Zig’s Place Chatroom News Wednesday AM 1-26-22

Zig’s Place Chatroom News Wednesday AM 1-26-22

Zig: Welcome to zig's place, a chat room for dinar speculators and others....discuss any topic that you wish here

Butterfly   Iraq Is Out Of The Top Ten Most Corrupt Countries In The World

Economic   Last Update 01/26/2022 | 10:00 AM

A member of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption coalition, Muhammad Rahim Al-Rubaie, revealed, on Wednesday, that Iraq has left the ranking of the ten most corrupt countries in the world.

The head of the Al-Nahrain Network for Integrity Support called for “the need to pay attention to freedom of expression and support the press, which are the two indicators that Transparency International greatly adopts, which will achieve additional points for Iraq and enhance its position on the Transparency International Index,” stressing the need “to legislate laws on the right to access information, and activate And the application of Financial Management Law No. 6 of 2019 and the application of the principle of transparency stipulated in the law in its tenth chapter, which raises Iraq to another level of this indicator.

Al-Rubaie said, in a statement reported by the official “Al-Sabah” newspaper, that “Iraq has followed several policies, including the adoption of the national strategy to combat corruption, which will be launched during the next few months by the Integrity Commission, in partnership with civil society organizations and the private sector,” referring to The strategy “will diagnose the sources of corruption and divide them into political, social, administrative and financial.”

Al-Rubaie added, "The quota system in the distribution of positions has clearly affected the treatment of corruption, and we hope that the Federal Service Council will limit the influence of quotas in government institutions." https://almaalomah.me/2022/01/26/578714/

butterfly   Iranian barter for how long?

Bartering for the confiscation of human freedoms in exchange for the achievement of immediate political goals is a common game and is not new. It is perhaps one of the oldest politicians' games, but at the same time, it is the worst. It is usually associated with dictatorial regimes.

I remember that when I, along with thousands of others, was languishing in the prisons of the former military regime in Libya, we were very sympathetic to the non-Libyan prisoners, of different nationalities and colors who shared our ordeal, knowing that they were imprisoned to be papers in the hands of the regime that it would barter with in exchange for the release of agents He has those who have committed acts that violate the laws of the countries in which they were found and forcing the authorities in those countries to arrest, prosecute and imprison them.

The game was, at that time, scandalous and unfortunate, and it was constantly played in public without pity or pity for human souls and for the pain and deprivation they and their families suffer from as a result of it.

It was not possible to stop it, because the regime of Colonel Gaddafi, at that time, especially during periods of intense hostility, which are many, with neighboring or geographically distant Arab regimes, or with other Western countries, did not find a way out of the predicaments it caused except by the arbitrary arrest of the citizens of those countries. that the hostility disputes, to barter with them or to use them as political cards to exert pressure. It is worth noting that the game of barter differs, in form and in substance, on the issues of exchanging spies that take place between countries, and are circulated in the media or under a cover of secrecy, and it spread, often during the Cold War, between the two poles of the conflict.

butterfly   Our sympathy for these prisoners and their ordeals and suffering did not stop with the end of the prison. It continues even after we leave it and restore our freedoms. For this reason, the cases of foreign prisoners, wherever they are and wherever they are, have been raised by the media, arousing my personal sympathy and drawing my interest, without a doubt, with thousands of others in various countries of the world.

The media these days are talking about a 77-year-old American citizen, Barry Rosen, who was imprisoned in Iran for 444 days, between 1979-1981, and at that time worked as a media attaché at the US Embassy in Tehran. Mr. Rosen came to Vienna for the purpose of protesting in front of the building where the meetings between the Iranian delegation and European delegations are being held in the recent negotiations aimed at persuading the government of Tehran to reach a new agreement on its nuclear program, which former US President Donald Trump canceled in 2018, followed by the imposition of severe sanctions against Iran.

From there, Mr. Rosen declared a hunger strike, intended to morally pressure the European delegations into the meetings to put pressure on the Iranian delegation to make a condition in any possible agreement that the Iranian regime release foreign prisoners in its prisons.

The prisoners were all arrested on charges, the Tehran government alleged, of spying or spreading rumors about the regime in the international media. Although international human rights organizations denounce the violations of international laws and treaties, and the violation of the freedoms of innocent people, the government of Tehran continues its violations, without showing the slightest concern.

butterfly   Mr. Rosen, despite his age, is still adamant about his position. But, he said recently, he began to feel tired physically. It is noteworthy that his protest position reached many foreign prisoners in Tehran, and they declared their solidarity with him. Two of them recently announced their hunger strike. It is noted that Mr. Rosen is distinguished by his anger at policy makers in America and Europe.

