAYLIGHT HOURS BECAUSE THE EARTHS GROUND STIRS UP DUST TO THE HEAVENS AND DARKENS THE SUN AND MOON.I BELIEVE WHEN THIS ASTEROID OR METEOR HITS THE EARTH-WE WILL ONLY HAVE 8 HOURS OF SUNLIGHT A DAY-SINCE THE BIBLE SAYS 1/3 OF THE SUN AND MOON WILL BE DARKENED) and the stars (METEORITES) shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(JESUS AND THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS COME BACK TO EARTH AT THE END OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD)(AND SINCE ITS RIGHT NEAR THE END OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD-THE ASTEROID HITS.-THEN JESUS RETURNS TO EARTH)(SO WE KNOW NOW FOR SURE THAT THE ASTEROID HITS THE EARTH IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD)(JUST BEFORE JESUS RETURNS TO EARTH)
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(HERES THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS FROM 7 YEARS EARLIAR-BEING GATHERED TOGETHER TO RETURN BACK TO EARTH WITH JESUS)(FOR US TO LIVE ON EARTH FOREVER WITH JESUS)

REVELATION 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars (METORITES) of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come;(LAST HALF OF THE 7 YR TRIB) and who shall be able to stand?

REVELATION 8:8-13
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star (ASTEROID) from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star (ASTEROID) is called Wormwood:(bitter,Poisoned) and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.(poisoned)
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars;(LITERAL STARS) so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.(HERES WERE THE ASTEROID HIT BLOCKS THE SUN AND MOON-SHORTENING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TO 8 HOURS A DAY ONLY)
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe,(1) woe,(2) woe,(3) to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,which are yet to sound!

MATTHEW 24:29 STAR MEANS ASTER OR ASTEROID ALSO-http://biblehub.com/text/matthew/24-29.htm
REVELATION 6:13 STAR MEANS ASTER OR ASTEROID ALSO.-http://biblehub.com/text/revelation/6-13.htm
REVELATION 8:10 STAR MEANS ASTER OR ASTEROID ALSO.-http://biblehub.com/text/revelation/8-10.htm
REVELATION 8:11 STAR MEANS ASTER OR ASTEROID ALSO-http://biblehub.com/text/revelation/8-11.htm
REVELATION 8:12 STARS MEAN LITERAL STARS NOT ASTEROIDS-http://biblehub.com/greek/792.htm
JOB 9:7 STAR MEANS - LITERAL STARS NOT ASTEROIDS.-http://biblehub.com/text/job/9-7.htm - http://biblehub.com/hebrew/strongs_3556.htm
AMOS 5:8 STAR MEANS - LITERAL STARS NOT ASTEROIDS-http://biblehub.com/text/amos/5-8.htm

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Starfighters Space positions for rapid hypersonic era missions by Simon Mansfield.

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 03, 2026-As rivals deploy operational hypersonic vehicles, analysts describe a new Sputnik moment for U.S. tactical space access, with the Pentagon directing more than $6.9 billion toward hypersonic weapons programs for fiscal 2025 and the hypersonic technology market projected at about $8.46 billion this year. The shift away from chasing the lowest launch price toward speed and responsiveness underpins the investment narrative around Starfighters Space Inc (NYSE-A: FJET), AST SpaceMobile Inc, Rocket Lab Corporation, L3Harris Technologies and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions.Global commercial launch services are reported to be expanding at roughly 14.6 percent annually, with the sector valued at about $8.2 billion in 2024 as satellite operators look for faster deployment and more flexible missions. Prospective U.S. Space Force budget authorizations approaching $40 billion in fiscal 2026 are framed as a driver for reusable platforms, hypersonic propulsion and satellite constellations that can respond to threats in hours instead of months.Starfighters Space recently issued a year end update following its successful NYSE American listing, describing 2025 as a transformational period for the aerospace firm. Operating from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida alongside large launch providers, the company says it owns and runs the worlds largest commercial supersonic aircraft fleet and is currently the only commercial operator offering sustained Mach 2 mission profiles.The companys system is built around seven F 104 Starfighter jets that act as reusable first stages, carrying payloads to about 45,000 feet before releasing them toward space, a profile it presents as distinct from conventional rocket stacks. This air launch approach is marketed as providing flexible scheduling, short turnaround times and more tailored orbits for smal sat customers compared with rideshare missions that can involve long delays and limited trajectory choices.Chief executive Rick Svetkoff said Starfighters public listing marks a key milestone and reflects growing investor interest in firms delivering operational aerospace capabilities aligned with national security, space access and advanced testing demands. He stated that the company is positioned to deliver services across a range of customers through its fast platform, while emphasizing the breadth of missions the aircraft can support.The companys timing is linked to evolving U.S. policy priorities, including a December 18, 2025 White House executive order on American space superiority that calls for more responsive architectures, accelerated commercial integration and expanded test capacity. Commentators argue that this directive reinforces demand for commercially operated platforms like Starfighters that can support government, defense and space adjacent operations without relying solely on traditional launch providers.Starfighters reports multiple revenue streams beyond orbital missions, including hypersonic weapons testing carried out with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, a role described as a critical national security function given Russian and Chinese deployment of operational hypersonic systems. Its specialized testing work with AFRL is portrayed as placing the company on the critical path for maintaining U.S. technological parity in hypersonic flight, alongside services such as payload testing, pilot training, microgravity experiments and space hardware qualification.Customers cited in current programs range across defense and commercial operators, including Lockheed Martin, GE, Innoveering, Space Florida and the Air Force Research Laboratory. The firms STARLAUNCH concept, which leverages AIM 120 missile heritage with more than 17,500 units built, is aimed at smalsat operators caught between paying for costly bespoke launches and accepting uncertain rideshare slots.At a projected scaled price point of around $15,000 per kilogram, Starfighters is targeting a mid range niche between premium dedicated rockets and lower cost rideshares. Commentators say this pricing, combined with higher launch cadence and schedule control, is intended to create a cost resilient option for institutional customers.Supporters argue that by offering a high cadence launch and test platform at this price level, Starfighters Space can provide an additional tool for U.S. planners seeking to extract more capability from a Space Force budget that could reach $40 billion amid shifting fiscal priorities. The air launched model is also presented as complementary to ground launched systems fielded by other U.S. and allied providers, broadening the mix of rapid response options for space and hypersonic missions.AST SpaceMobile is highlighted in the same context after launching BlueBird 6, described as the largest commercial communications array yet deployed in low Earth orbit at nearly 2,400 square feet. The spacecraft, which lifted off from Indias Satish Dhawan Space Centre on December 23, 2025, is designed to deliver peak data rates of up to about 120 megabits per second directly to standard mobile devices to support voice, data and video services for both civilian and government users.The mission is framed as improving secure connectivity in remote and disaster hit areas, where terrestrial networks may be degraded or absent. AST SpaceMobile plans to place 45 to 60 satellites in orbit by the end of 2026, with launches scheduled every one to two months to build out global coverage for a network backed by more than 50 mobile operator partners representing nearly 3 billion subscribers.The company lists partnerships with major carriers including ATandT, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten, Google, American Tower, Bell and stc Group and reports almost 500,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities worldwide employing more than 1,800 people. In the broader investment narrative, these assets are cast as part of an emerging space based communications layer that could operate alongside military networks in contested environments.Rocket Lab Corporation closed 2025 with its 21st successful Electron launch of the year, placing the QPS SAR 15 synthetic aperture radar satellite into orbit for Japans Institute for Q shu Pioneers of Space. The December 21 mission from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand further expands the iQPS constellation, which supplies near real time radar imagery across a dozen orbits for security and defense end users needing persistent Earth observation.Company figures note that Electron has now flown 79 missions and is currently the most frequently launched small orbital rocket, a record that supporters say confirms its role as infrastructure for national security payloads. Rocket Lab has carried seven satellites for iQPS so far and is contracted for five more missions beginning in 2026 as the Japanese operator continues to scale its defense oriented imaging network.L3Harris Technologies recently reported receiving a letter of intent from Kratos Defense and Security Solutions covering a commercial order for 60 Zeus hypersonic motors, described as more than a 50 percent increase in L3Harris annual output of the propulsion line. The Zeus units support U.S. Department of Defense hypersonic and ballistic missile defense test programs such as the Multi Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed, following development and flight testing of Zeus 1 and Zeus 2 variants by Kratos.Executives say the additional production responds to accelerating demand for hypersonic test capacity as the Pentagon, National Science Foundation and U.S. Congress back new systems intended to counter advanced threats from near peer competitors. Ken Bedingfield, president of Aerojet Rocketdyne at L3Harris, stated that by incorporating advanced propulsion technology and providing high performance, the Zeus motors are built to meet current mission requirements while scaling for future test campaigns.The motors are designed at an L3Harris facility in Huntsville, Alabama to Kratos specifications and produced at the companys energetics campus in Camden, Arkansas, a nearly 2,000 acre site that manufactures more than 115,000 solid rocket motors annually from small units to systems comparable in size to a sport utility vehicle. Commentators note that the expansion aligns with Pentagon reports of $4.7 billion in hypersonic research funding in 2023 and with concerns over Russian and Chinese hypersonic deployments, reinforcing the strategic importance of domestic test infrastructure.In this framing, Starfighters Space and its peers are presented as core components of a wider responsive space and hypersonic ecosystem built around speed, agility and resilience rather than purely cost per launch. The narrative suggests that platforms capable of rapid test and deployment cycles, including air launched aircraft, small rockets, space based cellular constellations and high rate solid motors, will be central to how the U.S. and allies compete in the emerging arms race in and through space.

