>I just sent that cunt an email this morning.
That'll do it.
What does he mumble at the end?
REUTERS: DHS denies U.S. landing rights for charter plane carrying over 100 Americans and green card holders evacuated from Afghanistan
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-bars-flight-landing-with-americans-kabul-activists-2021-09-29/
U.S. bars flight from landing with Americans from Kabul - activists
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday denied U.S. landing rights for a charter plane carrying more than 100 Americans and U.S. green card holders evacuated from Afghanistan, organizers of the flight said.
"They will not allow a charter on an international flight into a U.S. port of entry," Bryan Stern, a founder of non-profit group Project Dynamo, said of the department's Customs and Border Protection agency.
Stern spoke to Reuters from aboard a plane his group chartered from Kam Air, a private Afghan airline, that he said had been sitting for 14 hours at Abu Dhabi airport after arriving from Kabul with 117 people, including 59 children.
His group is one of several that emerged from ad hoc networks of U.S. military veterans, current and former U.S. officials and others that formed to bolster last month's U.S. evacuation operation they saw as chaotic and badly organized.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were unfamiliar with the matter, but that the U.S. government typically takes time to verify the manifests of charter planes before clearing them to land in the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has said its top priority is repatriating Americans and green card holders unable to leave Afghanistan in the U.S. evacuation operation last month.
A senior State Department official on Monday said the United States was aware of about 100 American citizens and legal permanent residents ready to leave Afghanistan.
Twenty-eight Americans, 83 green card holders and six people with U.S. Special Immigration Visas granted to Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war in Afghanistan were aboard the Kam Air flight, Stern said.
He had planned to transfer the passengers to a chartered Ethiopian Airlines plane for an onward flight to the United States that he said the Customs cleared to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
Customs then changed the clearance to Dulles International Airport outside Washington before denying the plane landing rights anywhere in the United States, he said.
"I have a big, beautiful, giant, humongous Boeing 787 that I can see parked in front of us," he said. "I have crew. I have food."
Stern said intermediaries in Kabul had obtained permission from the Taliban-run Afghan Civil Aviation Authority for the groups to send a charter flight to retrieve the passengers from Kabul airport.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-afghan-central-bank-drained-dollar-stockpile-before-kabul-fell-2021-09-29/
Afghan central bank drained dollar stockpile before Kabul fell
The Afghan central bank ran down most of its U.S. dollar cash reserves in the weeks before the Taliban took control of the country, according to an assessment prepared for Afghanistan's international donors, exacerbating the current economic crisis.
The confidential, two-page brief, written early this month by senior international economic officials for institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, said the country's severe cash shortage began before the Taliban took control of Kabul.
It criticised how the central bank's former leadership handled the crisis in the months before the Taliban's conquest, including decisions to auction unusually large amounts of U.S. dollars and move money from Kabul to provincial branches.
"FX (foreign exchange) reserves in CB's (central bank) vaults in Kabul have depleted, the CB cannot meet … cash requests," the report, seen by Reuters, said.
"The biggest source of the problem is the mismanagement at the central bank prior to the Taliban takeover," it added.
Shah Mehrabi, chairman of the central bank's audit committee who helped oversee the bank before the Taliban took over and is still in his post, defended the central bank's actions, saying it was trying to prevent a run on the local Afghani currency.
The extent of the cash shortage can be seen on the streets of Afghan cities, where people have been queuing for hours to withdraw dollar savings amid strict limits on how much they can take out.
Even before the shock of the Western-backed government's collapse, the economy was struggling, but the return of the Taliban and abrupt end of billions of dollars in foreign aid has left it in deep crisis.
Prices for staples like flour have spiralled while work has dried up, leaving millions facing hunger as winter approaches.
AID DRIES UP
Under the previous government, the central bank relied on cash shipments of $249 million, delivered roughly every three months in boxes of bound $100 notes and stored in the vaults of the central bank and presidential palace, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter.
