News, Rumors and Opinions Saturday 5-2-2020
KTFA:
Samson: The United Nations representative: acute crises are pushing Iraq towards the unknown
05/2/2020 13:35:48
The UN Special Representative in Iraq, Jenin Hennes-Blackshart, stressed that acute crises have pushed Iraq into the unknown.
"Multiple acute crises continue to push Iraq into the unknown, it is necessary to form an urgent government with broad support," Blackshart said in a tweet on her account on the Twitter platform.
And she showed that "a political settlement is a sign of political maturity and a source of flexibility, a friendly reminder to politicians: Iraq has no more time." LINK
Dan: I hope VND goes before IQD to give Iraq a slap upside the head, and make Iraq jealous.
IMO VietNam is ready with a booming economy even in the midst of this global false flag event.
Iraq just wastes time , wastes opportunity and plays games just like China.
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Samson: The Association of Banks clarifies the fact that an Iraqi bank was included in the US sanctions list
05/2/2020 18:22:41
The Association of Private Banks in Iraq today, Saturday, explained the fact that an Iraqi bank has been placed on the US sanctions list.
The association stated in a tweet on {Twitter}, “The international and Arab media covered a story that includes the status of Iraqi Spectrum Mining Company and its owner, Prince Dianet, of Iraqi origin and who holds Iranian citizenship, in the list of US sanctions.”
And she added, "The Islamic Spectrum Bank would like to reassure the public that the Islamic Spectrum Bank has no relationship with either the company mentioned or the person mentioned in the published news and it is just a similarity of names."
The Association showed "where the spectrum of the Islamic Bank of Bank of Iraq - based and licensed by the Central Bank of Iraq and has a good reputation and has the confidence of the public and sectoral agencies alike".LINK
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Samson: A $ 10 million recreational forest resort in Basra
05/1/2020 21:26:13
Today, the Basra Investment Commission revealed the granting of an investment license to a local investor to establish a recreational forest resort in the Al-Sharh area of Al-Qurna district, north of Basra Governorate, at a cost exceeding $10 million. "The project is being built on an area of 1,000 dunums, and all of its phases will be completed within a period of 6 years," Chairman of the Commission Alaa Abdul Hussein Salman said in a press statement.
He explained that "the idea of the project that combines the recreational and agricultural character is what distinguishes it, as the recreational side will contain entertainment events, wedding halls, chalets, chalets, a games city, in addition to a zoo." As for the agricultural aspect, Salman indicated that "it includes various agricultural activities with a poultry field, a date presser and a dairy factory, in addition to greenhouses, bees and lakes to raise fish wealth."
The head of the Basra Investment Commission indicated that "Qurna district lacks the simplest places of entertainment despite the high summer temperatures." LINK
Courtesy of Dinar Guru
Vital Brad …This Sunday...they’re gonna be voting on the new government…
Pimpy ...Looks like Sunday or this weekend we're going to find out whether or not they have their PM. Is Al-Kazemi in there? Did he get his cabinet in there? Did they finally get what they needed or is this another flop? And then [Is] the President...going to take over dissolve the parliament and go ahead and just run new elections and have the people voted in themselves...?
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TNT:
Tishwash: The US State Department: The forthcoming strategic dialogue with Iraq will address cooperation, investment opportunities
US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Schenker revealed Friday the details of the upcoming dialogue between Iraq and his country, noting that the United States has provided $ 5 billion in aid to the Iraqi army.
"We have provided the Iraqi army over the past four years with $ 5 billion and more than two billion dollars to help build Iraq after ISIS," Schenker said in a televised statement.
He added, "The forthcoming strategic dialogue between the United States and Iraq will deal with bilateral and economic cooperation, investment and trade opportunities, security cooperation and the status of American forces in Iraq."
"We have had a strategic dialogue with Iraq and I think this is a good time to review the nature of the relationship between the two countries," the assistant secretary of state added. link
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Harambe: AP News: Iraq's revenues plummet, raising fears of economic collapse (5/1/20)
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s revenues plummeted in April amid a historic oil price crash, the Oil Ministry said Friday, raising concerns over how the country will cope severe financial shortfalls while struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The crude-dependent economy earned just $1.4 billion in oil revenues last month, at an average price of $13.8 per barrel, according to data released by the ministry, a sixth of average figures from before the oil price crash. Oil traded between $20 and $30 in April, but Iraq sells its crude at a discounted rate.
The figures provide the first tangible indication of the desperate circumstances facing Iraq as officials struggle to determine how to implement austerity measures — expected to be widely unpopular — while operating on dwindling revenues.
Meanwhile, a political leadership vacuum also looms as Iraq’s prime minister-designate faces opposition to forming a government and the current leadership is hobbled by the limits of its caretaker status.
Iraq officials are deliberating cuts to social benefitspayments to public sector employees as a means to cut spending, but a decision has not been made over how much to cut and from whom. Compensation to the country’s bloated public sector and pensions have historically been a drain on the state budget, amounting to nearly $45 billion in annual expenditure.
Officials said payment spending could be cut by 30% to 50%.
In another cost-saving measure, the federal government recently decided to cut $383 million in budget allocations to the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, which has an independent oil policy, citing a breach of the 2019 budget law under which the region is obligated to provide a share of its oil to the federal government in exchange for state funding to pay salaries.
A delegation from the Kurdish region recently arrived to Baghdad to negotiate the move.
Neither measure is expected to be enough to plug the deficit.
Iraq has also agreed to comply with OPEC measures to cut production by 23% in May and June, just over 1 million barrels per day for Iraq, which will additionally strain state spending.
While Iraqi state-run oil fields have typically shouldered cuts in the past, this time fields operated by international oil companies must participate, the ministry said, something that will require difficult negotiations over new contract terms.
Guess who’s back: Kim Jong-un!
After weeks of speculation & media burying him, Kim Jong-un is back in the spotlight. The smiling North Korean leader cut the ribbon on a new fertilizer plant while workers in masks applauded. Oh and would you look at that, Kim was accompanied by his sister, the very same one that MSM predicted would take over.