The three economists looked at 12, 000 credit-card accounts at one financial institution (whose identity they don't disclose) over a two-year period ended June 2002.

WSJ: It's Easier to Return Those Unwanted Gifts

Voting will be electronic - one machine will identify voters' fingerprints, and a second will recognise identity card numbers and register the vote anonymously.

BBC: Venezuela opposition says government broke election law

If we can improve our systems, we may be able to reap many of the benefits of having a national identity card without the burden or cost of actually having to implement one.

FORBES: We Don't Need a National ID Card

It was one of the justifications Mr Blair made - and is still making - for the introduction of an identity card system.

BBC: The truth behind UK migration figures

To open a door fitted with the latest U.S. government-certified lock from high-end Swiss lock manufacturer Kaba, an employee must both enter a code up to eight digits long, then swipe a unique identity card coded to comply with a new standard that requires an extra layer of security, one designed to track individual staffers and make covert intrusion harder than ever.

FORBES: Defcon Lockpickers Open Card-And-Code Government Locks In Seconds

According to Reforma's investigation, an identity card number that Ricardo Miguel Cavallo submitted to the Mexican authorities in a residency application is the same one sighted by the Spanish judge, Baltasar Garzon, who wants to try Miguel Angel Cavallo on charges of torture and murder.

BBC: Mexico boss held on torture charges