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Morocco World
a day ago
- Business
- Morocco World
World Bank Grants $250 Million to Reinforce Morocco's Social Protection
Rabat – Morocco secured financing from the World Bank as it advances a large-scale reform of its social safety nets. The institution's Board of Directors approved a $250 million financing package to support the country's Support to Strengthening of Social Safety Nets for Human Development Project. The funding comes as Morocco rolls out the Direct Social Benefit (DSB) program, which the government introduced in late 2023 as a cornerstone of its broader reform agenda. By March 2025, the program had already reached over 3.9 million households across the country, providing cash assistance and linking families to essential services. The World Bank's new package aims to reinforce this approach. It will help improve the way Morocco delivers aid to the poorest families, while also creating pathways for economic inclusion. Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, the World Bank's Director for the Maghreb and Malta, pointed to Morocco's achievements in reducing poverty, which fell to 3.8% in 2022. But he also acknowledged that many households remain vulnerable to shocks. 'Morocco has made notable strides, yet many families still lack the tools to withstand economic disruptions or take part in the job market,' Ndiaye said. 'This program opens the door for people to invest in education, access care services, and seek out work, particularly women and youth.' Morocco has made steady progress over the past two decades in lifting living standards and extending public services. But the road ahead remains challenging. High unemployment, weak female labor force participation, and widening rural-urban gaps continue to weigh on the country's ambitions for equitable growth. Morocco's unemployment rate has witnessed a slight decrease of 0.4% in the first quarter of 2025, falling from 13.7% to 13.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024, according to Morocco's Higher Commission for Planning (HCP). Yet, this decrease is still far from satisfactory. The World Bank project will support the National Agency for Social Support (ANSS), which manages the DSB program, in tightening coordination across ministries and boosting the efficiency of benefit delivery. At the core of the initiative is a citizen-focused model that seeks to connect public spending with measurable outcomes, such as more children in school, better health coverage, and stronger ties to the labor market. With support from international partners, Morocco hopes to build a safety net that gives people the means to move forward. Tags: Morocco economysocial protectionUnemploymentworld bank
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
How do I know if I have a Real ID? Here's how to tell in Mississippi. Deadline is soon
Do you already have a Real ID? If you want to travel this summer, particularly if you plan to fly, you might need to update your drivers license. Mississippi residents will need a new identification card or passport to fly on commercial airlines. They'll also be required to get onto military bases or access secure federal facilities, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety's Driver Service Bureau. The deadline across the U.S. is May 7. According to a DSB news release, 97.1% of Mississippi drivers were REAL ID compliant as of April 1. The Driver Service Bureau has offered several special Saturday appointments to help people get what they need on time. The extra appointments are in addition to regular business hours and are only at some offices, and the last ones are set for this weekend. Here's what we know about what you need to upgrade to a Real ID in Mississippi, where to go for a special appointment and when you need to finalize the change. All Real IDs will have a stamp on the right-hand corner to show that it is federally compliant. The symbol stamped on your Real ID card will vary, depending on the issuing state. In Mississippi, it's a gold star. The Driver Service Bureau has offered special Real ID appointments on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last weekend appointments will be on May 3. You can schedule an appointment online, but walk-ins are also welcome at these offices: Biloxi. Brookhaven. Greenwood. Hattiesburg West. Jackson. Meridian. Nesbit. New Albany. Pearl. Tupelo. Any traveler over the age of 18 who does not have another TSA-approved form of identification to fly domestically must have a Real ID-compliant identification card or driver's license by May 7, 2025. If you need to fly right after the date, you need to update your driver's license or state ID now. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will require people without passports to have a Real ID seal on all state-issued identification cards for certain tasks, like air travel. The guideline was set by The Real ID Act of 2005. Implementation was supposed to happen in previous years but was pushed back because of a paperwork backlog during COVID. No. Any traveler who has an up-to-date passport, or any other TSA-approved form of identification does not need a real ID to travel domestically. You can obtain a Real ID driver's license or identification card from your local motor vehicle department. Go to your local Mississippi department of safety office or schedule an appointment online. More: How Nissan, Amazon, others pushed to get Jackson, MS, a direct Southwest flight to Nashville According to DHS, state driver's licensing agencies can have different documentation requirements. In Mississippi, you need to provide: Your original Social Security card. A certified copy of your birth certificate. Two proofs of residency in Mississippi. If you already have another TSA-approved form of identification, then you probably don't need a Real ID. Enhanced IDs, which are only issued in a couple of states, including Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont, are considered acceptable alternatives to REAL ID-compliant cards. Other TSA-approved alternatives: State-issued enhanced driver's license. DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST). U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents. Border crossing card. An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe. HSPD-12 PIV card. Foreign government-issued passport. Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card. Transportation worker identification credential. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766). U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential. Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC). More: Check out the new Mississippi drivers license designs The swap to Real ID won't change everything you use a state-issued ID card to do. Here's what won't be affected by Real ID in Mississippi. You can still drive, vote, get medical care at hospitals, go to the post office, get into federal courts, carry out bank transactions and apply for or get federal benefits, like Social Security. According to the Driver Service Bureau, state firearm permits aren't considered official IDs and won't get the gold star. Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How do I know if I have a Real ID? Here's how to tell in MS by deadline
