NATION NATION MUSIC ‘Dixie Fire’ sparks Pause on student loan Eilish still brilliant weekend of fear payments extended self on follow-up for Californians through January album ‘Happier’ Page 6 Page 8 Page 13 Durant leads Team USA to gold medal in basketball final ›› Olympics, Page 24 stripes.com Volume 80 Edition 80B ©SS 2021 CONTINGENCY EDITION SUNDAY,AUGUST 8, 2021 Free to Deployed Areas AFGHANISTAN VIRUS OUTBREAK Taliban moving in on another capital city BY TAMEEM AKHGAR AND KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan — Tali- ban fighters entered the capital of northern Afghanistan’s Jawzjan province Saturday, a provincial lawmaker said, after sweeping through nine of 10 districts in the province. The government did not deny lawmaker Mohammad Karim Jawzjani’s claim that Taliban fighters had entered Sheberghan, but said the city had not fallen. If the city falls, it will be the second provincial capital in as many days to succumb to the Taliban. Several other of the country’s 34 provin- cial capitals are threatened. On Friday, the Taliban took con- trol of the southwestern Nimroz provincial capital of Zaranj, where MARTA LAVANDIER/AP the government says it is still bat- Passengers wait for COVID-19 tests to travel overseas, Friday, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after flight cancellations forced many to redo their tling insurgents inside the capital. tests. Others were unable to get the test due to long lines caused by the surging Delta variant. Sheberghan is particularly stra- tegic because it is the stronghold of U.S-allied Uzbek warlord Rash- id Dostum, whose militias are among those resurrected to aid US averaging 100,000 the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces. Heavy airstrikes were reported by residents of Sheberghan who also said the Taliban had freed prisoners from the city jail. They new infections each day requested to remain anonymous fearing retaliation from both Health officials fear cases will continue to soar if vaccine hesitancy persists among Americans sides. Associated Press the number is 107,143. Taliban fighters have swept It took the U.S. about nine months INSIDE through large swathes of Afghan- The U.S. is now averaging 500 to cross the 100,000 average case istan at surprising speed, initially 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a Unvaccinated COVID-19 number in November before peak- taking districts, many in remote day, returning to a milestone last Seven-day average ing at about 250,000 in early Janu- areas. In recent weeks they have seen during the winter surge in yet for daily new deaths recoverees twice as likely ary. Cases bottomed out in June but laid siege to several provincial another bleak reminder of how attributable to CO- took about six weeks to go back to be reinfected than capitals across the country as the quickly the delta variant has spread VID-19 as of Friday, up from 270 per day above 100,000, despite a vaccine last U.S. and NATO troops leave through the country. The U.S. was averaging about two weeks ago. those who get shots SEE ANOTHER ON PAGE 3 11,000 cases a day in late June. Now SOURCE: AP SEE FEAR ON PAGE 5 Page 5 PAGE 2 • STARS AND STRIPES • Sunday, August 8, 2021 BUSINESS/WEATHER Strong jobs report sends most stocks higher EXCHANGE RATES Military rates South Korea (Won) 1146.79 Associated Press year Treasury climbed to 1.31% also were big winners, adding 1.5%. Switzerland (Franc) 0.9124 Euro costs (Aug. 9) $1.15 Thailand (Baht) 33.39 Wall Street capped a choppy from 1.21% late Thursday, clawing “Now, growth looks like it’s on a Dollar buys (Aug. 9) 0.8258 Turkey (NewLira) 8.6283 British pound (Aug. 9) $1.36 week of trading Friday with broad back all the losses it sustained over pretty solid footing,” said Sameer Japanese yen (Aug. 9) 107.00 (Military exchange rates are those available gains, which helped push the S&P the last week. Samana, senior global market strat- South Korean won (Aug. 9) 1113.00 to customers at military banking facilities in the Commercial rates country of issuance for Japan, South Korea, Ger­ 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Aver- Investors weighed a government egist at Wells Fargo Investment In- many, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Bahrain(Dinar) 0.3770 For nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., pur­ age to new highs. report showing the U.S. job market stitute. Britain (Pound) 1.3888 chasing British pounds in Germany), check with Canada (Dollar) 1.2546 your local military banking facility. Commercial The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, a day af- is making widespread improve- The S&P 500 rose 7.42 points to China(Yuan) 6.4817 rates are interbank rates provided for reference Denmark (Krone) 6.3156 ter setting another all-time high. ments. Most stocks across Wall 4,436.52. The benchmark index Egypt (Pound) 15.7057 when buying