"Tidbits from TNT" Saturday Morning 8-29-2020

TNT:

Tishwash:  A new international classification. Iraq is one of the highest middle-income economies

Iraq is one of the world's highest-income economies, the World Bank said Saturday, adding that it is made up of 56 countries.

"Iraq is one of the highest-income economies," the bank said in a report seen by The Twilight News.

"These economies are made up of 56 countries, in addition to Iraq, and they also consist of Albania, Argentina, China, Jordan, Brazil, Turkey, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, South Africa and Thailand," he said.

"Low-income economies are those with a per capita national income of 1,035 and include 29 countries, including Eritrea, Yemen, Sudan and Syria," he said, noting that "high-income economies consist of 83 countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, include Arab countries, Italy, Austria and Germany."

The World Bank classifies the world's countries into four groups — low-income, lower-middle-income countries, upper middle-income countries, and high-income countries. It is estimated on the basis of per capita gross national income at the current price of the U.S. dollar.   link

Cutebwoy:  The US Defense Department announces the withdrawal of a third of its forces from Iraq

08/28/2020 18:02

Baghdad Today – Follow-up 

The Wall Street Journal said, Friday, that the United States will reduce the number of its forces in Iraq by nearly a third, according to US officials.  

The newspaper quoted US officials as saying that the Pentagon decided to reduce the number of US forces in Iraq to about 3,500 soldiers.  

She added that many US officials have confirmed that the Pentagon will reduce troop levels by about a third during the next two to three months.   

That would bring US troop levels back to what they were in 2015 when the United States was in the first phase of its campaign against ISIS, according to the newspaper.  

The US Defense Department announces the withdrawal of a third of its forces from Iraq

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Harambe:  Ekurd: Millions of dollars transferred from Iraq via the central bank: leaked

(8/28/20)

 NEW YORK,— A leaked documents dated 2016 obtained by Ekurd.net show hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars have been transferred from Iraq to abroad via the Central Bank of Iraq CBI.

According to the documents many private banks are involved in these transactions as Iraqi Central Bank turning a blind eye to these suspicious deals.

According to transparency organizations, lawmakers, observers, and international organizations corruption is pervasive at all levels of government in Iraq.

Iraq has been ranked 162 of 180 worldwide, making it one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

The documents obtained by Ekurd.net in Arabic in PDF:

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12  | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15 | Page 16 | Page 17 | Page 18

 https://ekurd.net/millions-dollars-transferred-iraq-2020-08-28

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Tishwash:  Report: Nuri al-Maliki distributed his wealth among his relatives ... But the "Sakhil Strike" did not miss its target!

On Saturday, a press report dealt with the recent measures of the Central Bank of Iraq, which included the names of politicians and members of the House of Representatives, as well as officials, including Nouri al-Maliki's son-in-law, Yasser Sakheel.  

The report, published by the London-based Al-Arab newspaper and followed by People, (August 29, 2020), said that the decision may be the first of the Iraqi government's actions against corruption, while he ruled out that these measures include "corruption whales."  

The report also ruled out that the decision is indicative of a "declaration of war" against former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, "accused of corruption," and who "distributed his wealth among his relatives in anticipation of future accountability," as the report said.  

 The text of the report follows.   

  The Iraqi government chose to start its battle with corruption from locations close to the head of the State of Law coalition, Nouri al-Maliki without publicly contacting him, in a move that observers said was closer to a skirmish than to confrontation in light of the difficulty of the political attack on the former prime minister who surrounded himself in a large circle of Corrupt officials have a complex network of relationships.  

 The Central Bank of Iraq decided to freeze the assets of nine former and current officials and seize their properties, including al-Maliki's son-in-law, Yasser Sakhail and his brother Luqman Sakhail, against the backdrop of non-payment of debts owed to the state.  

  The decision stipulated “the seizure of movable and immovable funds for each of Yasser Sakheel and his brother Luqman Sakheil, the former governor of Karbala, Aqeel Al-Taraihi, Zuhair Al-Araji (a parliamentarian), and Hajem Al-Hasani (the former speaker of the House of Representatives."  

  The list of names also included “Ali al-Quraishi (official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Walid Rida (official in the Prime Minister’s office), Saeed Khader, and Abdullah Muhammad Abdullah (without specifying their job description).”  

  Al-Kazemi pledged to refer all the corrupt to the judiciary, regardless of their position in the country, but Iraqi observers are ruling out that this campaign will expand or take the character of a clash with Maliki at a time when the current Iraqi Prime Minister seeks to calm down with the parties and militias close to Iran that are moving on more than one front. To weaken him after his visit to the United States, and the stances and statements issued by it that bring him closer to Washington's side than to Tehran's side.  

