KTFA Members "News and Views" 10--7-2020
KTFA:
Samson: Parliamentary Finance accuses the government of transferring Iraq's financial policy to a banking company
16:50 - 10/06/2020
The Parliamentary Finance Committee accused, Tuesday, the government and the Ministry of Finance of transferring the country's financial policy to a banking booth and not submitting any economic reform paper.
A member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Abd al-Hadi Saadawi, said to / the information / that "the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister so far have not spoken explicitly about the cause of the financial crisis, despite the delay of employees' salaries for more than 20 days from the specified date."
He added that "the current government is incapable and has proven its failure par excellence to provide any solutions to the financial crisis," noting that "Parliament has demanded for many times the government the economic paper to maximize imports and solutions, and the government remained silent until it surprised everyone with what was expected of it."
He stated that "Iraq is managed in the form of a banking company that receives and distributes the money without any fee for the financial policy." LINK
Samson: The "white paper" ... The Iraqi parliament signals a single solution to the salary crisis
7th October, 2020
The Financial Committee of the Iraqi Parliament confirmed, today, Wednesday, that the solution to the Iraqi state employees' salary crisis is through the approval of the "white reform paper."
A member of the committee, Naji Al-Saeedi, told Shafaq News, "The white reform paper expresses economic reform in the aspect of fiscal and monetary policy," indicating that "this paper includes finding real economic resources to consolidate the existing financial resources and reduce unnecessary existing spending."
Al-Saeedi explained that this "helps in creating additional revenues for the budget and reducing the deficit, which will positively affect the provision of employees' salaries and secure them during the coming period."
Al-Saeedi stated that "the white reform paper expresses a future vision for the Iraqi government, in cooperation with the House of Representatives in order to end the employee salaries crisis, as well as other financial and economic crises, and this paper is not part of the solution but rather the entire solution."
He added that "after the approval of the white reform paper during the coming period, its implementation will be followed up by the Iraqi parliament, and we will see how serious the government is in implementing what was mentioned in this paper, and on the contrary, we will have a position."
The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi is facing increasing criticism for its inability to secure sufficient liquidity to pay the salaries of state employees, which may expose it to tremendous pressure in the coming months. By the end of a week in October, the government had not yet disbursed employees' salaries for the month of September.
The Iraqi government is struggling to secure employee salaries and other operating expenses due to the collapse in oil prices due to the Corona pandemic, which has crippled large sectors of the world economy. The country relies on revenues from selling crude to finance 95 percent of state expenditures.
The revenues from oil sales amounted to about $ 3.1 billion in September, while the monthly salaries of state employees in Iraq are about $ 5.5 billion. LINK
JJimmyJJ: “Al-Saeedi stated that "the white reform paper ... this paper is not part of the solution but rather the entire solution."
Now THAT is a sound bite-- even after translation. It appears, IMO, that the entire political and financial arms of Iraq are holding their breath, fixated on the time the present of the White Paper will be opened... and so am I.
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Samson: Al-Rafidain begins distributing employees' salaries for the month of September
7th October, 2020
Al-Rafidain Bank announced, on Wednesday, that it will start distributing employees' salaries for the month of September and the following days
The bank’s media office said in a statement that Al-Eqtisad News received a copy of it, that “based on the directions of the Minister of Finance and with follow-up, management and supervision by the bank’s general manager, the bank’s branches today in Baghdad and the provinces began permanently to distribute the employees’ salaries for the month of September
The statement added, "This was done according to the order and timing specified for each department after the arrival of its financing and financial allocation and raising its salaries without delay LINK
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Samson: Al-Kazemi explains to the leader of the Kurdistan Party the reasons for the deteriorating financial conditions in Iraq
7th October, 2020
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi attributed the reasons for the deteriorating financial conditions in the country to the widespread corruption in the Iraqi state during the past years.
This came during a meeting with the Emir of the Kurdistan Islamic Group, Ali Babir, and his accompanying delegation on Tuesday, according to what was announced by the media office of the latter today, Wednesday.
The statement quoted Ali Babir as telling Al-Kazemi, "You bear heavy responsibilities and burdens on your shoulders during a difficult stage, and we hope that you will be succeeded by what serves the components in Iraq without discrimination."
The statement added that the Emir of the Islamic Group called on Al-Kazemi to expedite the disbursement of the sums allocated to finance the salaries of employees in the Kurdistan Region and not to delay the circumstances and political conflicts.
