Factwatch

I'm usually quite when reading others comments. I love reading Okie's posts. Makes me laugh. I think Okie should be on "America's Got Talent" He will be correct one day. Hopefully tonight!! GO RV!!

I read the current date--Sorry Mostly duplicate info

Iraq Prepares to Redenominate its Currency Posted on 27 June 2011. Tags: Central Bank, IQD, Redenomination, revaluation According to a report from Al Sumaria News, Iraq’s Central Bank announced on Thursday that it is planning to delete the zeros from its currency, the Iraqi dinar. This step is one of the bank’s strategic missions, the Central Bank said adding that the new currency will include the Kurdish language in addition to the Arabic language. “The zeros that were added to the Iraqi currency previously constituted a large money supply up to 28.500 trillion Iraqi Dinar and 5 trillion banknotes”, the adviser of Iraqi Central Bank governor Mothahhar Mohammed Saleh [Mudher Mohammed Saleh] told the agency. “The Central Bank has prepared all requirements needed to delete the zeros from the Iraqi Currency”, Saleh said. “This step is one of the Iraqi central bank’s strategic missions. The monetary policy of the bank aims to structure and reduce the currency in a country moving towards an economic phase”, he added. “The project of deleting zeroes is complete. It will be submitted to the central bank’s administration in the next session. Then, it will be passed to the ministerial council before presenting it to the Parliament for vote. The mechanisms of changing the currency will be gradual. It will be preceded by awareness campaigns for citizens”, the adviser of Iraqi Central Bank governor said. “The new currency will be printed after deleting the zeros and will include the Kurdish language in addition to the Arabic language. It will also bear photos of Iraq’s civilization in addition to symbols of Iraqi intellectuals and figures”, Saleh noted. Sanan Al Shebeibi [sinan Al-Shabibi], Governor of Iraq’s Central Bank, affirmed during the meeting of independent commissions on June 19 with Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki that the bank is preparing all requirements needed to replace the Iraqi Currency. Iraq’s Central Bank has four branches including Basra, Sulaimaniah, Erbil and Mosul. It was founded as an Iraqi independent bank by virtue of Iraq’s Central Bank Law issued on March 6, 2004. The bank is responsible for the prices stability and the implementation of monetary policy including exchange rates, the management of foreign reserves, the issuance of currencies and the organization of the banking sector. It’s six years since neighbouring Turkey redenominated its currency, making one ‘new Turkish lira’ equal one million ‘old Turkish lira’. (Source: Al Sumaria) http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/category/banking-finance/

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/06/167029.htm Sorry FW http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/06/167029.htm Thanks FW

Hillarious Rodham Clinton Secretary of StateWashington, DC June 24, 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECRETARY CLINTON: I am delighted to welcome the speaker here to the State Department. I had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting with him shortly after he assumed this position late last year, and I have been very impressed by his management and leadership of the COR in Iraq. I know it’s not easy, having served in legislative bodies myself. And I’m looking forward to our discussion about a number of issues that are important to Iraq and the United States and also regional and global matters as well. MR. AL-NUJAIFI: (Via translator) I am very happy for being here at the Department of State and with my meeting with her Excellency the Secretary of State. The partnership between the United States and Iraq is very important for the future of the region, and we must cooperate to bring a stable democracy to Iraq, and it is the hope that this becomes an example for the area. Iraq is now going through a transitional period, and we must cooperate with all our friends in pursuit of stability and progress. This is a great occasion to meet her Excellency the Secretary of State again. And I am happy for being in the United States. The visit was a great success, and it strengthened the solid relationship between the two countries. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you

