Peshmerga Official Says ‘Close to Sign a Deal with Baghdad’

[DinarThug]

3 hours ago, Pitcher said:

I never heard of VET. 

Yo Snap - I Think That Pitcher Has Taken One Too Many ‘Bean Balls’ If He Doesn’t Even Realize That This Is Dinar ‘Vets’!  

 

 

     

[ChuckFinley]

Good Morning Pitcher,

 

VET is short for VeChain. - I see it being used to prevent counterfeiting of products (Supply Chain Management). I see this as a big deal as China is the center for 87% of counterfeit products and companies are going to be coming down on this as money gets tight. I tend not to trade crypto, but to stack. XRP was the plumping of the global financial service center. See below.

 

What is it

VeChain is a cryptocurrency and smart contracts platform focused on supply chain management. It allows manufacturers to add sensors, such as RFID tags, to their products that can then record data onto the VeChain blockchain.

 

How used

VeChain (VET), a blockchain project that’s focused on enhancing supply chain management and business processes, has been adopted by top Australian shoe manufacturers, Case Shieland The Kickz Stand for authentication of the Nike Air Max 1 Cherry sneakers scheduled for release on June 28, 2020. Case Shiel & The Kickz Tap Blockchain Technology

[ChuckFinley]

6 hours ago, Pitcher said:

Thank you Chuck.  Do you know if Binance crypto exchange" rel="external nofollow">Binance is in the US.  

 

A good old friend of mine who runs a hedge fund told me to buy some XRP.  

He wouldn’t tell me how much he bought but he said it was very considerable.  

He is advising his clients to invest in Cryptos.  He also owns BTC and ETH.

 

 

San Fran - 

 

Launched in September 2019, Binance.US is a digital asset marketplace, powered by matching engine and wallet technologies licensed from the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. Operated by BAM Trading Services based in San Francisco, California, Binance.US provides a fast, secure and reliable platform to buy and sell cryptocurrencies in the United States.

 

I will dig up some more - CF

[Pitcher]

Thanks for the articles Chuck.  It is hard to get reliable information when it comes to crypto.  My original thought was to sit back and wait until the federal government took it over and regulated it.  I changed my mind after the BTC explosion.  I want to invest but I want to invest in something that will be around in 5 years.  

 

I found this site.  Maybe it will help us understand what is good and what is not.  

 

 

https://www.coindesk.com/introducing-the-coindesk-20
 

Introducing the CoinDesk 20: The Assets That Matter Most in Crypto

Jul 8, 2020 at 15:00 UTCUpdated Jul 8, 2020 at 21:39 UTC

 

Which cryptocurrencies matter most to the market?

That question gets tougher to answer every day as new digital assets join the thousands already traded. Those looking to figure out which ones are the most important have often used simple metrics such as market capitalization to sort through the Lego pile of coins and tokens. Such simplistic filtering tells only part of the story and is fraught with the potential for manipulation. (Read Anna Baydakova’a recent article for a salient illustration.)

That’s why CoinDesk has launched the CoinDesk 20. This group of 20 digital assets makes up most of what people mean when they say “the cryptocurrency market.” But volume is not the sole criterion for inclusion. 

 

Returns of the CoinDesk 20 for 2020 Q2.  Source: Nomics

While these 20 cryptocurrencies, tokens and stablecoins together are worth more than 90% of the entirety of the crypto market, the list is not derived simply from valuations. Rather, it involves a smarter way to find the assets most relevant to the market.

 

A more sophisticated methodology

 

It starts with the exchanges. But not every exchange – far from it. 

On the wild frontier of crypto trading, hundreds of exchanges pop up all the time. Few are trustworthy and reliable. Only a sliver have done what they can to remove manipulation.

CoinDesk’s research team analyzed several studies on the veracity of trading volumes on cryptocurrency exchanges. The team settled on reports from three different outfits – Bitwise, The Block and Digital Asset Research – as the ones deemed to have the soundest research. Of the dozens of venues the reports analyzed, only eight exchanges appeared on all three. Those eight are Bitfinex, Bitflyer, Bitstamp, Coinbase, Gemini, itBit, Kraken and Poloniex.

Notably absent from the list are Huobi, OKEx and Binance, the last perhaps the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. That’s because each of them is absent from at least one of the above lists. To be sure, each of those exchanges offers traders price discovery on some key markets. However, in some of the reports the researchers found sufficient cases of questionable volume on those exchanges to raise some doubt about their reliability. Their exclusion from the CoinDesk 20may be revisited in the future. 

From the group of eight exchanges, CoinDesk added up the volume on every asset traded by quarter, using data provided by Nomics. Any cryptocurrency or digital asset that doesn’t trade on at least two of the eight exchanges didn’t qualify for the CoinDesk 20 because having an asset trade on more than one exchange enables arbitrage opportunities should prices move too far out of whack from one venue to another. That ensures the price and volume data reflect the true market. We then ranked the cryptocurrencies by volume over the last twoconsecutive quarters. Performing the ranking over two quarters filters out any asset that would have, say, one active month but otherwise show no sustained trading volume. Using the same model, CoinDesk will re-run this analysis every quarter and update the list accordingly.

 

The CoinDesk 20's new dashboard distills information on the 20 digital assets moving the market.

It should be noted Bitwise no longer includes Bitfinex’s prices in how it calculates its index values, a separate operation from its “real volume” calculations. It’s the latter that matters in the methodology for selecting the CoinDesk 20. 

Bitwise continues to include Bitfinex in the exchanges contributing to that measure of volume, the data for which continues to be updated and published. Bitwise removed Bitfinex from its index pricing sources in 2019 after the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the exchange. It did so due to concerns about prices deviating in the future should anything happen in the legal case. However, in an email Wednesday, Bitwise’s head of research told CoinDesk, “We still very much believe that Bitfinex has real volume.” 

No doubt, over time some newcomers will join this list and existing assets will drop off it. For now, though, these are the results of a clear, objective approach using reliable data.

