bkeiller

I am sure they will blame the US for the locusts, too.

I try to keep in mind that the stakes are high over there, as anyone who is politically active has likely known a lot of people who have died fighting or been murdered over the last 10-15 years. So, there is a lot of trauma infused in that kind of thinking. So, this article sounds more like a paranoid rant--more of an opinion piece rather than news. And, the 'street' doesn't speak with one voice. Having said that, if this ties into an increase in street protests, then I will take note of the points made. From a macro perspective, I think the bigger wheels are turning (IMF, WB, UN, US, etc.), so most of the smaller cogs are going to feel some friction from that movement. Like a marriage, it is perpetual compromise and we all know compromise never produces a single winner, but it can create some lube to get that RV/float engine running in a forward direction. Forward in this case is away from the clan-based tribalism and sectarianism towards a more centralized state for Iraqis by Iraqis. Exciting stuff, but I always try to temper those thoughts and emotions with compassion for these poor folks who have to live in this shitty environment, with those armed, tribal clans, or even being stuck in one for lack of choices or jobs, or peer pressure--like a gang or a mafia. Adam told us there would be a lot of smoke and mirrors when this got close. I think we are in that house of fun right now and I am standing in front of one of those weird mirrors laughing at myself, until the RV or float comes along.

Wouldn't that be something!? It couldn't come at a better time!