That money has dried up as foreign powers shy away from dealing directly with the Taliban, which fought against foreign troops and the ousted government. Thousands of people - many of them civilians - died.
>Afghan central bank drained dollar stockpile before Kabul fell
The central bank, which plays a key role in Afghanistan because it distributes aid from countries like the United States, said on Wednesday it had finalised a plan to meet the country's foreign currency needs. It gave no details.
The hard currency crunch is making it difficult for the Taliban to meet basic needs, including paying for power or dispersing salaries to government employees, many of whom have not been paid in months.
Afghanistan's roughly $9 billion of offshore reserves were frozen as soon as the Taliban captured Kabul, leaving the central bank with just the cash in its vaults.
According to the report, the central bank auctioned off $1.5 billion between June 1 and Aug. 15 to local foreign exchange dealers, which it said was "strikingly high".
"By August 15, the Central Bank had an outstanding liability of $700 million and 50 billion Afghanis ($569 million) towards the commercial banks," it said, adding that this had been a major factor in emptying its coffers.
Afghan central bank official Mehrabi said, however, that although almost $1.5 billion of auctions had been announced, the actual amount sold was $714 million.
He said the central bank had "continued its foreign exchange auction to reduce the depreciation and inflation."
MONEY MISSING?
The report also questioned a decision by the central bank to shift some of its reserves to provincial branches, putting it at risk as Taliban militants made advances across the country from late 2020 in the runup to their victory.
It said around $202 million was kept in these branches at the end of 2020, compared with $12.9 million in 2019, and that the cash was not moved as provinces started to fall to the insurgents.
"Some money is reportedly lost (stolen) from 'some' of the provincial branches," the report said, without specifying how much.
Mehrabi said the central bank was investigating money "stolen" from three of its branches, although not by the Taliban. He gave no further details.
Former central bank governor Ajmal Ahmady, who left the country the day after Kabul fell, did not respond to emails and other messages requesting comment on his and the bank's actions in the months before the Taliban returned to power.
Ahmady has said on Twitter in recent weeks that he did his best to manage the situation, and blamed any cash shortfall on the freezing of central bank assets abroad.
In his statements, he also said the central bank had managed the economy well prior to the fall of Kabul and that he felt bad about leaving staff behind but feared for his safety. He has said no money was stolen from any reserve account.
($1 = 87.8700 Afghanis)
The confidential, two-page brief, written early this month by senior international economic officials for institutions including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, said the country's severe cash shortage began before the Taliban took control of Kabul.
>65-year-old Australian indigenous elder receives second Pfizer mRNA injection during televised event, dead six days later
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7lxhdEYh1E
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7lxhdEYh1E
Aboriginal elders and teenagers are leading the push to get more people in Queensland's Indigenous communities vaccinated.
Cherbourg elder Uncle Bevan Costello this week received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"I feel more confident now that I'm fully vaccinated that if I come into contact with COVID I should be OK because I'm a diabetic," Uncle Bevan said.
Figures released earlier this week showed only 4.6 per cent of the Cherbourg population aged over 15 were fully vaccinated.
It's among the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-10/remote-indigenous-towns-regional-queensland-vaccine-uptake/100445986
Elders and teens from Queensland's Indigenous communities push back against vaccine hesitancy to boost immunisation rates
9 Sep 2021
Aboriginal elders and teenagers are leading the push to get more people in Queensland's Indigenous communities vaccinated, but the biggest challenge is dispelling myths and misinformation about the vaccine.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following content contains images of people who have died.
Cherbourg elder Uncle Bevan Costello this week received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"I feel more confident now that I'm fully vaccinated that if I come into contact with COVID I should be OK because I'm a diabetic," Uncle Bevan said.
Figures released earlier this week showed only 4.6 per cent of the Cherbourg population aged over 15 were fully vaccinated.
It's among the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.
"A lot of my people have been hesitant because of a misunderstanding of the information, mostly on social media," Uncle Bevan said.