The Bitwise real volume report of March 2019 also notes that Bitfinex used market surveillance tools to “help detect market manipulations, such as spoofing and wash trading through the real-time and historical analysis of trades, order books and other market information.” This set it apart from some other exchanges Bitwise surveyed, including Binance. So did the fact that Bitfinex registered as a money services business with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

As it turns out, the 20 assets making up the first quarterly construction of this filtered list comprise 99% of all the trading volume on the eight exchanges. What’s more, as of June 17, the current CoinDesk 20 represented $239.38 billion in market cap, according to data compiled by Messari. The remaining 5,145 cryptocurrencies were worth $25.85 billion. That makes the CoinDesk 20 representative of 90.3% of the entire cryptosphere’s market cap.

Check out: Bitcoin (BTC) Price Index on CoinDesk 20

By the same token, the CoinDesk 20 is not a ranking of the relative worth or importance of each crypto or blockchain project. It is not a judgment on the quality of the technology or the caliber of the team developing it. No doubt some readers will have strong opinions on why this or that asset should be in the CoinDesk 20 and why others shouldn’t be. No doubt, over time some newcomers will join this list and existing assets will drop off it. For now, though, these are the results of a clear, objective approach using reliable data. 

 

The revamped CoinDesk 20 pages feature chart data, key metrics, news, videos and educational content on the workings of the underlying technology.

Likewise, compiling the best data in crypto often requires trade-offs. Such is the case when viewing tether (USDT) on the CoinDesk 20 asset page. As we go live, the market cap shown for the stablecoin is roughly $6 billion. Yet, this is only the value of the token as found on the Ethereum blockchain. In fact, tether also operates on the Omni, Tron, EOS, Liquid, Algorand, and SLP networks. Those are valued at an additional $4.9 billion, and CoinDesk is working on a way to incorporate accurate and timely figures for these other blockchains into the total number.

 

More data

 

CoinDesk is doing more than just making a list of assets, however. In addition, investors, traders and researchers are provided with a deep dive into the data they need to make educated decisions about these 20 digital assets.

Each individual asset page contains information about the type of currency, its returns, volume, volatility, transactions, fees, value proposition and consensus mechanism, to name just a few of the data points. This will give anyone researching the asset a clearer sense of how it relates to others and to other asset classes.

 

The CoinDesk 20 assets make up 99% of crypto market trading volume.

The CoinDesk 20 is a new tool for analyzing a new space. We look forward to evolving it – carefully and gradually – as the field of digital assets progresses. We’ll certainly tweak the data we ingest and alter how we present it on our asset pages. We may even revisit the methodology based on new perspectives and reader feedback. We invite you to share yours. If you have thoughts on the CoinDesk 20, please share them at research@coindesk.com.

In an asset class that is often fraught with uncertainty, the CoinDesk 20 is meant to serve as an indispensable tool for the crypto investor. It’s a simple list of 20 assets, but behind that list is a sophisticated lens, one that reveals the true centers of gravity within the cryptocurrency market. 

 

Disclosure

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

[Pitcher]

https://news.crypterium.com/best-cryptocurrency-news-websites/
 

15 Best Cryptocurrency News Websites In The World

Blockchain and crypto are the two hot topics in the world that are gaining constant traction. Whether for investment or fun, it’s a fact that more and more people are taking an interest in cryptocurrencies. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the best websites to read cryptocurrency news.

Blockchain and crypto are the two hot topics in the world that are gaining constant traction. Whether for investment or fun, it’s a fact that more and more people are taking an interest in cryptocurrencies. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the best websites to read cryptocurrency news.

Blockchain and crypto are the two hot topics in the world that are gaining constant traction. Whether for investment or fun, it’s a fact that more and more people are taking an interest in cryptocurrencies. In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the best websites to read cryptocurrency news.

These websites are aimed to cover all the blockchain and crypto-related news that can keep the readers updated regarding the latest happening in the industry.

The blockchain industry is ever-evolving; you can expect advancements at a lightning-fast pace. When it comes to cryptocurrency, there is always something new that awaits the miners and the crypto enthusiasts. All this news must be covered thoroughly to provide authentic news to the world. 

Best Cryptocurrency News Websites

Whether you intend to invest in blockchain technology or not, knowing about the recent happening in the blockchain and crypto world is always beneficial. 

There are plenty of crypto sites in the market that can provide you with recent news. But, it is essential to find the most authentic source. If you are also in search of such reliable and credible sources, here is a list of best cryptocurrency news sites that you need to take a look at:

#1 — CoinDesk

One of the leading names among the top cryptocurrency media websites dedicated to blockchain and crypto is CoinDesk. Started its publishing back in 2003, CoinDesk has been growing tremendously since then. 

Filling the readers with authentic news on the entire cryptocurrency industry, CoinDesk has been doing a great job. Whether it is to find the rise and fall in the Bitcoin Price Index or the new cryptocurrency making its way into the industry, CoinDesk will cover everything for you.  

#2 — CoinTelegraph

If you are looking for dedicated news sites that will cover everything regarding Ethereum, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, then you can undoubtedly turn towards CoinTelegraph. It is one of the active and popular crypto news sites that post a number of articles and news every day. 

You can learn about all the recent happenings in the crypto market at CoinTelegraph. Another great thing about Coin Telegraph is that it is available in different languages like English, Brazilian, Spanish, Japanese, Serbian, and many more. 

#3 — CCN

CCN is a dedicated news website that provides all the recent news regarding all the major cryptocurrencies in the market. It is a Norway based media company that has shot to fame for its crypto news. 

You can also find valuable Blockchain insights on CCN, and other vital information regarding the market like ICO Calendar, cryptocurrency news, market cap, DLT events, etc. Apart from the news, you can enhance your knowledge regarding the industry with its blog section as well. 

#4 — TodayOnChain

It is a famous news site that covers all the details regarding blockchain and cryptocurrency. TodayOnChain acquires news from different sources, so you can find an abundance of news related to the blockchain industry here. 