According to the statement, Al-Kazemi pledged to disburse financial dues to farmers in the Kurdistan Region in stages.
The statement quoted Al-Kazemi as saying that: Iraq is going through a bad financial situation as a result of rampant corruption in recent years, adding, "We are responsible for reform, and we have put steps towards this goal, and we seek to look at all citizens with one eye." LINK
Samson: Al-Darraji: The size of financial corruption in the currency auction this year amounted to $ 495 million
7th October, 2020
A member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Muhammad Sahib Al-Darraji, said that financial corruption at the border crossings has reached 27 billion dollars since the beginning of this year until now, while noting that the size of financial corruption in the currency auction has reached 495 million dollars.
Al-Darraji warned of the seriousness of the economic situation with the arrival of the reserves of the Central Bank of Iraq to less than 60 billion dollars with the continued corruption of the currency auction in millions of dollars.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi demanded that he personally intervene in the management of the Ministry of Finance to end corruption and bargain with the Minister of Finance on imposing borrowing.
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Samson: Change: the region’s debts have gone into the pockets of the corrupt, and the citizen cannot bear them
12:17 - 10/07/2020
Ali Hama Saleh, a member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament for Change Movement, confirmed today, Wednesday, that the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, tried to cover up the failure of his government to deal with corruption and went out before Parliament with exaggerated numbers.
Hama Saleh said in an interview with / the information / that "the debts that Barzani talked about are borne by him, his government and his party, who are the ones who run the region in length and breadth, and they leave no room for other parties to say their word."
He added that "for more than two years, the Kurdistan Regional Government has applied compulsory saving in the salaries of employees, and there are 3 months the government did not distribute salaries to its employees, yet the federal government was sending the sums, so where did the debt money that Barzani talks about."
And that "this money amounting to more than 28 billion dollars, in addition to other financial revenues, was going into the pockets of the corrupt, whom Barzani ignored in his speech because most of them are from his party." LINK
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Samson: Thousands of American military personnel arrive in their countries from Iraq
09:31 - 07/10/2020
A spokesman for the US-led international coalition, Colonel Wayne Marto, announced that the US military has completed the withdrawal of more than two thousand soldiers from Iraq, bringing the number from 5,200 to less than 3,000 soldiers remaining in the country.
And the American Military Affairs Task Force website quoted General Kenneth McKenzie, Commander of the US Central Command, as saying on the ninth of last September that "it is expected that the reduction of US forces in Iraq will be completed by the end of the month." And he added, "Although Colonel Marto announced that the US military had fewer than 3000 troops in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeswoman issued a statement on Tuesday that appeared to indicate that the withdrawal was continuing."
For her part, US Navy Commander Jessica L. McNulty said, “The United States continues to reduce the presence of our forces in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000,” adding, “We remain committed to ensuring the permanent defeat of ISIS and supporting Iraq's long-term security, stability and prosperity, and we will continue to consult closely with the government Iraq , as well as with our coalition partners and NATO, regarding future force distributions. "The United States withdrew from eight bases in Iraq, including Camp Taji, where two American soldiers were killed and three others were wounded in separate missile attacks this year, while US forces are now operating from three bases in the country," the report said.
On the other hand, national security fellow at the War Research Institute in Washington, Jennifer Caffarella, said that "the survival of less than 3000 American soldiers in Iraq will not be sufficient to help the Iraqi government in the fight against ISIS." According to her claim, noting that “President Donald Trump's administration, by failing to work closely with the Iraqi government, has allowed the political situation in Iraq to deteriorate greatly.” According to her saying. LINK
OlLar: https://www.quantum.gov/
Will: wow, did this just launch today? seems like it
BeBop: Launched TODAY…….OCT 7th!!!
Boxman: NEWS | Trump Administration Announces Quantum.Gov and Quantum Frontiers Report
Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the launch of Quantum.gov, the official website of the National Quantum Coordination Office, and the release of the Quantum Frontiers Report identifying key areas for continued quantum information science (QIS) research.
Dated 10/07/2020
DeepWoodz: just adding this. MM shared it a short while back. It’s on the QFS
LuvtoTravel: I hope this is all right to post. How people amassed wealth and blew it all away!! Good lessons for us right now!
People Inherited Fortunes — Then Blew Them All Away
https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/debt/people-inherited-fortunes-then-blew-away/