Inflation Rate to Reach 7% in June Posted on 26 June 2011. Tags: Central Bank, inflation Iraq’s Central Bank expects the inflation rate to reach 7% in June, and pointed out that the increase of oil prices is one of the main reasons of inflation in the country. Central Bank advisor Mazhar Mohammad Saleh told Al Sumaria TV that production of goods is weak in comparison to the services sector, which is booming. Iraq bears the inflation caused by the raising prices of goods worldwide because it is an importing country and stressed that the increasing oil prices are causing inflation in spite of the revenues it is bringing to Iraq. The political problem also affects the volume of inflation as it confuses expectations and creates a state of uncertainty, Saleh said. He added that Iraq produces very few goods, while services sector is booming, and this situation is being reflecting in the record prices. Iraq Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation announced last week that the inflation indicator increased in May 2011 compared with the previous month. (Source: Al Sumaria TV)

Ban on female genital mutilation passed---a fine equal to IQD 5 million ($4300). 23/06/2011 11:21 Erbil, June 23 (AKnews) - For the first time in Iraqi Kurdistan women are protected by a new law against some of the traditions most harmful towards them. Yesterday the regional parliament ratified a bill banning female genital mutilation and domestic violence. This is a landmark law in a region that is more steeped in such practices than surrounding countries. Female circumcision, where the clitoris and hood, and sometimes the labia, are cut away, is particularly commonly in rural areas. A German-Iraqi study conducted in 2007/08 showed more than 77 percent of female interviewees aged 14 and over in the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniyah had undergone the procedure. The new law lays out the penalty for encouraging female genital mutilation as 3 to 6 years imprisonment or a IQD 1 million ($860) fine. Those who carry out the operation will be sentenced to 3 to 5 years or a fine equal to IQD 5 million ($4300). If they are medical practitioners they will be banned from working for three years. The demanding of dowry payments, forced marriage, arranged marriages for young women to men many years their elder and forcing women into prostitution are also outlawed by the new law. It is not clear how a law, seeking to stop a practice, such as genital mutilation, that is not carried out though official means, will be enforced. Kurdistan's health minister, Taher Hawrami, said authorities are distributing posters to promote awareness, but he said religious leaders should do more to end the practice. "The clerics should take on the main role. People need to have better understanding of religion in order to give up this phenomenon." There are also many issues that are not covered by bill. Payman Abdul-Kareem, a member of the parliamentary committee for women and children’s affairs said: ‘When a woman is divorced, she does not have anywhere to go and is often mistreated. “There ought to be social welfare safety nets to cope with this.” Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report last year that showed there are at least four factors driving the prevalence of genital mutilation: a link to Kurdish identity, a religious imperative, social pressure, and an attempt to control a woman's sexuality. The practice is often carried out at home and by people without medical training. When not done properly the girls, who are often as young as ten, can have lasting damage and in extreme cases die from loss of blood or infection. By Hemn Hadi and Patrick Smith LH/PS I just thought this was a good step in the right direction for IRAQ!

Categorized | Industry & Trade 96 American Companies Seeking Investment Opportunities in Basra Posted on 23 June 2011. Tags: American Chamber of Commerce, Basra Investment Commission A joint meeting was held on Wednesday between the American Chamber of Commerce and Basra’s Investment Commission (BIC). Ninety-six American companies representing various sectors were in attendance to investigate investment opportunities in the province. The head of Basra’s Investment Commission, Haidar Ali Fadhil, told Aswat al-Iraq that he outlined the investment opportunities for the American delegation. The housing projects were among the proposed ones. The American delegation stressed that “Basra has a brilliant future in the investment field.” (Source: Aswat al-Iraq, Basra Investment Commission)

