KTFA Members "Friday News" 8-28-2020
KTFA:
Samson: A public holiday next week
08/27/2020 20:50:18
The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers announced an official holiday next week.
She said in a statement today that "the official working hours will be suspended next Sunday for the tenth of Muharram 1442 AH." LINK
Samson: US officials: Trump will announce a significant reduction of troops in Iraq
08/28/2020 18:25:36
US officials expected President Donald Trump to announce a major reduction of US forces in Iraq.
The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying, "Trump is expected to announce the reduction of forces in Iraq to 3,500 soldiers." There are more than 5,000 American soldiers and advisors in Iraq, deployed in Iraqi bases.
Trump's upcoming media comes days after Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi's visit to Washington and his meeting with the US President.
Al-Kazemi said on the sidelines of the visit that it was agreed to redeploy US forces outside the country.
*************
Samson: America is returning many of its forces in Iraq to what they were in in 2015
28th August, 2020
The "Wall Street Journal" said, on Friday, that the United States will reduce the number of its forces in Iraq by nearly a third, according to American officials.
The newspaper quoted US officials as saying that the Pentagon decided to reduce the number of US forces in Iraq to about 3,500 soldiers. She added that many US officials have confirmed that the Pentagon will reduce troop levels by about a third during the next two to three months.
That would bring US troop levels back to what they were in 2015 when the United States was in the first phase of its campaign against ISIS, according to the newspaper.
There are currently about 5,200 American soldiers in Iraq, who are deployed in several bases distributed over the governorates of Anbar, Erbil, and the outskirts of the capital, Baghdad. LINK
*************
Samson: Minister of the French Armies: The need to respect the sovereignty of Iraq and stop foreign interference from all parties
08/27/2020 21:24:18
The Minister of the Persian Armies, Florence Parly, stressed the need to respect the sovereignty of Iraq and stop foreign interference from all parties. This came during a meeting with the President of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, today, Thursday, with Parly after her arrival in Erbil from the capital, Baghdad.
In a statement by the regional government, "Barzani discussed with Parley during the meeting a number of issues, including relations between Erbil and Paris, developments in the region and the joint war against ISIS." "France is proud to fight with the Peshmerga forces against the terrorist ISIS, stressing the need to respect the sovereignty of Iraq and stop external interference from all parties," Parly said at a joint press conference with Barzani in Erbil.
On his part, Barzani affirmed that "France has historically been and remains one of the most important supporters of the people of Kurdistan," noting that "France provided military and humanitarian aid to the region during the war with ISIS."
On Thursday, French Defense Minister Florence Parly arrived at Erbil International Airport from Baghdad. Parly is scheduled to meet with the President of the Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, to discuss a number of common issues. LINK
DELTA: ABOUT TIME.......
The Central Bank directs banks to seize the money of Yasser Abdul Sakheil Al-Maliki, the former governor of Karbala, and Zuhair Al-Araji
On Thursday (August 27, 2020), the Central Bank of Iraq issued a circular to all licensed banks requesting the seizure of the funds of 9 personalities, including MP Yasser Abdul Sakheil Al-Maliki, son-in-law of the President of the State of Law, Nuri Al-Maliki, Zuhair Al-Araji and Aqeel Al-Taraihi.
The book, which was circulated by the Central Bank to all licensed banks, stipulated a request to seize movable and immovable funds for 9 personalities, including MP Yasser Abd Sakhail, his brother Luqman, and the former governor of Karbala, Aqeel Al-Taraihi and Zuhair Al-Araji, a former member of Parliament.
http://burathanews.com/arabic/.....ews/375482
************
Samson: Iraq ... freezing the assets of 9 officials, including al-Maliki's son-in-law
28th August, 2020
The Central Bank of Iraq decided to freeze the assets and seize the property of 9 former and current officials, including the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, on the grounds of non-payment of debts owed to the state.
This came according to an official circular of Iraqi banks and banks, issued late Thursday evening, and reviewed by Anatolia.