Cabinet decisions at its regular session held on April 21, 2020, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Mr. Thamer Al-Ghadban http://cabinet.iq/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=9562 4/23/2020 11:38 AM The Council of Ministers approved the proposed mechanism for granting entry attributes to foreign workers The Council of Ministers, at its 16th ordinary session held on April 21/2020, approved the recommendations of a meeting minutes regarding the proposed mechanism for granting entry privileges to workers in Companies involved in investment projects with government agencies, according to the following: 1. Extending the entry visa for foreigners working in foreign companies currently present in the projects Governmental and contractors with government agencies who have not expired for the period of their entry, according to To the provisions of Article (17 / First) of the Aliens Residence Law No. 76 of 2017, after a review The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs pursuant to Article (30) of Labor Law No. 37 of 2015 and instructions for foreigners to work in Iraq No. 18 of 1987 2. Replacement of an entry pass for foreign workers in foreign companies who are currently in investment projects and contracted with government agencies whose entry period has expired and exhausted The extension period is according to the aforementioned article from (multiple feature) to (regular feature) based on a request submitted by their companies in support of the government agencies contracted with after reviewing the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs pursuant to Article (30) of Labor Law No. (37) for the year 2015, And instructions for the practice of foreigners to work in Iraq No. 18 of 1987, and the period extending from the date of the expiry of entry permits until the purpose of their replacement (an emergency circumstance), and for workers in the private and mixed sectors, provided that the period does not exceed the date (31/7/2020) according to developments in the epidemiological situation. 3. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs will collect an amount Only (two hundred and fifty thousand Iraqi dinars), for issuing work permits for foreign workers who did not obtain them previously or for renewing them instead of the ones currently in force in the ministry, and preparing instructions for work permit fees as quickly as possible in accordance with the provisions of Article (30) of Labor Law No. (37) For the year 2015. 4. The Ministry of Health should establish field health teams in coordination with the government and investment agencies after completing the procedures in paragraphs (1 and 2) above, conducting checks on foreign workers in the projects above and providing the Directorate of Civil Status, Passports and Residence in the Ministry of Interior with the results of the tests. 5. The contracting companies and government agencies with foreign workers designate their authority to follow legal procedures to implement the above. 6. The inclusion of foreign workers in non-investment governmental projects, as well as contractors of foreign workers with government institutions in the fourth axis, paragraph ( ۳) item (5) of Cabinet Resolution No. (245) for the year 2019 7. The mechanism is being implemented above until the end of the Corona pandemic crisis, as determined by the Supreme Committee for Health and National Safety. The Council of Ministers decides to register vehicles for diplomatic missions operating in Iraq At its 16th ordinary session, held on April 21/2020, the Council of Ministers issued a decision regarding the registration of vehicles for diplomatic missions operating in Iraq. The text of the decision stated (for diplomatic missions operating in Iraq to purchase vehicles from the local market and register them and amend the plates of registered vehicles from them that are purchased from the local market from civil panels to diplomatic plates according to a mechanism that is developed from the ministries of (Foreign, Interior, General Traffic Directorate, Finance Customs Authority). The Cabinet: Three billion dinars to rehabilitate Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Al-Muthanna The Council of Ministers approved in its sixteenth ordinary session, held on April 21, that the Ministry of Health and Muthanna Governorate coordinate with the Ministries of Finance and Planning, for the purpose of transferring an amount of (3,000,000,000) dinars, three billion dinars only, to rehabilitate the Hussein Teaching Hospital in Al Muthanna Governorate within the exchange rate (1/12), based on the provisions of Article (13 / First) of the Federal Financial Management Law No. (6) of 2019. By approval, the Council authorized the Muthanna Health Department to direct direct invitations to specialized companies and referrals, as an exception to government contract implementation instructions No. 2 of 2014, and standard documents. The Council of Ministers: Mrs. Amin Baghdad is empowered to operate the daily wages The Cabinet gave Mrs. Amin Baghdad the authority to run the daily procedures provided that their number does not exceed the numbers of those who do not work with them for any reason from the Municipality of Baghdad within the temporary secretariat owners and the headquarters, and that this does not result in requesting additional financial allocations for the amounts that will be allocated to the Baghdad Municipality for the year 2020 . The Cabinet: Approves a recommendation regarding the marketing of barley In its regular session held on April 21, 2020, the Council of Ministers approved the recommendation of the Ministerial Council of Economy regarding the marketing of the barley crop according to the following: 1. The Ministry of Agriculture sold the barley crop for export purposes at the best prices, not less than (125) dollars per ton. 2. The Ministry of Agriculture sold the barley crop inside Iraq to livestock breeders and feed plants at a price (two hundred thousand dinars). 3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 above apply to the previous season and the current season (2019-2020). 4. The Border Ports Authority and the General Authority of Customs tighten its procedures to prevent the smuggling of wheat and barley crops from outside Iraq, and instruct the National Security Agency to supervise the procedures for receiving the crops in marketing centers throughout the marketing period for each region. 5. The farmers who bought the barley crop, whether for export or for local consumption, are not prepared except after the end of the marketing season of the crop for the current year. 6. Transfer the sales amounts of locally prepared and sold barley for export purposes to pay the purchase amounts of the crop, and the Ministry of Finance to pay the rest of the purchase amounts to the Ministry of Agriculture. http://cabinet.iq/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=9562

