tybs
Another Globey heading back to AL Udeid AB Doha
RCH814 USAF C-17 Globemaster heading for Al Udeid AB after going in to Pakiland about 8 hours ago-departed from Kabul Afghaniland
Spanish AF AME3167 Airbus A400M on a slight hold and nao on descent for Dubai and departed from Torrejon AB, Madrid earlier today
Analysis-Afghan central bank's $10 billion stash mostly out of Taliban's reach
The Taliban took over Afghanistan with astonishing speed, but it appears unlikely that the militants will get quick access to most of the Afghan central bank’s roughly $10 billion in assets. The country’s central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), is thought to hold foreign currency, gold and other treasures in its vaults, according to an Afghan official.
But most of the assets are held outside Afghanistan, potentially putting most of them beyond the insurgents’ reach, according to Afghan officials, including the bank’s acting governor, Ajmal Ahmady, who has fled Kabul. "Given that the Taliban are still on international sanction lists, it is expected (confirmed?) that such assets will be frozen and not accessible to Taliban," Ahmady said in a Twitter thread here on Wednesday. “We can say the accessible funds to the Taliban are perhaps 0.1-0.2% of Afghanistan’s total international reserves. Not much,” he added. The Taliban said on Saturday that the treasury, public facilities and government offices were the property of the nation and “should be strictly guarded.”
The most recent financial statement posted online here shows DAB holds total assets of about $10 billion, including $1.3 billion-worth of gold reserves and $362 million in foreign currency cash reserves, based on currency conversion rates on June 21, the date of the report. Ahmady estimated total reserves stood at $9 billion last week. Central banks, especially in developing nations, often park their assets overseas with institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) or the Bank of England. DAB's consolidated statement showed that the FRBNY held gold bars worth 101,770,256,000 afghanis - at the time $1.32 billion - on behalf of the Afghan central bank in its vaults by end-2020. So no matter who is in charge dhey never not gonna see dat at all.
The DAB’s June statement also states the bank owned investments worth $6.1 billion. The June report did not provide details of those investments, but a breakdown in the year-end report showed the majority were in the form of U.S. Treasury bonds and bills. Investments were made through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), an arm of the World Bank, or through the FRBNY and held in New York. Among its smaller items are shares in an investment pool by the Bank for International Settlement (BIS), which is based in Switzerland, as well as the Economic Cooperation Organisation Trade and Development Bank in Turkey. “As per international standards, most assets are held in safe, liquid assets such as Treasuries and gold,” Ahmady said on Twitter, confirming assets were all held at the Fed, BIS, through the World Bank programme or other bank accounts
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Asked about the holdings, a FRBNY official said the bank does not acknowledge or discuss individual account holders, but is generally in contact with U.S. government agencies to monitor events that may impact control of a foreign central bank. An official in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration told Reuters: “Any central bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban.”
DAB’s foreign currency cash holdings worth around $362 million are almost entirely U.S. dollars and were held at the bank’s head offices and branches as well as the presidential palace, which is now in the hands of the Taliban. The DAB’s year-end statement also details that just under $160 million worth of gold bars and silver coins were held at the bank’s vault at the presidential palace. The Afghan central bank’s vaults also contain a hoard of 2,000-year-old gold jewellery, ornaments and coins known as the Bactrian Treasure, according to UNESCO. The around 21,000 ancient artefacts were presumed lost until 2003, when they were found in a secret vault in the central bank’s basement, having survived the previous era of Taliban rule undiscovered. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated the Afghan central bank's international reserves at $9.5 billion in 2021 in its latest review published in June here.
This translates into import cover of more than 15 months - well above the three months seen as a safe minimum. A key question will be the handling of Afghanistan’s share of a pending $650 billion allocation of Special Drawing Rights currency reserves to the Fund’s 190 member countries on Aug. 23. This distribution of SDRs, the Fund’s unit of exchange based on dollars, euros, yen, sterling and yuan, aims to shore up the reserves of developing countries strained by the COVID-19 pandemic. IMF member Afghanistan is eligible for an allocation of about $455 million, based on its 0.07% quota shareholding in the Fund. The Taliban gaining access to those assets would be hard to digest in capitals around the globe, but not all countries have access to the SDRs they are allocated.
In 2019, the IMF suspended Venezuela’s SDR access after more than 50 member countries representing a majority of the Fund’s shareholding refused to recognise Nicolas Maduro’s government. “Not sure if that allocation will now proceed with respect to Afghanistan,” said acting central bank governor Ahmady. A group of 18 Republican U.S. lawmakers urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in a letter here to intervene at the IMF "to ensure that no allocated SDRs are made available to a Taliban-led Afghanistan," requesting an update on the situation by Thursday.
