Some "Monday News" Posted by Samson at KTFA 4-5-2021
KTFA:
Samson: What is the secret behind Iraq's large gold exports?
13:25 - 04/05/2021
A report by the English channel Al-Jazeera revealed that gold has become the third largest export in Iraq after oil, as the volume of trade with Turkey alone reached 8 billion dollars in 2020, after it was 2.5 billion dollars in 2019.
"Iraq does not produce gold, but imports it from other countries, then gold traders export it either for processing or converting it into jewelry, more often than not smuggled, as deep-rooted corruption and a weak economy facilitate the black market operators to move things across borders," the report translated by the agency said. He added that "local industries, not just gold, in Iraq died because of the lack of electricity.
Iraq is not attractive to investment and is not a friend to business, so Iraqi merchants and businessmen go to Turkey and other countries because it is better in quality and cheaper."
The report continued that “there are no clear data in Iraq about the quantities of gold entering and leaving the country. The Ministry of Trade was asked, so I evaded and sent us to the Ministry of Finance, which in turn evaded and asked that we ask the Central Bank, which in turn said that the data must be kept by the Ministry of Planning.”
For his part, a spokesman for the Ministry of Planning, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, said, “With regard to imported quantities, it is not our job, as there is a Quality and Standards Organization that monitors goldsmiths all over Iraq. We also have offices at border crossings and airports to ensure quality and reduce smuggling. " According to him.
Diplomatic sources, who refused to disclose themselves, explained that “due to lax security at the crossings and the lack of law, gold is smuggled into neighboring countries, and economic uncertainty in Iraq leads to an increase in domestic demand, despite the current Coronavirus pandemic.”
The report indicated that “due to the state of security in Iraq, many Iraqi families resort to investing in precious metals instead of keeping their money in dollars or Iraqi dinars, and since the precious commodity has now become a major economic entity, they want the government to ensure that it is adding to the economy instead of than to move away from him”. LINK
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Samson: Video: What's behind Iraq's Large Gold Exports?
5th April, 2021
Gold has become one of Iraq's top exports despite there being no gold deposits.
So what is the secret?
Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid reports from Baghdad:
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Samson: Iraq opens a direct air route with the Emirates
5th April 2021
The General Company of Iraqi Airways announced the opening of a new direct air route for civil flights with the United Arab Emirates. And flights through this airline will start operating from the beginning of next May
The company said in a statement: "The direct line will link back and forth between the capitals of the two countries, Baghdad and Abu Dhabi
This line is the sixth of its kind, as the two countries are connected to 5 direct airlines, between the cities of Baghdad, Najaf, Basra, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, and Dubai and Sharjah in the Emirates
This announcement comes in light of the start of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazemi, yesterday, Sunday, an unlimited-term official visit to the UAE. The official news agency "INA" stated that Al-Kazemi's visit will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries in many fields
Al-Kazemi's visit to the UAE comes on the heels of a visit to Saudi Arabia last week, during which Riyadh announced its intention to increase its investments in Iraq by five times, to reach $ 2.67 billion
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Samson: Soon .. Iraqi Airways receives 5 Airbus planes
09:55 - 04/05/2021
Iraqi Airways revealed, on Monday, that it has received 5 new Airbus aircraft, at a time when it announced the resumption of many flights to Arab, European and Asian countries and the conclusion of commercial agreements to transfer workers in foreign companies located in Iraq.
"There are contracts to buy 5 Airbus A220 aircraft close to medium-range, covering 5,000 kilometers, with a capacity of 132 seats, including 12 business seats and 120 tourist seats," the company's media director, Hussein Jalil, said in a statement.
Jalil added, "The company's management continues to negotiate with the equipped company, and we are currently in the process of receiving two planes, and the other three will be delivered until next November of this year to support the fleet of the national carrier."
