KTFA:

Samson:  The US Secretary of State arrives in Doha

02/29/2020 14:01:38

 US Secretary of State Mark Pompeo arrived in Doha on Saturday to attend the signing ceremony of a historic agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban.

The agreement, which is scheduled to be signed today, opens the door to a gradual withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, after 18 years of fighting, in exchange for security guarantees by the rebels.   LINK

Samson:  What is the relationship of the leap year to postponing the extraordinary session of Parliament?

29th February, 2020

Political expert, Basil Hussein, mocked the ongoing postponement of the extraordinary parliament session in order to vote on the cabinet of Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi.

Hussein said in a tweet on Twitter, "He believes that the Iraqis who marry during the leap year in general, and on February 29 will be the fate of his unhappy marriage."

He added, "It seems that the politicians of Iraq decided to postpone the passage of the government today for fear of the miserable end of it," noting by saying, "Why is it the most miserable end of the Abdul-Mahdi government?"  LINK

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Samson:  Shankali: Iraq is on the verge of economic collapse if it does not maximize its revenues

29th February, 2020

Iraqi politician and former MP in Parliament Majid Shankali stressed that Iraq is on the verge of economic collapse if it does not maximize its revenues.

Shankali said in a tweet on his account on Twitter, "Iraq is heading towards an economic collapse if it does not reduce its expenditures and maximize its revenues, because the price of a barrel of Brent reached $ 50 and the world expects an economic crisis because of Corona exceeds the crisis of 2008 and Iraq depends 95% on oil in its budget".

He added, "Maximizing revenues is what we hear without seeing it a reality."  LINK

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Samson:  For not closing it, demonstrators block the Munthiriya port, for fear of spreading Corona

29th February, 2020

Al-Akhbariya correspondent reported that angry demonstrators closed the Munthiriya border crossing, fearing that Corona virus could spread to their areas.

Our correspondent said, "Protesters in the Khanaqin district have cut off the Al-Munthiriya access road with Iran for fear of corona."

He added, "The cut came as pressure on the government to permanently close the port and prevent entry of immigrants into Iraq."   LINK

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Samson:   The UK is preparing for an economic hit as Corona spreads further

28th February, 2020

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, stressed that his country must prepare for an economic blow with the increasing repercussions of the outbreak of the Corona virus.

Carney added in an interview that the central bank has already detected a shortage in supply chains, but it is too early to determine how negatively affected Britain.

 Carney said that the bank expects global growth to decrease compared to what it will be if the situation is different, and that this will have a negative impact on the United Kingdom, "We have not yet revealed that in all European economic indicators and in the UK, but if the world is slower than the UK, which is a very open economy, this will have an impact," Carney said.

Carney said that the central bank is constantly monitoring British banks, to ensure that they remain in good strength so that there is no risk of a financial crisis.

On Thursday, the British Northern Ireland confirmed the first case of coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the United Kingdom to 16.  LINK

Samson:  The death of a candidate, winner of the Iranian parliamentary elections, Coronavirus

29th February, 2020

Iranian media reported, on Saturday, that a winning candidate in the parliamentary elections that took place on February 21, died of being infected with the Corona virus.

The "News Generation" website said, "The candidate who won the parliamentary elections for Rasht (the capital of Gilan), Muhammad Ali Ramdani Destak, was recently transferred to the hospital due to an influenza infection."

He added that, as a result of previous chemical injuries in the Iraq-Iran war in 1980, Dostak died Saturday morning.

And news channels concerned with the Gilan Governorate reported that Muhammad Ali Ramdani Destak had been infected with the Corona virus, which had spread in the province, and had become the second governorate after Qom spread this new virus.

Ramadan Destak is a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and head of the Mobilization Forces Organization (Basij) in Gilan Province.

Last Saturday, the Iranian "Election" website reported that the candidate who won the parliamentary elections for Rasht Muhammad Ali Ramadhani was infected with the Corona virus, and the winner of a seat in Rasht from the hard-line fundamentalist (Ali Aghazadeh) was infected with this virus.

According to medical sources, the site stated that "the new deputy, Muhammad Ali Ramadani, was in a very critical situation and was lying in a hospital in the city of Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, located in northern Iran."

In light of the preliminary results of the recent parliamentary elections in Iran, Ramadhani and Aghazadeh managed to win membership of the Islamic Shura Council (parliament) for the hard-line fundamentalist trend.   LINK

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Samson:  The son of Khamenei's advisor has been infected with the Corona virus

29th February, 2020

Iranian media reported that two cases of infection with the Corona virus were recorded in Iran, one of whom is a member of the Expediency Council, and the son of Supreme Leader Advisor Ali Khamenei.

And the agency "Fars" reported the death of a member of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ramadanani, who was infected with the Corona virus.   LINK

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Samson:  Corona virus hits the world economy hard

29th February, 2020

The global economy was greatly affected by the Corona virus outbreak today, Saturday, while US President Donald Trump condemned the criticism after describing the Corona threat as a "hoax" prepared by his competitors.

New data from China's manufacturing giant, as the virus was first detected in December, showed a sharp drop in the PMI to 35.7 in February, down from 50 in January, where any reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below It shows a contraction.

The Associated Press quoted Zhao Qinghe, chief statistician of the National Bureau of Statistics, as saying that the outbreak of the new corona virus was a direct cause of the sharp decline.

Elsewhere around the world, financial markets have retreated while fears of the virus have led to the emptying of shops and parks, the cancellation of events and events, and the dramatic reduction in business and travel.

Despite fears of a wider outbreak in the United States, Trump defended the measures taken and on Friday criticized Democrats who questioned his handling of the threat, describing their criticism as a new "hoax" aimed at undermining his leadership.

Shortly before Trump's speech started, health officials confirmed a second case of the Corona virus in the United States at someone who had not traveled internationally, or had close contact with anyone with the virus, and some Democrats said that Trump could have moved sooner to bolster state response United Virus.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers also said that his request for an additional $ 2.5 billion to defend against the virus was not enough, and indicated that they would provide more funding.

On the other hand, Trump said that Democrats want him to fail, and he said that the steps he has taken so far have kept the cases to a minimum and prevented deaths from the virus in the United States.

"A virus that started in China, and that is spreading to various countries around the world, is not spreading widely in the United States due to the early actions that my administration and I took, against the desire of many, and the only point of the Democrats' talk, and you see that, is that it is a mistake," Trump said. Donald Trump. "

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that the US economy remains strong, and that policy makers "will use our tools" to support it if necessary.  LINK