BlackMask Breaking News

With every other major Afghan city already in the hands of the Taliban, and the U.S. evacuation of its citizens “well underway” on Sunday, the militant group is now at the gates of Kabul. The Islamic group that the U.S. promised to destroy two decades ago issued a statement saying they would “stay at the gates of Kabul and not enter the city. Until the transition takes place.” But by mid morning, reports from inside Kabul implied that some fighters were already inside the city. Early Sunday morning, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani’s official Twitter account announced that Kabul had not fallen, though it confirmed gunshots on the outskirts of the city. Later in the day, unconfirmed reports swirled that Ghani had defected amid calls for his resignation, which would pave the way for the Taliban to be handed power of the entire country.

Local media reported on Sunday, that senior Afghan government officials were already saying they would hand over power to a transitional administration, and a Taliban spokesman told CNN talks about a handover were underway.

The utter collapse of the Afghan army—after years of training by the U.S.—is a humiliation for President Biden just weeks after he ordered troops out of the country. The threat to millions of women and children under Islamist rule will be a permanent stain on his legacy. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was still tweeting about “diplomatic and political efforts” on Saturday as the Taliban marched towards the capital.

The Taliban has largely taken Afghanistan without much of a fight, leaving the spoils of war—including military equipment and ammunition supplied by the U.S.—for the militants to further bolster their upper hand.

Former British International Development Secretary Rory Stewart told the BBC on Sunday, “Everything is going wrong… schools are shutting down across the country, clinics are shutting down across the country, people are taking refuge in their homes, looting is taking place.” Those who can get out will easily create a humanitarian refugee disaster, as Afghanistan’s debacle becomes the world’s problem once again. An AFP reporter in Herat described how the Taliban made itself at home in the office that once housed the former Herat governor on Saturday. There, they “sat on couches—some cradling American military rifles—as they jotted down names and reviewed lists spread on a glass-top coffee table.” Among those on the list are soldiers who have been granted a sort of “immunity” for giving up easily. Taliban member Najeebullah Karokhi told the AFP that around 3,000 people were given such amnesty. “Those who are from other provinces will be provided a three-day temporary amnesty letter so they can get to their home provinces, where they need to get another long-term amnesty letter from our officials,” he said.

Those likely not receiving any reprieve are women, who stand to lose the most as Afghanistan falls back in time. The last time the Taliban governed Afghanistan— from 1996 to 2001—they banned women from going to school or working. Many fear an almost certain return to those times, including Afghan lawmaker Farzana Kochai, who told the BBC in Kabul that women should be afraid of what happens under Taliban control. “For the women, the situation is as worse as it was expected,” she said. “Women will be jailed in their houses, is that what will happen, is that what it will be like? For now, yes. but we’ll see if it changes.”

As American troops returned to the capital to ferry its diplomats and select Afghan collaborators to safety on Sunday, the Taliban for the moment waited at the gates. But it’s unknown for how long their safe passage will be guaranteed. “I don’t know, they can’t go to anywhere, there’s nowhere left,” Kochai said Sunday. “They’re saying that the flights are full and we are stuck here, those who are going to go out and you know, where can they go, they have no choice, they have to stay here.” Nick Note: Another American surrender… The greaest arms cath ever taken by the Taliban. US embash=y staff….. A lot of military and CIA are in panic evacuations. The biggest treasure trove of documents, computers and American secrets are about to fall into enemy hands.. WHY? because clueless Amnesiac leadership under Biden though they had weeks to evacuate… NOT HOURS. So tell me are you still proud to be an America. Hang you head in shame. These people were promised freedom if they trusted America. Your freedom is an illision. The lefty liberals are surrendering to its Enemies America…… Obamma git what he alwys wanted……. His Islamic brothers rising to power,  Its over my friends…. OVER.

The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States hit a record high of just over 1,900 on Saturday, as hospitals across the South were stretched to capacity fighting outbreaks caused by the highly transmissible delta variant. The delta variant, which is rapidly spreading among mostly the unvaccinated portion of the US population, has caused hospitalizations to spike in recent weeks, driving up the number of pediatric hospitalizations to 1,902 on Saturday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Children currently make up about 2.4% of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine, leaving them more vulnerable to infection from the new, highly transmissible variant. “This is not last year’s COVID. This one is worse and our children are the ones that are going to be affected by it the most,” Sally Goza, former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN on Saturday.

