NATO signs up Savi's RFID

The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) has established an "in service support" contract with Savi Technology, a Lockheed Martin company, for its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based products, services, software and solutions, says Cargonews Asia.

The contract enables the 26 nations of the NATO alliance and non-NATO nations of the Partnership for Peace initiative to order RFID-based consignment tracking and management solutions from a pre-authorised source, or NAMSA.

The contract, announced at the opening of the 2007 Paris Air Show, simplifies and centralises the process for NATO nations to place orders for Savi Technology's networked solutions through the NAMSA procurement process.

Malawian finance deputy minister Lewis Kadam'manja has hailed BP Malawi for moving from a paper-based fuel voucher system to a prepaid electronic fuel smart card system, describing it as the smart and secure way of purchasing BP fuels and lubricants, Malawi's Daily Times newspaper reports.

The minister was speaking in Lilongwe at BP Malawi's launch of a smart card Web site, a modern trend of supplying electronic-based information to its clients.

The smart card Web site would also provide meaningful fleet management information for both BP and its corporate clients.

More than 4 000 foreigners have been stopped from sneaking into Britain, with the use of biometric visas, according to The Sun.

Almost 75% tried to use a false name after earlier asylum refusals, but were found out after their fingerprints were matched to existing records held by immigration authorities.

Immigration minister Liam Byrne said: "We always thought our borders were at risk from people lying about their identity. Evidence proves that, and biometrics is the answer. Without this system we would be defenceless in the fight against illegal immigration."

The majority of people who participated in the miSense biometric airport security trials at Heathrow Airport would recommend the service to their fellow travellers, the EE Times Europe reports.

The report, published by miSense, evaluates the experiences and feedback of the 3 166 passengers who took part in the voluntary trials at Heathrow's Terminal 3 during a 16 week period. Eighty-nine percent said they would recommend the service and 66% said it took less than 15 seconds to use the gate.

The report finds that passengers not only accept the need for biometric technology as a means of providing increased levels of security, but also believe it can improve their journey through the airport.