US forces barred from Basra province 22/06/2011 20:34 Basra, June 22 (AKnews) – Basra provincial council has ordered a ban on US forces entry into the province in a show of no support for a US forces stay extension in the country beyond the 2011 deadline. According to the provincial decree which was passed by the council with a vote of 26 members out of 36, no US troops ill be allowed to enter Basra province. “The provincial council called on the US forces to evacuate the Basra Airport” Basra provincial council media official Hashim Luaibi told AKnews, “To fill the gaps in the face of armed groups who continue to attack the airport because of the presence of the US forces” The US forces use Basra airport for their military base in the province. Last week, a US helicopter killed one person and injured two whom they described as insurgents trying to fire missiles at the US base. An Iraqi lawmaker told AKnews that it was civilians who were targeted by the US helicopter not insurgents. The local government in Basra has also called on the US forces to compensate victims of their military operations, according to Luaibi. Luaibi did not make clear whether the decision had anything to do with the recent US helicopter attack in Basra or a call by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who called on all Iraqi provincial councils in late May to prevent the US forces from entering their provinces. Al-Sadr is famous for his continuous resistance to the US presence in Iraq. His movement’s military wing Mahdi Army waged a deadly war against the US forces and Iraqi army in 2004 following closure of his newspaper and attempts to arrest him. Al-Sadr’s followers accuse the US of committing “crimes” against the Iraqi people while stealing the wealth of the country. Head of the Ahrar Bloc in the Basra provincial council, part of al-Sadr’s bloc, Mazen al-Mazeni told AKnews that the decision came after the bloc persistently pressed on the council for such a move. “This decision is considered to be a strong blow in the face of the occupying forces following the crimes they committed against the people of Basra” he said, “this will benefit the country” According to a 2008 security agreement, the US forces have to leave the country by the end of 2011. The US forces currently keep some 45,000 troops in Iraq. US officials expect from the Iraqi government to request Washington at some point to keep part of the US forces in Iraq after the US troops leave in 2011. The Iraqi government is expected to disclose its final position regarding those forces in late August. Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Baha al-Kadhemi (AKnews)

October 29, 2008 Can We Save The World Economy: A Panel Last week Columbia University hosted a panel called Can We Save the World Economy with panel members George Soros, Nouriel Roubini and Jeffrey Sachs, hosted by John Roberts of CNN. The session was incredibly interesting and well worth the time to watch in full (1 hour 45 minutes) if one has the time. "Warm and fuzzy" world renown economists, professors, journalists, George Soros-his network of contacts are all over the world, in our colleges and head right up to Pennsylvania Ave..

This man is evil "Soros". He has his fingerprints/influence on many very important people and organizations throughout the world including our own "Manchurian Candidate". Soros is funding a P/R campain and agenda that will bankrupt America and other counties.

Baghdad, March 29 (AKnews) - A member of the state of law coalition, led by Prime Minister , Nuri al-Maliki confirmed Tuesday that choosing candidates for security positions will be subjected to political consensus, regardless of their inclusion in procedures of accountability and justice, noting at the same time that Al- Iraqiya List has to convince with the candidate of the defense portfolio. "AL-Iraqiya has made an objection to the candidate and the Ministry of Defense Khalid al-Obeidi," pointing out that "it is necessary that Al-Iraqiya would be convinced of who would take the position ." The Executive Director of Accountability and Justice board , Ali al-Lami told AKnews that the board checked the papers of the Ministry of Defense candidate , Khalid al-Obeidi, who was presented by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and proved to be covered by the de-Baathification procedures and they don’t have the right to assume the General Manager post and above , Mohsen Al-Kaabi team who previously proposed his name as a candidate for the Ministry of Defense was also included in de-Baathification procedures as well. Deputy close to Prime Minister , Nuri al-Maliki revealed on Monday, providing the latest biographies of five candidates to the parliament to take over the ministries of defense, interior and planning, while AL- Iraqiya List withdrew submitting its candidate for the Ministry of Defense and objected on one of the names put forward for the Ministry of Interior. AL- Iraqiya List has withdrew on Monday, the nomination of Khalid al-Obeidi as defense minister, as well as objections to the nomination of Ibrahim al-Lami for the post of Minister of Interior. SA/GS AKnews, Tuesday, March 29th 2011 10:45 PM

