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Samson:  The International Monetary Fund raises its forecast for global economic growth in 2022 to 4.9%

28th July, 2021

The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for global economic growth next year by 0.5% to 4.9%, compared to 4.4% in previous forecasts

The Fund singled out the Saudi economy, with updated expectations, which included expectations of growth of 2.4% in 2021, down 0.5% from the expectations of April, and that the growth of its economy would double in 2002 to 4.8%, an increase of 0.8% from the expectations of April

At the level of the Middle East and Central Asia, the Fund expected the region's economy as a whole to grow by 4% in 2021, an increase of 0.3% from April's forecast, and to grow by 3.7% in 2022

According to the IMF's World Economic Outlook report, the report maintained its vision of the global economic growth rate for the current year at 6%, which is the same rate that the Fund expected in its last April report. The fund attributed the 0.5% increase in growth forecast for the general economy next year largely to the expected additional fiscal support in the United States, with associated repercussions for the global economy

Factors shaping the future of the global economy

The IMF report noted that the epidemic has taken a turn for the worse in some parts of the world since its April report, while the rapid rollout of a vaccine has helped reduce the number of cases rapidly in other regions. Economies diverge further, affected by differences in the pace of vaccine rollout and policy support. However; A smooth and lasting recovery is not guaranteed even in places where the infection appears to be under control

Although 35% of the population in advanced economies receives two doses of the vaccine; The share of vaccination in low-income countries represents less than half of that, and access to vaccines is the main line of defense on the road to global recovery, which we can see in two parts, the first of which is the return of economic activity to normal later this year, which may be in almost all advanced economies And the second section is those who are still dealing with the prospects of a re-emergence of infection and a high number of deaths due to the Corona virus, represented by the regions of southern Africa, which are now in the grip of the third wave, as well as parts of Latin America that are experiencing high levels of deaths with continuing fears in parts From South and Southeast Asia due to outbreaks of the Corona virus epidemic, according to the report   LINK

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Samson:  3,500 years old.. the United States returns to Iraq one of the "Gilgamesh" tablets

27th July, 2021

The US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that the United States will return to Iraq an antique 3,500-year-old cuneiform tablet after it was found that it was "stolen cultural property" that was fraudulently introduced to the American art market.

The archaeological tablet made of clay and inscribed with cuneiform is part of the "Epic of Gilgamesh", which is considered one of the oldest literary works of mankind and narrates the adventures of a powerful Mesopotamian king in his quest for immortality.

An American art dealer bought this artifact in 2003 from a Jordanian family residing in London and shipped it to the United States without telling the US customs about the nature of this shipment. After the tablet arrived in the United States, the dealer sold it in 2007 to other dealers for $50,000, with a forged certificate of origin.

In 2014, the painting was bought at a price of $ 1.67 million by the Green family, who owns the Hobby Lobby chain of stores, known for its Christian activity, with the intention of displaying it at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. But in 2017, a museum curator expressed concern about the tablet's provenance after finding that the documents presented during its purchase were incomplete. In September 2019, police confiscated the artifact until Monday, when a federal judge confirmed its confiscation.

A Justice Department statement quoted Attorney General Jacqueline Casoulis, who is in charge of this case, as saying that Monday's decision "represents an important step towards the return of this world's literary masterpiece to its origin." In July 2017, the American judiciary ordered Hobby Lobby to return to Iraq thousands of artifacts dating back to the Mesopotamian era that had been illegally exported to the United States, in archaeological treasures, including other cuneiform tablets and ancient seals.

For his part, the Iraqi government spokesman, Hassan Nazim, told the official news agency, "Conscious" that the Iraqi delegation in America will bring with it, on Wednesday, 17,000 Iraqi artifacts.

Nazim, who is also the Minister of Culture, added that "this operation is the largest to recover Iraq's antiquities," noting that "Iraq is continuing to recover other antiquities from Europe and some Arab countries." 

