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Blinken warns of ‘maybe last opportunity’ for Gaza deal………Israel-Hamas Truce Talks Stall as Blinken Tries to Clinch Deal

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on the urgency of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during his ninth visit to the Middle East since the start of the conflict. “This is a decisive moment, probably the best and maybe the last opportunity to get hostages home, to get a ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken added during a speech in Tel Aviv on Monday alongside Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Following the Doha summit and subsequent discussions in Cairo, Hamas rejected the latest proposal presented by mediators by citing “new conditions regarding the prisoner exchange process and withdraws from previous clauses in a way that does not allow reaching an agreement.” Blinken will continue his trip by traveling to Cairo on Tuesday, where talks on a ceasefire will resume in the upcoming days.

Israel-Hamas Truce Talks Stall as Blinken Tries to Clinch Deal

Israel and Hamas blamed each other for stalling a cease-fire and hostage deal as US President Joe Biden’s top diplomat arrived in Tel Aviv to press for an agreement. Mediators say the warring sides are getting closer to a pause in the conflict in Gaza that’s been raging for more than 10 months and has roiled the wider Middle East. But objections from both parties on Sunday raised the prospect of another diplomatic failure. “We are conducting negotiations and not a scenario in which we just give and give,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. “There are things we can be flexible on and there are things that we cannot be flexible on, which we will insist on. We know how to distinguish between the two very well.” He accused Hamas — backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union — of being “completely obstinate.” International pressure should, he said, be directed at the group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to be in hiding in Gaza.

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Hamas says ‘no improvements’ in ceasefire talks….. Israel cautiously optimistic about Gaza ceasefire

Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, Dr. Ahmad Abdulhadi, told Sky News that there have been “no improvements” towards a ceasefire agreement with Israel despite United States President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing optimism over the latest round of talks. “The Biden administration is trying to show that the environment is positive. But the first round showed there are no improvements,” Abdulhadi stated. “The mediators told us that the disagreed points haven’t been solved and Netanyahu added more conditions on it and made it even more complicated,” he added. Earlier, Biden claimed an agreement is “in sight” amid talks in Cairo between Israel and mediators from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, while Netanyahu stated his country’s negotiators showed “cautious optimism” about reaching an agreement. On the other hand, Hamas, which refused to send a delegation to the talks, urged mediators to pressure Israel to accept the US ceasefire proposal.

Israel cautiously optimistic about Gaza ceasefire after talks

Israeli negotiators have shown “cautious optimism” about reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after recent talks in Doha, Qatar, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. According to Israel, the optimism stems from a new American proposal and the pressure exerted on Hamas by the US and mediators. The statement further noted that negotiators believe this pressure might overcome Hamas’s resistance to the proposal, possibly leading to a breakthrough in the discussions. Hamas, however, refused to send a delegation to the latest round of talks, which began on Thursday.

NN Audio File: 

bidens wet dream
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Comrad Harris pledges to tackle costs, build houses, lower taxes in economy speech

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Aug 16 (Reuters) – Kamala Harris outlined proposals to cut taxes for most Americans, ban “price gouging” by grocers and build more affordable housing on Friday as part of the “opportunity economy” she plans to pursue if she wins the White House. In her first major economy-focused speech as the Democratic presidential nominee,
Harris pledged to introduce a new child tax credit of as much as $6,000 for families with infants, cut taxes for families with kids and lower prescription drug costs.
The vice president also called for the construction of 3 million new housing units over four years and a tax incentive for home builders who build homes for first-time buyers.
Harris told supporters at a rally in North Carolina, a state she hopes to win in the Nov. 5 election, that the U.S. economy was strong but prices were still too high. She said she would be laser-focused on the middle class as president.
“Together we will build what I call an opportunity economy,” she said. “Building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency because I strongly believe when the middle class is strong, America is strong.” Her agenda may run into resistance from both corporations and Congress, which rejected similar proposals when they came from President Joe Biden.
Harris, who said she would reveal more details of her economic plans in the weeks to come, is aiming to draw a contrast with her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, on broad economic values, and specifically on tariffs and taxes.
In a call with reporters on Friday, Trump economic advisers Kevin Hassett and Stephen Moore argued that Harris’ proposals would boost inflation and damage the economy. A proposal to offer as much as $25,000 to first-time homeowners would do little more than jack up home prices, they said.
Some of her policies, including ones on housing and groceries, have come under attack as ill-considered and overly liberal populism by Republicans and some industry groups.
The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that Harris’ economic plan would increase deficits by a net $1.7 trillion over a decade, a number that could grow to $2 trillion if temporary housing policies were made permanent.
Harris’ plan includes a federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries, which her campaign says aims to stop big corporations from unfairly exploiting consumers while generating excessive corporate profits.
As president, she would direct the Federal Trade Commission to impose “harsh penalties” on companies that break new limits on price gouging, campaign officials said. NN: Some crazy commie shit.
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WHO Declairs Monkey Pox a New global health emergency:

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa is a global health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders. The announcement by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came after a meeting of the U.N. health agency’s emergency committee. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency on the continent on Tuesday. WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceed last year’s figures. So far, more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in a single country — Congo. Scientists are concerned by the spread of a new version of the disease there that might be more easily transmitted among people. NN: This is real…… Educate yourself. Another gift for mankind  Monkeypox out of Africa like AIDS

What is mpoc?

Continue reading “WHO Declairs Monkey Pox a New global health emergency:”

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OpenAI blocks covert Iranian influence operation

OpenAI Inc. revealed on Friday in a statement that it stopped a covert Iranian influence operation that was utilizing ChatGPT to create content related to various matters, including comments on candidates involved in the 2024 United States presidential campaign, as well as the conflict in Gaza. “This week we identified and took down a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that were generating content for a covert Iranian influence operation identified as Storm-2035. We have banned these accounts from using our services, and we continue to monitor for any further attempts to violate our policies,” OpenAI detailed. The generated materials were spread through websites and social media accounts. The company shared that it saw no proof that the aforementioned content had a “meaningful” outreach, with a low number of likes, shares, or comments. OpenAI added that threat intelligence was forwarded to government, campaign, and industry stakeholders.

 

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Mediators teams to continue work, new Cairo meeting next week

The United States, Egypt, and Qatar released a joint statement Friday emphasizing the urgent need to finalize a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages and detainees. Following 48 hours of intense negotiations in Doha, the three countries “presented to both parties a bridging proposal” that builds on recent agreements and aligns with US President Joe Biden’s May 31 principles. In the document, the three mediator countries said that technical teams will focus “over the coming days” on finalizing details of the agreement implantation, including humanitarian provisions and arrangements for hostages and detainees. In addition, senior officials from the three nations are scheduled to meet again in Cairo next week to advance the deal. NN:Is Iran really willing to risk everything,   Yes they can]t help themselves

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Oil prices down on alleged progress in Gaza talks

The prices of oil futures declined by more than 1% on Friday as some United States sources shared there was progress achieved in the new round of negotiations about a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, the media reported Iran and Hezbollah postponed their planned attacks on Israel due to the ongoing talks.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September’s deliveries  sell for $75.98 per barrel. At that minute, Brent for October’s settlements  to go for $79.09 per barrel.

 

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Oil Prices Under Pressure……. 5 Way Race

Over the past month, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has fallen from about $85.00 a barrel to below $75.00 a barrel. Concerns about weaker demand from China have negatively impacted oil prices for a while, and now fears of a U.S. recession have helped further drive prices down. The most recent driver is the negative sentiment pervading the stock market, which has extended its reach into commodities. This heightened volatility has been driven by traders reacting to the fear of a potential U.S. recession, spurred by weaker-than-expected jobs data last Friday. As a result, oil, highly sensitive to economic cycles, has seen a significant downturn in recent weeks. The current decline began with softer U.S. data, including the weaker-than-expected June CPI reading released early in July. “U.S. crude (WTI) pulled back to a 6-month low on August 8th as fear took over in markets, with the Japanese Nikkei experiencing the worst performance in 40 years,” notes Daniela Sabin Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com. She adds, “As tends to happen when sentiment takes over, we saw some overreaction in the moves which led to a correction later in the session, supported by stronger ISM non-manufacturing data which helped to calm some of the nerves.”  The overblown fear of a U.S. recession has dampened future demand expectations, fueling a selling appetite among traders. While ongoing geopolitical risks in the Middle East provide a bullish driver for oil prices, demand concerns currently outweigh the possibility of supply disruptions. This can change quickly if the rocket fly from Iran as threatened. On the technical front, WTI faces continued downside pressure. Hathorn highlights that “the price has firmly set below its key moving averages, which now provide some resistance on the topside if a reversal were to happen.” Looking ahead, the lack of impactful economic events on the calendar suggests that sentiment will likely drive market momentum. Hathorn points out that “further commentary from central bankers could drive some of the momentum, especially if there is further talk about an out-of-cycle cut this week, even if it seems highly unlikely.”