The Fund, which defers to its members on disputed political transitions, has not responded to a request for comment on the pending SDR allocation to Afghanistan.
https://www.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-conflict-cenbank/analysis-afghan-central-banks-10-billion-stash-mostly-out-of-talibans-reach-idUSL1N2PP0GA
57-1438 USAF KC-135 tanker out of Pakiland-departed Al Udeid AB about 5 hours ago so this is fueling up da Globeys after they take off most likely.
All those passengers means they habs to fill the tanks low for take off and need immediate attention once aloft from the refueling AC's
just muh perspective from many thousands of miles away from it.
That is the tough part....see something but wut is it really?
They are not switched on until coming out of Pakiland wif ADSB and most other sites are using flight plans or projected progress and not actuals
Not always right but dis seems most logical
doggo nao
SAM975 USAF C-40B nw from JBA depart
Guessing this is an advance team heading to Anchorage and then on to Vietnam and/or Singapore for kneepads-not sure which destination is first for dat bitch
That trip starts on Friday
>>84035 pb
GORDO16 USAF E-4B Nightwatch over northern Michigan and Lake Superior on the track
Coronavirus forces cancellation of Formula One Japanese Grand Prix
Formula One's Japanese Grand Prix has been canceled for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race venue's operator, Mobilityland Corp., announced Wednesday.
"We have decided to cancel the 2021 FIA F1 World Championship Honda Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled to be held at Suzuka Circuit from Oct. 8 to 10," a statement on the company's website said. According to the statement, the decision was unavoidable with entry restrictions making it difficult for overseas teams and officials to enter Japan ahead of the race in central Japan's Mie Prefecture despite strenuous efforts by organizers to coordinate with various agencies and authorities to make this year's event possible.
Japan has been experiencing a surge in infections and patients in severe condition since mid-July. "It was a very painful, frustrating and disappointing decision. We were preparing to hold the F1 Japan Grand Prix for the first time in two years, but we had no choice but to cancel it," Mobilityland President Kaoru Tanaka said.
With engine supplier Honda Motor Co. due to leave Formula 1 after this season, the race at the company's home track was expected to make the race special, while there were high hopes for a big race from 21-year-old Yuki Tsunoda, Japan's first F1 driver in seven years.
"It was an extremely disappointing decision to cancel the F1 Japanese Grand Prix for the second consecutive year, but from this moment we will start preparing for next year's F1 Japanese Grand Prix," Tanaka said.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/8e02475790db-coronavirus-forces-cancellation-of-formula-one-japanese-grand-prix.html
Joe Biden’s State Dept Halted a Trump-Era ‘Crisis Response’ Plan Aimed at Avoiding Benghazi-Style Evacuations Just MONTHS Before Taliban Takeover.
The “Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau” – which was designed to handle medical, diplomatic, and logistical support concerning Americans overseas was paused by Anthony Blinken’s State Department earlier this year. Notification was officially signed just months before the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
“SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED,” an official State Department document from the Biden State Department begins, before outlining the following move the quash the Trump-era funding for the new bureau.
The document is dated June 11, 2021, though The National Pulse understands the decision to pause the program may have come as early as February, both undermining the original Trump-era date for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and certainly giving the Taliban time to threaten American assets and lives on the run up to Joe Biden’s September 11th date of withdrawal. The subject line reads: “(SBU) Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau,” and the body of the document recommends: “That you direct the discontinuation of the establishment, and termination of, the Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau (CCR), and direct a further review of certain associated Department requirements and capabilities.”
It goes on:
“That you direct the discontinuation of the establishment, and termination of, CCR, consistent with the applicable legal requirements, necessary stakeholder engagement, and any applicable changes to the Foreign Affairs Manual and other requirements.” The document reveals the recommendations were approved on June 11th 2021.
Speaking exclusively to The National Pulse, former President Donald J. Trump blasted Biden’s irresponsible move: “My Administration prioritized keeping Americans safe, Biden leaves them behind. Canceling this successful Trump Administration program before the withdrawal that would have helped tens of thousands Americans reach home is beyond disgraceful. Our withdrawal was conditions-based and perfect, it would have been flawlessly executed and nobody would have even known we left. The Biden execution and withdrawal is perhaps the greatest embarrassment to our Country in History, both as a military and humanitarian operation.”