The reason, according to him, is that instead of working hand in hand and in a team spirit to be able to achieve the required goals related to the release of prisoners, they competed among themselves for the release of their compatriots.

This fierce competition provided the Iranian regime with sufficient space to exert pressure on each country separately, and to impose its conditions to achieve its goals. Mr. Rosen believes that the policy of "divide and rule" perfectly applies to Iran's policy in this regard.

The Iranian game is not different from that of Colonel Gaddafi's regime. But what is happening in Iran during the current years has surpassed all precedents.

Political commentators see the people-trading game as profitable for the Tehran government in many ways. And that, over time, it acquired experiences and expertise, which enabled it to achieve its goals. The problem is that its persistence in playing the game has significantly worsened in recent years, especially against its citizens who hold the nationalities of other countries.

Apparently, individual solutions to the problem, Mr. Warson said, are futile. Until such time as the countries of the world realize this fact, the Iranian barter series will continue its sad episodes. Is there anyone who remembers? https://rawabetcenter.com/archives/141507

butterfly   Russia considers the idea of ​​imposing any sanctions on Putin "devastating"

The Kremlin considered today (Wednesday) that the idea of​​imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, which his US counterpart Joe Biden spoke about yesterday (Tuesday), is "devastating."

“Politically, this is not painful, it is destructive,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press. Considering that these sanctions will not have an effect.

In response to a reporter's question about whether he intends to impose sanctions on the Russian president personally, Biden responded, Tuesday, by saying, "Yes," and then added, "I can picture it."

He noted that if Russia invaded Ukraine "entirely", or "even a lot less", there would be "enormous repercussions" and "it would change that world."

However, Biden did not specify the nature of possible sanctions against Putin.

When Washington imposes sanctions on foreign figures, this often translates to freezing their assets and preventing dealings with the United States.

Peskov pointed out that Russian law prevents senior officials from owning assets abroad in principle, considering that such penalties are "never painful" for the Russian authorities.

In recent months, Russia has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers on the border with Ukraine and intensified its maneuvers, raising fears of an invasion.

While Moscow denies having any intention of doing so, the Kremlin insists on written security guarantees, including a pledge that Kiev will not join NATO.

After a series of diplomatic talks in Europe last week, aimed at defusing the crisis, a meeting of diplomatic advisors to the Russian, Ukrainian, and French presidents, and to the German chancellor, will be held, on Wednesday, under the "Normandy" format, in which Paris and Berlin play the mediating role.

"I hope it will be a good and open discussion, and will lead to maximum results," Peskov said. https://rawabetcenter.com/archives/141504

butterfly   CBI sales drop on Wednesday 2022-01-26 05:50

Shafaq News/ The Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) sales dropped today, Wednesday.

Shafaq News Agency correspondent said that the CBI sales of foreign currency in today's auction amounted to 222,033,412. The transactions were made at a weighted average of 1460 dinars to every dollar.

Our correspondent explained that 19 banks and 254 exchange companies cashed out $72,030 million, while the remaining $150,003,412 went to boost funds abroad in the form of credit and non-cash transactions, with 28 banks meeting those demands. https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/CBI-sales-drop-on-Wednesday

butterfly   Adviser Saleh: sovereign wealth funds must have been introduced in Iraq 18 years ago 2022-01-26 04:42

Shafaq News / Adviser of prime minister for economic affairs, Muzhar Mohammad Saleh, said today that sovereign wealth funds must have been introduced in Iraq 18 years ago, following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Salih told Shafaq News agency that sovereign wealth funds are not hard to be established, noting that they protect the economy during crises.

"Currently, the government tends to establish a stability or a sovereign wealth fund, to protect the General Budget and the Iraqi economy", he added.

However, Salih noted that the generation fund (which is a sovereign wealth fund) is formed when there is financial surplus, and when the current generation's desires are not prioritized against the future generations' ambitions, pointing that the fund must be a source of protection in times of need.