Mixed messaging about the AstraZeneca vaccine and other myths circulating online were partly to blame.
Katie Panaretto from the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service said staff were working closely with the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council to address the vaccine hesitancy.
She believes sentiment is changing now that Pfizer is the only vaccine being offered in the community.
Katie Panaretto has been working to address vaccine myths and fears among Cherbourg locals.
https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2184415/air-force-update-for-covid-19/
hyperclown
>I think 100% that was COMMS.
https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2021/08/18/afghan-official-ex-president-ashraf-ghani-left-169-million-interpol-aid-needed/
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/afghanistan/2021/08/20/inside-the-mission-to-rescue-169-americans-from-a-hotel-outside-the-kabul-airport/
>https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/afghanistan/2021/08/20/inside-the-mission-to-rescue-169-americans-from-a-hotel-outside-the-kabul-airport/
President Joe Biden first spoke of the mission during an address on Friday, in which he described “military assets” bringing Americans “over the wall” of the airport.
“… the original plan was for the Americans to gather themselves up at the Baron [Hotel] and walk through the Abbey gate. The gate is right here. So you can see from the hotel to the gate,” Kirby said. “… but there was a large crowd established outside the Abbey gate ― a crowd, that, that not everybody had confidence in, in terms of their ability to walk through it. And so, local commanders on the scene took the initiative and flew these helicopters out there to pick them up.”
Three Army CH-47 Chinooks fetched the Americans from a landing zone at the hotel, Kirby said, then dropped them at the airport for processing. He could not confirm whether they had since been flown out of Afghanistan.
The extraction was the first time U.S. officials have confirmed that troops have been operating outside the walls of the airport.
> https://nypost.com/2021/09/29/gabby-petito-search-uncovers-another-missing-persons-remains/
Coverage of Gabby Petito case leads to apparent discovery of another body
The intense coverage of the Gabby Petito case has helped bring apparent closure to the family of a Texas man who went missing in Wyoming, where the Long Island native’s body was found, according to a report.
The last trace from Robert Lowery, 46, a father of two from Houston, was reportedly a ping from his cellphone in Jackson on Aug. 23.
Lowery was seen on video from Aug. 19 at a restaurant at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton Village. He was last spotted the following day in Bridger-Teton National Forest, where Petito’s body was found Sept. 19, CNN reported, citing the Teton County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday, remains matching Lowery’s description were discovered near the Black Canyon Trail at the base of Teton Pass, Houston’s KPRC-TV reported.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/29/us/missing-man-found-robert-bob-lowery-gabby-petito-trnd/index.html
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/09/28/sister-of-missing-texas-man-robert-bob-lowery-calls-for-help-in-search-for-father-of-two/
For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.
The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.
>Makes me wonder what’s really in this container ships off the coasts.
Club-K
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3M-54_Kalibr#Launch_platforms
https://vir.com.vn/foreign-firms-people-aid-hcm-city-in-covid-19-fight-88075.html
Indonesian businesses and nationals have presented 169 million VND (7,400 USD) and necessities worth more than 120 million VND to Ho Chi Minh City, which is Vietnam’s current largest COVID-19 hotspot. ​
Indonesian businesses and nationals have presented 169 million VND (7,400 USD) and necessities worth more than 120 million VND to Ho Chi Minh City, which is Vietnam’s current largest COVID-19 hotspot.
The gifts were handed over to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCM City by Indonesia’s Acting Consul General in the city Yovanka Yoan Siahainenia on September 29.
At the hand-over ceremony, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCM City Nguyen Thanh Trung thanked the Indonesian enterprises and citizens for their timely support.
The aid has practically contributed to consolidating and strengthening the fine friendship between the two countries, he said.
The official used this occasion to call on foreign businesses and communities to further support measures and policies adopted by the Vietnamese government and HCM City’s authorities to combat the pandemic and recover the economy in new normal conditions.