Baghdad, March 27 (AKnews) - The Iraqi parliament postponed its session to Monday after the completion of the agenda, voting on bills and submitting the six other draft laws to read. AL-Iraqiya MP, Karema al-Jourani told AKnews that "the parliament postponed its session to Monday after the completion of reading the laws included in the agenda which is the first reading of the proposed law of the integrity board and the first reading of the draft Law of the Iraqi Housing Fund." The Iraqi parliament voted at its 45 session earlier on canceling the law over the ratification of the development contract and Ahdab oil field production, and the draft law over the ratification of Iraq Republic to amend the Convention on the crude oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey. Sunday, March 27th 2011 11:46 PM SA/GS AKnews

AMMAN, Jordan -- The Iraqi Oil Ministry has presented a new plan that would raise the country's crude oil production capacity to about 6.5 million barrels a day by the end of 2014, from 2.6 million barrels a day now. The plan, which will be submitted to the cabinet in Baghdad for approval in few days, also sets a target to raise associated and nonassociated natural-gas-production capacity to 4.5 billion cubic feet a day by the end of 2014, from the current 1.7 billion cubic feet a day. The plan, prepared by top officials in the ministry including Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaiby, also set an ambitious target to raise the country's refining capacity from its current 523,000 barrels a day to 700,000 barrels a day. Iraq's oil-export capacity will rise to 5.65 million barrels a day by the end of 2014, up from 1.890 million barrels a day in actual exports last year, the plan stated. The plan is based on 15 oil and gas deals that Baghdad has signed over the past 16 months with some of the largest international companies to upgrade one of the world's largest oil fields. Iraq sits atop an estimated 143 billion barrels of oil, the world's third-largest proven reserves. But the country has struggled to lift its output amid years of sanctions and war before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Looting, underinvestment and political gridlock after the invasion slowed development. Momentum appeared to have started to pick up since last year, when international oil companies started investing billions of dollars to boost output in Iraq's prized oil fields. The oil ministry announced earlier this year that the country's crude-oil-output capacity had increased by 300,000 barrels a day from oil fields in southern Iraq. "We are hoping to reach a production target of 11.5 million barrels a day from these deals," Mr. Luaiby said. Some observers, however, believe that Iraq's official oil production forecast is unrealistic. They say the companies will be hindered by sobering security, poor infrastructure and political instability. "The figure 6.5 million barrels a day to be reached in 2014 is too ambitious," said Jean-Luc Amos, a senior analyst at the London-based KBC Energy Economics. "The more realistic dates for achieving that figure would be between 2015 and 2020," he added. Also crucial to the expansion of Iraq's crude oil output is a massive, shared water-injection scheme that would sustain pressure in the country's giant southern oil fields. The ministry hasn't started yet serious construction of the project. Exxon Mobil Corp., which won a deal to develop Iraq's supergiant West Qurna Phase 1 oil field, is leading a steering committee that's exploring how to build the system, which could use up to 10 million barrels a day of sea water. The other setback to a production increase is export capacity. Iraq hasn't yet had the export outlets to handle that amount of crude oil exports. "Why should they be producing that much of crude oil if they don't have the export facilities to sell them," Mr. Amos asked. Oil Minister Luaiby said his ministry is working to expand export facilities to handle rising crude output. Two floating loading terminals, each with an export capacity of 800,000 barrels a day, off Basra are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Current export capacity from Basra terminals is at 1.75 million barrels a day, he said. While export capacity of the volatile northern export pipeline to the Turkish Ceyhan port is standing at 650,000 barrels a day, the line is being damaged by rebels almost on a monthly basis. By Hassan Hafidh Wall Street Journal Posted GMT 3-24-2011 3:45:20

The adviser of the Iraqi Central Bank (ICB) said Thursday that the inflation will continue to rise if the Iraqi economy continued its reliance on the revenues of crude oil only. Muzher Mohammed Saleh told AKnews that the inflation will continue increasing unless agricultural and industrial projects were developed in addition to supporting the local production. The main task of the ICB is to maintain the prices stability and the implementation of monetary policy, including exchange rate policies, managing the reserves of foreign currency, issuance and management of currency as well as regulating the banking sector. Reported by Jaafar al-Wannan RN\GS AKnews Thursday, March 24th 2011 6:06 PM