TodayOnChain takes reference from sites like CoinDesk, CoinTelegraph, CCN, etc. TodayOnChain is more like a news aggregator that forwards the trending news of the crypto and blockchain industry. 

#5 — News BTC

It is a renowned blockchain and crypto news platform that will fill you up with all the latest happenings in the industry. News BTC covers technical analysis, reviews, and other vital details of the crypto and blockchain community. 

You can find a wide range of news and articles published every day on the site that can provide you with insights regarding the industry. At News BTC, you can find a wide range of educational materials, ICO listing, and events calendars as well. 

#6 — Bitcoin Magazine

As the name suggests, at Bitcoin Magazine, you can find everything about Bitcoin. It is one of the first publications that is exclusively dedicated to BTC news.

The founder of the magazine is also the creator of Ethereum that makes this platform another top-rated news outlet. Though it was started as a dedicated Bitcoin news site, now the site has also started to cover other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin Magazine majorly focuses on price analysis, reviews, research, etc.

#7 — CryptoSlate

Intending to provide transparent and authentic news of the cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology industry, CryptoSlate is a renowned news website in the industry. 

It is a Seattle based news and media company that was founded in 2017. Despite being a newly-established news company, CryotoSlate has claimed significant recognition in the industry over the past few years. Apart from the crypto news, CryptoSlate covers a wide range of information regarding ICOs, crypto ranking, and events. 

#8 — Bitcoinist

Despite its name associated with Bitcoin, Bitcoinistcovers all the major cryptocurrencies and its news. Not only regarding the cryptocurrencies, but Bitcoinist also focuses on providing readers with all the necessary information regarding the blockchain industry as well. 

 

[DinarThug]

 

 

     
 

LINK

Deputy: No agreement between Baghdad and Erbil will succeed without passing the oil law

 

 

14:30 - 12/07/2020

The deputy of the state of law, Kata al-Rikabi, affirmed on Sunday that no agreement could be implemented between Baghdad and Erbil without passing the oil and gas law, indicating that the controversial laws disrupted the political process in Iraq.

Al-Rikabi said in a statement to "information" that "dozens of controversial laws between political forces, which have hindered the political and development process in Iraq because of the differences of the various parties."

He added, "Any agreement between Baghdad and Erbil will never be successful without adopting the oil and gas law that has caused billions of dollars in waste."

Al-Rikabi said, "Without approving controversial laws and activating the work of the Council, successive and accumulated crises in Iraq, especially with the Kurdistan region, have not been resolved." 

[Wiljor]

Thanks Thugs, keep em coming 💪
 

He added, "Any agreement between Baghdad and Erbil will never be successful without adopting the oil and gas law that has caused billions of dollars in waste."
Ok, now that we know that, let’s ink this deal and move forward 😀

[DinarThug]

9 minutes ago, Wiljor said:

Thanks Thugs, keep em coming 💪

 

 

     

 

LINK

Tuesday is an official holiday in the Kurdistan Region

 

12th July, 2020

The governmental departments and institutions were suspended from official work on Tuesday in the Kurdistan Region on the occasion of the 14th of July anniversary.

According to the official holiday schedule confirmed by the government "calendar", Tuesday 7/14/2020 is an official holiday on the occasion of the July 14 anniversary.

Both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government were suspended annually on this date on the occasion of the overthrow of the monarchy in Iraq on July 14, 1958.

[horsesoldier]

"Any agreement between Baghdad and Erbil will never be successful without adopting the oil and gas law that has caused billions of dollars in waste."  

 

 "Without approving controversial laws and activating the work of the Council, successive and accumulated crises in Iraq, especially with the Kurdistan region, have not been resolved."  

 

The governmental departments and institutions were suspended from official work on Tuesday in the Kurdistan Region on the occasion of the 14th of July anniversary. 

( . . . and a holiday. 161/2 yrs. of the same ole thing. Kazemi has his work cut out for him)

 

 

[DinarThug]

LINK

Al-Bayati: Negotiations are still in progress between Baghdad and Erbil to return the Peshmerga to Kirkuk

 

 

13:59 - 12/07/2020

The leader of the Badr Organization, former deputy Muhammad Mahdi Al-Bayati, confirmed, on Sunday, that negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil will continue, regarding the return of the Peshmerga forces to the Kirkuk governorate.

Al-Bayati said in a statement to the "information", that "there are discussions taking place between the government and the region regarding the desire to return the Asayish and the Peshmerga to the province of Kirkuk," noting that "he does not have at present any details of those discussions."

He added that "the rejection of the components of Kirkuk to the return of the Asayish and Peshmerga to the province is based on two basic issues, which are the Arabs and Turkmen fear of the return of instability in the province, and the other reason relates to the constitution, which does not allow the presence of the Peshmerga in any part of the region, especially in Kirkuk."

Clarified Al-Bayati that “the Kirkuk governorate is linked to the center as the rest of the provinces and that the responsibility for its security and stability is a governmental matter”, noting that “any party cannot violate the constitution and vice versa - we will take all constitutional measures against it.” 

[DinarThug]

LINK

The Kurdistan Nationalist: changing the Kurdish government has become a popular demand in Kurdistan

 

 

16:46 - 12/07/2020

 

Member of the Media Office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Karwan Anwar, confirmed on Sunday that the Kurdish public is convinced of the need to change its government as a result of successive crises in the Kurdistan region.

That Anwar said to the "information" that "the ongoing crises and their economic, health and financial intensification have negatively affected the lives of citizens, especially employees in the Kurdistan region",considering that "changing the government and parliament has become a public demand because of poor economic conditions."

He added, "The Kurdish street has become satisfied with any solution that could take it from its miserable and bad reality in the Kurdistan region," stressing that "any political or electoral step would reduce the suffering of the citizen, as the street is with it." 

