It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
At least 17 mass shootings were recorded across the country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, including a string of deadly incidents that left as many as 18 people dead, data published by the Gun Violence Archive showed.
A 9-year-old and a 17-year-old were among those injured in the Washington, D.C., incident, authorities said. All of the victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Ripple’s XRP Ledger (XRPL) has welcomed an innovative stablecoin backed by mortgages. Developed by the RWA protocol, this groundbreaking innovation will revolutionize the mortgage industry by unlocking new products for homeowners and other market participants. Using the utility token $HOME offered on the XRPL, the community can benefit from the stability and growth potential of mortgages which offer a steady stream of reliable income.
With the mortgage market totaling at least $13 trillion, the RWA protocol has identified an opportunity to integrate blockchain technology to bring new innovations into what has been the domain of banks, governments, and large institutions
These benefits will unlock new possibilities for homeowners and other market participants in the mortgage industry. Furthermore, it will drive the adoption of XRP Ledger which has continued to demonstrate its versatility. By launching on the XRP Ledger, the project leverages the ultra-fast, low-cost, and carbon-neutral network.
If the soon-to-be-released BRICS currency is considered a threat to the U.S. dollar, then the CBDC could be its death knell. Out of 195 countries in the world, 130 nations are moving towards building their Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Therefore, 98% of the world is looking to launch their respective CBDC currency making it easier to settle cross-border transactions.
Among the 130 countries, a dozen nations have reached advanced phases and are moving towards launching their digital currency assets.
The Digital Euro: Prototype Slated for 2023
Digitization of finance is sweeping across Europe like a swift gust of wind, with the idea of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) at the heart of this technological revolution.
From the remote corners of Ireland to the sunny beaches of Spain, the narrative of digital currencies is echoing loud and clear.
With Société Générale Forge and the European Investment Bank, they are aiming for a functional prototype by autumn 2023.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is currently in discussions with its counterparts from at least 18 other countries on the possibility of cross-border payments using its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the “digital rupee.
According to the report, banks from 18 countries have already opened rupee vostro accounts since July 2022. In his other public appearance, Das explained India’s eagerness to provide its CBDC as a payment method for importing Indian goods for countries struggling with a supply of United States dollars:
“In India, we have no shortage of dollars, but in some other markets, due to a shortage of dollars, they are unable to do imports.”
Argentina has taken the bold move of making payments towards its staggering $44 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) using Chinese yuan, sidestepping the traditional use of the US dollar.
This development, coupled with Brazil’s preparation to launch its central bank digital currency (CBDC), signals a new wave of economic maneuvers and a break from established financial norms in the region
Argentina, facing a dollar supply squeeze, has found an alternative route to settling its international debts. The country is turning towards the Chinese yuan, integrating it into its national and international economic activities.
In the meanwhile, Brazil is advancing steadily in its digital currency endeavors. The Brazilian CBDC is currently in its pilot testing stage, with market observers and experts actively guessing its eventual launch date.
At a recent fintech gathering, Fetraban Tech, several predictions were made regarding the CBDC’s timeline. Larissa Moreira, Itau Unibanco’s CBDC coordinator, suggested the design of the digital real might be finalized by next February, as the team is in the process of configuring its architecture to be compliant with prevailing privacy and data protection rules.
Use of facial recognition technology by the police has been heavily scrutinized in recent years, but its application by private businesses has received less attention. Now, as the technology improves and its cost falls, the systems are reaching further into people’s lives. No longer just the purview of government agencies, facial recognition is increasingly being deployed to identify shoplifters, problematic customers and legal adversaries.
Facewatch, a British company, is used by retailers across the country frustrated by petty crime. For as little as 250 pounds a month, or roughly $320, Facewatch offers access to a customized watchlist that stores near one another share. When Facewatch spots a flagged face, an alert is sent to a smartphone at the shop, where employees decide whether to keep a close eye on the person or ask the person to leave.
Facial recognition technology is proliferating as Western countries grapple with advances brought on by artificial intelligence. The European Union is drafting rules that would ban many of facial recognition’s uses, while Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, has encouraged retailers to try the technology to fight crime. MSG Entertainment, the owner of Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, has used automated facial recognition to refuse entry to lawyers whose firms have sued the company.
