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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations in the Caribbean issued a public recommendation today for travelers, as an increase in the number of international arrivals is expected to start this weekend as part of the summer travel season.

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the summer travel season and with it an anticipated increment in the number of international arrivals to airports in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

We ask travelers to be aware and ready in order to avoid long lines and inconveniences at the airports, shared Roberto Vaquero, Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Understand that CBP officers can inspect you and your personal belongings, to enforce our laws as well as protect legitimate travelers.

Travelers can know how to clear customs. Among the things travelers should be aware of are:

Global Entry members can expedite their entry by proceeding to the kiosks upon arrival. The upgraded kiosks use facial biometric technology to confirm the traveler identify and making and admissibility decision without producing a receipt. This provides a faster, secure, streamlined and touchless experience for Global Entry members traveling internationally while protecting the privacy of all travelers. Global Entry Receiptless Facial Kiosks are now available at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU).

Travelers who do not have Global Entry may use the Mobile Passport Control (MPC). This app allows eligible travelers to submit their passport and customs declaration information through a free, secure app on their smartphone or other mobile device. The use of MPC streamlines the travelers entry process into the United States by reducing passport control inspection time and overall wait time. Use of MPC is free and does not require pre-approval.

Also at SJU Biometric Exit is operational which uses biometric facial comparison process at a time and place where travelers are already required by law to verify their identity by presenting a travel document. When travelers depart from SJU on international flights, they will pause for a photo at the departure gate. CBPs Biometric Exit process will compare the new photo of the traveler to a small gallery of high-quality images that the traveler has already provided to the U.S. Government, such as passport and visa photos.

Travelers who wish to opt out of the new biometric process may notify an airline official or a CBP officer as they approach the departure gate. These travelers will be required to present a valid travel document for inspection by the gate agent and they will be processed consistent with existing requirements for departure from the United States.

Please visitwww.cbp.govto view additional news releases and other information pertaining to Customs and Border Protection.

Follow us on Twitter at @CBP Caribbean and @DFOSanJuan.

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CBP Issues Tips as Caribbean Summer Travel Starts - Customs and Border Protection

- The new system will provide smart and integrated services and solutions to streamline procedures for customers - System strengthens Dubai's position as a global pioneering city in adopting the latest technologies in the building sector

Dawoud Al Hajri: By implementing this new system, we hope to advance the construction industry in Dubai by providing digitised services that simplify processes and give customers a one-of-a-kind experience

Dubai Municipality has announced the launch of a new online system for building permits and control services aimed at streamlining procedures for customers in the emirate. The system, which is aligned with the updated Dubai Building Code, comes as part of the Municipality's ongoing efforts to strengthen Dubai's position as a global pioneering city in adopting the latest technologies in the building sector.

The new system will provide smart and integrated services and solutions while implementing automated checks using Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building or infrastructure. By providing these solutions, Dubai Municipality seeks to enhance the quality of building permits and control services in Dubai, ultimately promoting the competitiveness of the city.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: We are pleased to launch the new online platform, which provides advanced digital features for building permits and control services. With the implementation of new technology, our main objective is to enhance the customer experience, while reducing time and costs, and improving the overall quality of the services offered. By implementing this new system, we hope to advance the construction industry in Dubai by providing digitised services that simplify processes and give customers a one-of-a-kind experience. This reinforces Dubai's position as a city of innovation and quality, as well as aligns with our vision of providing top-tier Municipality services that contribute to the city's growth and success in the building sector.

Features Mariam Al Muhairi, Acting CEO of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality said: The new system incorporates a range of features aimed at improving the customer experience and service quality. These features include streamlining procedures and reducing the number of application documents required, making it easier for customers to input data and track application updates. It further offers proactive services for customers and the possibility of automated usage of certain services. It also includes automated checking services for consultants to ensure that charts comply with the Dubai Building Code and facilitates the automatic acquisition of data from charts and designs.

The new system not only complies with the latest BIM standards and geographic information systems, but also facilitates user registration through digital ID and instant recognition. It enables smart inspection through various applications and tools while managing building activities. Moreover, the system offers a comprehensive database and detailed maps of the buildings that comply with Dubais digital twinning concept. This feature assists entities in offering smart services and is electronically connected with the Dubai Engineering Qualification system and other relevant authorities involved in permit and control procedures.

First set of services The first set of services on the new system will include the following permits: new building permit (initial and final submission), licensing site preparation processes and drilling, permanent fence permit, self-decoration, self-maintenance, cancellation of transaction, and extending the validity of approved charts. It will also include a number of monitoring services for construction activities: renewal of license, periodic inspection, night work permit, and the ability to change the consultant contractor. The Municipality intends to roll out the remaining services in different phases throughout the year.

Dubai Municipality will also hold training workshops for consultants and contractors to brief them on the required standards, such as the BIM, which will contribute to enhancing their capacities and their ability to use the new system.

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Dubai Municipality launches new online system for building permits ... - Government of Dubai Media Office

MUMBAI: Power consumers in the island city will soon get real-time alerts on their phones and social media of outages, BEST general manager Lokesh Chandra announced on Friday. The decision came after several consumers on Thursday evening complained that they were unable to contact the electricity control rooms during the outage that lasted in parts of island city for more than an hour. Chandra said the department will look into consumer grievances on non-functional helplines across the island city. He added that the department will now have engineers on the ground alerting the control room about any outages and citizens will be informed about the nature of outage, the possible cause and estimated time of restoration via SMS and social media channels, including Twitter. Though BEST officials had said that "damage to Tata Power cable due to some digging work" had led to the outage at Shivaji Park on Thursday, a Tata Power official on Friday clarified that its cable was not damaged. "Our systems supplying power from the Dharavi receiving station were functioning normally," the official said. Chandra said: "We are conducting a probe on what went wrong... We are also strengthening our cables so that there are minimum outages."