[DinarThug]

LINK

Kurdistan accuses "militias" of obstructing the return of the disputed population

 

12th July, 2020

Today, the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq accused "militias and armed factions" of obstructing the return of the displaced to the disputed areas between the central and regional governments, while it revealed that these factions possess secret prisons in some of those areas, including the Nineveh Plain east of Mosul.

The coordinator of international recommendations in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Dindar Zebari, announced the monitoring of irresponsible actions by armed factions, which prevented the return of the displaced to their places in the disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil.

Zebari said in a statement: "The actions of armed groups and the presence of sleeping cells of the (ISIS) organization have caused instability in the disputed areas."

He added that "those areas, particularly the Nineveh Plain, suffer from the existence of secret prisons, the seizure of citizens' lands and the burning of their homes and properties from those who have been displaced to the region."

The government official continued: "The Kurdistan Regional Government with providing all facilities for the return of the displaced and the reconstruction of the region, but the irresponsible behavior of these internal armed groups prevents their return."

[ChuckFinley]

On 7/12/2020 at 10:24 AM, Pitcher said:

Thanks for the articles Chuck.  It is hard to get reliable information when it comes to crypto.  My original thought was to sit back and wait until the federal government took it over and regulated it.  I changed my mind after the BTC explosion.  I want to invest but I want to invest in something that will be around in 5 years.  

 

I found this site.  Maybe it will help us understand what is good and what is not.  

 

 

https://www.coindesk.com/introducing-the-coindesk-20
 

Introducing the CoinDesk 20: The Assets That Matter Most in Crypto

Jul 8, 2020 at 15:00 UTCUpdated Jul 8, 2020 at 21:39 UTC

 

Which cryptocurrencies matter most to the market?

That question gets tougher to answer every day as new digital assets join the thousands already traded. Those looking to figure out which ones are the most important have often used simple metrics such as market capitalization to sort through the Lego pile of coins and tokens. Such simplistic filtering tells only part of the story and is fraught with the potential for manipulation. (Read Anna Baydakova’a recent article for a salient illustration.)

That’s why CoinDesk has launched the CoinDesk 20. This group of 20 digital assets makes up most of what people mean when they say “the cryptocurrency market.” But volume is not the sole criterion for inclusion. 

 

Returns of the CoinDesk 20 for 2020 Q2.  Source: Nomics

While these 20 cryptocurrencies, tokens and stablecoins together are worth more than 90% of the entirety of the crypto market, the list is not derived simply from valuations. Rather, it involves a smarter way to find the assets most relevant to the market.

 

A more sophisticated methodology

 

It starts with the exchanges. But not every exchange – far from it. 

On the wild frontier of crypto trading, hundreds of exchanges pop up all the time. Few are trustworthy and reliable. Only a sliver have done what they can to remove manipulation.

CoinDesk’s research team analyzed several studies on the veracity of trading volumes on cryptocurrency exchanges. The team settled on reports from three different outfits – Bitwise, The Block and Digital Asset Research – as the ones deemed to have the soundest research. Of the dozens of venues the reports analyzed, only eight exchanges appeared on all three. Those eight are Bitfinex, Bitflyer, Bitstamp, Coinbase, Gemini, itBit, Kraken and Poloniex.

Notably absent from the list are Huobi, OKEx and Binance crypto exchange" rel="external nofollow">Binance, the last perhaps the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. That’s because each of them is absent from at least one of the above lists. To be sure, each of those exchanges offers traders price discovery on some key markets. However, in some of the reports the researchers found sufficient cases of questionable volume on those exchanges to raise some doubt about their reliability. Their exclusion from the CoinDesk 20may be revisited in the future. 

From the group of eight exchanges, CoinDesk added up the volume on every asset traded by quarter, using data provided by Nomics. Any cryptocurrency or digital asset that doesn’t trade on at least two of the eight exchanges didn’t qualify for the CoinDesk 20 because having an asset trade on more than one exchange enables arbitrage opportunities should prices move too far out of whack from one venue to another. That ensures the price and volume data reflect the true market. We then ranked the cryptocurrencies by volume over the last twoconsecutive quarters. Performing the ranking over two quarters filters out any asset that would have, say, one active month but otherwise show no sustained trading volume. Using the same model, CoinDesk will re-run this analysis every quarter and update the list accordingly.

 

The CoinDesk 20's new dashboard distills information on the 20 digital assets moving the market.

It should be noted Bitwise no longer includes Bitfinex’s prices in how it calculates its index values, a separate operation from its “real volume” calculations. It’s the latter that matters in the methodology for selecting the CoinDesk 20. 

Bitwise continues to include Bitfinex in the exchanges contributing to that measure of volume, the data for which continues to be updated and published. Bitwise removed Bitfinex from its index pricing sources in 2019 after the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the exchange. It did so due to concerns about prices deviating in the future should anything happen in the legal case. However, in an email Wednesday, Bitwise’s head of research told CoinDesk, “We still very much believe that Bitfinex has real volume.” 

No doubt, over time some newcomers will join this list and existing assets will drop off it. For now, though, these are the results of a clear, objective approach using reliable data.

The Bitwise real volume report of March 2019 also notes that Bitfinex used market surveillance tools to “help detect market manipulations, such as spoofing and wash trading through the real-time and historical analysis of trades, order books and other market information.” This set it apart from some other exchanges Bitwise surveyed, including Binance crypto exchange" rel="external nofollow">Binance. So did the fact that Bitfinex registered as a money services business with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

As it turns out, the 20 assets making up the first quarterly construction of this filtered list comprise 99% of all the trading volume on the eight exchanges. What’s more, as of June 17, the current CoinDesk 20 represented $239.38 billion in market cap, according to data compiled by Messari. The remaining 5,145 cryptocurrencies were worth $25.85 billion. That makes the CoinDesk 20 representative of 90.3% of the entire cryptosphere’s market cap.