Terran Orbital to build satellite buses for SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer-by Clarence Oxford.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026-Terran Orbital has been selected by Lockheed Martin to supply satellite bus platforms for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 3 Tracking Layer within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.Under this program, Lockheed Martin will deliver 18 space vehicles that provide missile warning, tracking, and defense functions for SDA's Tranche 3 Tracking Layer. Terran Orbital will supply the satellite bus platforms that form the structural and avionics backbone of these spacecraft, supporting rapid production and deployment to help SDA field global, persistent missile-tracking capability in low Earth orbit.The Tranche 3 Tracking Layer is designed to expand SDA's capacity to detect, track, and provide fire-control-quality data on advanced missile threats, including hypersonic weapons, using a proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit. Terran Orbital's high-rate manufacturing approach and flight-proven satellite bus designs are intended to meet the accelerated production timelines required for the program.This award extends ongoing collaboration between Terran Orbital and Lockheed Martin across multiple phases of SDA's Tracking Layer. Terran Orbital has previously supported Lockheed Martin on SDA's Tranche 0, Tranche 1, Tranche 2 Tracking, and Tranche 2 Beta programs, providing satellite buses that have supported development, production, and on-orbit performance of those constellations."Being selected by Lockheed Martin for the Tranche 3 Tracking Layer is a testament to the performance, scalability, and reliability of our satellite bus platforms," said Peter Krauss, President and CEO of Terran Orbital. "Our continued collaboration across Tranche 0 through Tranche 3 reflects a shared commitment to rapid delivery, mission assurance, and providing the warfighter with resilient, next-generation space capabilities."Terran Orbital's role on the Tranche 3 Tracking Layer reinforces its position as a supplier to the national security space sector and its ability to support large-scale proliferated constellations through vertically integrated manufacturing and a maturing supply chain aligned with SDA's objectives.

INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.

2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2  I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15  So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17  So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

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

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

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

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

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

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

North Korea fires ballistic missiles in first test of 2026.

Seoul, Jan 4 (AFP) Jan 04, 2026-North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday, Seoul's military said, a day after a major US military operation against Pyongyang's socialist ally Venezuela.The first launch of the year came just hours before South Korea's leader headed to China for a summit that is expected to feature ties with the North.Seoul's defence ministry said it had detected "several projectiles, presumed to be ballistic missiles" fired from near the North Korean capital Pyongyang around 7:50 am (2250 GMT Saturday).The missiles flew approximately 900 kilometres (559 miles), the military said, adding that South Korea and ally the United States were "closely analysing the specifications" while "maintaining a full readiness posture".The launch follows the US operation that snatched Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of his country -- a nightmare scenario for North Korea's leadership, which has long feared a so-called "decapitation strike" of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power.One analyst said Saturday's operation in Venezuela likely played a role in the decision to carry out the launch.Seoul's Office of National Security convened an emergency meeting following the launch, which a presidency statement said "constitutes a provocative act in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions".Japan's defence ministry also said it had detected a possible ballistic missile, noting that two projectiles reached an altitude of 50 kilometres and flew distances of 900 and 950 kilometres respectively."North Korea's nuclear and missile development threatens the peace and stability of our country and the international society, and is absolutely intolerable," Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters.Pyongyang last launched a ballistic missile in November, when it staged a test after US President Donald Trump approved South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine.In a statement shared by Pyongyang's state media on Sunday, the North Korean foreign ministry condemned the US attack on Venezuela as a "serious encroachment of sovereignty"."The incident is another example that clearly confirms once again the rogue and brutal nature of the US," it said.Pyongyang has for decades argued it needs its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against alleged regime change efforts by Washington. The United States has offered Pyongyang repeated assurances that it has no such plans."They likely fear that if the United States so chooses, it could launch a precision strike at any moment, threatening the regime's survival," said Hong Min, an analyst at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification."The underlying message is likely that attacking North Korea would not be as easy as a strike on Venezuela," he said.A former senior North Korean diplomat who defected in 2023 said Pyongyang should learn from the US operation.It came after Maduro "squandered a valuable opportunity through bluster", Lee Il-kyu, Pyongyang's former political counsellor in Cuba, wrote on social media.- 'Expansion' -The test also came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was expected in Beijing for talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping, whose government is a key economic backer of North Korea.Lee hopes to possibly harness China's clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.North Korea has stepped up missile testing significantly in recent years.Analysts say this drive is aimed at improving precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States as well as South Korea, and testing weapons before potentially exporting them to Russia.Pyongyang is also set to hold a landmark congress of its ruling party in the coming weeks, its first in five years.Economic policy, as well as defence and military planning, are likely to be high on the agenda.Ahead of that conclave, leader Kim Jong Un ordered the "expansion" and modernisation of the country's missile production.State media reported on Sunday that Kim had visited a facility involved in making tactical guided weapons.He ordered them to expand current production capacity by 250 percent, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.burs-kjk-oho/ami

Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to 'run' Venezuela.