Observers pointed out that Al-Kazemi's move is closer to reassuring protesters and achieving their demands than a declaration of war on al-Maliki, especially since fighting corruption is at the top of the demands of the massive protests that Iraq has witnessed since last October.  

Well-informed Iraqi sources stated that al-Maliki had previously distributed his wealth among his relatives in anticipation of what might happen in the future.  

The sources considered in a statement to "Al-Arab" that the government's strike did not miss its goal, even if it did not proceed directly in the direction of al-Maliki, and that it sent a message to him that his situation is completely unsafe, as he believes.  

She revealed that many files will be opened without personalities still being targeted directly, which means that Al-Kazemi decided to hang an expected alarm bell in many necks whose owners will feel in danger and resort to hiding from power either by leaving Iraq or searching for ways to reconcile with The government, a settlement that will return a lot of money to the state treasury.  

And the Iraqi Prime Minister put all the weight of his government and the support he received from the United States, in addition to economic reforms, in opening the files of corruption without fanfare.  

Sakhil is the son-in-law of al-Maliki and a member of parliament for the State of Law coalition, and al-Maliki nominated him for the interior portfolio in the al-Kazemi government despite his lack of any experience in the field of security or its administration.  

The State of Law Coalition angered the political blocs when it nominated Sakhail to the Interior Ministry due to its knowledge of the shallowness of Maliki's son-in-law and his entry into parliament with a forged testimony and his lack of experience in security affairs.  

Previously, al-Maliki used his son-in-law to purify the inner home of the Islamic Dawa Party, which he leads, as they led a campaign of clashes and public relations that ended in deporting all opponents. It also allowed them to dominate the State of Law coalition, until they became among its most prominent leaders.  

Sources close to the Dawa Party say that my brother-in-law, Yasser Sakheel and Hussein al-Maliki controls the official political position of the State of Law Coalition.  

The American "Daily Beast" newspaper has previously revealed that the investigations conducted by the US Department of Justice with the "Saleport Global Services" company about its role in bribing Iraqi officials, included Nuri al-Maliki and his son-in-law Yasser Sakhil.  

In 2014, Saliport obtained a contract from the Air Force to provide services to Balad Air Force Base, north of Baghdad.  

The newspaper said that investigations conducted by the US Department of Justice indicated that suspicious activities were carried out by "Afaq" on behalf of "Salibort", as Iraqi government officials promised to provide them with money in exchange for registering "Salibort" as a contractor.  

The news of such rulings hardly arouses the interest of Iraqis, because the majority of corruption cases that are decided by the judiciary concern officials of lower ranks without approaching what the Iraqis call “the big corruption whales”, referring to senior political officials, party leaders and militias who have been suspicious for years. No one dared to open their files.  

The Secretary-General of the Al-Bashaer Movement, Yasser Al-Maliki, commented, on Thursday, on the Central Bank's decision to seize its movable and immovable funds, within a list of nine personalities.   

Al-Maliki wrote in a blog posted on "People" (27 August 2020), "We explain to the brothers who are wondering about the book of the Ministry of Finance to seize the money, and we say it is just an administrative problem between Parliament and the State Real Estate Department, about the house that the parliament rented and allocated to us, and it seems that it is late in fulfilling the dues." .    

He added, "We are surprised by the issuance of such a book, and if we are used to exaggerating issues with the aim of provoking and other reasons."    

On Thursday, the Central Bank of Iraq issued a circular to the licensed banks to place the precautionary seizure sign on the movable and immovable funds of 9 personalities, headed by MP Yasser Sakhail al-Maliki.  

According to a document that "People" received a copy of (August 27, 2020), the Central Bank instructed all licensed banks to seize movable and immovable money for 9 personalities, headed by Yasser Sakhail al-Maliki, his brother Luqman, the governor of Karbala, Aqeel al-Taraihi, Zuhair al-Araji, a member of Parliament, and Hajem The good       link

Tishwash:  America confiscates 3 sites of Iranian companies involved in transporting fuel to Venezuela

Iranian reports said today, Saturday, that the US Department of Justice confiscated and closed the official websites of three Iranian companies involved in transporting fuel to Venezuela.

The state-run Mehr News Agency said in a report: "The US Department of Justice has closed the official websites of three Iranian companies, namely: Mobin International, Sohar Fuel, and Oman Fuel."

The United States accuses the Iranian Revolutionary Guards of selling millions of dollars of oil shipments to Venezuela through the three companies.

The Iranian agency added that the sites of the three companies now display the image of the American flag, as the scope of these sites has been blocked, and is subject to the control of the US government.

On the 14th of this month, the US Department of Justice said that federal authorities seized 4 Iranian fuel shipments on the way to Venezuela and confiscated them, describing this as the largest US seizure of Iranian fuel ever.   liink

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Mot:  YA Remember Watching A Movie as a Kid!!!! ..................