Edwin Setiawan Tjie, President of the Indonesian Business Association in HCM City, affirmed that Indonesian firms always pay heed to social affairs and believed that the southern economic centre will soon put the pandemic under control.
The same day, Good Neighbors International (GNI), a non-governmental organisation in the Republic of Korea (RoK), presented 1,000 gift packages valued at 500 million VND to residents affected by COVID-19 in Tan Phu district.
On September 28, Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong (China) and Deutsches Haus Ho Chi Minh Stadt Ltd. also donated 15 ventilators and other machines with a total value of 8.75 billion VND to medical facilities in the city.
https://www.wlwt.com/article/dad-finally-gets-covid-19-care-he-needed/37653217#
After a family called 169 hospitals, a dad finally got the COVID-19 care he needed
Susan started the search by Googling "ECMO hospitals in Florida." Then Georgia. Louisiana. Alabama. Virginia.
The family called 169 hospitals. No one was able to take Robby.
The day after exhausting that list, Susan appeared on CNN – fearing Robby might be out of options. But a doctor in Connecticut saw her interview and had an idea.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Kamala-Harris-rallies-voters-against-Republican-16444212.php
Vice President Kamala Harris flew into the Bay Area on Wednesday to headline a rally for Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging voters to reject the effort to recall him or risk seeing Republicans try the same tactic against Democratic leaders across the country.
“They think that if they can win in California they can do this anywhere,” Harris said during an 11-minute speech that brought the audience of 200 at a San Leandro union training facility to its feet, applauding. “We will show them that you will not get this done.”
Harris said Republicans were pouring “so many resources and time into trying to take out Gavin Newsom” because of “his vision” and “his agenda.”
“We are here to say that we fight for Gavin Newsom,” she said.
The Republican-led effort to recall Newsom comes to a head with a Sept. 14 special election in which voters will be asked whether they want to kick out the first-term governor and replace him with an alternative drawn from a field of 46 candidates. The latest polls show a majority of likely voters opposing the recall, including in a survey released last week by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder is currently polling far ahead of other would-be Newsom replacements.
Harris was scheduled to stump for Newsom last month at a rally outside the Cow Palace in San Francisco but the event was postponed after a bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 military personnel and169 Afghans.
The vice president, who was elected as San Francisco’s district attorney at the same time as Newsom became mayor in 2003, has long run a parallel career with the governor as they ascended California’s political ladder. They also share the same political consultants, donor base and many of the same policy positions — and have been described as having a political sibling rivalry as they rose through the ranks.
But there’s nothing like a recall to draw political family members together. On Wednesday, Harris said she traveled across the country — and returned immediately to Washington, D.C., after her appearance — because “it was really important for me to come home today to stand and speak in support of my dear friend, my long-standing friend.”
She praised Newsom, from the time he supported same-sex marriages in San Francisco in 2004, as someone who can “see what can be, unburdened by what has been. We want our leaders in California to have a vision of what is possible.”
The vice president’s appearance underscored the importance of the recall fight to the Democratic establishment.
>They make it up as they go.
https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9811000
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/soros-sells-twitter-facebook-apple-and-snap-2017-11-14
Soros sells Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Snap
George Soros's hedge fund, Soros Fund Management LLC, eliminated or reduced investments in some of the biggest names in tech last quarter, including Facebook Inc. FB, -0.18% and Apple Inc. AAPL, 0.88% Soros divested a 1,700-share stake in Apple as well as 1.55 million shares of Snapchat parent company Snap Inc. SNAP, -2.02%, according to a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The hedge fund greatly decreased its holdings in Facebook and Twitter Inc. TWTR, -2.34%, cutting Facebook shares from 476,713 shares to 109,451 and chopping investments in Twitter's stock and debt. Among the new investments Soros opened in the quarter were General Electric Co. GE, 0.97%, General Motors Co. GM, -0.34%, Campbell Soup Co. CPB, 1.52% and Oracle Corp. ORCL, 0.70%
>Among the new investments Soros opened .. Campbell Soup Co.
>section 17