Thousands of Iraqi artifacts were looted and lost their tracks, including 16,000 pieces from the Baghdad Museum during the US-led international forces' invasion of the country and its toppling of the former regime in 2003.

Iraq also suffers from the exhumation of antiquities by organized gangs that trade in antiquities and smuggle them outside the country, taking advantage of the lax state authority due to the unstable security conditions. Iraq has been working for many years to recover its looted antiquities by pursuing smugglers and antiquities auctions around the world.  LINK

Samson:  Iraq and the Czech Republic move to stop a human smuggling network

28th July, 2021
The Iraqi and Czech governments discussed, on Wednesday, increasing coordination between them to stop a network smuggling Iraqis to Lithuania.

This came in a phone call received by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein from his Czech counterpart, Jakob Kolhanek, according to a statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry received by Shafaq News. Hussein stressed the "deepness of the historical relations between the two countries," calling for "bilateral cooperation in all fields."

The Iraqi minister praised "the positions of the Czech Republic in support of Iraq in its war against ISIS terrorist gangs, and economic cooperation", looking forward to finding new cooperation opportunities that would contribute to achieving the aspirations of the two countries. Hussein indicated that "Iraq appreciates the role played by the partners within the European Union to support the ongoing political process in Iraq."

During the call, the two sides stressed the "importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of migration and migrants," and the two ministers touched on the file of organized migration from Iraq to Lithuania and increased coordination between the two sides in order to reach common understandings to stop the smuggling network of Iraqis to Lithuania.  LINK

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Samson:  Al-Kazemi’s advisor: America’s visit is a new beginning for the transition from an economy of war to an economy of peace

28th July, 2021

Adviser to the Prime Minister Mazhar Muhammad Salih considered, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, the visit of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi to the United States a new beginning for the transition from the economy of wars to the economy of peace, development and construction.

Saleh told Al-Masala, "Iraq suffers from a large deficit in investments for a number of reasons, and development has been limited to the energy and oil production sector and focus on electricity, as important and large productive sectors have been neglected, including industry, services and agriculture."

He added, "Iraq needs a new technological thought and new partnerships, and to invite the United States companies, which represent the largest economy in the world, to invest in Iraq, and it comes within the framework of the investment law to revive the effective and large Iraqi economy and reduce the volume of high unemployment."

He continued, "I think this step is a new page for the transition from the economy of wars, conflict and remnants of the past to an economy of peace, development and construction." He added, "America's role in investment, construction and reconstruction is an important turning point that must be worked on in the strategy of the relationship between Iraq and the United States, and the current openness is the first of its kind."

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi stressed, on Wednesday, during his meeting with the Businessmen Forum and the American Chamber of Commerce, that "the Iraqi government has taken bold measures towards real reforms in the economy, the most important of which is strengthening credit activity in the banking sector," noting: "We have started to address the weak infrastructure despite budget deficit, by encouraging private sector investments.

He added, "The government has proposed clean energy projects through competitive and transparent bidding, which resulted in attracting the largest international companies in the field of solar energy, and we are now in negotiations with the largest international companies to grant 7,500 megawatts in the field of solar energy during the next two years." He pointed out that "the government has begun to address the housing crisis through a package of measures, the most important of which is the initiative of government banks, and a number of private banks to offer low-cost and long-term loans to support the purchase of housing units, and this will also help encourage investment in the real estate sector," stressing that "this initiative helped to revitalize a number of stalled projects.

He added, "Corruption is being fought and state resources are preserved, and one of the most important measures is the cancellation of licenses in fake and lagging projects that are behind the mafias of economic and political corruption." And energy, and clean energy in particular, and we have launched strategic projects in the field of gas, and the investment of associated gas, in cooperation with American companies.”

He pointed out that "Iraq's doors are open to investment, and American companies in particular, and our vision is serious in relying on Western investments instead of others, and we need your cooperation in order to achieve this."  LINK