The numbers of newly hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49 also hit record highs this week, according to data from the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

The spike in new cases has ramped up tension between conservative state leaders and local districts over whether school children should be required to wear masks as they head back to the classroom this month. School districts in Florida, Texas and Arizona have mandated that masks be worn in schools, defying orders from their Republican state governors that ban districts from imposing such rules. The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to withhold funding from districts that impose mask requirements, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is appealing to the state Supreme Court to overturn Dallas County’s mask mandate, the Dallas Morning News reported Friday. A fifth of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are in Florida, where the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients hit a record 16,100 on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. More than 90% of the state’s intensive care beds are filled, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. The nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association, came out in support of mandatory vaccination for its members this week. NEA President Becky Pringle said Saturday that schools should employ every mitigation strategy, from vaccines to masks, to ensure that students can come back to their classrooms safely this school year, CNBC reported. “Our students under 12 can’t get vaccinated. It’s our responsibility to keep them safe. Keeping them safe means that everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated,” Pringle told CNN.

The US now has an average of about 129,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, a rate that has doubled in a little over two weeks, according to a Reuters tally.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is at a six-month high, and an average of 600 people are dying each day of COVID-19, double the death rate seen in late July. Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oregon have reported record numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations this month, according to a Reuters tally,

pushing health-care systems to operate beyond their capacity. “Our hospitals are working to maximize their available staff and beds, including the use of conference rooms and cafeterias,” Florida Hospital Association President Mary Mayhew said in a statement Friday. In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown said Friday that she was sending 500 National Guard members to assist overwhelmed hospitals, with 1,500 members in total available to help. In Jackson, Mississippi, federal medical workers are assisting understaffed local teams at a 20-bed triage center in the parking garage of the University of Mississippi Medical Center to accommodate the overflow of COVID-19 patients.

Fifteen children and 99 adults were hospitalized with COVID-19 at UMMC as of Saturday morning, the hospital said. More than 77% of those patients were unvaccinated. Nick Note: They are not being forthcoming. The myth that vaccinates people although their infection rate is the same as vaccinated are not dieing is just not true. When i extrapolate the data 25% of the people dead were vaccinated. Which is a higher rate then in the past…  If you have not received your third booster shot its the same in my opinion as if you have not been vaccinated. The fucks at the CDC will soon announce the 3rd booster shots for everyone.. I hope its not to late for you, We are in deep shit. Your vaccines are useless…. The boater shot your 3rd will help…. BUT how much remains to be seen. Mask up, vitamin up, isolate and test anyone who comes into your airspace. With testing so easy and cheep test your self at least once a week. Studies have show if you get infected the sooner you get treatment the better the outcome…… We are down to our last 200 test kits out of a thousand ordered. On sale now while supplies last.

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(Reuters) – The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is developing a plan to start offering coronavirus booster shots to some Americans as early as this fall, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the effort. The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year, the newspaper reported. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received. They have discussed starting the effort in October but have not settled on a timetable, the report added.

US and Britain deploying thousands of troops to evacuate their citizens from capital as insurgents conquer more and more cities

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban seized more major cities on Friday as they raced to take full control of Afghanistan and inched closer to Kabul, with the United States and Britain deploying thousands of troops to evacuate their citizens from the capital. The evacuation orders came as the Taliban took control of Kandahar — the nation’s second-biggest city — in the insurgency’s heartland, leaving only Kabul and pockets of other territories in government hands. The Taliban also captured the capital of Logar province, just 50kms (30 miles) from Kabul, with a local lawmaker saying the insurgents were in complete control of Pul-e-Alam city. Earlier Friday, officials and residents in Kandahar told AFP that government forces had withdrawn en masse to a military facility outside the southern city. “Kandahar is completely conquered. The Mujahideen reached Martyrs’ Square,” a Taliban spokesman tweeted, referring to a city landmark. A security source confirmed the fall of the city, telling AFP that the Afghan military and government officials had evacuated Lashkar Gah after striking a local ceasefire deal with the militants. The government has now effectively lost most of the country following an eight-day blitz into urban centers by the Taliban that has also stunned Kabul’s American backers. The first wave of the offensive was launched in early May after the United States and its allies all but withdrew their forces from Afghanistan, with President Joe Biden determined to end two decades of war by September 11.

NEW YORK, Aug 13 (Reuters) – The Dow Industrial and S&P 500 edged up to closing records on Friday and notched a second straight week of gains, buoyed by a climb in Walt Disney shares, but a sharp drop in consumer sentiment kept gains in check. Walt Disney (DIS.N) rose 1.00% as one of the biggest boosts to both the Dow and benchmark S&P index after its profit topped market expectations as its streaming services added more customers than expected and its pandemic-hit U.S. theme parks returned to profitability.