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Soon, real-time alerts by BEST on outages in the island city - Times of India

It was the fourth consecutive week of flat prices. A generally slow news cycle meant that market leaders Bitcoin and Ethereum remained where they were last weekend.

Bitcoin depreciated a nominal 0.5% and currently trades at $26,815, while Ethereum rose 1% over the seven days and now enters the weekend at $1,829.

On Monday, an AI-generated photo depicting a fabricated explosion at the Pentagon briefly caused a selloff in stocks and Bitcoin.

Markets were decidedly flat across the board, with no top thirty cryptocurrency posting significant gains except TRON, which rallied 8% to $0.076778.

TRONs rally this week appears to have been driven by the climbing market capitalization of the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin Tether (USTD), as the latter inches towards overtaking its all-time high of $83.2 billion, set in May last year.

According to CoinGecko, Tether may set a new high watermark any day now.

TRON and USDTs joint rally appears to be linked to the fact that the majority of USDT, approximately $46 billion, is issued on Tron, surpassing the $36 billion on Ethereum. Recent data shows a steep rise in USDT on the TRON network throughout 2023 so far.

The biggest losses among cryptocurrencies this week were posted by Internet Computer (ICP), which fell 6% to $4.88, and Lido DAO (LDO), which dropped 7.1% to $1.96.

Ron DeSantis Banned CBDCs in FloridaThese States Could Be Next

Crypto is already a major talking point in Bitcoin-friendly Florida Governor Ron DeSantiss campaign as he gets ready to run as the GOPs candidate in next years U.S. presidential elections.

DeSantis headlined an otherwise disastrous Twitter Spaces the day he announced his candidacy and told his host, Twitter/Tesla CEO Elon Musk, that Bidens administration [has] it out for Bitcoin, and if it continues for another four years, theyll probably end up killing it.

On Tuesday, The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) released a report outlining policy recommendations for global crypto regulation as part of the public consultation process.

Story continues

In a nod to the fall of FTX, the IOSCO recommendations warn regulators about crypto companies "combining certain functions in a single legal entity or group of affiliated entities, such as one entity running exchanges, trading firms, and custody businesses under one roof.

On Thursday, watchdog the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) released a report concluding that the industrys economic impact is minimal, but advising vigilance and policymaking that monitors leveraged trading and the industrys financial contagion risks.

That same day, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and National Competent Authorities (NCAs) issued a statement saying that cryptocurrencies must be clearly labeled as unregulated and both investors and investment firms should understand the financial risks involved in trading them.

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This Week in Coins: Bitcoin and Ethereum See Fourth Flat Week as TRON and Tether Surge - Yahoo News

The controversial BRC-20 standard and Ordinals protocol that made it possible keeps growing its footprint in the Bitcoin ecosystem. The latest: Stably USD, which is being billed as the first BRC-20 stablecoin.

After all, two of the largest stablecoinsTether (USDT) and USDCoin (USDC)do most of their volume on the Ethereum network as ERC-20 tokens. Although now both tokens are available on a handful of other networks like Solana, Avalanche, and TRON.

Like ERC-20 tokens, BRC-20s are a lot like NFTs. They allow for arbitrary, non-financial information to be added to the Bitcoin blockchain without the need for a sidechain or additional token. BRC-20 tokens have been at the center of an intense debate within the Bitcoin community, with important figures taking favorable and unfavorable positions.

Now U.S.-based Stably, which calls itself a fiat onramp for crypto trading, has announced its BRC-20 U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin on Twitter. But there are a few red flags.

For starters, the total supply: $69.420 trillion, according to the companys website. Thats more than double the U.S. national debt and likely a nod to meme culture. And things seem to be off to a slow start. Their documentation links to a reserve wallet with a $220 balance at the time of writing.

While Stably claims its subsidiary, Stably Trading LLC, is a registered money transmitter, the registration number and address on their website dont match whats listed on the FinCEN website under Stably Trading, LLC.

The company tweeted that #USD is backed and redeemable 1-to-1 for USD collateral managed by our regulated custodian adding that a third party firm will be conducting monthly attestations to ensure the collateral always matches whats been issued.

StablyUSD isnt technically a new stablecoin. Its been around since 2019 and only recently got converted into a BRC-20 token on Bitcoin. The latest attestation report shows its got a market capitalization of $7 million across 11 different blockchains, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Arbitrum.

The USDS listing on CoinGecko shows that its price hit an all-time high of $9.89 on November 30, then crashed days later to $0.05 on December 9, 2022. The token has about $5,000 worth of liquidity on decentralized exchange UniSwap split between two trading pairs.

According to Stablys website, its regulated custodianPrime Trustholds the reserves for Stably USD. But it seems more likely that Prime Trust doesnt hold the reserves directly, as it explains on its website that it isnt FDIC-insured and uses accounts at a handful of banks that are.

That said, Stably said it will enforce a know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering process (AML) for users who want to redeem stablecoins for actual dollars.

Neither Stably nor Prime Trust immediately responded to a request for comment from Decrypt.

Although Stably has been quick to claim they were the first USD stablecoin on the Bitcoin network, USDT was initially launched on OMNI, a Bitcoin sidechain, in 2014. There are also several U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, such as DoC on Rootstock, currently available on the network.

The new stablecoin, however, appears to be the first of its kind using the BRC-20 standard.

Whether this is another BRC-20 fad to quickly fade away, or a new era of stablecoins ushered in by the contentious Ordinals protocol remains to be seen. As always, do your own research.

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There's Now a Dollar-Backed Stablecoin on Bitcoin Using Ordinals ... - Decrypt