The sausage has spoken: He who detected it ... Iran’s Salami Doubles Down on Coronavirus Detector Machine Claim: Refuses to Share with U.S. 134 ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images SIMON KENT 17 Apr 2020510 3:29 Iran’s Major General Hossein Salami reportedly doubled down Friday on claims the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had invented a special magnetic, all purpose coronavirus detector machine that is the envy of the world. The IRGC commander reasserted claims the miraculous device can remotely identify infected people and contaminated areas within a range of 100 meters through a special aerial system and internal bipolar magnetic fields. According to an AL Monitor report, Salami claimed dozens of countries have already contacted Iran about the machine, but if the U.S. ever asked Iran to share the technology he would refuse, saying it “would not be shared with the Americans until all sanctions are removed.” Salami unveiled the device April 15 on Iranian television. According to Salami, it can remotely detect an infected surface or individual in five seconds, as Breitbart News reported. Scientists working under IRGC command designed the detector, which uses a magnetic field and reportedly has an accuracy rate approaching 80 percent – but only in favorable conditions. Many critics pointed out the device replicated the fraudulent bomb detection wands, invented by a British businessman, that were used in Iraq at the height of suicide bombings. Video evidence provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) would seem to support that theory: In May 2017, the Iranian news agency, IRNA, aired a report about an identical-looking device that was purported to be able to detect between one liter and 1000 liters of fuel, also using magnetic fields and “bi-polar” technology. The device was meant to help Iranian authorities combat fuel smuggling, MEMRI reports. Despite Iran’s serious claims for the future success of the machine, not everyone is convinced. Jokes about the device are going viral on social media with the Persian-language Twitter account of the U.S. State Department posting: “It is strange that the device always beeps when it is nearing the guards. Can you next build a device for detection of jinns?” Len Khodrokovsky, a State Department advisor, also took to Twitter to share his scepticism about the electronic, all-magnetic coronvirus detector machine: 293 people are talking about this Closer to home an advisor to President Hassan Rouhani blasted the IRGC for making the machine public, expressing his fears such a move amounts to an “advertisment” of state capabilities. “Do not advertise vaccines, medicine, [coronavirus] test kits or unique and innovative virus detection devices that have not been approved by the Health Ministry,” said Hesameddin Ashena, who is Rouhani’s media advisor, according to Radio Farda. The criticism has been roundly rejected by the IRGC with spokesman Ramazan Sharif saying, “Soon, the production process, technical features and capabilities of the device will be shared with the media and experts.” In response to the international mockery of the device, Sharif was unmoved. He said “Iranians take more pride and honor in causing the shock and anger of enemies and those who want ill for us.” https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2020/04/17/irans-salami-doubles-down-on-coronavirus-detector-machine-claim-refuses-to-share-with-u-s/

@Pitcher So ... what just happened!? Appropriately numbed. Not sure what this all means, but I would be happy to be paid to take their oil. ... Now, where to store it!? Also, what happens when shorts go negative? 🤔

14-04-2020 02:49 PM https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=213480 Iranian newspapers reveal the conditions of Tehran to pass Al-Kazemi Baghdad / news Tehran has started to lay down conditions for the Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Al-Kazemi to welcome his appointment, and then to refer to ties between the two countries that compel him to abide by them. Iranian officials have expressed their happiness with the appointment of Mustafa Al-Kazemi as the new prime minister in Iraq, and Tehran has officially welcomed him in his new position, although it politically calculates him on the United States, while Iraqi military organizations close to the Revolutionary Guard accuse him of involvement in the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Jerusalem Regiment. But Tehran’s need for Iraq, led by Kazemi, prompted Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, to say that his country “welcomes the agreement of Iraqi political parties to appoint Kazemi as prime minister and considers it a step in the right track.” Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Ijaj Masjidi, also announced similar feelings about Al-Kazemi, stressing that Tehran would support him to form the government. Mustafa Al-Kazemi, is the head of the Iraqi National Intelligence, and the third Iraqi prime minister to form a government after the resignation of Adel Abdul-Mahdi last December, due to anti-government protests, the apology of Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi, and Adnan Al-Zorfi’s withdrawal. Al-Kazemi is mainly supported by the Marjaiya in Iraq, which Iran rejects, but Zrafi's mandate and his declaration that he would prevent illegal weapons prompted Tehran to agree to a solution that it considered less bad for her and her followers. The leader of the "Quds Force" of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Ismail Qazani, visited Iraq before the Shiite parties were nominated for Al-Kazemi, and Iraqi officials, including leaders of the Al-Hikma movement, stressed that Qahni touched in his meetings with Iraqi officials on the need to agree on a new prime minister. Newspapers, official and semi-official news agencies in Iran dealt with the appointment of Al-Kazemi with great interest, and Tasnim News, predicted “guaranteed guaranteed Al-Kazemi” in forming the government, after the Shiite political blocs agreed to his appointment. As for the main condition that Tehran is trying to pass through Kazemi, it is to persuade the United States to fully open the Iraqi borders to import and export, in order to reduce the impact of the sanctions, while the Iranian "Mehr News" agency also wrote that "Al-Kazemi can play a role in reducing tension between Tehran and Washington in Iraq." ". The agency said in an article that some in Iraq accused al-Kazimi of "not fulfilling his duties" when the commander of the Quds Force Qassem Soleimani and deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in Baghdad, and justified this by saying that "Kazemi was unaware of the incident." According to the semi-official agency, Al-Kazemi is well aware of the "cultural and religious ties between Iran and Iraq, and Iran's assistance to Iraq in overcoming its crises." https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=213480