But a report from the University of Michigan dented optimism after it showed the university’s preliminary consumer sentiment index fell to 70.2, its lowest level in a decade, suggesting that the Delta variant of the coronavirus was impacting consumers.

“That is concerning, the consumer is by all accounts in an extremely strong position but there is this kind of COVID fatigue that is really starting to wear on people’s sentiment,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategist at Baird in Louisville, Kentucky. “Regardless of lockdown or full reopen, the consumer is healthy enough to spend and kind of keep the economy afloat, it will be different names and different sectors that become the beneficiaries of it.”The report sent the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note lower and in turn helped lift mega-cap growth names, such as Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), up 1.05%, while online retail giant Amazon (AMZN.O) slipped 0.29%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 15.53 points, or 0.04%, to 35,515.38, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 7.17 points, or 0.16%, to 4,468 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 6.64 points, or 0.04%, to 14,822.90. For the week, the Dow gained 0.87%, the S&P 500 advanced 0.71% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.09%. U.S. stocks have managed to slowly grind to new highs over the past few sessions as investor confidence in economic recovery was bolstered by a strong earnings season, the passage of a large infrastructure bill and data showing inflation may be increasing at a slower pace than feared. In the wake of new data from earlier this week that showed consumer price increases slowed in July, while producer prices posted their biggest annual rise in more than a decade, investors are now looking ahead to the meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later this month for cues on policy. In recent days, several Fed officials said it is nearly time for the central bank to begin pulling back on its monetary support, including the tapering of its asset purchases.  DoorDash Inc (DASH.N) rose 3.50% in choppy trading after the food-delivery firm’s loss widened more than expected in the second quarter. Airbnb Inc (ABNB.O) gained 1.07% as it recovered from earlier declines, after it flagged a hit to its current-quarter bookings by the Delta variant and a slowing pace of U.S. vaccination.  Volume on U.S. exchanges was 7.99 billion shares, compared with the 9.42 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. The S&P 500 posted 60 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 87 new highs and 159 new lows. Nick Note:This strictly is a insane buying of everything in sight. We have all seen this before. Stand aside and let them burn themselves out. The consumer is starting to figure out something is very very wrong….. When the global leaders figure This reminds me of the tech wreck, the great recession and the 1987 algo blow out all rolled into one…. Bide your time, conserve your cash. And most important stay ever vigilant…

There is new evidence to show that China locked down all domestic traffic internally by end January 2020 but pushed to open foreign travel till end March. Data from Tom Tom traffic index, a traffic location site that covers 416 cities across 57 countries show that as a result of this strategy, China, intentionally or otherwise, was able to lockdown its cities unknown to the world. While this reduced the spread of the Corona virus within China, China’s aggressive foreign travel policy lead to a virus explosion worldwide. Here is the chronological events of what happened with the requisite traffic data from 10 major cities globally and the statements from Chinese leaders that will help readers reach their own conclusions. The COVID- 19 virus first surfaced in Wuhan in the last week of December. On 31 December 2019 Chinese health officials first reported to WHO that 41 patients in Wuhan had contracted a mysterious pneumonia that was not responding to conventional treatment. As most patients were from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market it was closed on the 1st of January. On the 7th of January Chinese scientists identified the virus as a novel Coronavirus later termed as the COVID-19 virus. On the 11th of January the virus claimed its first life in Wuhan city. On 13th January Thailand reported the first case of Coronavirus outside China. On 20th of January Zong Nanshan the scientist named by China to lead the battle against the virus stated ” Now we can say that it is certain that it is a human to human transmission phenomenon”.

On January 22 at a meeting to decide the measures to be taken, WHO was not able warn the world of the severity of COVID-19 apparently because of resistance from Beijing. (WHO referred to it as “divergent views”)

On January 23 Wuhan city was placed under quarantine and two days later the entire Hubei province was locked down. The Chinese state machinery was harnessed to enforce an unprecedented quarantine on 50 million people across 15 cities. In the last week of January domestic flights from Hubei to other parts of China was stopped and restrictions on traffic movement in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai were initiated. This was the time of the Chinese New Year when offices and schools are normally closed and it is also the prime tourism season for the Chinese.

On the 31st January Italy fearing a major outbreak of Coronavirus from hundreds of tourists arriving from China closed all flights to and from China.

