“Tidbits From TNT” Tuesday 12-30-2025
TNT:
Cutebwoy: The Iraqi Parliament elects Haibet Al-Halbousi as the speaker
Today, INA - BAGHDAD
The Iraqi Parliament elected Haibet Al-Halbousi as its Speaker for the sixth session on Monday.
The Parliament's Media Office stated in a press release received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA that "Parliament elected Haibet Al-Halbousi as its Speaker for its sixth session."
The statement added that "MP Haibet Al-Halbousi received 208 votes, while MP Salim Al-Issawi received 66 votes, and MP Amer Abdul-Jabbar received 9 votes. There were 26 invalid ballots.
Tishwash: Iraq ranks 29th globally and third in the Arab world among the banks with the best reserves.
Iraq ranked 29th globally out of 50 countries, and third in the Arab world, among the best central banks in terms of hard currency reserves, according to Visual Capitalist, a website specializing in markets, technology, energy and the global economy.
The website stated in a report seen by Shafaq News Agency that the central bank's reserves serve as the state's financial shield, as they consist of foreign currencies, gold, and other liquid assets, and play a pivotal role in stabilizing currencies and overcoming financial crises, noting that the size of these reserves determines the extent of the economies' resilience in the face of shocks and their impact on global markets.
According to the report, Iraq ranked 29th globally in terms of the largest reserves of foreign currency and gold, with a total of $100.691 billion.
Globally, China topped the list with reserves of $3.456 trillion, followed by Japan in second place with $1.231 trillion, then the United States in third place with $910.037 billion, Switzerland in fourth place with $909.366 billion, followed by India in fifth place with $643.043 billion, and then Russia in sixth place with $597.217 billion.
In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia ranked first with reserves of $463.870 billion, followed by the UAE in second place with $237.931 billion, then Iraq in third place, Libya in fourth place with $92.894 billion, Algeria in fifth place with $83 billion, Qatar in sixth place with $53.987 billion, Kuwait in seventh place with $50.728 billion, while Egypt ranked eighth with $44.921 billion. link
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Tishwash: Iranian central bank governor resigns amid currency devaluation
Iran's semi-official news agency Nour News quoted an official in the Iranian president's office on Monday as saying that Central Bank Governor Mohammad Reza Farzin had resigned from his post.
The official added that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is considering Farzin's resignation request.
Iranian traders and shop owners staged protests for the second day in a row on Monday due to the national currency's plunge to a new record low against the US dollar. link
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Tishwash: Angry protests erupt in central Tehran, with slogans "going beyond the economy".
The Iranian capital, Tehran, witnessed widespread local protests against the sharp and unprecedented decline in the value of the local currency, as the exchange rate of the US dollar exceeded the 1.4 million Iranian rial mark (140,000 tomans).
Iranian media outlets, as reported by Kalemeh News, stated that the increasing pressure on the economic situation of businessmen and traders led to the outbreak of two protests in the heart of the capital, Tehran, specifically in the Shahchar shopping center and Lalehzar Street, where the demands focused on denouncing the sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate and its devastating impact on wholesale and retail prices.
According to the Fars News Agency, which is close to the authorities, the number of protesters reached about 200 people, but it indicated that there were small groups that infiltrated the merchants and chanted slogans that the agency described as going beyond economic demands, in an indication that the chants had turned towards a political direction.
The agency linked these moves to calls by Maryam Rajavi, leader of the opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq, accusing the organization, which it described as having ties to the United States and Israel, of trying to exploit the economic situation to shake social stability and destabilize the political system in the country, amid the continued suffering of the Iranian economy from the weight of international sanctions. link
Mot: ... While Waiting for the ""Wee Folks""!!!!
Mot: serious it is - dino necktie