Check out: Bitcoin (BTC) Price Index on CoinDesk 20

By the same token, the CoinDesk 20 is not a ranking of the relative worth or importance of each crypto or blockchain project. It is not a judgment on the quality of the technology or the caliber of the team developing it. No doubt some readers will have strong opinions on why this or that asset should be in the CoinDesk 20 and why others shouldn’t be. No doubt, over time some newcomers will join this list and existing assets will drop off it. For now, though, these are the results of a clear, objective approach using reliable data. 

 

The revamped CoinDesk 20 pages feature chart data, key metrics, news, videos and educational content on the workings of the underlying technology.

Likewise, compiling the best data in crypto often requires trade-offs. Such is the case when viewing tether (USDT) on the CoinDesk 20 asset page. As we go live, the market cap shown for the stablecoin is roughly $6 billion. Yet, this is only the value of the token as found on the Ethereum blockchain. In fact, tether also operates on the Omni, Tron, EOS, Liquid, Algorand, and SLP networks. Those are valued at an additional $4.9 billion, and CoinDesk is working on a way to incorporate accurate and timely figures for these other blockchains into the total number.

 

More data

 

CoinDesk is doing more than just making a list of assets, however. In addition, investors, traders and researchers are provided with a deep dive into the data they need to make educated decisions about these 20 digital assets.

Each individual asset page contains information about the type of currency, its returns, volume, volatility, transactions, fees, value proposition and consensus mechanism, to name just a few of the data points. This will give anyone researching the asset a clearer sense of how it relates to others and to other asset classes.

 

The CoinDesk 20 assets make up 99% of crypto market trading volume.

The CoinDesk 20 is a new tool for analyzing a new space. We look forward to evolving it – carefully and gradually – as the field of digital assets progresses. We’ll certainly tweak the data we ingest and alter how we present it on our asset pages. We may even revisit the methodology based on new perspectives and reader feedback. We invite you to share yours. If you have thoughts on the CoinDesk 20, please share them at research@coindesk.com.

In an asset class that is often fraught with uncertainty, the CoinDesk 20 is meant to serve as an indispensable tool for the crypto investor. It’s a simple list of 20 assets, but behind that list is a sophisticated lens, one that reveals the true centers of gravity within the cryptocurrency market. 

 

Disclosure

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

 

Thanks for all the info. That is why I am in XRP. Unlike the orther crypto's, XRP went to the regulators worldwide and is the only one to get a buy in from everyone. The price they paid was that the are basically unwanted in the crypto world. The whole ideas was not to have Gov regulation, Intervention, and privacy. But in the long run XRP will be the trusted partner for transactions. Plus they are ISO Cert. 

[Pitcher]

Yes, I agree and I placed a decent sized bet.  We’ll see what shakes.  My goal is to buy 5-6 of these and hope one or two go.  

[DinarThug]

LINK

Kurdistan workers announce the killing of dozens of Turkish soldiers in "two shifts"

 

13th July, 2020

The People's Protection Forces (HPG), the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is opposing Ankara, announced today, Monday, the killing of thirty-one Turkish soldiers as part of its military operations in the Haftanin area, on the border with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

A statement of the Media and Printing Center of the People’s Protection Forces, seen by Shafaq News, said that the activities of his forces against the movements carried out by the Turkish army in the region of “Parastny Media” are continuing, indicating that the Turkish forces tried the day before yesterday, Saturday 11 July, to move towards the mountain of the martyr Berhat Mount Kartali in the Keturia region, however, the HPG forces attacked it from three axes and managed to kill seven Turkish soldiers and wounded several others.

The statement added that on the same day, on the mountain of Kartal and the martyr Berhat, 16 Turkish soldiers were killed and five others were wounded, pointing to the killing of two supporters in the name of (Aven) and (Bahouz).

The statement indicated that its forces yesterday, July 12, attacked three axes of the Turkish army, which tried to advance in the Buzna Valley and Mount Dern, explaining that the attacks resulted in the killing of 3 Turkish soldiers and during the withdrawal of the Turkish army was targeted again and 5 other soldiers were killed.

[DinarThug]

LINK

To ensure that the national product is not struck ... a parliamentary call to standardize port procedures with its counterpart in Kurdistan

 

13th July, 2020

The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives, on Monday, called for unifying the procedures of border outlets with the outlets of the Kurdistan region to ensure that goods do not enter through the outlets of the region and hit the national product.

"The measures taken to control the border crossings have become an economic and national necessity that we have repeatedly called upon," said committee member, MP Mohamed Al-Darraji in "Tweet" through his personal account on Twitter.

Al-Daraji added: "These measures must be accompanied by procedures similar to the ports of the Kurdistan region, such as joint management, unification of customs tariffs and protection of the national product between the center and the region, otherwise the entry of goods will be through the ports of the region." 

[DinarThug]

LINK

Parliamentary Finance calls on the government to cancel the commercial exchange agreement with Jordan and impose control on Kurdistan's ports
 

 

13:40 - 07/13/2020
 

Member of Parliamentary Finance Committee Ahmad Hama called on the government on Monday to cancel trade agreements with Jordan and some Arab countries due to their lack of economic feasibility, noting that imposing control on border crossings in the region is a must.

Hama said in a statement to the "information" that "the trade agreement with Jordan and even some Arab countries is a customs facilitation of the goods between the two countries, and considering that Iraq does not export any goods other than reduced oil price, Jordan is the largest beneficiary of them."

He added that "the government is required to cancel these agreements and find forms of commercial understanding of equal opportunity between Iraqi goods and the countries that meet them."
Hama pointed out that "the file of controlling the outlets is very important, but controlling five official and four unofficial outlets in Kurdistan contributes to ending corruption, as protecting the outlets is a federal mission." 