Palm Beach, United States, Jan 4 (AFP) Jan 04, 2026-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail Saturday, hours after American special forces seized and flew him out of his country - which Donald Trump said would come under effective US control.The US president's announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes pounded sites in and around Caracas.A US government plane carrying Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall, and he was transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple were to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.The White House posted video on X of Maduro, handcuffed and in sandals, escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York."Good night, happy new year," the 63-year-old leftist is heard saying in English.Despite the success of the risky raid, what happens next is highly uncertain.Trump said he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela but gave no further details.In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed, saying Washington is "not afraid of boots on the ground."But he appeared to reject the possibility of the country's opposition taking power and said he could work instead with Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.One aspect that became clearer was Trump's interest in Venezuela's vast oil reserves."We're going to have our very large United States oil companies... go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure," he said."We'll be selling large amounts of oil."- Trump dismisses opposition leader -US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won last year's Nobel Peace Prize, posted on social media that "the hour of freedom has arrived."She called for the opposition's 2024 election candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to "immediately" assume the presidency.But Trump was surprisingly cold about expectations that Machado could become Venezuela's new leader, saying she doesn't have "support or respect" there.Instead, he touted Rodriguez, saying "she's essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."Rodriguez poured cold water on that, demanding Maduro's release and vowing to "defend" the country.Late Saturday, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered Rodriguez to assume presidential powers "in an acting capacity."Reflecting the confusion, Trump indicated US involvement is likely for the long haul."We're going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place," he said.Venezuela's ally China said it "strongly condemns" the US operation, and called for Maduro to be "immediately released.""The U.S.'s move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement Sunday.Meanwhile, France warned a solution cannot "be imposed from outside."United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected."At Venezuela's request, the UN Security Council will meet Monday to discuss the crisis, the Somali presidency of the Council told AFP.- Blackout and bombing -Venezuelans had been bracing for attacks as US forces spent months massing off the coast.Caracas residents woke to explosions and the whir of military helicopters around 2:00 am (0600 GMT). Air strikes hit a major military base and an airbase, among other sites, for nearly an hour.The top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said 150 aircraft took part in the operation, supporting troops who choppered in to seize Maduro with the help of months of intelligence into his daily habits -- down to "what he ate" and what pets he kept.Maduro and his wife "gave up" without a struggle and there was "no loss of US life," he said.Venezuelan authorities have yet to release casualty figures. But Trump told the New York Post that "many" Cubans in Maduro's security detail were killed.Within hours of the operation, Caracas had fallen eerily quiet, with police stationed outside public buildings and the smell of smoke drifting through the streets.- Shifting justifications -The US and numerous European governments did not recognize Maduro's legitimacy, saying he stole elections in 2018 and 2024.Maduro -- in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez -- long accused Trump of seeking regime change in order to control Venezuela's oil reserves.Trump has offered several justifications for the aggressive policy toward Venezuela, at times stressing illegal migration, narcotics trafficking and oil.But he had previously avoided openly calling for regime change.Several members of Congress quickly questioned the legality of the operation. But Trump's key ally Mike Johnson, top Republican in the House of Representatives, said it was "justified."burs-sms/ane/mtp

U.S. launches military strikes on Venezuela, Trump says Maduro captured and flown out of the country By Updated on: January 3, 2026 / 6:51 AM EST / CBS News

What to know about the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela
President Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were "captured and flown out of the Country" early Saturday morning, confirming a "large scale strike" had been carried out by U.S. forces, as explosions were reported in Caracas and elsewhere. 
The U.S. Army's Delta Force, an elite special forces unit, carried out the operation to capture Maduro, officials told CBS News.
A Republican senator said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had indicated that Maduro would face criminal charges in the U.S., where he was indicted years ago, and that Rubio "anticipates no further action in Venezuela." The Trump administration has long accused Maduro of drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, which Maduro denies.
The strikes follow months of U.S. military buildup in the region, with the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and numerous other warships positioned in the Caribbean.
In recent weeks the U.S. has seized two oil tankers off Venezuela, launched deadly strikes on more than 30 boats the administration says were carrying drugs, and struck what President Trump called "the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs."

Russia and Iran condemn U.S. strikes on Venezuela-JAN 3,25
Russia and Iran were among the many nations to react quickly to the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela and President Trump announcing the capture of the Latin American nation's leader, Nicolás Maduro.Iran condemned the attack, calling it a "flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of" Venezuela, according to the AFP news agency.Russia's foreign ministry accused the U.S. of "an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable" in a statement, according to the Reuters news agency."The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded," the statement said, adding a call for the prevention of "further escalation," dialogue, and backing other calls for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
By Tucker Reals, Haley Ott
 
6:07 AM-Maduro's capture comes exactly 35 years after U.S. arrested Panama's Noriega
President Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro early Saturday morning 35 years to the day after U.S. forces arrested another indicted Latin American leader, the late Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.A onetime U.S. ally and CIA informant, Noriega led Panama for much of the 1980s, but he fell out of favor with Washington toward the end of his reign due to allegations of drug trafficking. Former President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. military to invade Panama in late 1989, leading Noriega to hide out in the Vatican embassy before surrendering to U.S. authorities on Jan. 3, 1990. He was convicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges and spent 20 years in an American prison before being sent to France to serve a money laundering sentence, and then to Panama where he was imprisoned on murder and other charges. Noriega died in Panama in 2017.By Joe Walsh
 
5:33 AM-GOP senator says Rubio told him "no further action in Venezuela" expected.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said early Saturday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him he "anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."In a post on X, Lee said he spoke with Rubio on the phone. He said he was told Maduro was arrested, "to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States," and "the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant."By Joe Walsh
 
5:20 AM
Maduro was captured with a $50 million U.S. bounty out on him.
The U.S. government has sought Maduro's arrest for years. He was indicted by a U.S. court in March 2020, accused along with more than a dozen other individuals of narco-terrorism.Last summer, the Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro's capture to $50 million.Federal prosecutors alleged in 2020 that Maduro and other senior Venezuelan government officials collaborated with the Colombian guerilla group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC, to traffic cocaine and weapons to the United States. At the time, the Justice Department also accused Maduro of leading a criminal ring called Cártel de Los Soles, which the Trump administration designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year. Some experts have questioned the administration's characterization of Cártel de Los Soles, arguing the term refers to a loosely defined group of corrupt government officials with links to drug trafficking, not a centrally organized group.By Joe Walsh
 
5:15 AM
Venezuelan vice president demands proof of life for Maduro.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, speaking on the country's state-run TV, issued a demand on Saturday morning for proof of life and the location of the country's President Nicolás Maduro.Her remarks, in a telephone interview with the TV network, came soon after President Trump said Maduro had been captured and flown out of Venezuela.By José Diaz, Tucker Reals
 
4:59 AM
Venezuelan defense minister says military is being deployed
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a deployment of military forces across the country in a video posted to social media early Saturday, after the U.S. military conducted strikes on the country.The defense minister called for a united front of resistance in the face of "the worst aggression" ever against Venezuela. He said all armed forces would be deployed following "Maduro's orders" — but made no mention of Maduro's reported capture."They've attacked us but they will not subdue us," he said. He called for calm and unity, and warned against anarchy and disorder, cautioning: "let's not succumb to the panic the enemy seeks to instill." The defense minister also said the government had declared a "state of external commotion," effectively a state of emergency.

Bombs away for Trump, self-proclaimed peace president.

Washington, United States, Jan 3 (AFP) Jan 03, 2026-Donald Trump returned to office vowing to be the peace president. Nearly a year later, he is embracing war on multiple fronts.Trump on Saturday ordered large-scale military strikes in Venezuela and announced that leftist leader Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country.The raid to kick off the new year comes after the US military on Christmas Day hit Nigeria, in what Trump said was an operation targeting jihadists who had attacked Christians.And hours before the attack in Venezuela, Trump warned of another US intervention in a third region, saying US forces were "locked and loaded" if Iran's clerical state kills protesters who have taken to the streets.The enthusiasm for war would seem at odds for a president who has loudly declared that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for supposedly ending eight wars, a claim that is highly disputable.In his second inaugural address on January 20 last year, Trump said: "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier."But soon after, Trump rebranded the Defense Department as the "Department of War."Both Trump and his aides insist that military muscle is the path to real peace."We're making peace through strength. That's what we're doing," Trump told a rally last month in Pennsylvania."Peace through strength" was famously a catchphrase of Ronald Reagan, as he promoted a massive military build-up at the end of the Cold War, and was attributed to the Roman emperor Hadrian who built up defenses.But the strategy was generally understood as a way to prevent war from beginning.- 'So-called nation-builders' Making his love of force even more striking, Trump has not only described himself as a peacemaker but has spoken for years against US interventionism.Declaring "America First," he cast himself as a different kind of Republican than the party's last president George W. Bush, whose administration he castigated as warmongers over the Iraq invasion of 2003.In a speech in Riyadh in May, Trump said that "so-called nation-builders wrecked far more nations than they built" and failed to understand countries where they intervened.In one key difference with Bush, Trump has made no pretense of long-term commitment.He last year ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of an Israeli attack as well as strikes in Syria in retaliation for the killings of US forces.But like Bush, Trump cares little about UN or other international conventions on war.The Trump administration argues that Maduro faced a warrant for drug charges in the United States, but Maduro's government is a UN member, even if most Western countries consider him illegitimate following elections riddled with irregularities.Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat and Iraq war veteran, called Venezuela the "second unjustified war in my lifetime," although he agreed Maduro was a dictator."It's embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela," he said on X.In one irony, the latest Nobel Peace Prize, so coveted by Trump, went to Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whose name the US president did not appear initially to know.Trump, however, has won one peace prize since taking office.FIFA's president, Gianni Infantino, presented Trump last month with a prize from football's governing body ahead of the US co-hosting the World Cup.Infantino said that Trump, who has taunted migrants from developing countries and threatened violence against domestic opponents, was being recognized for his "exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world."