China’s vice-minister of foreign affairs Qin Gang met Italy’s ambassador to China Luca Ferrari in Beijing following the flight ban. “Italy’s decision to stop flights without contacting China in advance caused great inconvenience to citizens of both countries. Many Chinese are still stranded in Italy,” the foreign ministry said on its website the following day. The U.S. issued a travel advisory against China travel on the 2nd of February but did not ban all services.

While Chinese authorities limited domestic flights from Wuhan to other Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai in an effort to contain the outbreak in January, it urged international carriers to maintain their flying schedules. The Civil Aviation Administration of China stated “In order to meet the needs of passengers in and out of the country and the international transport of supplies during this special period … airlines [are required to] … continue transport to nations that have not imposed travel restrictions.”

China’s assertion that all was well for international travel was supported by the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the agency’s Executive Board meet on the 3rd February. He said ” There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade. We call on all countries to implement decisions that are evidence-based and consistent. WHO stands ready to provide advice to any country that is considering which measures to take,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying criticised the US advisories saying “The U.S. government hasn’t provided any substantial assistance to us, but it was the first to evacuate personnel from its consulate in Wuhan, the first to suggest partial withdrawal of its embassy staff, and the first to impose a comprehensive travel ban on Chinese travellers”

While China continued to protest against international travel bans it successfully quarantined Wuhan and other affected cities. The total domestic lockdown of Hubei province and the flight ban imposed inside China had immediate effect. As per data from Tom Tom traffic index Wuhan had a traffic density of 60% in January while Shanghai and Beijing had nearly 80% density. After the total lockdown the average traffic density fell to below 10% in Wuhan and Shanghai during February and below 5% in Beijing. While implementing a total domestic lockdown in February, China kept assuring the world that the situation was not serious and fully under control.

China kept on the facade of hiding the severity of the virus attack. It was not till mid March. On the 11th of March WHO belatedly declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. By that time the number of cases globally had grown thirteen fold.

As per WHO website more than 118,000 cases had been reported in 114 countries, and 4,291 people had lost their lives when the global pandemic was declared. That is when the rest of the world started preparing for a suitable response to the pandemic, nearly two months after China. It was only after a telephonic conversation with US President Donald Trump on March 27th that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to curb international flights from China. China’s Civil Aviation Administration stated after the discussion “that 90% of international flights would be temporarily suspended. The number of incoming passengers would be cut to 5,000 a day, from 25,000. China has also ordered local airlines to maintain only one route per country, once a week, as of 29th March”. By the end of March COVID-19 had become a full blown global crisis with nearly 10,000 deaths in Italy, Spain and the US and over 5000 in Iran and the UK which was much more than those dead in China. As per data from Tom Tom traffic index the traffic density in Wuhan remained low at around 10% of the normal traffic in March while the major business centres like Beijing and Shanghai which had less than a few thousand cases of COVID-19 and half a dozen deaths showed partial recovery of traffic to around 40%. The rest of the world oblivious of the need for total lockdown took time to react. The traffic remained high at over 60% in major cities like Rome, Milan, Madrid, Paris, London, New York, New Delhi and Mumbai during March. The Tom Tom traffic data index shows that in all other global cities like Rome, Milan, Madrid, Paris, London, New York, New Delhi and Mumbai the traffic density dropped to 10% only in the month of April when most nations went under lockdown.

This was two months after China went in for a domestic lock down and allowed the virus to proliferate to international destinations through human contact.

The traffic density in Beijing and Shanghai rose to over 60% in April showing that the Chinese cities and its economy was back to normal functioning. While China limited its losses to below 5000 by end April 2020, the US had lost 60,000 lives, Italy, Spain, France and UK above 20,000 each and the world saw over 200,000 deaths that was nearly doubling every fortnight.

So though the virus had originated from China which initially infected citizens from 27 nations, because of China’s diabolic international travel policy it spread rapidly to a totally unprepared Europe, mainly Italy and Spain and thereafter to the rest of the world becoming a global pandemic.

So weather the virus was produced in the Wuhan Virology Institute as an exercise of bio-terrorism Nick Bit: I have been told by people who know these kind of things the bat virus was weaponized at the Wuhan bio terror lab and was accidentally released prematurely by careless scientists who are no longer with us.) or simply arrived unintentionally due to bat and pangolin infected blood from its exotic animal markets in Wuhan, China is answerable for the way it allowed the virus to spread. Australia has called for an international investigation into the spread of COVID-19 and all nations of the world including India must back the move. Also it has been suggested that the leadership and the action of WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus needs to be probed. All nations including India need to support such an investigation for it is better to be safe than sorry. Nick Note: China is to powerful. the investigations will get nowhere… Bit it makes a good soundbite!

