“Tidbits From TNT” Tuesday 2-17-2026
TNT:
Tishwash: Iraqi-UAE consortium to build $700 million 'WorldLink' fast data cable network
The project would comprise an undersea cable from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw Peninsula on the Gulf, which will then run overland north to the Turkish border
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium plans a $700 million subsea-and-terrestrial data cable linking the United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq, one of the backers said, just over a week after the announcement of a Saudi-backed fiber-optic project in Syria.
Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia and the UAE are racing to tap into the demand for connectivity in the region and to attract investment into data centers.
The Iraqi-UAE project, branded WorldLink, would comprise an undersea cable from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq's Faw peninsula on the Gulf, which will then run overland north to the Turkish border, Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq's Tech 964 —one of the three members of the consortium —told Reuters.
El Ekabi said the project would be privately funded, take four to five years to complete, and target "hyperscalers, international carriers, and AI applications."
It aims to ease congestion on existing east-west data routes and reduce transit times versus paths that run through the Suez Canal.
The Emirati foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Besides Tech 964, WorldLink's sponsors include Iraqi-Kurdish DIL Technologies and UAE-based Breeze Investments, according to El Ekabi, who is the son of Iraqi real estate billionaire Namir El Ekabi.
It is the second such new project planned in the region. Saudi Arabia and Syria announced on February 7 plans to set up a fiber-optic network under a wider investment package.
The project was described as a roughly $1 billion push to rehabilitate Syria's infrastructure and position it as a data route between Asia and Europe.
Iraq, which is trying to market itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict, launched a $17 billion "Development Road" rail-and-road plan in 2023 to connect Faw to Turkey. link
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Tishwash: Iraq increases its holdings of US Treasury bonds by more than $1 billion
The US Treasury Department announced on Monday that Iraq's holdings of US bonds have increased by more than $1 billion, reaching approximately $40.8 billion in December 2025.
According to official data from the US Treasury, which was audited and analyzed by Shafaq News Agency, “Iraq’s holdings of US Treasury bonds for December 2025 increased by $1.1 billion, reaching $40.8 billion, after being $39.7 billion during the previous month.”
She added that this holding increased by 74% compared to January 2025, when Iraq’s holdings of bonds amounted to $23.4 billion.
In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia topped the list of countries holding the most US bonds with a value of $148.8 billion, followed by the UAE with $101 billion, and then Kuwait in third place with $50.3 billion.
The data indicated that the largest holders of US bonds are Japan with $1.202 trillion, followed by the United Kingdom with $888 billion, then China with $682 billion, and then Belgium with $481 billion.
The total holdings of US Treasury securities by countries in December 2025 amounted to approximately $9.355.4 trillion, an increase of $736.1 billion from the same month in 2024, which was $8.619.3 trillion. link
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Tishwash: Parliamentary move to host the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq to discuss "salaries and citizens' income"
On Monday, MP Duha Al-Bahadli, from the National Approach bloc, revealed a parliamentary move to host the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Ali Al-Alaq, to discuss the reasons for the fluctuation in cash liquidity and mechanisms for addressing it.
Al-Bahadli told Shafaq News Agency that "the purpose of the meeting is to inform the MPs in detail about the reasons for the fluctuation in cash liquidity, the mechanisms for addressing it, and the extent of the efficiency of monetary policy in facing the current challenges, in addition to ensuring that no financial crisis and its impact are reflected on the salaries of employees, or the state’s obligations."
She continued: "Also to review the measures taken to ensure market stability and protect the purchasing power of citizens," noting that "the date of the meeting will be determined later by the Council Presidency."
She pointed out that "the House of Representatives is exercising its oversight role with full responsibility, and there will be a commitment to complete transparency and reassuring the Iraqi public regarding the financial and monetary situation."
It is noted that informed sources revealed yesterday, Sunday, the worsening financial liquidity crisis in Iraq, confirming that the available resources are no longer sufficient to secure the payment of salaries for employees and retirees during the coming period.
Sources who spoke to Shafaq News Agency reported that the government was forced to withdraw about 20 trillion dinars from Al-Rafidain Bank, in addition to between 7 and 8 trillion dinars from Al-Rasheed Bank, as well as withdrawing about 7 billion dollars from another bank, along with sums of money from industrial and agricultural banks, in order to cover salaries during the past months.
She explained that these measures have led to the depletion of a large portion of the liquidity available in government banks, which makes the option of delaying the payment of employee salaries strongly on the table during the next stage if urgent financial solutions are not found to contain the crisis.
She pointed out that the continuation of these conditions may exacerbate the financial crisis, especially with the existence of observations related to mismanagement, waste of public money and suspicions in some files, which calls for taking urgent reform measures to ensure financial stability and secure the salaries of employees and retirees on their specified dates. link
Mot: Careful What Ya Wants!! --- Siiggghhhhhh
Mot: ole Mot Says!!! ~~~