Colombian president says troops deployed to Venezuela border after US attacks.

Bogotá, Jan 3 (AFP) Jan 03, 2026-Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Saturday he ordered the deployment of military forces to the Venezuelan border, following US strikes that, according to Donald Trump, ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.Petro described Washington's actions as an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America and said they would result in a humanitarian crisisWhile proposing that the situation could be resolved through "dialogue," the leftist president said on X that he had also ordered the "deployment of the security forces" to the Venezuelan border.Petro made no mention of Maduro's capture, despite the Venezuelan leader being one of his government's closest allies in the region.Earlier, the Colombian leader had requested an "immediate" meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN to "establish the international legality of the aggression" by the United States.Colombia holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council this year, which led to its call for the body to be convened.Petro has been a vocal critic of military deployments ordered by Trump in the Caribbean to fight alleged drug trafficking vessels.Petro added in other posts to social media that he had put measures in place to "preserve stability at the border."An AFP reporter observed normal conditions at the main crossing between the two countries.Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said the security forces had activated "all capacities" to prevent "any attempted terrorist attack" at the border by illegal groups such as the National Liberation Army.As part of his anti-drug strategy, Trump recently said he would not rule out striking drug-production laboratories in Colombia, which Petro condemned as a threat of invasion at the time.das/mar/ane/mtp

US allies, foes alarmed by toppling of Venezuela's Maduro.

Paris, France, Jan 4 (AFP) Jan 04, 2026-The US military operation that led to the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday sparked international alarm, with allies and foes of Washington and Caracas expressing disquiet.President Donald Trump said that the United States would "run" Venezuela and tap its huge oil reserves, and posted a picture of Maduro in custody on a US naval ship wearing a blindfold and handcuffs.Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to New York City, where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.They were seized by US special forces during a pre-dawn attack in which air strikes pounded sites in and around the Venezuelan capital Caracas late on Saturday.Countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, which have longstanding ties with Maduro's government, were quick to condemn the operation but their alarm was also shared by Washington's allies including France and the EU.Here are the main reactions:- China -China made calls on Sunday for Maduro to be "immediately released" after saying it "strongly condemns" the US operation in Venezuela.China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the US is in "clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".- Russia -Russia demanded the US leadership "reconsider its position and release the legally elected president of the sovereign country and his wife".- Iran -Iran, which Trump bombed last year, said it "strongly condemns the US military attack on Venezuela and a flagrant violation of the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity".- Mexico -Mexico, which Trump has also threatened with military force over drug trafficking, strongly condemned the US military action in Venezuela, saying it "seriously jeopardises regional stability".- Colombia -Colombian President Gustavo Petro -- whose country neighbours Venezuela -- called the US action an "assault on the sovereignty" of Latin America which would lead to a humanitarian crisis.- Brazil -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva slammed the US attacks as a "serious affront" to Venezuela's sovereignty.- Cuba -Cuba, a strong ally of Venezuela, denounced "state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people".- Spain -Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the intervention "violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and militarism".- France -France said the US operation undermined international law, and no solution to Venezuela's crisis can be imposed externally.President Emmanuel Macron called for 2004 presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to lead a political transition.- Germany -Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Maduro had "led his country to ruin", but called the US action legally "complex".- EU -The EU more generally expressed concern at the developments and urged respect for international law, even as it noted that Maduro "lacks legitimacy".EU candidate country North Macedonia, along with fellow Balkan nations Albania and Kosovo, backed Washington, however."We stand with the United States and the Venezuelan people for freedom and democracy," North Macedonia FM Timco Mucunski said on X.- Britain -Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will discuss the "evolving situation" in Venezuela with US counterparts while noting Britain will "shed no tears" about the demise of Maduro's "regime".- Italy -In a rare expression of support for the US operation by a major European country, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a Trump ally -- argued the US military action in Venezuela was "legitimate" and "defensive".- Israel -Israel also hailed the operation, saying Washington acted as the "leader of the free world".- Ukraine -Ukraine -- dependent on US support in its war against invading Russia -- did not address the legality of a big country like America using military force against a much smaller one like Venezuela.Foreign minister Andriy Sybiga instead focused on Maduro's lack of legitimacy and the Venezuelan government's repression, while backing "democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelans".- South Africa -South Africa, which Trump accuses of alleged discrimination -- and even "genocide" -- of minority white Afrikaners, said: "Unlawful, unilateral force of this nature undermines the stability of the international order and the principle of equality among nations."- UN -UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply alarmed" by the US strikes, with his spokesman quoting him as saying it could "constitute a dangerous precedent".- Greece -Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X that Maduro "presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that brought about unimaginable suffering on the Venezuelan people.""The end of his regime offers new hope for the country. This is not the time to comment on the legality of the recent actions," he said.das-sjw-rmb/ane/ach 

Saudi calls Yemen's southern factions to 'dialogue' in Riyadh.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan 3 (AFP) Jan 03, 2026-Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry called on Saturday for Yemen's southern factions to attend a "dialogue" in Riyadh, after deadly airstrikes and a surprise independence bid.In a statement posted to social media, the Saudi ministry urged "a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions to discuss just solutions to the southern cause". Riyadh said the Yemeni government had issued the invitation for talks.Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have for years supported various factions within Yemen's government-run territories, intervening in the neighbouring country's long-running civil war.One of those factions, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), is now pushing to declare independence and form a breakaway state, which would split the Arabian Peninsula's poorest state in two.The STC, which has seized large swaths of territory in recent weeks, has announced plans for a two-year transitional process to establish a state in the south.On Friday, airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition left 20 dead, according to the separatists.The Saudi-backed coalition was formed in 2015 in an attempt to dislodge the Houthi rebels from Yemen's north. But after a brutal, decade-long civil war, the Houthis remain in place while the Saudi and Emirati-backed factions attack each other in the south.

Russia scores highest Ukraine gains since first year of war.

Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan 2 (AFP) Jan 02, 2026-Russia's battlefield gains in Ukraine last year were the highest since 2022, an AFP analysis showed, as Kyiv was set to host security advisers from allied states on Saturday despite Moscow's unrelenting strikes.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 15 countries would attend the talks, along with representatives from the European Union and NATO, with a US delegation joining the meeting via video link.The talks -- and a subsequent summit of leaders from the so-called coalition of the willing planned for next week in France -- are the latest in a flurry of efforts to end the nearly four-year war.Zelensky said in a New Year's Eve address that a US-brokered peace deal was "90 percent" ready, though the important issue of territory remains unresolved.The diplomatic push comes as Russia presses its advantage against outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.The Russian army captured more than 5,600 square kilometres (2,160 square miles), or nearly one percent, of Ukrainian territory in 2025, according to an analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which works with the Critical Threats Project.This includes areas that Kyiv and military analysts say are controlled by Russia, as well as those claimed by Moscow's army.The land captured is more than in the previous two years combined, though far short of the more than 60,000 square kilometres Russia took in 2022, the first year of its all-out invasion.- 'Heinous' -Moscow has kept up its aerial barrage of Ukraine, with the latest strike on a residential area of the major city of Kharkiv, reducing parts of multi-storey buildings to smouldering piles of rubble.AFP images from the site showed firefighters tackling the blaze and rescuers scrambling to evacuate people to safety.The local authorities said a three-year-old child was killed and at least 19 people were wounded in the attack, which Zelensky slammed as "heinous"."Unfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people -- they continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process," he said on social media.Russia's defence ministry rejected Ukraine's claim, saying in a statement its forces "did not plan or carry out strikes using missiles or air strikes within the city limits of Kharkiv".Underlining the deadly risks for civilians, Ukrainian officials on Friday ordered the evacuation of more than 3,000 children and their parents from 44 front-line settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where Russian troops have been advancing.More than 150,000 people have been evacuated from front-line areas since June 1, said Ukrainian Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.On Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of a strike on a hotel and a cafe in Ukraine's occupied south that killed 28 people, and warned of "consequences" -- but Ukraine said the attack targeted a military gathering that was closed to civilians.AFP was not able to verify either account.- Zelensky names top aide -On Friday, Zelensky named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new top aide, after the president's previous chief of staff resigned in November over a corruption scandal.Budanov has built up a legendary reputation in Ukraine, credited with a series of daring operations against Russia.When formally appointed, he will succeed Andriy Yermak, who resigned in November after investigators raided his house as part of a sweeping corruption probe.Zelensky also said he wanted to replace Defence Minister Denys Shymgal, who was only appointed six months ago, with 34-year-old political novice Mykhailo Fedorov, who is currently minister of digital transformation."Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalisation of state services and processes," the president added.Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, describing it as a "special military operation" to prevent the expansion of the NATO alliance -- a war aim that Kyiv has called a lie.Moscow has since captured large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, while firing on Ukrainian towns and cities in daily drone and missile attacks.

Video purports to show Tehran regime gunfire on protesters-Netanyahu: Now could be moment Iranians ‘take their fate into their own hands’Senior officials reportedly say PM had been avoiding commenting on the protests, so Iran wouldn’t use remarks as pretext to attack Israel-By ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 4:56 pm-JAN 4,26

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israelis “identify with the struggle” of Iranians, as widespread protests against the regime continued in the Islamic Republic.The demonstrations kicked off last Sunday with shopkeepers staging a strike over economic concerns, but have since ballooned in size and scope.Though not yet as large as anti-regime protests of earlier years, the demonstrations came in the wake of Israeli and US attacks in June that severely weakened Iran’s military, and as renewed sanctions have battered the country’s already crippled economy.At the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that during his summit last week with US President Donald Trump in Florida, the pair discussed Iran in depth.“We reiterated our shared position of zero [uranium] enrichment on the one hand, and the need to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and to subject the sites to strict and genuine oversight,” he said.“The government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my own policies — we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice,” Netanyahu said. “It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”Netanyahu’s comments came after senior Israeli officials told Channel 12 in recent days that, though government organs seemed to endorse the protests online, the prime minister himself was abstaining from commenting on the situation in Iran, so that the Islamic Republic would not use his remarks as a pretext to attack Israel.Israel is reportedly concerned about Iran’s rebuilding efforts in the wake of the 12-day war between the two countries in June. Amid speculation that Israel could launch another attack against Iran to prevent it reconstituting its damaged ballistic missile and nuclear programs, reports have stressed leaders’ concerns over a miscalculation, in which one side, mistakenly anticipating an attack, could trigger another war to preempt it.Rights group says 17 killed since protests’ start-Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that at least 17 people have been killed since the start of the protests. HRANA, a network of rights activists, said at least 16 people had been killed and 582 arrested.Sporadic protests broke out in the Iranian capital on Saturday evening, according to local media, which also reported intensifying clashes in the west of the country.The protests have affected, to varying degrees, at least 40 cities, mostly medium-sized and located in the country’s west, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports.Protests Saturday evening in Tehran were described as “limited” by the Fars news agency, which said they were “generally made up of groups of 50 to 200 young people.” Tehran’s population is about 10 million.Demonstrators shouted slogans including “death to the dictator,” Fars said, though no major incidents were reported beyond some stone throwing and garbage bins being set alight.The news agency said the situation in Tehran “contrasted with an intensification of violence and organized attacks in other regions, notably the country’s west.”Video circulating on social media Saturday purported to show police opening fire on protesters in Malkshahi, a county of about 20,000 people, in the western Ilam province.The UK-based, anti-regime Iran International outlet said at least five people were killed and 30 wounded in the incident.A member of the security forces was killed in clashes there, Iranian media reported.“Rioters attempted to storm a police station,” Fars said, adding that “two assailants were killed.”Local media’s accounting of the protests is not exhaustive, and state-run outlets have downplayed the demonstrations in their coverage, while videos flooding social media are often impossible to verify.Protests began a week ago among bazaar traders and shopkeepers before spreading to university students and then provincial cities, where some protesters have been chanting against Iran’s clerical rulers.Iran has had inflation above 36 percent since the start of its year in March and its rial currency has lost around half its value against the dollar, causing hardship for many people. The government has struggled to provide water and electricity across the country throughout the year and global financial bodies predict a recession in 2026.Authorities have attempted a dual approach to the protests — acknowledging the economic crisis and offering dialogue with demonstrators while meeting more forceful displays of dissent with violence. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that although authorities would talk to protesters, “rioters should be put in their place.”

Strike blamed on DR Congo army kills six in M23-occupied east.

Goma, DR Congo, Jan 2 (AFP) Jan 02, 2026-A strike blamed on the Democratic Republic of Congo's army killed at least six people in territory controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 fighters in the east, a local source said on Friday.According to the source, the attack also wounded at least 41 people in Masisi, a key breadbasket for the North Kivu provincial capital Goma, which fell to the M23 at the beginning of 2025."This Friday, a drone from the Congolese armed forces bombed civilian houses in central Masisi. There were six deaths and 41 wounded, some of them seriously," Masisi territory administrator Emmanuel Ndizeye told AFP.A resident reached by telephone said the situation was "traumatising", with the strike leading to "many wounded".M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka slammed the strike as an indiscriminate bombardment by the Congolese government in Kinshasa, which the armed group wants to overthrow.The regional DRC army spokesman had yet to reply to AFP's request for comment.Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of the mineral-rich Congolese east with Rwanda's help, displacing hundreds of thousands in a region beset by conflict for more than three decades.After a months-long lull at the front, the armed group launched a fresh offensive in December, culminating in the capture on December 10 of Uvira, which gave it control of the DRC's land border with its ally Burundi.Under pressure from the United States, which has sought to broker an end to the long-running conflict, the M23 said on December 17 that it was withdrawing from the city of several thousand people.Both Washington and Kinshasa have cast doubt on the sincerity of the M23's announcement, and local sources told AFP on Thursday that plainclothes M23 officers had stayed behind in Uvira.Fighters allied with the Congolese government have been locked in clashes with the M23 across several axes in both North and South Kivu, according to local sources.

Taiwan's president vows to defend sovereignty after China drills.