One critical factor to watch in the coming weeks is the response from OPEC+. The group had planned to start increasing production in October but indicated last week that this decision “could be paused or reversed, depending on prevailing market conditions.” Hathorn explains, “It may be the case that the recent drop in prices won’t allow the cartel to reintroduce higher production as it could drive prices even further. If we were to see the decision to increase production pushed back to a later date, we could see a respite for oil prices.” In summary, while the immediate outlook for oil remains bearish due to recession fears and softer U.S. economic data, the potential actions of OPEC+ and geopolitical risks could still play a crucial role in shaping the market dynamics in the near term.

NN blackmask market news and Commentary

                                                   Five Way Tie

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EIA: US crude inventories up by 1.4M barrels

Summary of Weekly Petroleum Data for the week ending August 9, 2024

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories (excluding those in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) increased by 1.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 430.7 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 5% below the five year average for this time of year.

U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.5 million barrels per day during the week ending August 9, 2024, which was 65 thousand barrels per day more than the previous week’s average. Refineries operated at 91.5% of their operable capacity last week. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.7 million barrels per day. Distillate fuel production decreased last week, averaging 4.8 million barrels per day. U.S. crude oil imports averaged 6.3 million barrels per day last week, increased by 61 thousand barrels per day from the previous week. Over the past four weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 6.6 million barrels per day, 2.0% less than the same four-week period last year. Total motor gasoline imports (including both finished gasoline and gasoline blending components) last week averaged 578 thousand barrels per day, and distillate fuel imports averaged 81 thousand barrels per day. Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.9 million barrels from last week and are about 3% below the five year average for this time of year. Both finished gasoline and blending components inventories decreased last week. Distillate fuel inventories decreased by 1.7 million barrels last week and are about 7% below the five year average for this time of year. Propane/propylene inventories increased by 2.2 million barrels from last week and are 14% above the five year average for this time of year. Total commercial petroleum inventories decreased by 3.1 million barrels last week. Total products supplied over the last four-week period averaged 20.6 million barrels a day, down by 1.7% from the same period last year. Over the past four weeks, motor gasoline product supplied averaged 9.2 million barrels a day, up by 2.2% from the same period last year. Distillate fuel product supplied averaged 3.7 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, down by 2.3% from the same period last year. Jet fuel product supplied was up 1.6% compared with the same four-week period last year

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Hamas to stay out of Gaza truce talks, Iran considers Israel attack

  • Hamas says it will not take part in Thursday talks
  • Israel has said it will attend
  • US Secretary of State reported to have postponed trip
  • Iran could hold back attack on Israel with Gaza truce
  • Biden adviser visits Lebanon for deescalation talks
CAIRO, Aug 14 (Reuters) – The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said on Wednesday it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Thursday in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that Iranian sources say could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel.
The U.S. has said it expects indirect talks to go ahead as planned in Qatar’s capital Doha on Thursday, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible. However Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to the Middle East that had been expected to begin on Tuesday. The conflict has left the enclave with no clean running water, Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil last month. The Israeli government said it would send a delegation to Thursday’s talks, but Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, requested a workable plan to implement a proposal it has already accepted rather than more talks. “Hamas is committed to the proposal presented to it on July 2, which is based on the U.N. Security Council resolution and the Biden speech and the movement is prepared to immediately begin discussion over a mechanism to implement it,” Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
“Going to new negotiation allows the occupation to impose new conditions and employ the maze of negotiation to conduct more massacres,” he added.
There has been no let-up in fighting in Gaza, where residents of the southern city of Khan Younis said Israeli forces blew up homes in the east and intensified tank shelling on eastern areas of the city centre.
Israel said it was responding to Hamas rocket fire towards Tel Aviv on Tuesday and had struck rocket launching pads and militants among 40 military targets over 24 hours, including in central Gaza, Khan Younis, and western Rafah in the south. Armed groups of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said they had attacked Israeli forces in several areas, while Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes had killed at least 14 people so far on Wednesday, mostly in the centre and south. Hamas also said its fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli forces in another Palestinian territory, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel said it had killed a number of militants. A ceasefire deal would aim to end fighting in Gaza and ensure the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave in return for many Palestinians jailed by Israel, but the two sides remain divided by sequencing and other issues.
Hamas wants an agreement to end the war and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as a basic pre-condition for releasing hostages, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will only agree to a pause in fighting to allow as many hostages to return as possible. He has repeatedly said the war can only end when Hamas is eradicated.
In an attempt to deter a separate escalation between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, after the latter killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut’s southern suburbs last month, Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, landed in Beirut on Wednesday. Hochstein will meet with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal movement, which is allied to Hezbollah and has also fired rockets on Israel. “We are facing uncertain opportunities for diplomacy, which is now moving to prevent war and stop Israeli aggression,” Mikati said in a speech ahead of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Mikati said talks with Arab and Western leaders had intensified due to the seriousness of the situation in Lebanon and the region.