The decision stipulated: “The seizure of movable and immovable assets of Yasser Sakhail (the son-in-law of al-Maliki), his brother Luqman Sakhail, the former governor of Karbala, Aqeel al-Taraihi (close to al-Maliki), Zuhair al-Araji (a parliamentarian), and Hajem al-Hasani (former head of the Governing Council). .
The list of names also included: “Ali al-Quraishi (an official at the Foreign Ministry), Walid Rida (an official in the Prime Minister’s office), Saeed Khidr, and Abdullah Muhammad Abdullah (without specifying their job characteristics).”
The central bank circular did not mention the reason for these sanctions, but a source in the bank mentioned to Anadolu Agency, preferring not to be named, that the aforementioned officials did not pay debts owed to the state in return for renting houses belonging to the government.
Nuri al-Maliki headed the Iraqi government from 2006 to 2014, and during his rule, the terrorist organization "ISIS" controlled a third of the country.
On more than one occasion, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, pledged to refer all the corrupt to the judiciary, regardless of their position in the country.
The fight against corruption is at the top of the demands of the massive protests that Iraq has witnessed since last October.
And Iraq is among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International's index over the past years, and international reports are always received with waste and embezzlement. LINK
**************
Samson: Iraq achieves more than 3 billion dinars in financial revenues from customs in a day
28th August, 2020
The General Authority of Customs announced on Friday that its total revenues were realized on Thursday in its customs centers, which amounted to three billion three hundred and forty-five million dinars.
The authority said in a statement today that it has contributed to facilitating the entry of thousands of dispatches of medicines, medical supplies and foodstuffs around the clock, day and night, with efforts and direct follow-up by the higher management in the authority in order to facilitate the smooth entry of missionaries into the country for basic and foodstuffs, especially human medicines for delivery to the consumer in Under the current crisis. LINK
************
Samson; Turkey is preparing for a new shock in its currency
28th August, 2020
The American New York Times reported that Turkey is experiencing a currency crisis, the second in less than two years, and it threatens an economic collapse in the country amid the repercussions of Corona.
Economists expect a sharp decline in economic indicators in Turkey, accompanied by a rise in the prices of imported goods such as medicines and fuel.
International investors are concerned about the financial maneuvering and the cheap credit flow that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used to support the lira and fuel economic growth, according to the newspaper. Turkey's economic fate has geopolitical implications. In recent times, the Turkish armed forces have acted aggressively in the Mediterranean towards France and Greece, which are NATO allies.
Analysts view the confrontations as an attempt by Erdogan to stir nationalist sentiments and distract Turks from their financial problems, especially after his grip on power was shaken last year after his party lost control of the Istanbul municipality.
The sharp decline in the value of the lira, which lost 70 percent of its value in August, has already led to a rise in the prices of food and other essentials, to the discontent of citizens. "Everything is incredibly expensive," Mrs. Derya (she did not want to mention her last name because she is a government employee), a 41-year-old math teacher, was quoted by the New York Times as saying.
Derya revealed that she was mixing more onions in meatballs to make them bigger, and while shopping in an Istanbul market, she said, "We have gotten poorer" due to the drop in the lira.
During the period between 2000 and 2013, average per capita income in Turkey more than tripled, poverty was halved, and Turkey entered the ranks of middle-income countries. But the per capita economic output fell to its lowest levels in 2010, according to World Bank data, which was reflected in the value of the currency and then the purchasing power of the individual.
The Turkish government is now pressing banks to lend to more citizens, which helps support consumer spending, "but that fuels inflation," according to specialists. The annual inflation rate is about 12 percent, and the decrease in the purchasing power of the pound is one of the reasons for the loss of its value against other currencies.
In addition, many foreign investors have lost confidence in Turkey during the recent crisis, particularly in 2018, which means that there is little demand for lira assets. Economists say the central bank has started borrowing dollars deposited in Turkish banks by companies and residents, a strategy that will likely end badly. LINK