Taipei, Jan 1 (AFP) Jan 01, 2026-Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed on Thursday to defend the democratic island's sovereignty in a New Year's speech, after China carried out military drills.Beijing launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels this week to encircle Taiwan's main island, in exercises condemned by Taipei as "highly provocative".China claims democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it."My stance has always been clear: to steadfastly defend national sovereignty, strengthen national defence and whole-of-society resilience, comprehensively establish effective deterrence capabilities, and build robust democratic defence mechanisms," Lai said in a televised address from the Presidential Office.China's show of force follows a bumper round of arms sales to Taipei by the United States, Taiwan's main security backer, and comments from Japan's prime minister that the use of force against Taiwan could warrant a military response from Tokyo.Lai said international support for Taiwan "has never wavered", which signalled that "Taiwan is no longer just Taiwan"."We are not only indispensable, we are also a trustworthy, responsible force for good in the international community," Lai said.But Lai warned that opposition delays in passing the government's annual budget and an additional $40 billion defence spending bill could lead to questions about "Taiwan's resolve" to defend itself."In the face of China's grave military ambitions, Taiwan has no time to wait, nor any time for internal strife," Lai said."We may hold differing views on many issues, but without a resilient national defence, there will be no nation, nor any space for debate."Beijing responded to the speech Thursday, saying it contained "lies", state news agency Xinhua reported."Lai Ching-te's speech was filled with lies and nonsense, hostility and malice", said Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua, Xinhua reported.Lai "once again peddled the fallacy of 'Taiwan independence', incited cross-strait confrontation and reiterated the old tune of 'democracy versus authoritarianism'," Chen added.- 'Unity not division' -China's latest military exercise was the sixth major round of manoeuvres since 2022 when a visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged Beijing.Taiwan has responded to the growing pressure by increasing defence spending on smaller and more nimble weaponry to enable its military to wage asymmetric warfare against more powerful Chinese forces.But it is under US pressure to do more.Lai's government aims to boost its 2026 defence budget to more than three percent of gross domestic product and increase spending to five percent of GDP by 2030.Lai's speech capped a dramatic few weeks in Taiwan, with a deadly metro stabbing attack in Taipei that left three people dead and a deepening domestic political crisis.The Kuomintang party (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party, which together control the parliament, are furious after Premier Cho Jung-tai, who belongs to Lai's Democratic Progressive Party, refused to sign opposition-backed amendments to a revenue-sharing bill, preventing them from taking effect.Lai publicly supported Cho's decision, further angering opposition parties, which have accused the government of "defying the Constitution" and launched impeachment proceedings against them."I hope that our ruling and opposition parties can stand united," Lai said."Only through unity, not division, can we avoid sending the wrong signals to China that it could invade Taiwan."burs-pfc/je/ceg

China expert mocks Taiwan's HIMARS as 'porcupine in a glass box'by Riko Seibo.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 03, 2026-Taiwan's acquisition of US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) has drawn a sharp rebuke from a mainland military strategist, who likens the systems to "a porcupine trapped in a one-way glass box" on an island that offers little room to maneuver or hide. The metaphor underscores an emerging line of criticism from Chinese analysts that questions the value of high-profile, road-mobile rocket launchers operating under the intense surveillance and firepower the People's Liberation Army (PLA) can now bring to bear across the Taiwan Strait.In comments carried by China Daily, Fu Zhengnan, a researcher at the PLA's Academy of Military Science, argues that the geography and demographics of Taiwan work against the defining feature that has made HIMARS famous on other battlefields-its ability to "shoot and scoot" across open terrain before an enemy can respond. Fu notes that the system was designed to exploit wide deserts and plains, whereas Taiwan's narrow, mountainous landmass and dense urbanization sharply constrain where the launchers can safely operate without exposing civilians or revealing firing positions.The US$11.1 billion arms package approved by Washington in December places HIMARS at the center of a broader effort to enlarge Taiwan's long-range, precision-strike arsenal, including guided rockets and missiles capable of hitting targets on the Chinese coast and in the Strait. For Beijing, however, the deal is portrayed less as a boost to Taiwan's deterrence than as proof that Taipei is doubling down on what Chinese media describe as a "porcupine" strategy that will still be unable to withstand a concentrated PLA campaign.Fu contends that on a small island under continuous surveillance by satellites, drones and other sensors, large tracked or wheeled launchers are far easier to detect than on more spacious battlefields. In his view, the result is that HIMARS becomes a set of exposed spikes on an animal that cannot run or hide, with crews facing great difficulty in spotting or reacting to incoming threats in time once a high-intensity conflict begins.By contrast, the PLA's own long-range rocket artillery is depicted as operating from deep, protected positions along China's coast, with longer range, higher volume of fire and more sustainable logistics. This allows Chinese forces, according to Fu, to mass salvos against known or suspected HIMARS positions while keeping their own launchers further from counter-battery fire, tipping any cross-Strait duel in Beijing's favor.The critique lands at a moment when Taiwan's official defense strategy is being reshaped around a more explicitly asymmetric posture often described as a "porcupine strategy," which seeks to make invasion prohibitively costly rather than to match the PLA system-for-system. Central to that concept are mobile, survivable systems-coastal anti-ship missiles, air defenses, mines and long-range rockets-that can endure initial strikes and continue to exact attrition on any landing force.HIMARS is intended to plug into that layered denial architecture by providing rapidly deployable, truck-mounted launchers able to fire precision rockets and ATACMS-class missiles from dispersed positions around the island. Taiwanese sources describe efforts to base the systems in small, scattered units, shifting them frequently along the road network and using camouflage, decoys and hardened shelters to preserve launchers through an opening barrage.Supporters of the program argue that even a modest number of surviving HIMARS launchers, properly networked with radar and unmanned systems, could pose a serious threat to PLA amphibious shipping, staging areas and nearby bases-giving Taipei a potent tool for sea denial and counter-landing operations. Exercises in 2025 have already showcased live firings by newly formed HIMARS units, signaling that Taipei sees the system as a key enabler of its evolving deterrence posture.Yet the China Daily article highlights a broader debate over whether highly visible, high-value platforms like HIMARS truly align with the logic of deep asymmetry that many Western and Taiwanese strategists advocate for the island's defense. Critics on both sides of the Strait contend that resources might be better spent on larger numbers of smaller, cheaper, and more easily concealed systems-such as additional coastal missiles, drones and loitering munitions-that are harder to track and destroy in bulk.For now, the "porcupine in a glass box" analogy neatly captures Beijing's narrative that US hardware cannot fundamentally alter the military balance in the Strait, even as Taiwan and its partners seek to stitch systems like HIMARS into a wider web of area-denial capabilities. Whether those rockets become easy prey under PLA firepower or a resilient thorn in any invasion plan will depend less on their technical specifications than on how effectively Taipei can disperse, conceal and sustain them in the face of sustained pressure.

France, UK conduct joint strikes against IS in Syria.

London, Jan 4 (AFP) Jan 04, 2026-Britain and France on Sunday said they had carried out joint strikes on the Islamic State group in Syria to prevent the Islamist extremists resurging.France said it was part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-led international offensive against IS in Iraq, Syria and also Libya.The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the Islamic State group to store weapons."Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France," the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS."This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation," the statement added.The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians.The French armed forces said in a statement on X that as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the two NATO allies "carried out strikes against positions of the terrorist group Islamic State"."Preventing the resurgence of Daesh is a major issue for the security of the region," it added.IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country's vast desert.Preventing the group from regaining strength is a major priority for the international community as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former jihadist, seeks to shore up security in Syria after ousting former president Bashar al-Assad just over a year ago.Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins, was once controlled by the jihadist fighters.Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attacked American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian.US forces said they struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation.bur-lb-sjw/ach 

International aid groups grapple with impact of Israel’s ban on their work in Gaza-Israel says groups whose licenses were revoked make up only a small part of operations in the Strip, but the ban will further strain operations amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis By AP and ToI Staff Today, 4:56 pm-JAN 4,26