Epoch Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
America's Next War Begins at Home
Commentary Suddenly, the lights go out. So does the heat. It's not a localized disruption—all of DC is down. So are New York, Denver, and parts of Hawaii and Texas. It lasts for hours, then days. It becomes clear this was intentional, a massive cyber-attack by China. Businesses can't function. Wall Street halts trading. Mass looting breaks out. Societal panic sets in. While the scenario may sound extreme, the threat is very real. Many across the defense and national security community and pockets of private industry use shorthand to refer to it: A catastrophic VT attack is still hypothetical, but its precursors are all too real. During Russia's three-year war in Ukraine, we've witnessed As VT and similar destructive cyber operations have become increasingly central to our adversaries' theories of military victory against the United States, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)—in concert with civilian agencies—must take on a larger role to protect energy infrastructure here in the homeland. Modern Warfare Pushes DoD into New Territory The emerging challenge for DoD is stated clearly in a little-known August 2024 The DSB report makes several recommendations, including that the DoD stand up a permanent mission infrastructure resilience organization, which 'is structured and resourced to support long-term partnerships across key sectors in the interagency and with civilian infrastructure owners.' The report envisions this new permanent DoD entity would play a major role in mitigating the risks to DoD of an adversarial attack on civilian energy infrastructure (as well as transportation, communications, water, and other critical infrastructure) through ongoing analysis, intelligence and threat assessment, and gaming and exercises. Related Stories 4/28/2025 4/28/2025 For those who have been watching the critical infrastructure security and resilience space for years, the idea of a major DoD role is somewhat novel. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have historically been the leaders in working with private industry to protect critical infrastructure from major cyber-attacks. These civilian agencies operate under established frameworks and authorities dating back more than a decade, and re-codified as recently as last year in the Biden administration's DoD's attention in recent decades has been focused abroad: in fighting, supporting, or preparing for wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, the Taiwan strait, and other swaths of the Middle East and Africa. DoD activity in the homeland quickly bumps up against legal, jurisdiction, and precedential questions. The However, now that attacks on homeland critical infrastructure are central to near-peer adversaries' war plans, it is only natural that DoD's interest would gravitate in that direction. Beyond the DSB report, several indicators point to potential focus from the Trump administration in a larger role for DoD in homeland security. Secretary of Defense Hegseth noted a focus on homeland defense in his first The administration's focus on readiness for a potential conflict with China may also contribute to a growing DoD role on critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. Concepts like U.S. Army North's Private Sector Enters the Fight With all that said, DoD's ability to mitigate a VT scenario—just like that of DHS, CISA, and FBI—will run headlong into a decades-old fundamental constraint: the willingness and capability of individual utilities, oil, gas, renewables, and other energy companies to protect their infrastructure from national security threats on their own dime. There are certain regulatory security requirements for the energy sector, including the North American Reliability Corporation-Critical Infrastructure Protection ( Fortunately, some infrastructure owners and operators in the energy sector are leaning forward and choosing to work proactively with the U.S. government, including with the DoD, beyond what is required by regulation. Dominion Energy, a Fortune 500 energy company which is responsible for power across several states has welcomed a full-time Marine Corps detailee into their security operations center. The Marine Corps pays the officer's salary through a military fellowship program. The detailee learns the latest private sector methods of securing corporate networks and Dominion receives a highly qualified expert who can ensure tight coordination between Dominion's defensive cyber operations and those of the DoD. Adam Lee, vice president and chief security officer at Dominion, notes, 'It would be difficult to have a closer relationship with DoD on these issues than we have at Dominion.' However, Dominion is still the exception rather than the norm. Investment across the industry is uneven and there is a lack of standardization among companies on how to work with federal agencies. Beyond infrastructure owners and operators, other parts of the energy sector are increasingly engaged in defense and national security issues like VT. Startups and growing companies that specialize in microgrids, small modular reactor nuclear technology, geothermal energy, and other energy resilience solutions have found a willing partner and funder in the DoD. Recently, DoD announced the Speeding Up, Scaling Up Ongoing efforts in both the government and private sector, therefore, are promising. A growing DoD role—if managed carefully in coordination