[DinarThug]

LINK

For the first time since 2017, the army and the Peshmerga are coordinating against ISIS

 

13th July 2020
 

The Iraqi Army's anti-terrorist agency reported on Monday that there is high security and intelligence coordination between its forces and the Peshmerga forces during the fourth stage of the "Heroes of Iraq" campaign to pursue ISIS remnants in Diyala Governorate

This is the first coordination between the two sides since the tension escalated between them in an unprecedented way in 2017 in the wake of the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region

At that time, Iraqi forces advanced towards the disputed areas, causing the Peshmerga forces to withdraw, fearing the outbreak of armed conflict between the two sides. The Peshmerga forces were deployed in the conflict areas in 2014 and prevented them from falling into the hands of ISIS when the Iraqi army fled from them in front of the organization's progress

A zone free from any military presence separates the two forces, since that time, and extends to a depth of 10 kilometers in some areas within the boundaries between the region and the provinces of Diyala, Kirkuk and Nineveh, which was exploited by the "ISIS" organization and strengthened its presence there

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service said in a statement received by Shafaq News that the Operation Heroes of Iraq in its fourth stage witnessed high intelligence security cooperation and coordination between the forces of the anti-terrorist agency and the anti-terrorist forces in the Kurdistan Region while tracking the remnants of ISIS in Diyala Governorate

He added that "this coordination came within the new strategy of the anti-terrorist agency in the necessity of unifying the security effort in order to tighten the screws on ISIS gangs and facilitate the process of monitoring and tracking them. This coordination comes after discussions held by the Iraqi defense and the Peshmerga over the past weeks to form joint coordination centers to pursue the remnants of "ISIS

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS by reclaiming all of its territory, which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s area invaded by the organization in the summer of 2014, with the support of the US-led international coalition. However, the terrorist organization still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and launches attacks between varying periods

[DinarThug]

LINK

A military adviser reveals the installation of military peshmerga points that stops the Turkish incursion into the province

 

14th July, 2020


Military Adviser to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Lieutenant General Babiker Zebari, stated on Tuesday that the Peshmerga forces have established fixed military points to establish a defensive line in the areas of Mount Matin and northern Zakho, stressing that the military situation in these areas will witness a relative calm and a halt to the progress of the Turkish forces after the Peshmerga stationed in those Regions

Zebari said in a special statement to Shafaq News Agency that the Peshmerga forces aim to impose security and stability in the border areas that are witnessing armed clashes between the Turkish army and PKK elements.

And the former chief of staff of the Iraqi army, Babiker Zebari, criticized the presence of the PKK elements inside the territories of the Kurdistan Region since he became a federal entity, saying that "the presence of this party in the region since 1991 brought calamities to the Kurdistan Region." Zebari called the Kurdistan Workers Party to leave the territory of the Kurdistan Region to fill the pretext for Turkey's intervention.

Turkish aircraft and artillery have been bombing border areas in the Kurdistan region since last week, in attacks it says are targeting the anti-Ankara PKK fighters. Turkish forces also carried out airdrops of commando forces in areas within the region. The attacks led to human and material losses in the border villages inside the Kurdistan Region, which provoked the condemnation of the territorial government and the Iraqi government summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad more than once.

[6ly410]

WITHOUT BUDGET AGREEMENT, IRAQ'S GOVERNMENT WILL NOT BE STABLE POLITICALLY OR FINANCIALLY, SAYS KRG REPRESENTATIVE

 

10 Hours ago 

https://nrttv.com/En/News.aspx?id=22480&MapID=1

 

SULAIMANI — The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Representative in Baghdad said on Monday (July 13) that it was not clear when a negotiating delegation from Erbil will return to the Iraqi capital for further talks, but added that the process of achieving a comprehensive budget agreement continues.

KRG Representative Faris Isa told the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) official media outlet that there is an understanding between the federal government and the KRG that allows the talks to continue.

Isa warned that both governments should reach an agreement because “the state of Baghdad will not be stable politically and financially” without one.

He also said that the KRG position has always been that the talks and resulting agreement be based on the constitutional principles and that their delegation had adhered to that. Nevertheless, he said critically that parts of the talks had been constitutional, while others were not.

On July 7, an expected trip by a negotiating delegationfrom the KRG to Baghdad was postponed because federal officials have not completed a review of financial, personnel, and administrative files related to oil and KRG’s public sector workforce.

In late April, Baghdad cut off all budget transfers to Erbil, leaving it with a massive shortfall that was compounded by the effects of a drop in the global price of oil.

Unable to pay its public sector workers on time or in full, the KRG has repeated delayed distribution of salaries this spring and recently moved to cut the pay of most workers by 21 percent or more.

(NRT Digital Media)  

[6ly410]

14-07-2020 10:21 PM

Talabani: We are preparing to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad

 

 

Baghdad News

https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=221463

Baghdad News:
Qubad Talabani, Vice-President of the Kurdistan Regional Government discussed with a group of members of the British Parliament from the friends of the Kurdish people a number of files of mutual interest.
Talabani said in a post on his account on Facebook that he discussed with the British parliamentarians the plans of the regional government and the reform process in the region, pointing out that he stressed to the British parliamentarians the importance of resolving the outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad, stressing the regional government's readiness to sign a long-term agreement within the framework of the constitution with the federal government .
This was participated in the meeting by Sven Dzie, the official of the Department of Foreign Relations in the provincial government, and Karwan Jamal Taher, representative of the province in Britain.
Talabani added, I called on Parliament and the UK government to support the region in the face of the Coruna virus.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

Talabani: We are ready to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad

Political | 11:28 - 07/14/2020

 

https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=109985

 