Israel’s decision to revoke the licenses of more than three dozen humanitarian organizations this week has aid groups scrambling to grapple with what this means for their operations in Gaza and their ability to help tens of thousands of struggling Palestinians.The 37 groups represent some of the most prominent of the more than 100 independent nongovernmental organizations working in Gaza, alongside United Nations agencies. Those banned include Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Medical Aid for Palestinians.The groups do everything from providing tents and water to supporting clinics and medical facilities. The overall impact, however, remains unclear.The most immediate impact of the license revocation is that Israel will no longer allow the groups to bring supplies into the Gaza Strip or send international staffers into the territory. Israel says all suspended groups have to halt their operations by March 1.Some groups have already been barred from bringing in aid. The Norwegian Refugee Council, for example, said it has not been allowed to bring in supplies in 10 months, leaving it distributing tents and aid brought in by other groups.Israel says the banned groups make up only a small part of aid operations in Gaza.But aid officials say they fulfill crucial specific functions. In a joint statement Tuesday, the UN and leading NGOs said the organizations that are still licensed by Israel “are nowhere near the number required just to meet immediate and basic needs” in Gaza.The ban further strains aid operations even as Gaza’s over 2 million Palestinians still face a humanitarian crisis more than 12 weeks into a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The UN says that although famine has been staved off, more than a quarter of families still eat only one meal a day and food prices remain out of reach for many; more than 1 million people need better tents as winter storms lash the territory.Why were their licenses revoked? Earlier this year, Israel introduced strict new registration requirements for aid agencies working in Gaza. Most notably, it required groups to provide the names and personal details of local and international staff and said it would ban groups for a list of criticisms of Israel.The registration process is overseen by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, led by a member of the ruling Likud party, Amichai Chikli.Israel says the rules aim to prevent Hamas and other terror groups from infiltrating the groups, something it has said was happening throughout the 2-year-old war. The UN, which leads the massive aid program in Gaza, and independent groups deny the allegations and Israeli claims of major diversion of aid supplies by Hamas.Aid organizations say they did not comply, in part, because they feared that handing over staff information could endanger them.More than 500 aid workers have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the United Nations.Israel denies targeting aid workers. But the group say Israel has been vague about how it would use the data.“Demanding staff lists as a condition for access to territory is an outrageous overreach,” Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said Friday. It said Israeli officials had refused its attempts to find alternatives.In the case of MSF, Israel has accused it of having two employees who held membership in Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas.A December report on MSF issued by an Israeli government team recommended rejecting the group’s license. It pointed primarily to statements by the group criticizing Israel, including referring to its campaign in Gaza as genocide — an accusation rejected by Israel — and calling its monthslong ban on food entering the territory earlier this year “a starvation tactic.” Israel said the statements violated neutrality and constituted “delegitimization of Israel.”The report also repeated claims that an MSF employee killed by an Israeli airstrike in 2024 was an operative with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.That, it said, suggested MSF “maintains connections with a terrorist group.”MSF on Friday denied the allegations, saying it would “never knowingly employ anyone involved in military activities.” It said that its statements cited by Israel simply described the destruction its teams witnessed in Gaza.“The fault lies with those committing these atrocities, not with those who speak of them,” it said.Aid groups have a week from December 31 to appeal the process.Medical services could see biggest impact-Independent NGOs play a major role in propping up Gaza’s health sector, devastated by two years of Israeli bombardment and restrictions on supplies.MSF said Israel’s decision would have a catastrophic impact on its work in Gaza, where it provides funding and international staff for six hospitals as well as running two field hospitals and eight primary health centers, clinics and medical points. It also runs two of Gaza’s five stabilization centers helping children with severe malnutrition.Its teams treated 100,000 trauma cases, performed surgeries on 10,000 patients and handled a third of Gaza’s births, the group says. It has 60 international staffers in the West Bank and Gaza and more than 1,200 local staff — most medical professionals.A field hospital, the 15th opened since the beginning of the war, in the Gaza Strip, in an image published on November 28, 2025. (COGAT)A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October, following the war waged by Israel in response to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, in which invading terrorists killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 251.Since the ceasefire began in early October, MSF has brought in about 7% of the 2,239 tons (2,032 metric tonnes) of medical supplies that Israel has allowed into Gaza, according to a UN tracking dashboard. That makes it the largest provider of medical supplies after UN agencies and the Red Cross, according to the dashboard.Medecins du Monde, another group whose license is being halted, runs another four primary health clinics.Overburdened Palestinian staff-Aid groups say the most immediate impact will likely be the inability to send international staff into Gaza.Foreign staff provide key technical expertise and emotional support for their Palestinian colleagues.“Having international presence in Gaza is a morale booster for our staff who are already feeling isolated,” said Shaina Low, communications adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which is one of the main NGOs providing shelter supplies and fresh water to displaced people.NRC has roughly 30 international staff who rotate in and out of Gaza working alongside some 70 Palestinians.While any operations by the 37 groups in the West Bank will likely remain open, those with offices in East Jerusalem might have to close.Halt on supplies-Many of the 37 groups already had been blocked from bringing supplies into Gaza since March, said Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead for Israel and the Palestinian territories.What changes with the formal license revocation is “that these practices are now formalized, giving Israel full impunity to restrict operations and shut out organizations it disagrees with,” she said.Some of the groups have turned to buying supplies within Gaza rather than bringing them in, but that is slower and more expensive, she said. Other groups dug into reserve stocks, pared down distribution and had to work with broken or heavily repaired equipment because they couldn’t bring in new ones.Amed Khan, an American humanitarian philanthropist who has been privately donating medicine and emergency nutrition for children to Gaza, said the impact extends beyond the aid groups.He relies on NGOs to receive and distribute the supplies, but the fewer groups that Israel approves, the harder it is to find one.“It’s death by bureaucracy,” he said.

'With Iran, its less what Trump did than what he does next'With Venezuela raid, Trump fires a message to Iran and Hamas. Will they listen? The bold operation in Venezuela shows the Mideast that the US president is willing to back up his threats, but will likely also convince Khamenei that the US wants regime change, hardening Tehran By Lazar Berman-Today, 3:33 pm-JAN 4,26