Among democratic nations, Britain is at the forefront of using live facial recognition, with courts and regulators signing off on its use. The police in London and Cardiff are experimenting with the technology to identify wanted criminals as they walk down the street. In May, it was used to scan the crowds at the coronation of King Charles III.
America's Transportation Security Agency (TSA) intends to expand its facial-recognition program used to screen US air travel passengers to 430 domestic airports in under a decade.
Facial recognition is an invasive and dangerous surveillance technology," wrote Jeramie Scott, director of EPIC's Project on Surveillance Oversight, in a June 30 write-up.
"When the government moves forward with pilot programs that will, if fully implemented, subject millions of people on a daily basis to the technology that should give us all pause."
Facial recognition technology is being used in warfare for the first time. It could be a game changer in Ukraine, where it is being used to identify the dead and reunite families. But if we fail to grapple with the ethics of this technology now, we could find ourselves in a human rights minefield.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has been using Clearview AI facial recognition software since March 2022 to build a case for war crimes and identify the dead – both Russian and Ukrainian. The Ministry of Digital Transformation in Ukraine said it is using Clearview AI technology to give Russians the chance to experience the “true cost of the war”, and to let families know that if they want to find their loved ones’ bodies, they are “welcome to come to Ukraine”.
Ukraine is being given free access to the software. It’s also being used at checkpoints and could help reunite refugees with their families.
Australian stadiums playing host to the biggest concerts and sporting events in the country have been called out over their use of facial recognition cameras.
It is extremely concerning that FRT is being used at major concert and sporting venues across the country without any kind of clear information for consumers about where, how and why it is being used,” CHOICE consumer data advocate Kate Bower said.
Barbora Bukovská, ARTICLE 19’s Senior Director for Law and Policy, commented:
‘The use of facial recognition and other biometric technologies represents one of the greatest threats to fundamental rights in the digital age. These technologies constitute a threat to the right to privacy and anonymity and have a strong “chilling effect” on the rights to freedom of expression. If governments can use biometric technologies to quash any form of dissent and if people know they are being watched, they are less likely to express themselves freely in public spaces and might not choose to exercise their rights.
Facial recognition has been used around the world, including in Russia, without sufficient legal frameworks to protect the rights at stake. As a consequence, individuals’ rights have not been sufficiently protected, leading to cases like the present one, where severe human rights violations have occurred.
A separate mass shooting in Philadelphia on Monday night left five people dead and two others wounded, including a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy.
The suspect, a 40-year-old man, had a semi-automatic rifle, a handgun, a ballistic vest and a police scanner, according to authorities. He also had multiple magazines of ammunition. A motive was under investigation.
The Monday shootings came just a day after two people were fatally shot and at least 28 others injured after gunfire broke out at a neighborhood block party in Baltimore.
originally posted by: RookQueen
a reply to: Guyfriday
A separate mass shooting in Philadelphia on Monday night left five people dead and two others wounded, including a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy.
The suspect, a 40-year-old man, had a semi-automatic rifle, a handgun, a ballistic vest and a police scanner, according to authorities. He also had multiple magazines of ammunition. A motive was under investigation.
The Monday shootings came just a day after two people were fatally shot and at least 28 others injured after gunfire broke out at a neighborhood block party in Baltimore.
They also forgot to mention these were black market guns........just caught it on FOX News.
The Federal Reserve just issued a fresh warning on the state of the US economy.
A research note published by two Federal Reserve economists says the number of non-financial firms that are now in financial distress is at historic levels.
Do our results suggest that the monetary policy tightening engineered since 2022 might have substantial effects on investment and employment given the high share of firms currently in distress relative to previous tightening cycles? While answering this question is difficult, back of the envelope calculations indicate that the effects may be large.
The Fed warns its own policies may push those distressed companies closer to default, and their failure could in turn trigger a wave of previously unforeseen layoffs.
“Our analysis may underestimate the true effects on employment because policy tightenings might push some distressed firms closer to default and contribute to a wave of bankruptcies with associated layoffs.
This flower has been used as a symbol for many different things over the years. In ancient Greece, it was a symbol of lightning and fearlessness in battle.