Baghdad - Mawazine News
, Qubad Talabani, Vice President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said that the Kurdistan Regional Government is ready to sign to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad, in the most prominent site issued from the region and pre-empting a new visit by the Kurdish delegation to Baghdad.
Talabani said in a post on his Facebook account that he discussed with British parliamentarians friends of Kurdistan the plans of the regional government and the reform process in the region, pointing out that he stressed to the British parliamentarians the importance of resolving the outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad, stressing the readiness of the provincial government to sign a long-term agreement within the framework of the constitution With the federal government.
The meeting was attended by Sven Dzayy, the official of the Foreign Relations Department in the region's government, and Karwan Jamal Taher, the region's representative in Britain.
It is likely that the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation will visit Baghdad this weekend, most likely according to a senior political source.
The delegation will be headed by the deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Qubad Talabani, and the
source added that "reaching an agreement between the two sides has become a necessary and urgent matter on both sides of the negotiations," noting that "the files that are to be discussed, are related to the financial dues of the Kurdistan region, and oil, Non-oil imports, customs and border crossings. "
The source clarified that "the Baghdad government recognized all the files submitted by the delegation of the Kurdistan Region of God recently, including the oil production file, where the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation statistics that the quantities produced, which amount to 467 thousand barrels per day, of which 30 thousand barrels for local consumption, and the rest are exported." .
For his part, Samir Hawrami, spokesman for the deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, confirmed that the center and regional governments have a sincere intention to reach an agreement, pointing out that a new round of talks will begin soon.
Hawrami said, according to Kurdish media, that "the delegation of the Kurdistan region to Baghdad, which is headed by Qubad Talabani, deputy head of the regional government, visited Baghdad 3 times, stressing that there is a good intention in Baghdad and Erbil to reach an agreement."
He added that "previous talks with political parties and officials in Baghdad , addressed the outstanding problems , including receivables and financial, oil, expenditures," adding that " a new phase of talks will begin in the future.
 

Edited July 14, 2020 by 6ly410

[6ly410]

Baghdad and the region face a common enemy after years of isolation

7/14/2020 15:25:59

https://www.shafaaq.com/ar/تقارير-وتحليلات/بغداد-والإقليم-يواجهان-عدوا-مشتركا-بعد-أعوام-من-العزلة/

Shafaq News / The political openness between Erbil and Baghdad resulted in effective military coordination for the first time in years between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces to confront the cells of ISIS gangs that penetrated in some areas between the Iraqi provinces and the region, benefiting from the absence of security and the distance between the two capitals politically before the government of Mustafa Al-Kazemi . 

Each side walked one step towards the other to achieve this fruitful encounter. From the support of the Kurds in the Iraqi parliament to the nomination of Al-Kazemi to head the government, to the political and military delegations that went from Arbil to Baghdad to enhance coordination and arrangement of interests, to the visit of the President of the region Nechirvan Barzani last June to Baghdad to meet Al-Kazemi, and their agreement according to the official statement issued at the time on the importance National cooperation and solidarity in order to overcome the current challenges, and their agreement that the challenges facing Iraq require the cooperation of all to address them and cross the country towards the correct path that it is moving forward, in order to build a safe, stable and united Iraq.

Two days later, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masroor Barzani, announced on June 22 that his government was ready to resolve the differences "radically" with Baghdad, which constituted an additional dose of support for Al-Kazemi days after his election. 

And this clear political understanding had to begin to appear in the field, because the intervening phase between the last months of the era of Adel Abdul Mahdi’s government and the formation of Al-Kazemi’s government, ISIS gangs were recording an escalation in their operations and attacks, taking advantage of the security voids left by the lack of cooperation between the Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga Especially in the border areas of the region. 

Security statistics and estimates showed that the number of attacks increased dramatically, as did the number of civilian ISC victims in cities, villages, and farms located on the borders of the so-called disputed areas. In the field, it appears that ISIS has exploited the area free from any military presence of the Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, which extends to a depth of 10 kilometers in some areas within the boundaries between the region and the provinces of Diyala (east), Kirkuk and Nineveh (north). 

If it is necessary to work. Consequently, the participation of the peshmerga forces charged according to the Iraqi constitution to protect the borders of the region, in the joint military operation with the federal forces, comes in a logical and natural context, and it is indispensable, and it mainly culminated in long weeks of negotiations and coordination between the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the Peshmerga, with the aim of forming Joint focal points to address the remnants of ISIS, which attack safe civilians and security forces. 

Deputy Representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Dylan Ghaffour, told Shafaq News, about a move to form a joint operations room between the Iraqi security and the Peshmerga, explaining that "the Peshmerga forces are within the military and security system in Iraq, and at what time the Iraqi government needs to be present or move to these forces, then they It will be present, especially in areas where security tensions are present without hesitation. " 

In fact, on July 13, the counter-terrorism apparatus of the Iraqi army announced a high-level security and intelligence coordination between its forces and the Peshmerga forces during the fourth stage of the current campaign called "Heroes of Iraq" to pursue ISIS in Diyala Governorate. 

The first stages of the "Heroes of Iraq" campaign began in February, that is, during the era of the Abdul Mahdi government, after ISIS attacks escalated in the areas between Kirkuk, Salah al-Din (north) and Diyala (east), known as the "Triangle of Death". 

But it is the first time now, that is, in the fourth stage that coordinates in the Iraqi army with the Peshmerga forces since the relations between Erbil and Baghdad were strained in 2017 in the wake of the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.

The Iraqi counter-terrorism agency announced in a statement received to Shafaq News that the Operation Heroes of Iraq in its fourth phase witnessed high intelligence security cooperation and coordination between the forces of the anti-terrorism and anti-terrorist forces in the Kurdistan Region while tracking the remnants of ISIS in Diyala province, noting "This coordination came Within the new strategy of the anti-terrorist agency, it is necessary to unify the security effort in order to tighten the screws on ISIS gangs and facilitate the process of monitoring and tracking them. " 

It is evident that without this coordination, it would not have had impressive results, as ISIS gangs have shown remarkable success since the announcement of their defeat three years ago, in infiltrating safe havens, security voids, covering up behind the civilian population, recruiting young men, organizing their various networks of surveillance, collecting information, and terrorizing the population, Down to the implementation of the attacks. 

Therefore, it was easy for these gangs to redeploy and hide if the military operations against them were taking place on one side of the border, while joint action would reduce the areas of withdrawal and hiding available to them, and it would serve as a military pincer applied to their hiding places. 

