Afghan Refugees Smart ID Cards

Pakistan launched a drive on Thursday to issue smart identity cards to some 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees, in what will be a vast national campaign to verify data and improve access to critical services.

The last large-scale verification of refugees in the country was undertaken 10 years ago.

The exercise will boost Pakistan’s efforts, with UNHCR’s support, to enhance protection for refugees. Officially known as the documentation renewal and information verification exercise (DRIVE), the campaign will continue for at least six months, renewing and updating information on Afghan refugees who currently hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.

Registered refugees will be issued new smartcards with the capacity to hold biometric data. These cards, which will be valid for two years, will also be technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan to authenticate the identities of nationals to access services.

Six hundred staff – a combination of government and UNHCR – will be working at some 35 sites around the country, and using mobile registration vehicles, to support refugees throughout the process, expected to take at least six months. Both male and female staff will be on hand to assist.

Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing, and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day.

More detailed information about Afghan refugees’ educational and professional backgrounds will allow for better tailored refugee assistance in Pakistan as well as enhanced support for those who may in the future return voluntarily to Afghanistan.

DRIVE is part of a wider effort to assist displaced Afghans, through the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR).

UNHCR is seeking US$7 million in 2021 to fund information campaigns about the new ID cards, call centre support, the DRIVE verification sites, as well as software development, smartcard and ICT equipment and staff training.

UNHCR

Quebec Animal Rescue Rescued Three dogs That Were Stuck on Cliff for Five Days

Three dogs that were stranded on a 75-foot cliff in the Laurentians for five days were rescued by a Quebec animal rescue named Sauvetage Animal Rescue on October 19 after they fell about thirty feet and were stuck on a cliffside plateau near Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts zipline park for five days.

Read More

Pyrenean Mastiff Dog Breed

Large Pyrenean Mastiff dogs are native to Spain’s Aragonese region of the Pyrenees.They have long, thick, dense coats, more visible at the back of the legs, beneath the belly, and around the neck and shoulders.The coat is mostly white and has a distinct mask. There could be colored markings on the body.

Read More

Autonomous AI Agents

Artificial intelligence (AI) scams are fraudulent activities that use AI such as voice cloning, deepfake videos, large language models, and increasingly autonomous AI agents to deceive people in ways that would be impossible for human scammers to accomplish on their own.

Read More

Rare Photos of Aung San Suu Kyi Spark Renewed Calls for Her Release

Myanmar’s military-backed government released images of deposed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi receiving items sent by King Charles III of the United Kingdom, a development that brought on renewed calls for the ousted former leader’s release.

Read More

Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Hides

Michael G. Waltz (right), Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, addresses the meeting on Cuba called “Cuba Libre: The Oppression Havana Hides.”

Read More

Red Bull Skateboarder Breaks Record for Fastest Downhill Skateboard Speed Ever

Diego Poncelet Sanchez-Cuenca, a Spanish skateboarder for Red Bull, broke the record for the fastest skateboard speed downhill (standing) in history, setting a world record.

Read More

Akbash Dog Breed

Native to the plains and mountains of western Turkey, the Akbash dog is a white, large, strong dog breed used to protect livestock.They may have a short or long double coating. They are mostly white, though they may also be biscuit or gray in color.

Read More

Multi-Layered Verification Strategy

Several cutting-edge technologies are combined in a multi-layered verification strategy to identify and prevent fraudulent attempts at every step of the customer journey. Document validation, biometric comparison, device or location signals, and behavioral biometrics are examples of multi-layered identity verification.

Read More

• Bouvier Des Flandres Dog Breed
• Foundation Models
• China Covered Up the Cause of a Detained Uyghur Father’s Death
• UN Security Council Meets on Situation in Middle East, Including Palestinian Question
• Six-Year-Old Becomes World’s Youngest DJ