At US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely assumed that he was at the front of his host’s mind, or at least the issues he had come to discuss were: Gaza, Iran, Lebanon and a pardon.By all accounts, the two leaders enjoyed a friendly and productive meeting, and also spent New Year’s Eve together at the resort’s black tie ball.The attention of the White House, though, was far from the Middle East. Instead, it was busy planning for an impending daring special forces raid to snatch Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro from one of his homes and take him into custody to face narcotics and terrorism charges in the US.The stunning operation early Saturday marks the latest use of military force by the US president that shattered ostensible red lines and forced observers to scramble to find a new description of his foreign policy doctrine.As evidenced by his January 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and the US strikes on nuclear sites at the tail end of Israel’s 12-war against Iran in June, Trump is no isolationist. He is ready to use American military might in an aggressive but targeted fashion against adversaries, especially after repeated warnings.While it took place far from the part of the world Netanyahu was most concerned with, Trump’s strike on Caracas has reverberated far beyond Latin America.The Israeli premier had gone to Florida with matters largely unsettled in Gaza and Lebanon, where the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups have refused to disarm and have shown signs of attempting to rebuild, and worried that Iran could be gearing up for a fresh conflict as well.On all three fronts, the outcome largely hinges on Trump and what guarantees he can provide Israel, as well as what threats he can issue against his and Netanyahu’s adversaries. Thus Jerusalem has a clear interest in the effectiveness of the Venezuela raid and what effect it has on the potency of both.As a rule, a US president that is willing to back up threats with the judicious use of military force is a good thing for US allies in the region, including Israel. When Washington is seen as disinterested in the Middle East, or is run by a president who chooses endless diplomacy to avoid using force, America’s enemies are emboldened.Netanyahu made his sentiments clear, congratulating Trump for his “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice.”Iran, which expanded its influence over the Middle East as the US tried to disengage from the region in the wake of the long Iraq and Afghanistan occupations, has reason to be nervous after the raid.Standing next to Netanyahu last week in Florida, Trump said unequivocally that he would back an Israeli strike on Iran if it resumes its missile and nuclear programs.“If [Iran] will continue with the missiles — yes. [And if they continue with] the [production of] nuclear [capabilities] — fast. One will be yes, absolutely. The other, we’ll do it immediately,” Trump said, indicating that the US could again join Israel in an attack on Iran.Days later, as widening economic protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, Trump issued a new threat.  He warned Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote.With the Venezuela raid, the Islamic Republic should reasonably conclude that Trump is willing to back up his threats with action, and has the ability to make it happen.While it isn’t entirely clear what the path is to another US bombing operation, and or even an assassination or extraction, in Iran, it certainly seems shorter after Saturday’s raid in Caracas.Iran has long allied with Venezuela, using Caracas to bypass sanctions, and selling oil for gold in order to fund its armed proxies. Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, also enjoys deep support networks in Venezuela, raising money through its ties to narcotics traffickers.The fall of the Maduro regime, if Trump pursues such a goal, would rob the Iranian axis of its base in the Americas.None of that means that Iran is about to sue for peace with the US, however.Leaders in Tehran are likely to see the Maduro arrest as further proof that Trump is really interested in regime change, not just stopping the nuclear and ballistic missile program, noted Raz Zimmt, who heads the Iran and the Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.“Consequently, there is little incentive to negotiate with the Trump administration,” he said.“I see no growing willingness to engage in negotiations — certainly not on [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei’s part,” Zimmt said. “In any case, the current conditions — complete lack of trust and US demands perceived by Iran as total capitulation — do not allow for an agreement.”At most, it seems, the Venezuela operation could cool Iran’s resolve to resume nuclear enrichment or break out toward a nuclear weapon, at least as long as Trump is in office.Over the longer term, however, Iran might use the operation as further evidence that in order to survive it has to drastically enhance its deterrence against the US, even in the form of a quiet push toward a nuclear weapon.Iran will be watching to see what happens next before it draws its final conclusions from Saturday’s operation.“The issue with Iran is less the question of what the president did, and the question is what the president does [next],” noted Danielle Pletka, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. “If he allows the vice president [of Venezuela] to remain in power, the Iranians will breathe a sigh of relief.”Even if Trump decided to decapitate Iran’s leadership, without follow-up action, the ayatollah regime, backed by the IRGC, would remain in power and perhaps even tighten its grip on the country.Trump’s previous military engagements with Iran were brief and pointed, reflecting his aversion to becoming entangled in a protracted conflict abroad.That was also seen in Yemen, where the administration ended a sustained but largely ineffectual bombing campaign against the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels after a few weeks, reaching a deal that protected America’s interests in the Red Sea but left Israel to fend for itself against the group.Rubio’s no Witkoff-In Gaza, though, the Maduro raid “may cause Hamas to take Trump more seriously,” noted Pletka.At Mar-a-Lago last week, Trump issued a threat to Hamas over its refusal to give up its weapons under the administration’s 20-point plan that halted fighting there in October.The terror group, he said, “will be given a very short period of time to disarm,” or “there will be hell to pay for them.”At the same time, Trump’s approach to Gaza differs from his stance on Venezuela. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has run point on American policy toward Caracas, advocating an aggressive posture with a steadily escalating use of US military force.Regarding Gaza, on the other hand, Trump has put special envoy Steve Witkoff in chargeWitkoff, a diplomatic novice, has shown a belief that problems can be solved by talking face-to-face, even to hardened terrorist leaders.In October, Witkoff described sharing a moment of connection with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya over their shared experience of losing a son.“We expressed our condolences to him for the loss of his son,” said Witkoff. “He mentioned it. And I told him that I had lost a son, and that we were both members of a really bad club, parents who have buried children.”“When Steve and him spoke about their sons,” recalled top Trump Middle East adviser Jared Kushner to CBS News, “it turned from a negotiation with a terrorist group to seeing two human beings kind of showing a vulnerability with each other.”Witkoff’s late son Andrew died at the age of 22 of an opioid overdose. Al-Hayya’s son Himam al-Hayya was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Hamas headquarters in Doha that drew Trump’s ire.It’s impossible to imagine Rubio having a heart-to-heart with enemy leaders.“They are very different people with very different ideas,” said Pletka of Rubio and Witkoff.Interventionists on the rise-The Maduro raid may also signal the growing ascendancy of the Rubio-led interventionist wing of the administration, as opposed to the isolationist flank led by Vice President JD Vance.Rubio is a staunch friend of Israel, while Vance, a close friend of conservative Israel-critic Tucker Carlson, seems to have far less invested in the US-Israel relationship.There is another benefit for Israel of having Rubio leading the way on Venezuela. He is and is seen as a leading candidate to replace Trump in 2028.While Vance has been out of the spotlight in recent weeks — he wasn’t at Mar-a-Lago at all during the Netanyahu visit — Rubio has taken center stage. With Saturday’s stunning action, he has shown Trump that his way, and not Vance’s instinctive isolationism, enhances the president’s credibility and leads to wins for US policy.The isolationists may not only be losing in the White House, but on the street level as well.According to a Ronald Reagan Institute poll conducted in late October and early November, 87 percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans said they backed Trump’s strikes on Iran, and 73% said they would back the use of US military force to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.And 90% said they supported US strikes against drug traffickers in the Caribbean, including from Venezuela.With Trump convinced that bold, targeted strikes are a moral and necessary tool in order to force adversaries to accede to US demands, he is more likely to sympathize with Israel doing the same in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.

Netanyahu, allies using armies of bots to influence social media discourse – report-Accounts run from foreign countries said to like and share posts by PM, other politicians within seconds, even though videos they’re sharing take minutes to actually watch By ToI Staff Today, 12:12 pm-JAN 4,26

About half of the politically active accounts on Israeli social media are not real people but rather bots, including many of those boosting posts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his right-wing coalition, according to an investigation by Channel 12 news.The report, which aired on Friday night, found that Netanyahu and his allies use bots to “like” and share their posts almost immediately after the content is uploaded, in order to convince the platforms’ algorithms to recommend it to other users.“When he posts a five-minute video in Hebrew, in the first 60 seconds, most of the shares are from abroad, and [those] posts happen within about five seconds,” Jonathan Hasidim, of the Scooper research group, told Channel 12.The report cited a negative post about the Brothers in Arms protest group and a reaction to the slaying of policeman 1st Sgt. Niv Peretz as examples of posts by the premier that were clearly boosted by bots.He explained that in the latter case, “the initial [response] was very strong, 70% from abroad, and after that we see a decline.” Hasidim told the network: “It’s a trend-graph that’s very characteristic of Netanyahu’s tweets.”Additionally, whereas reactions to such posts are often negative, when the posts are shared they skew largely positive, indicating the use of bots, according to the report.Sometimes, a campaign involves human influencers blazing the algorithmic trail, which is then reinforced and distributed through the use of bots.Channel 12 also cited a “whitewashing campaign” for Jonatan Urich, an aide to Netanyahu who is now under investigation for his role in leaking classified documents and for allegedly conducting a public relations campaign for the government of Qatar while working in the Prime Minister’s Office during the Israel-Hamas war.Additionally, libels can spread through the use of bots, which protect those behind them from laws against knowingly lying about public figures.Experts cited, as cases of bots spreading libel, campaigns against anti-government protest leader Shikma Bressler, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and families of those who were held hostage in Gaza.Opposition leaders clean of bots, expert tells Channel 12-Opposition politicians, meanwhile, did not appear to be using bots this way, according to the experts cited in the report. Hasidim said his group checked the accounts of Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and The Democrats chairman Yair Golan, and found no organized bot campaigns in that camp.According to the report, about half of the politically active accounts in Israel are estimated to be bots, on par with global figures.Some of the bots are primitive and easily identifiable, but many of those are used to gather data rather than primarily to manipulate feeds, the report said. Other bots rely on more sophisticated artificial intelligence software, and are harder to distinguish from real users.“The strongest [bot-farmers] in the world are the Russians, and the Qataris after that. We’re kids compared to the Russian world, and the Qataris, in terms of changing and shaping consciousness,” an expert in the field, Tal Klinger, told the network.He also said that, while veterans of the Israel Defense Forces veterans are at the top of the field worldwide, the IDF as a body lags behind.