And the Iraqi army announced last Saturday, the launching of "Heroes of Iraq / Fourth Stage" operations on the border strip with Iran in areas separating the federal forces and the Peshmerga. To emphasize the importance of the operation, Al-Kazemi visited one of the military operations sites in Diyala.

"The operations of the heroes of Iraq / the fourth stage were launched, to pursue the remnants of terrorism and impose security and stability in Diyala province, with the clearing and inspection of the border strip with the Islamic Republic of Iran and entry into special operations Among the areas that ISIS has exploited to exist and carry out its terrorist operations are the areas separating the federal forces and the Peshmerga forces. 

Al-Shammari emphasized that these operations were launched "under the direction of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command," adding that "at this stage, they target a wide area estimated at 17,685 km2 and involve forces from the (Ground Forces Command, Diyala Operations Command, Operations Command Salah al-Din, Samarra Operations Command, Federal Police Forces Command, Rapid Response Forces, Popular Mobilization Forces, two special forces brigades, Eighth Brigade, Border Force, Counterterrorism Agency / Second Special Operations Command, Anti-Terrorist Regiment from Sulaimaniyah, Diyala Governorate Police Command, With the support of the army, air force and international coalition aircraft. 

The Joint Operations Command stated in a statement that "the rapid reaction forces and the popular crowd entered the border (Mandali and Munthiriya) border crossings and imposed full control and inspection of them," noting that "elite forces are allocated to their permanent possession to combat and eliminate corruption, apply measures smoothly and according to the law, and impose prestige Country". 

In a parallel context, the representative of Diyala Province, Sherko Mirwais, told Shafaq News, "While we welcome and support the operations of the fourth Iraqi heroes in the outskirts of the Khanaqin, Tuz, Amerli, and Nineveh regions, however, the threat of ISIS still exists due to the security voids in the disputed areas that extend from The Nineveh borders are to the outskirts of Diyala, which are still sanctuaries and hotbeds of ISIS. " 

Mirwais considered that "unilateral security operations are futile and require security and intelligence coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army to end the presence of incubators and terrorist nests in most of the disputed areas that are still suffering from security tension and ongoing terrorist operations." 

In conclusion, the imminent threat posed by ISIS to the lives of the population in the region and the rest of the Iraqi provinces requires an attack such as the "heroes of Iraq" process, but rather to serial operations like this, as long as it is carried out in high-level coordination between Erbil and Baghdad because it brings more important fruits, and is supposed to constitute A positive example of the rapprochement between the two parties can reap successes, beyond politics, to economy and security, and the livelihood of all of Iraq’s components.

But it is also important to pay attention to the inescapable fact that ISIS gangs, despite cutting many of their external arteries, do not only feed on the elements of their internal strength, and still derive much of it from their regional surroundings, a factor that the Iraqi forces and peshmerga can only Take it into account in any other joint military action in the future

Edited July 14, 2020 by 6ly410

[southbeach]

security equals sovereignty equals exchange rate increase

[DinarThug]

9 hours ago, 6ly410 said:

Talabani: We are preparing to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad

 

 

Baghdad News

https://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=221463

Baghdad News:
Qubad Talabani, Vice-President of the Kurdistan Regional Government discussed with a group of members of the British Parliament from the friends of the Kurdish people a number of files of mutual interest.
Talabani said in a post on his account on Facebook that he discussed with the British parliamentarians the plans of the regional government and the reform process in the region, pointing out that he stressed to the British parliamentarians the importance of resolving the outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad, stressing the regional government's readiness to sign a long-term agreement within the framework of the constitution with the federal government .
This was participated in the meeting by Sven Dzie, the official of the Department of Foreign Relations in the provincial government, and Karwan Jamal Taher, representative of the province in Britain.
Talabani added, I called on Parliament and the UK government to support system" rel="">support the region in the face of the Coruna virus.

 

 

 

8 hours ago, 6ly410 said:

Talabani: We are ready to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad

Political | 11:28 - 07/14/2020

 

https://www.mawazin.net/Details.aspx?jimare=109985

 

Baghdad - Mawazine News
, Qubad Talabani, Vice President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said that the Kurdistan Regional Government is ready to sign to sign a long-term agreement with Baghdad, in the most prominent site issued from the region and pre-empting a new visit by the Kurdish delegation to Baghdad.
Talabani said in a post on his Facebook account that he discussed with British parliamentarians friends of Kurdistan the plans of the regional government and the reform process in the region, pointing out that he stressed to the British parliamentarians the importance of resolving the outstanding problems between Erbil and Baghdad, stressing the readiness of the provincial government to sign a long-term agreement within the framework of the constitution With the federal government.
The meeting was attended by Sven Dzayy, the official of the Foreign Relations Department in the region's government, and Karwan Jamal Taher, the region's representative in Britain.
It is likely that the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation will visit Baghdad this weekend, most likely according to a senior political source.
The delegation will be headed by the deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Qubad Talabani, and the
source added that "reaching an agreement between the two sides has become a necessary and urgent matter on both sides of the negotiations," noting that "the files that are to be discussed, are related to the financial dues of the Kurdistan region, and oil, Non-oil imports, customs and border crossings. "
The source clarified that "the Baghdad government recognized all the files submitted by the delegation of the Kurdistan Region of God recently, including the oil production file, where the Kurdistan Regional Government delegation statistics that the quantities produced, which amount to 467 thousand barrels per day, of which 30 thousand barrels for local consumption, and the rest are exported." .
For his part, Samir Hawrami, spokesman for the deputy head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, confirmed that the center and regional governments have a sincere intention to reach an agreement, pointing out that a new round of talks will begin soon.
Hawrami said, according to Kurdish media, that "the delegation of the Kurdistan region to Baghdad, which is headed by Qubad Talabani, deputy head of the regional government, visited Baghdad 3 times, stressing that there is a good intention in Baghdad and Erbil to reach an agreement."
He added that "previous talks with political parties and officials in Baghdad , addressed the outstanding problems , including receivables and financial, oil, expenditures," adding that " a new phase of talks will begin in the future.