More News, Rumors and Opinions Tuesday Afternoon 11-12-19
KTFA:
Samson: Oil prices rise as markets await signals on trade talks
12th November, 2019
Oil prices rose on Tuesday, recovering from early losses on hopes that US President Donald Trump may signal progress in trade talks with China in a speech later on Tuesday
By 0644 GMT, Brent crude futures were up 31 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $ 62.49 a barrel, after falling to $ 61.90 a barrel earlier on Tuesday
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 23 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $ 57.09 a barrel, after falling to $ 56.55 a barrel
Prices fell on Monday on concerns about the impact on oil demand from the repercussions of the 16-month US-China trade war, which has cast a shadow on global economic growth
Trump said on Saturday that talks with China were going "very well" but the United States would only make a deal if it was the best for Washington. He also said there had been false reports of the US intention to raise tariffs
Trump is due to speak at the New York Economic Club later on Tuesday, and markets will be hungry for anything new about the talks LINK
Samson: Parliamentary integrity confirms the issuance of an arrest warrant for the governor of Kirkuk and members of his family
2019/11/12 17:29
The integrity of Kirkuk, issued an arrest warrant for the governor of Kirkuk agency, Rakan al-Jubouri and a number of members of his family, and the Commission on the Integrity of Parliament that the judicial orders include two brothers and two of his sons.
A member of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, Hendrin Lazkin, said in a press statement that "the judge of the Commission on Integrity in Kirkuk issued an arrest warrant for Rakan al-Jubouri and six members of his family on charges of wasting public money and exploiting the position for personal interests," pointing out that "two of his brothers and two of His sons are now detained." He added that al-Jubouri "has not been arrested yet, but that may soon happen by virtue of the arrest warrant, to be tried in accordance with Article 340 of the Iraqi Penal Code."
This is not the first thing against al-Jubouri, where the Court of Kirkuk last June, a warrant for the arrest of the governor of Kirkuk, acting on charges of wasting public money and spent misplaced. The sources said, "The arrest warrant came against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed by a member of the House of Representatives in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Dylan Ghafour on charges of embezzling 900 million dinars had been allocated by the federal government for the reconstruction of the affected areas, but that Jubouri disbursed that money legal".
The Integrity Commission announced on Tuesday its procedures regarding the exploitation of the funds allocated for the reconstruction and reconstruction of districts and cities and areas free of terrorism contrary to the instructions in the province of Kirkuk, confirming the issuance of an arrest warrant for the Secretary of the Governor of Kirkuk and the director of his office and four officials.
She explained that "the main defendant in the case the current governor of Kirkuk financially guaranteed, and that the judge of the Court of Inquiry in Kirkuk issued an arrest warrant in accordance with the provisions of Article (340) of the Penal Code against (6) defendants are both the Secretary of the Governor and the Director of his office, in addition to the directors of the audit, accounts and contracts In the province and the chairpersons of the first and second procurement committees."
"The judge decided to arrest the two accused and move to the building of the Kirkuk governorate - the accounts section to bring documents to pay the amounts of hospitality, and approach the Human Resources Section in the province and the Directorate of Electricity Distribution; to indicate the legal status of three relatives of the governor, whether they are employees of permanent owners Or not." LINK
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Iggy: Here is a quote by - Charles R. Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.
Courtesy of Dinar Guru:
Jeff Yesterday Iraq’s parliament completed the Election Law. That’s the first real step that they’ve actually been able to complete in the way of reforms for the citizens due to the demonstrations.
What they’ve done through the Election Law is it only pertains to their Parliament. They’ve reduced the number of seats from 329 down to 213 seats within parliament and they’ve reduced the age of nominees down to 25.
Overall that’s going to work to satisfy the demonstrators to a small extent. They’re calling this reforms. In a way it’s kind of sad but this so far is the best item that they have actually been able to offer…you can clearly see their [parliament and the GOI] hands are tied and they’re waiting on that rate change...