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized a third dose of COVID-19 for certain people with compromised immune systems, a narrow move into the realm of booster doses amid a growing debate over their use. The move will allow a third dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, and applies to certain immunocompromised people, including those with organ transplants and those “diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise,” the FDA said. The agency emphasized that the general public does not need a third dose at the moment.Federal health officials officials emphasized the group is small. (Nick Bit: Break it to the masses slowly. The longer they wait to roll out the third booster shot to the masses the more people they kill. Its ok they are use to it already. I want to be on the record here… They will EVENTUALLY recommend a third vaccine booster shot for everyonw) “The country has entered yet another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the FDA is especially cognizant that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. “After a thorough review of the available data, the FDA determined that this small, vulnerable group may benefit from a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Vaccines.” But health officials have left the door open to third doses, stating that they may be needed eventually. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, earlier Thursday said “inevitably” there will be a time when the wider public needs a booster, though now is not the time. “Inevitably, there will be a time when we’ll have to give boosts,” Fauci said on NBC. “What we’re doing, literally, on a weekly and monthly basis is following cohorts of patients to determine if, when and whom should get it.”A broader issuance of booster doses would be controversial given that many people around the world, including health care workers in some countries, are still waiting for their first dose. “Today’s action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19,” Woodcock said. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said late Thursday night that the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections stood at around 113,000 per day over the past week. According to Johns Hopkins University’s tally, the US registered 135,177 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. The number of daily deaths from the disease stood at 342 during the same period. “As we’ve previously stated, other individuals who are fully vaccinated are adequately protected and do not need an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine at this time. The FDA is actively engaged in a science-based, rigorous process with our federal partners to consider whether an additional dose may be needed in the future.” Nick Note: Bullfuckingshit!! I want to be clear here. If your second booster shot is more then 6 months old you need a 3rd booster shot. I got mine you need to get your… At least Maskup, Vitamin up, Isolate the best you can AND test everyone Who comes into your airspace….

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China partly shut the world’s third-busiest container port after a ONE worker became infected with COVID-19, threatening more damage to already fragile supply chains and global trade as a key shopping season nears. All inbound and outbound container services at Meishan terminal (worlds third largest)  in Ningbo-Zhoushan port were halted Wednesday until further notice due to a “system disruption,” according to a statement from the port. An employee tested positive for coronavirus, the eastern Chinese city’s government said. The closed terminal accounts for about 25% of container cargo through the port, calculates security consultant GardaWorld, which said “the suspension could severely impact cargo handling and shipping.” Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG said there will be a delay in sailings. This is the second recent shutdown of a Chinese port due to the coronavirus, after the closure of Yantian port in Shenzhen from late May for about a month. The action led goods to back up in factories and storage yards and also likely lifted soaring freight rates, which are at record levels and a source of inflation.

The fear is that this new disruption will further strain shipping and supplies of goods, dampening growth and driving up prices. An extended shuttering at Ningbo could be especially painful for the world economy because seaborne trade usually rises toward the end of the year as companies ship Christmas and holiday products.

“There may be far-reaching downstream consequences going into Black Friday and holiday shopping seasons” and the next 24 hours will determine whether there is a large outbreak or not, said Josh Brazil, vice president of marketing at project44, a supply-chain intelligence firm. “One of the few givens in 2021 is endemic delays, and the fact that conditions can change almost overnight.” In addition to the closed terminal, containers for shipment through the other terminals in the port will likely slow. The port will now only accept containers within two days of a ship’s estimated arrival time, according to a statement from shipping and logistics firm CMA CGM SA. The biggest exports through Ningbo in the first half of this year were electronic goods, textiles and low and high-end manufactured goods, according to the city’s Customs Bureau. Top imports included crude oil, electronics, raw chemicals and agricultural products. Nick Note: This is the critical time of goods shipped to the US for the holidays. I assume you must have brains since you are seeing my widely censored work. 1 as one One is a Lonely Number infection they shut the port….. Really!!!! we are at war with China. They are killing far more people then a war. Its a stealth war using bio-weapons. And our global leaders HA HA HA HA HA  are sleeping at the switch…. Sad so sad!!!!!!