with civilian agencies—could also be a force multiplier that injects resources and attention into a perennially thorny challenge. The question is whether planning efforts are moving at sufficient speed and scale to prevent or mitigate the worst of a VT scenario and ensure the United States maintains an advantage in any future war. To increase our readiness, key actions must be taken both by the government and the private sector. The Trump administration should move rapidly to implement the recommendations in last year's DSB report, aligning these efforts with its To incentivize private sector collaboration with DoD, DHS, and FBI, the administration should also develop a proposal for Congress to financially incentivize critical infrastructure companies to implement stronger security and engage more proactively with the federal government. A purely voluntary approach to these challenges has yielded limited results. Regulations have a place but often have the unintended consequence of forcing private sector companies into compliance-based rather than risk-based cultures and sapping them of the creativity we need to see on such challenging issues. Financial incentives, such as a tax credit for developing a corporate strategy to contribute to national security, would have a better chance of achieving the desired results. Energy infrastructure owners, operators, and technology developers shouldn't wait for further signals from the government to lean forward. Proactive companies are already reaping the benefits: reduced risk to their assets, improved reputation, and in the case of some, free labor or new contracts with the DoD and other federal agencies. As the government's attention on critical infrastructure security continues to grow in coming years, the companies already engaged are likely to see significant cost savings and efficiencies, whether in the form of quicker compliance, fewer additional investments, or even government funding or incentives. The path for energy companies who want to jump into this space is straightforward: invest, build, and engage. Invest in analytical capabilities to understand and monitor the national security, defense, and critical infrastructure protection issues likely to impact your business. Build a whole-of-business strategy that outlines corporate efforts to support U.S. national security objectives, including by protecting assets from VT-style attacks and being responsive to U.S. policy priorities. And engage proactively with the DoD, national security agencies, state and local governments, industry peers, the public, and the media on these critical issues. Conclusion The nature of warfare is changing. With it, we are seeing major shifts in U.S. defense priorities and the expectations of private sector critical infrastructure companies, especially in the energy sector. Luckily, many capable and driven individuals across the government and private sector are already working assiduously on preventing VT-style catastrophic scenarios. But more must be done. The fight is just getting started. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
WTO gives Taiwan, India more time on IT duty dispute
In a breather for manufacturers of mobile phones and components in India, the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement body (DSB) has accepted a request from India and Taiwan to further defer the adoption of the ruling against New Delhi's import duties on certain information and technology products till October 24. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India pulled the plug on IWT when Pakistanis are fighting over water What makes this India-Pakistan standoff more dangerous than past ones The problem of Pakistan couldn't have come at a worse time for D-St The two sides sought the postponement last week, officials said. This is the seventh time the adoption of the ruling is deferred. "The DSB had agreed to six previous requests from the two sides to delay consideration of the reports," said an official. The dispute was filed in 2019 when Japan, the EU and Taiwan had challenged the import duty of 7.5%-later increased to 15%-levied by India in 2017. The duty was later raised to 20% to boost local manufacturing. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mumbai: The price (& size) of these hearing aids might surprise you Learn More Undo
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Time of India
Games maker Ubisoft accused of illegal data collection
Vienna: A privacy campaign group filed a complaint Thursday with authorities in Austria against video game giant Ubisoft , accusing the "Assassin's Creed" publisher of illegally collecting users' personal data. The Vienna-based organisation, Noyb -- which stands for "none of your business" -- said the French games maker forced users to connect to the internet even to play offline, then used their personal data for commercial ends without their consent. "Video games are expensive -- but that doesn't stop companies like Ubisoft from forcing their customers to play offline games online unnecessarily, just so they can make more money by tracking their behaviour," said Lisa Steinfeld, a data protection lawyer at Noyb. "Ubisoft's actions are clearly unlawful and must be stopped," she said in a statement. Noyb said it had filed the case with Austria's data protection authority (DSB) on behalf of a user of Ubisoft's "Far Cry Primal", who noticed the game had established connections to external servers 150 times in just 10 minutes, including those of Amazon and Google. The transmissions were encrypted, making it impossible to know what data was being sent, said the complaint. Noyb asked the Austrian regulator to find Ubisoft violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires users' consent in such cases. It called for a fine of up to 92 million euros ($105 million). Ubisoft said connecting to the internet to play its games was only required when first opening them. "Our solo games can then be played offline," it told AFP. Data collected from online play "is used to improve game performance", it said. The case comes after Japan's Sony was forced to backtrack last year on making PC players of popular game "Helldivers 2" link to its PlayStation Network, after an outcry over data collection concerns. Ubisoft has faced other recent headaches, announcing a major restructuring last month in a bid to escape financial woes.
