Ivy League Players, Students Vaccinated Upon Return ›› College Football, Page 24

PACIFIC VIRUS OUTBREAK FACES UN report: N. Korea Six DODEA schools TikTok star Rae nuclear activities are close classrooms a just wants chance a ‘serious concern’ week after opening in ‘He’s All That’ Page 3 Page 6 Page 18 Ivy League players, students vaccinated upon return ›› College football, Page 24 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 97 ©SS 2021 TUESDAY,AUGUST 31, 2021 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas AFGHANISTAN Board rules in favor of reservists, Army ‘unjust’ BY JOHN VANDIVER Stars and Stripes The U.S. Army violated federal law by refusing to pay dual housing allowances to reservists on assign- ment in Europe and erred by taking disciplinary actions against them, a review board said in a ruling that also recoups a total of $500,000 for seven soldiers. The decision Friday by the Army Board for the Correction of Mili- tary Records could have ramifica- tions for numerous other troops and cost the Army millions more. Army finance officials’ decisions that “gave rise to the investigative and disciplinary actions ... were er- roneously executed and erroneous- ly implemented,” the board ruled. The board said the service must start paying back the reservists no later than October, and their records are to be cleared of wrongdo- ing. A federal court had ordered the board to consider the cases of the reservists, who sued the Army in 2018. Patrick Hughes, a former Air Force attorney now with the Patri- ots Law Group, said the Army owes about $500,000 in compensation for the denied payments and the debts the reservists incurred. Hughes said the next step is to obtain payouts for other soldiers Steps from final exit who were ensnared by the Army’s faulty interpretation of regulations. He is preparing a wider class-ac- US thwarts another attempted ISIS-K attack in final hours of Kabul evacuations tion case against the Army that BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Five rockets were launched at the airport at could have tens of millions of dol- Stars and Stripes about 11 p.m. Sunday by ISIS-Khorasan, or INSIDE lars at stake. ISIS-K, the Afghanistan branch of the terrorist “We think there could be thou- WASHINGTON — U.S. forces thwarted two group, said Taylor, the Joint Staff’s deputy di- Evacuees leave Navy base sands of soldiers who were affect- Islamic State attacks against troops still evac- rector for regional operations. Four of the in Sicily for US Page 4 ed,” Hughes said. uating Americans and Afghans from the Kabul rockets missed the target, with three landing At issue in the case was a conten- airport in the final hours of its 20-year mission outside the airport and the U.S. counter-rock- Marine officer resigns in tion by Army finance officials in in Afghanistan, Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor Europe that reservists who mobili- said Monday. SEE FINAL ON PAGE 4 social media post Page 7 zed from the U.S. weren’t entitled to a basic housing allowance for their Evacuees from Afghanistan board a Boeing 777 bound for the United States from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, on Saturday. American residence and an More coverage of the two evacuee flights that left the air station over the weekend can be found on Page 4. KAILA V. PETERS/U.S. Navy SEE BOARD ON PAGE 3 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Tuesday, August 31, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER EU takes US off safe travel list amid surge EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1164.14 Associated Press however, and U.S. travelers should the U.S. Switzerland (Franc) .9168 Euro costs (Aug. 31) $1.15 Thailand (Baht) 32.47 BRUSSELS — The European expect a mishmash of travel rules More than 15 million Americans Dollar buys (Aug. 31) 0.8262 Turkey (NewLira) 8.3798 British pound (Aug. 31) $1.34 Union recommended Monday that across the Continent. a year visited Europe before the Japanese yen (Aug. 31) 107.00 (Military exchange rates are those available its 27 nations reinstate restrictions The EU also removed Israel, Ko- coronavirus crisis, and new travel South Korean won (Aug. 31) 1135.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger on tourists from the U.S. because of sovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and restrictions could cost Europe bil- many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) .3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur rising coronavirus infections there. North Macedonia from the list. lions. Britain (Pound) 1.3745 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2603 your local military banking facility. Commercial The decision by the European The EU has no unified COVID-19 The recommendation doesn’t China(Yuan) 6.4678 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.3081 Council to remove the U.S. from a tourism policy and national EU apply to Britain, which formally Egypt (Pound) 15.6998 when buying currency. All figures are foreign safe list of countries for nonessen- governments have the authority to left the EU at the beginning of the Euro .8481 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7880 pound, which is represented in dollarsto tial travel reverses advice that it decide whether they keep their year and opened its borders to fully Hungary (Forint) 295.20 pound, and the euro, which is dollarstoeuro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2189 gave in June, when the bloc recom- borders open to U.S. tourists. Possi- vaccinated travelers from the U.S. Japan (Yen) 109.95 INTEREST RATES mended lifting restrictions on U.S. ble restrictions could include quar- earlier this month. Kuwait(Dinar) .3008 Norway (Krone) 8.6623 Prime rate 3.25 travelers before the summer tou- antines, further testing require- U.S. deaths have been over 1,200 Philippines (Peso) 49.82 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.87 Federal funds market rate 0.09 rism season. ments upon arrival or even a total a day for several days, seven times Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7503 3month bill 0.05 The guidance is nonbinding, ban on all nonessential travel from higher than they were in early July. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3452 30year bond 1.92 WEATHER OUTLOOK TUESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST TUESDAY IN EUROPE WEDNESDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 72/62 Kabul Seoul 72/69 Baghdad 112/80 Drawsko Osan Tokyo Kandahar 70/66 77/71 Mildenhall/ Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 64/57 64/54 79/76 Iwakuni Kuwait City 82/77 Bahrain Brussels Zagan Sasebo Guam 100/84 96/92 Ramstein 60/56 82/76 69/58 64/54 83/80 Riyadh Lajes, Stuttgart 106/75 Doha Azores Pápa 74/71 61/54 103/87 Aviano/ 68/51 Vicenza 71/56 Naples 82/66 Okinawa Morón 83/80 92/63 Sigonella Rota 88/60 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 79/66 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 92/85 81/75 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Classified .................... 13 Comics .........................16 Crossword ................... 16 Faces .......................... 18 Opinion ........................ 14 Sports .................... 19-24 Tuesday, August 31, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY UN report details N. Korea’s nuke moves BY DAVID CHOI tionary turn for possessing the Soo added that because world Stars and Stripes completely new nuclear capabili- leaders desire Pyongyang to sur- The United Nations’ nuclear ties aimed at attaining the goal of render its nuclear weapons, the re- watchdog says North Korea’s nu- modernization,” according to the gime “understands that a small ges- clear activities, namely the appar- state-run Korean Central News ture towards this step goes a long ent restart of a reactor used to pro- Agency. way in terms of extracting conces- duce weapons fuels, “continue to be At former President Donald sions.” a cause for serious concern.” Trump’s second summit with Kim Following the completion of the The International Atomic Ener- in 2019, the two leaders came to an White House’s policy review for gy Agency in a report Friday found impasse over sanctions relief and North Korea, press secretary Jen several clues, such as the “dis- the closure of nuclear material pro- Psaki said during an April press charge of cooling water,” indicating duction sites, including the Yong- briefing that the Biden administra- the Yongbyon nuclear power reac- byon complex. tion “will not focus on achieving a tor may have been operating since Soo Kim, a policy analyst for grand bargain, nor will it rely on early July. Korean Central News Agency Rand Corp. and an adjunct instruc- strategic patience.” A steam plant serving as a radio- In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced the regime tor at American University, be- “Our policy calls for a calibrated, chemical laboratory is also be- would take “a great revolutionary turn for possessing the completely lieves “the regime had no intention practical approach that is open to lieved to have been functioning new nuclear capabilities aimed at attaining the goal of modernization.” of giving up its nuclear weapons and will explore diplomacy with since February, “significantly long- from the beginning.” [North Korea], and to make practi- er than that observed in the past North Korea’s production of weap- ous concern,” the report states. “The nuclear weapons program cal progress that increases the se- during possible waste treatment or ons-grade plutonium. IAEA inspec- “Furthermore, the new indications is so closely tied to the Kim family’s curity of the United States, our al- maintenance activities,” the report tors, who have not had access to the of the operation of the [Yongbyon survival; there’s only the incentive lies, and deployed forces,” Psaki said.

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