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TNT:
NWMontana: Check out the square! Baghdad Tahrir Square tonight. #Iraq security forces have rounded up hundreds, wounded thousands, death toll > 320, but the protests have not stopped. Basra, Karbalaa, Nasiriyah... ~ https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1194316439471230978
Tishwash: Pompeo tweet nov 12th
Spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister @AdilAbdAlMahdi by phone today. I called on him to protect the protesters and to address their legitimate grievances. The United States is committed to a strong, sovereign, and prosperous #Iraq for all Iraqis. 10:17 AM - 12 Nov 2019
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Harambe: Bloomberg: Zimbabwe Distributes New Banknotes but Keeps Curb on Withdrawals
(11/12/19)
Zimbabwean banks started distributing low-denominated banknotes on Tuesday to help end a crippling cash shortage, more than a decade since the nation had its own hard currency.
However, strict withdrawal limits of Z$300 ($19) a week meant consumers continued to struggle to get enough cash to cover costs.
The central bank sent Z$30 million of the new notes to local banks, the state-controlled Herald newspaper cited Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya as saying. Lenders were issuing newly minted Z$2 and Z$5 notes and coins.
“The only consolation is that today I got my money, but the problem is that it’s not enough to last the whole week since I use public transport,” said Ishe Mukoi, a store supervisor in the capital, Harare.
Zimbabwe this year abolished a multi-currency system and reintroduced the Zimbabwe dollar as sole legal tender, a decade after it went out of circulation because of hyperinflation. It has weakened from a 1:1 parity peg in February to 15.8742 per U.S. dollar on Tuesday.
The central bank plans to “drip feed” Z$1 billion into the economy over the next six months to help end arbitrage and premiums being charged on the parallel market.
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Harambe: Reuters: Iraq's elite rallies around Iran-backed plan to hang on to power (11/12/19)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq’s ruling parties appear to have rallied behind a strategy, blessed by Iran, to try to survive a mass anti-government uprising by containing protests on the streets of Baghdad while offering a package of political reforms and elections next year.
But the proposed solution involves keeping in power a ruling elite that Iran has cultivated for years - unlikely to placate protesters who have been demanding the entire caste of politicians be swept aside.
Iran has been closely involved in formulating the new strategy, with a number of meetings between political groups and government figures attended by Qassem Soleimani, the general who commands the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that supervises Tehran’s clients across the Middle East.
Two sources with knowledge of the talks said Soleimani had approved the reform plan, which would keep Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in power until new elections next year, as it would give Iran time to recalculate how to retain influence.
The protests pose the biggest challenge to Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim-dominated political order since it emerged after a 2003 U.S. invasion toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
At least 300 protesters have been killed, most by security forces firing live ammunition into crowds. But the violent response has done little to persuade the protesters to leave the streets.
A senior security official told Reuters new tactics were being rolled out to try to confine the demonstrations to Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, a roadway junction at the foot of a bridge across the Tigris, where demonstrators have camped out for weeks.
“Security forces received new orders on Saturday that protesters must be kept in Tahrir Square,” the security official said. “They’re working quietly now to seal off the square from all directions, and an arrest campaign is expected to follow in a bid to reduce momentum of the protests.”
Meanwhile the authorities will push on with a reform plan to mollify the crowd, with new elections run by a commission intended to be more independent, and parliament restructured to be smaller and more representative of Iraq’s diverse population.
Sources who have attended recent government meetings say the strategy now enjoys the backing not only of the Iran-backed parties that support the government, but also of their main rivals, the faction of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who regularly denounces Iran and had called for Abdul Mahdi to quit.
Sunni and Kurdish political leaders also support the plan.
“The anger of protesters at everyone in politics, even religious figures, forced all parties to listen to Iranian advice and work together to keep Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government standing,” said a source close to Sadr.
“Even Sadr is on board,” he said. “He worried that protests he’s not controlling could also threaten his position” among his followers, the source said. https://reut.rs/2K88kvB
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GOLD AND SILVER SUPPORT, SDR… Q&A with Lynette Zang and Eric Griffin.
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