The stock market confirms its continuation in the plans for the development of electronic systems for the year 2020 Economy | 01:30 - 04/13/2020 FacebookViberWhatsAppEmail Baghdad - Mawazine News , Executive Director of the Iraqi Stock Exchange, Taha Ahmed Abdul Salam, confirmed on Monday that the market will continue with plans to develop electronic systems for the year 2020_2021. A statement of the market received / Mawazine News /, a copy of it, that "the management of the Iraq Stock Exchange is pleased to congratulate you on the occasion of the anniversary of the launch of electronic trading and central deposit in the Iraq Stock Exchange for the first time in the history of Iraq in April 2009." He added, "On this occasion, the Board of Governors of the Iraq Stock Exchange confirms in its meeting held on Sunday, April 12, 2020 - remotely using modern meeting methods - the following:. Continuing the plans for developing electronic systems for 2020-2021, including cooperation with colleges and universities. Iraqi to implement the trading simulation and training program for students and to implement the remote trading program for investors. . Cooperate with the Securities Commission and joint stock companies listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange to comply with the annual disclosure and provide audited financial statements for the joint stock companies, taking into account due standards for the disclosure of material events. . Cooperating with the Securities Commission and the Central Bank of Iraq in issuing instructions and rules required to encourage and diversify investment in securities to serve the orientations of the Iraqi economy and society's need for types of investment and financial services. The statement indicated that "the health crisis and the elimination of the global epidemic and the Corona pandemic in Iraq and in the world will soon be overcome with your patience and commitment" n calling for "engaging in investment activity in securities after lifting the curfew in accordance with the approved mechanisms and attention to periodic and annual disclosures and the development of your future plans." Ended 29 / https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=95024

The only way to get a majority of the Sunnis, Kurds and Shiites to agree on anything must involve money, and lots of it?

The talks continue ... Russia and Saudi Arabia will lead talks to cut oil production ... and America opposes cutting oil production http://economy-news.net/content.php?id=19689 Oil pump in Texas, USA. Reuters Reports The Economy News - Baghdad The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers, led by Russia, are looking at their biggest ever cuts in oil production, but efforts to tackle price declines during the Corona virus pandemic are complicated by a recent row and the United States' opposition to sharing the cuts. The spread of the virus has reduced demand for auto and aircraft fuels and lower crude prices, lowering the production costs of many producers, including American shale oil producers. The benchmark Brent crude prices reached the lowest level in 18 years last month and crude is trading at less than $ 34 a barrel, which is at half the levels of the end of 2019. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that US oil producers had already cut production and warned that he had many options if Saudi Arabia and Russia did not reach an agreement on Thursday. Trump said last week that he had reached a deal with Saudi Arabia and Russia that could cut global supplies by between 10 and 15 million barrels per day. The largest production cut ever approved by OPEC reached 2.2 million barrels per day in 2008. Recently, Russia and nine other OPEC producers joined in reductions of 1.7 million barrels per day, in addition to a reduction of 400 thousand barrels per day, which Saudi Arabia volunteered. Riyadh and Moscow differed last month over the continuation of these cuts, which allowed the United States and other non-participating producers to acquire market shares. The United States has become the world's largest oil producer, but the Trump administration has shown no desire to order a cut. Saudi Arabia and Russia have not yet publicly mentioned any agreement on cuts or how to distribute them to participants. "These are definitely different cuts," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, in response to a question about whether lower US oil production due to weak crude prices could be taken into account. The OPEC + meeting on Thursday via video will be followed by Friday's meeting of energy ministers of the Group of 20 nations. * The dilemma of the basis of cuts Negotiating the cuts includes setting the basis for which it will be counted, a matter that has become hazy after Saudi Arabia and Russia announced plans to increase production after the collapse of talks between OPEC + members in Vienna on March 6. The Kingdom increased production to 12.3 million barrels per day in April, from less than ten million barrels per day in March. Its Gulf allies, Kuwait and the UAE, also increased their production, and Moscow said Russian companies could boost production by up to 500,000 bpd. OPEC sources said that Saudi Arabia wants to calculate any cuts based on its record production levels in April. But Russia says the basis for cuts should be the production of the first quarter before the start of the price war. Russia's Tass news agency reported that any cuts would likely last for three months, starting in May. Number of views 23 Added Date 09/04/2020