A sovereign wealth fund, sovereign investment fund, or social wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. https://www.shafaq.com/en/Economy/Adviser-Saleh-sovereign-wealth-funds-must-have-been-introduced-in-Iraq-18-years-ago

butterfly   IMF cuts growth forecasts for U.S., China and world as Omicron spreads 2022-01-26 01:42

Shafaq News/ The International Monetary Fund lowered its economic forecasts for the United States, China and the global economy on Tuesday, and said uncertainty about the pandemic, inflation, supply disruptions and U.S. monetary tightening posed further risks.

"We project global growth this year at 4.4%, 0.5 percentage point lower than previously forecast, mainly because of downgrades for the United States and China," Gita Gopinath, the IMF's No. 2 official, read from her blog.

The IMF said the rapid spread of the Omicron variant had led to renewed mobility restrictions in many countries and increased labor shortages, while supply disruptions were continuing to fuel inflation. Omicron was expected to weigh on economic activity in the first quarter, but ease up thereafter, given that it was associated with less severe illness, the IMF said.

Escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine could boost energy prices, keeping headline inflation at elevated levels for longer, Gopinath told reporters as the global lender updated its World Economic Outlook.

Global growth is expected to slow to 3.8% in 2023, a 0.2 percentage-point uptick from the previous forecast in October, the IMF said, adding the increase was largely mechanical after current drags on growth dissipate in the second half of 2022.

Overall, the pandemic was now projected to result in cumulative economic losses of $13.8 trillion through 2024, compared to the previous forecast of $12.5 trillion, Gopinath, who previously served as the IMF's chief economist, said.

The IMF cut its forecast for U.S. growth by 1.2 percentage points given the failure of U.S. President Joe Biden to pass a massive social and climate spending package, earlier tightening of U.S. monetary policy and continued supply shortages.

butterfly   The U.S. economy is now forecast to grow by 4% in 2022 after expanding 5.6% in 2021, with growth seen easing further to 2.6% in 2023, the IMF said.

"We are certainly living in very turbulent times," Gopinath said, adding that there was still a "tremendous uncertainty" about how much the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates and over what period of time, as well as rising geopolitical tensions around the world.

She said rising interest rates should address exuberance in financial markets and usher in "a more orderly correction" as long as the Fed communicated clearly about its policy.

The IMF downgraded China's forecast by 0.8 percentage point to 4.8% in 2022 after 8.1% growth in 2021, with growth to edge higher again to 5.2% in 2023.

Pandemic-induced disruptions related to China's zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy and protracted financial stress among property developers prompted the downgrade, the IMF said.

The IMF also cut its forecast for the Euro area by 0.4 percentage point to 3.9% in 2022, and said growth there would slow to 2.5% in 2023.

The IMF cut by 1.2 percentage points each its 2022 growth forecast for Brazil and Mexico, Latin America's largest economies. Brazil is now seen growing 0.3% this year and Mexico 2.8%, while the region is expected to grow 2.4%, 0.6 percentage point below the previous forecast. India and Japan saw their forecasts upgraded somewhat.

butterfly   The IMF cautioned that the emergence of new COVID-19 variants could prolong the pandemic and induce renewed economic disruptions, while supply chain disruptions, energy price volatility, and localized wage pressures posed further risks.

It revised up its 2022 inflation forecasts for both advanced and developing economies, and said elevated price pressures were likely to persist longer than previously forecast given ongoing supply chain disruptions and high energy prices.

It said inflation was expected to average 3.9% in advanced economies and 5.9% in emerging market and developing economies in 2022 before subsiding in 2023, aided by moderated growth in fuel and food prices over that period.

While economies were continuing to recover from the shock of the pandemic, the pace of the recoveries was diverging widely between rich and poorer countries, the IMF said.

While advanced economies are projected to return to pre-pandemic trend this year, several emerging markets and developing economies face sizeable output losses, the IMF said.

Seventy million more people were living in extreme poverty after the pandemic, setting back the progress in poverty reduction by several years, Gopinath wrote in her blog.

The IMF said it was critical to ensure worldwide access to vaccines, tests, and treatments to reduce the risk of further dangerous COVID-19 variants, while many countries would need to raise interest rates to curb inflation pressures.

Gopinath noted that 60% of low-income countries were already in or at high risk of debt distress, and urged the Group of 20 to speed up debt restructuring processes and suspend debt service payments while the restructurings are being negotiated.   Source: Reuters

 Zig If you access this chat via https://my.cbox.ws/ZIGPLACE

You can make the box much bigger by clicking this link ZIGPLACE - Cbox