currency. All figures are foreign Every major index notched a week- Street rose following the report, notched a 0.9% gain for the week. Euro 0.8492 currencies to one dollar, except for the British Hong Kong (Dollar) 7.7794 pound, which is represented in dollars­to­ ly gain after slipping last week. with companies whose profits are The Dow gained 144.26 points, or Hungary (Forint) 299.58 pound, and the euro, which is dollars­to­euro.) Israel (Shekel) 3.2206 Some of the sharpest action hap- most closely tied to the strength of 0.4%, to 35,208.51. The Nasdaq fell Japan (Yen) 110.28 INTEREST RATES pened in the bond market, where the economy leading the way. Fi- 59.36 points, or 0.4%, to 14,835.76, Kuwait(Dinar) 0.3006 Norway (Krone) 8.8559 Prime rate 3.25 Treasury yields tend to move with nancial companies notched the big- while the Russell 2000 index of Philippines (Peso) 50.66 Interest Rates Discount rate 0.75 Poland (Zloty) 3.87 Federal funds market rate 0.09 expectations for the economy and gest gains within the S&P 500, smaller companies rose 11.75 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) 3.7503 3­month bill 0.05 for inflation. The yield on the 10- climbing 2%. Materials companies points, or 0.5%, to 2,247.76. Singapore (Dollar) 1.3538 30­year bond 1.86 WEATHER OUTLOOK SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST SUNDAY IN EUROPE MONDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 78/74 Kabul Seoul 91/57 90/74 Baghdad 112/80 Tokyo Drawsko Osan Kandahar Mildenhall/ 89/74 83/74 100/65 Pomorskie Busan Lakenheath 70/61 83/80 68/58 Iwakuni Kuwait City Bahrain 81/78 Brussels Zagan Sasebo 112/93 96/93 Ramstein 71/61 82/79 Guam 68/56 67/58 84/80 Riyadh Lajes, 109/86 Doha Azores Stuttgart 104/87 73/70 68/56 Pápa Aviano/ 77/68 Vicenza 84/68 Naples 87/71 Okinawa Morón 86/83 91/59 Sigonella Rota 101/69 The weather is provided by the Djibouti 74/63 Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 101/85 83/77 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. TODAY IN STRIPES American Roundup ...... 11 Comics .........................15 Crossword ................... 15 Gadgets ....................... 14 Music ..................... 12-13 Opinion ........................ 16 Sports .................... 17-24 Sunday, August 8, 2021 • STARS AND STRIPES • PAGE 3 MILITARY Central Asian leaders worried by Taliban turmoil BY ALEXANDER VERSHININ ing our region,” Rakhmon said, Associated Press noting that Tajikistan has moved TURKMENBASHI, Turkme- to strengthen the protection of its nistan — Leaders from five ex-So- border with Afghanistan. viet Central Asian nations on Fri- Uzbekistan's President Shavkat day voiced concern about instabil- Mirziyoyev also emphasized that ity possibly spilling out of Afghan- stability in Central Asia hinges on istan and discussed their response the situation in Afghanistan. to potential security threats, while Russia, which has a security Russian heavy bombers carried pact with Central Asian nations out practice strikes in joint drills and military bases in Tajikistan near the Afghan border. and Kyrgyzstan, has pledged to The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyr- provide military assistance in or- gyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan der to fend off any potential and Uzbekistan met in Turkmen- threats coming from Afghanistan. bashi on the Caspian Sea to talk On Friday, Russian and Uzbek about the regional challenges. troops wrapped up joint war “A quick settlement of the situa- games involving 1,500 troops and tion in Afghanistan is a key factor 200 military vehicles. The maneu- for preserving and strengthening vers featured four Russian security and stability in Central Tu-22M3 long-range bombers fly- Asia,” the five leaders said in a ing from a base in western Russia statement after the talks. RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE/AP to strike mock militant camps at Turkmenistan's President Gur- A Russian Tu­22M3 long­range bomber rolls, preparing for its takeoff at the Termez firing range in the Termez firing range in Uzbe- banguly Berdimuhamedov noted Uzbekistan, Friday. On Friday, Russian and Uzbek troops wrapped up joint war games involving 1,500 kistan near the border with Af- that the talks give a boost to re- troops and 200 military vehicles who practiced action to destroy militants. ghanistan. gional cooperation. The five lead- Another joint military exercise ers talked about expanding trade control more than half of Afghan- summit. about the concentration of “terror- that began Thursday in Tajikistan and economic ties and establish- istan's 421 districts and district Rakhmon said that more than ist groups” in Afghanistan along near the Afghan border involves ing a permanent regional security centers after pressing their offen- 2,000 Afghan army soldiers have the border with Tajikistan that to- 2,500 Russian, Tajik and Uzbek dialogue.