Feeling bad for the poor citizens of Iran who want free of their theocratic kleptocracy: Report Tehran has become a major source of corona infection for a year to come https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/ar/Story/193108/تقرير-طهران-أصبحت-مصدر-رئيسي-لعدوى-كورونا-لنحو-عام-قادم FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsApp Observers: Half a million people are infected and Iran has become a disaster-stricken country in Koruna . And that there are no less than, according to Iranian estimates, about half a million injured. Health experts say the epidemic is out of control and settled in all of Tehran's provinces. And with global reports, it says that it will last two years, that Iran has become a source of danger to Iraq and a source of danger for all countries in the region for at least a year. Hamed Suri, a member of the National Corona Virus Control Center in Iran, revealed nearly half a million infections in the country. Suri said in an interview with the official Iranian news agency "IRNA" that since many patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19 were not discovered, the current estimates by the government are inaccurate. The statements of a member of the Corona Control Center come after the Ministry of Health announced in its latest figures that the number of injuries amounted to more than 60,000 cases, and in conjunction with the Parliament's rejection of a draft law stipulating the disruption of the country for a month, and imposing a complete quarantine to limit the spread of the epidemic. Representatives voted by taking and sitting in the majority against the law, which had been signed by 16 of the 290 deputies. Moreover, he described the situation in Iran as "worrying" warning that the curve of the virus in the provinces of Tehran, Razavi Khorasan, West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Ahvaz, Kermanshah and Samnan is moving towards the above. He added, "The curve of casualties has not decreased in any of the country's 31 provinces." In response to Rouhani's false statements regarding the decline of the epidemic, Suri said that the decision to resume some activities was based on economic, political and security “excuses”, and this would significantly weaken the opportunity to curb the spread of the deadly virus. A spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health, Kyanosh Baldour, warned of the return of crowded streets and heavy traffic during the last days in the capital, Tehran, saying: If the current procedure continues, we will see within seven to ten days the virus will rise again in Tehran. A spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health told state television that the number of deaths due to the outbreak of the Corona virus in the country rose to 4003 after 121 cases were recorded during the past 24 hours while the number of infections jumped to 67286. The spokesman Kyanosh Jahanpur added, "We detected 1997 new cases during the hours The past 24 years ... there are 3,956 injured people in critical condition. " But a senior official indicated that the actual number of injuries may be much higher. Under the weight of Corona, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani pressed more for a five-billion-dollar emergency International Monetary Fund loan requested by Tehran to combat the worst outbreaks of the Corona virus in the Middle East and said that refraining from extending the loan condemned the fund for discrimination. The Iranian Central Bank wrote to the International Monetary Fund last month asking for $ 5 billion from the Fund's Quick Financing Initiative, an emergency program that helps countries facing sudden shocks such as natural disasters .. Observers said that Rouhani's request for cash assistance from the International Monetary Fund confirms the deteriorating conditions in Iran His government was unable to control. https://www.thebaghdadpost.com/ar/Story/193108/تقرير-طهران-أصبحت-مصدر-رئيسي-لعدوى-كورونا-لنحو-عام-قادم

Haha. We must have been thinking a similar thought at the same time!?