The Ministry of Transport announced recently that the airlines own a fleet of 31 aircraft, most of them modern, while working on activating a contract with the (Boeing) company signed by the government with the aim of strengthening the fleet of aircraft during specific periods and according to the future need of the airlines. LINK
Samson: A source reveals that the auction sale of the work has stopped
5th April, 2021
An official in the Iraqi Central Bank said, Monday, that the currency auction has been suspended since last Wednesday, due to the failure of banks to buy the currency from the auction, fearing that the budget will be approved in a timely manner and its impact on the exchange rate.
The source said to "Tigris", that "banks have enough reserves to trade for a number of days without buying from the currency auction."
He added, "A number of banks have submitted the purchase request for currency from the auction, but the auction will resume on next Sunday, the beginning of the new week." LINK
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Samson: Judiciary: 13 arrest warrants and summons against governors and general directors in Babylon within 3 months
5th April, 2021
The Supreme Judicial Council announced, on Monday, the issuance of 13 arrest warrants and summons against governors and general managers in Babylon.
The council’s media center said in a statement that Mawazine News received a copy of, that “the Integrity Investigation Court in Hilla issued during the period (mid-January to the end of March) more than 13 arrest and summoning warrants affecting senior officials in cases of financial and administrative corruption."
The statement added, "These notes were issued against former governors and general managers." LINK
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Samspn: Integrity refers 28 people to the investigation on charges of abuse of position and of inflating funds
5th April, 2021
The Integrity Commission announced, on Monday, that 28 assignees have been referred to investigations on charges of abuse of the position and inflation of funds, revealing details of the officials' response to the duty to disclose their financial and graft assets for 2021
In a statement received by "Al-Iqtisad News," the Authority’s Prevention Department clarified the details of the officials’ response to their financial liabilities for the period from 1/4/2021 to 3/25/2021, for the three presidencies, the judiciary, ministries, bodies and entities not linked to a ministry, as well as the governors, according to what Included in Article (16) of its amended Law No. 30 of 2011 in force. The statement continued that the three presidencies represented by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Speaker and his two deputies, the President of the Judicial Authority and his deputy, and the President of the Federal Supreme Court disclosed their financial liabilities for the current year, with a disclosure rate of 100 percent
The department added that “(239) representatives from among the members of the Council of Representatives for the current session disclosed their financial liabilities at a rate of (74.2) percent, while (19) ministers disclosed their liabilities at a rate of (82.6) percent, and the percentage of disclosure by each of the members of the court was The Federal Supreme Judicial Council and the Federal Court of Cassation (100%), in addition to the disclosure of the Chief Public Prosecutor, at a time when the disclosure rate of the appointed judges reached (95.5%), and for those appointed other than the judges, their disclosure rate was (94.4)%. It indicated that "(27) heads of bodies and bodies not affiliated with a ministry disclosed their financial receivables, while (7) governors disclosed their debts at a rate of (46.7%)
The department pointed out that "the files of (28) assignees, against whom evidence of an abuse of a position or an inflation of funds not commensurate with their regular resources appeared, were transferred to the investigation department of the commission for the years (2018-2021), indicating that their cases are still under investigation or trial."
Indicating that "the number of taxpayers who have violations of conflict of interest for the period from (2017-2020) reached (625) taxpayers. The authority had announced at the beginning of last March the names of the taxpayers responding to the duty to disclose their financial assets for the year 2021, who were determined by Article (16 / First) of the Authority's enforceable Law No. (30 of 2011), as amended
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Samson: Putin signs a law granting him the right to run for two new terms
04/05/2021 18:14:55
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law commensurate with the constitutional amendments regarding legislation on elections and referendums, and in particular, a law that grants the current head of state the right to run for two presidential terms.
On Wednesday, the Russian Federation Council approved a law giving the right to the current President of the Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin) to run again for the presidency.
According to one of the provisions of the new amendments in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, restrictions imposed on the number of periods in which a single person can assume the office of President of the Russian Federation, is applied to the current president regardless of his previous presidential terms, and therefore, this rule allows the current head of state to occupy the position President of the Russian Federation for two more terms.
The Russian Central Election Commission approved the results of the general vote on the amendments to the Russian constitution, which were supported by 77.92 percent of Russian citizens, and the final protocol for the vote was signed. LINK