Iraq & The US Affirm The Importance Of Strengthening & Developing Bilateral Relations.

[Luigi1]

Here's some articles of Dinarian interests...

Direct From The SANDBOX Report.

-Iraq & The US Affirm The Importance Of Strengthening & Developing Bilateral Relations.

-The Yellow Metal Soars & Renews Its All-Time High.

-World Gold Council: 29% Of Central Banks Plan To Purchase Gold By 2025.

Treat as rumors.  Not verified.  Your opine.

 

FROM IRAQI SOURCES:   Al-Mashhadani & The US Chargé d'Affaires Affirm The Importance Of Strengthening & Developing Bilateral Relations.

ARTICLE:  Speaker of Parliament Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani and the Chargé d'Affaires of the US Ambassador to Iraq Daniel Rubinstein stressed the importance of strengthening & developing bilateral relations.

 

A statement by Al-Mashhadani's media office said that the Speaker of Parliament received today the Chargé d'Affaires of the US Ambassador to Iraq Daniel Rubinstein, who extended his congratulations to the Speaker of Parliament on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, wishing well for Muslims & Iraq on this occasion.

According to the statement, the meeting dealt with emphasizing ways to strengthen & develop bilateral relations between the two countries in the political & economic files & developing investment to serve the interests of the two countries.

The meeting also discussed the security situation and the importance of stability in Iraq & its reflection on the upcoming parliamentary elections, which the political blocs are preparing to participate in.

 

-The Yellow Metal Soars & Renews Its All-Time High.
The price of gold futures for June 2025 delivery on the Comex, a division of the NY Mercantile Exchange hit an all-time high on April 2, 2025.

Data available from the trading platform indicates that the price of an ounce of gold has risen above $3,200.

By 23:29 Moscow time on April 2, the price of gold had risen 1.12% to $3,201.6 per ounce. By 07:00 Moscow time on April 3, the price of gold had slowed to $3,171.5 per ounce (up 0.02%).

Gold prices, a precious metal long considered a safe haven during times of economic and geopolitical instability, continue their steady upward trend, reaching new highs in the markets.

 

Meanwhile, the price of Brent crude futures for June 2025 delivery on the London ICE Futures Exchange fell 0.12% to $73.28 per barrel.  The price of West Texas Intermediate crude futures for May 2025 delivery fell 0.06% to $70.03 per barrel. 

 

-World Gold Council: 29% Of Central Banks Plan To Purchase Gold By 2025.
 The World Gold Council confirmed on Tuesday that 29% of countries' central banks intend to purchase the precious metal in 2025.  The council said in a report seen by Shafaq News Agency that "29% of countries' central banks intend to purchase gold during the current year," noting that
 "the purchases are due to the desire to restore balance to a more strategic level in these reserves, financial market concerns, as well as the
 increased risks of crises & rising inflation."

 

He added that "gold continues to attract the attention of central banks as a reserve asset," noting that "increasingly complex geopolitical & financial factors make managing gold reserves more important than ever."

 

He pointed out that  "central banks added 1,037 tons of gold in 2023, the second-highest annual purchases in history, after setting a record of
1,082 tons in 2022."
 
Iraq has gold reserves of 162.7 tons, ranking 28th among countries with the highest reserves of the precious metal.  

 

 

[Luigi1]

Here's another article related to the above...the empire strikes back...

 

 

James Hickman:   China: I See Your Trade War And Raise You A Cyberwar.

ARTICLE:  It was sometime in the spring of 323 BC when Alexander the Great-- the “King of the World”-- passed through the gates of ancient Babylon for the last time.

 

He had already conquered the city nearly a decade before. But his men were worn out from fighting in India and Persia, and Babylon was a secure place to give his army a much-needed rest.

 

They remained there for a few months, until, quite suddenly, Alexander became extremely ill on either the 10th or 11th of June and then died.

 

The cause of his death is unknown. Some say he was poisoned. Others blame malaria, typhoid fever, or complications from his battle wounds.

 

 What is certain, however, is that he left behind no legitimate male heir, as his wife was still pregnant at the time of his death. So almost immediately a power struggle broke out as to who would succeed him.

 

 Macedonian tradition at the time dictated that whoever buried Alexander’s body would be the rightful claimant to his empire.

 

 Well, Alexander’s dying wish was to be buried at an oasis in North Africa-- more than 1,000 miles away. So you can just imagine the nearly year-long cat-and-mouse game where all of these generals and nobles vying for the throne continually tried to steal Alexander’s corpse from one another.

 

There were assassinations, sabotage, secret missions, and more, not to mention full-blown warfare among the various factions which ultimately lasted for decades-- ironically far longer than Alexander reigned.

 

 In the end, Alexander’s empire broke apart. And one of the victors-- a former general and bodyguard, named Ptolemy-- ended up taking over Egypt and established a ruling dynasty that lasted for centuries.

 

 Their economic system in the ancient Ptolemaic Kingdom was essentially what we would today call “national capitalism”.

 

 The bureaucracy was massive. Absolutely massive. Onerous regulations controlled commerce and trade. Nothing was produced that wasn’t in the government’s interest. Caravan routes and waterways were owned by the state, and their use was heavily taxed.

 

There were taxes on salt, stamp duties on legal documents, taxes on inheritance, and a sales tax of 10%. Plus, the tax on income reached as high as 50%.