In a lengthy article in Vanity Fair from May 2021, the Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau (CCR) – also referred to in overlap with a predecessor/partner bureau called “OpMed” is described as a “little-known team of medics and miracle workers—hidden deep within the U.S. Department of State.” “Even before COVID reared its head, OpMed was finding ways to do all sorts of things, serving as the hidden hand behind daring and often dangerous operations to rescue Americans from peril abroad,” the article states, before going on to quote Secretary of State Tony Blinken on the importance of the program’s goals. “The Bureau of Medical Services’ Directorate of Operation—or ‘OpMed,’ as we call it—is a lifeline for the Department of State and the American people… Though perhaps lesser known outside of the Department, it’s vital to our operations. That’s because OpMed provides the platform and personnel to save American lives around the world, especially in times of crisis. During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, OpMed was integral to our evacuation and repatriation of 100,000 Americans to the United States as countries began locking down their borders.” But The National Pulse understands that career officials inside the State Department objected to the Trump-era aim of creating a Contingency and Crisis Response bureau with the express purpose of avoiding a future Benghazi-style situation for Americans overseas. Instead, Biden’s team revoked the funding and the approval for the plan, even as the COVID-19 crisis reasserted itself, and and Afghanistan withdrawal loomed.
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Vanity Fair reported in May:
“OpMed emerged from the ashes of Benghazi, where, on September 11, 2012, militants attacked the U.S. consulate, killing America’s ambassador to Libya, an information management officer, and two CIA contractors. The day’s events rocked the national security establishment and prompted years of recrimination, congressional hearings, and blue-ribbon commissions. When the dust more or less settled, several findings emerged: First, Pentagon officials had long warned their counterparts at the State Department about the “tyranny of distance” in Libya and other parts of North Africa. Second, CIA medics on the scene in Benghazi played an indispensable role in saving the lives of gravely wounded diplomatic security personnel. Finally, an interagency panel of experts concluded that, in light of the “grossly inadequate” response time to evacuate the injured from Benghazi, “State must ensure it has the capability to rapidly deploy crisis responders and evacuate […] personnel in harm’s way.” “Responsibility for internalizing these lessons and bolstering the department’s ability to treat its own fell in no small part to William Walters, who had joined State in December 2011 in what for nine months had largely been a role in search of a mission: managing director of operational medicine. He had served with the Army’s most elite special operations unit and held the euphemistic title of deputy command surgeon for sensitive activities at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). “They wanted a guy who understood the Pentagon but could also wear cuff links,” he said with a laugh, recalling the clash of cultures. And yet Doc Walters, as he is known in the corridors of Foggy Bottom, quickly emerged as a contrarian (in a department that values consensus) and an egalitarian (in an organization that’s been a bastion of elitism since 1789).”
A 2022 State Department Budget Justification document presented to the U.S. Congress earlier this year notes on page 22: “The Department has paused implementation of Op Med (CCR) pending a policy review.” On August 15th, Biden’s State Department was forced to issue a humiliating statement warning U.S. citizens that the Embassy in Kabul would be unresponsive to their requests for help. At the time of publication, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. military is attempting to move 5,000 to 9,000 people to safety per day, according to the Associated Press. The news flies in the face of Joe Biden’s claims that his government planned for “every contingency” in the war-torn country.
The National Pulse also understand no Congressional notification was sent to the United States Congress, as is required, upon the pause.
https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/bidens-state-dept-halted-trump-era-crisis-response-plan/
>not sure what else they can pull out they ass to use against us in short time period.
Oh I do..
Starts wif a B
It's a color
kek
Wells Fargo is no longer shuttering existing personal lines of credit after customer backlash
Wells Fargo is reversing a decision to shutter personal lines of credit for its customers.
Last month, CNBC reported that the bank had informed its customers that the revolving credit lines would be closed after a product review.
The decision drew criticism from consumers who lean on the product as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a frequent critic of the banking industry.
Now, the bank has decided to keep the products available for those who actively used them or want to reactivate old ones, according to a spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based company. It will not offer the credit lines to new customers, however.
Here is the statement:
As part of our strategic review of businesses last year, we determined that our suite of other consumer products serve our customers better than personal lines of credit. As a result, we ceased opening these lines in May 2020, and recently notified customers that we planned to close existing lines. We heard feedback from our customers and that feedback is very important to us; we are responding by ensuring customers can keep these lines of credit open.
For customers who have been using their lines, we are informing them that their lines remain open and they can continue to use them. For customers whose accounts have been inactive for the past 12 months, if they would like to keep their lines open, they can call us or simply use their line. For those inactive customers who do not activate their lines in one of these ways, accounts will be closed on December 2, 2021.
Beginning August 17, we have been communicating with all customers who received the earlier letters to inform them of this change, using both email and written letters.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/18/wells-fargo-is-no-longer-shuttering-existing-personal-lines-of-credit-after-customer-backlash.html