So, the Kurds are on board and, now, the Sadrists. This all might be moving in the right direction ... soon!? "The Sadrist movement supports the formation of the government, and their stance on assignment is positive"

This is three weeks old and has probably been posted somewhere already, but it gives me good cheer: https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=210860 Former minister: Iraqi dinar on the way to "float" 11-03-2020 05:24 PM Baghdad - news The former minister, Amer Abdul-Jabbar, confirmed today, Wednesday, that the Iraqi dinar is on the way to floating, in light of the sharp decline in oil prices, while noting that employees should expect that during the coming days their salaries will be deducted. "The continuation of monetary policies and the current government in the same contexts with the sharp decline in oil prices will be catastrophic, and the employee should expect to deduct his salary, perhaps for half, or spend part of his salary every two months," noting that "the next stage may witness a reduction in employee salaries, deductions and taxes to reduce the budget deficit." . He added that "the Iraqi dinar is on its way to float (i.e. reduce its value), and the Iraqi government may have to increase the exchange rate of the dollar to 1250 dinars against the dollar in order to obtain additional funds estimated at 4 trillion dinars in the budget and this matter is positive because it will allow encouraging the national industry because it will raise the value Imported goods and makes domestic competitive. " He added, "We are afraid of a government decision to reduce the price of the dinar against the dollar to 1300 or 1350 in the event that the drop in oil prices is catastrophic. This float will cause the price of commodities to rise and burden the citizens. The state may use it to reduce the budget deficit." Abdul-Jabbar continued, "The government's decision to place customs and other exemptions to remove visa amounts with some neighboring countries has harmed Iraq and contributed to preventing the entry of important revenues to the state," noting that "since 2018, he warned of low oil prices in 2020". He pointed out that "the advisory base available to the Prime Minister is not qualified to deal with major crises, especially those related to low oil prices." He added that "the current advisers are friends of the Prime Minister, one of them told me: whoever understands his work with specialists will not enable him to reach the Prime Minister." Because it will take the place of others. " Abdul-Jabbar said, "The recent appointments made by the Prime Minister killed the state and burdened its financial resources, and there is a 200-square-meter department with 270 employees." https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=210860

Al-Zrafi pledges to Iraq "without quotas" and a weapon in the hands of the state ABU DHABI - (Arab News Agency, Sky News): The Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adnan Al-Zorfi said that he will be keen to prepare for fair, free and transparent elections within a maximum period of one year after the formation of the next government. Al-Zrafi pledged in his first speech after his assignment, late, on Tuesday, to form a government away from sectarian and partisan quotas, considering that the assignment placed upon him "a great historical responsibility." He also pledged to work to limit the survival of weapons in the hands of the state, end all armed manifestations and impose the authority of the state, and said that the state’s weapon will not be carried against the people, but rather will be to protect it and maintain the borders of Iraq. Al-Zorfi called for launching an immediate dialogue with the peaceful demonstrators, stressing the follow-up files of the investigation into the events of the demonstrations, and holding those responsible for violence against the peaceful demonstrators and security forces accountable. On the other hand, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Iraqi Prime Minister will have the support of Washington and the international community "if he will support the sovereignty of Iraq", distance himself from corruption and protect human rights, among other things. And the Iraqi President, Barham Salih Al-Zorfi, was appointed, on Tuesday, to head the Council of Ministers, after unrest and stagnation for several months. https://alwatannews.net/article/871733/Arab/الزرفي-يتعهد-بعراق-بلا-محاصصة-وسلاح-بيد-الدولة