Economist: Currency auction will secure liquidity for the Ministry of Finance

Information/Baghdad… Economic expert Safwan Qusay confirmed that the Ministry of Finance does not suffer from any problems in securing employees’ salaries, noting that the currency auction will secure the necessary liquidity.

Qusay told Al-Maalouma, “The fear of not funding salaries is exaggerated, as the Ministry of Finance has no problem funding the employee compensation item, as it is governed by laws. In addition, some federal ministries have paid their employees’ dues, with the exception of certain units whose salaries were not funded due to lack of data or lack of conformity between the amounts requested for funding and the attached statements, which leads to procrastination.”

He added, “The Central Bank sells at a rate of 280 million dollars daily, and this number is sufficient to cover all commodity and service products.”

He explained that the price of a barrel of oil needs $69 to balance operating expenses at the current production level of 3 million and 200 thousand barrels of oil per day.

He explained that “more than $69 per barrel is used to finance the investment budget, as Iraq needs $96 per barrel to finance all operating and investment expenses.”

Almaalomah.me

Parliamentary Committee Calls on Foreign and International Companies to Invest in Iraq

Information / Baghdad… The Parliamentary Investment and Development Committee called on foreign and international companies to invest in Iraq today, Thursday, while stressing that the Iraqi market is promising and its investment environment is good.

Deputy Chairman of the Investment Committee, Hussein Al-Saabri, told Al-Maalouma Agency that “the Prime Minister discussed developing economic and trade relations with international and Arab countries to increase foreign investments in Iraq.”

He added that “local investments in Iraq are small compared to foreign and international investment capabilities and opportunities, noting that foreign investments play an important role in stimulating economic growth and developing the state’s sources of hard foreign currency.”

He continued that “foreign investments improve the image of the state and confidence in the Iraqi economy abroad, which encourages increased foreign investments.”

Almaalomah.me

More than 108 million barrels of Iraqi oil exports in one month

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced on Thursday that the total oil exports achieved for the month of July exceeded 108 million barrels of crude, according to the final statistics issued by the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO).

According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the quantity of crude oil exports amounted to (108) million, (53) thousand and (356) barrels.

The statistics indicated that the total quantities of crude oil exported last July from the oil fields in central and southern Iraq amounted to (106) million, (125) thousand, and (200) barrels, while exports from Qayyarah amounted to one million, (928) thousand, and (156) barrels.

Shafaq.com

Central Bank of Iraq on ‘unannounced’ visit to America

An informed source revealed, on Thursday, that the Central Bank of Iraq is currently making an unannounced visit to the United States of America, to discuss developments in the Iraqi banking sector.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that a delegation from the Central Bank of Iraq, headed by the Governor of the Central Bank, Ali Al-Alaq, and a number of general managers, have been visiting the United States of America since the 26th of this month, to discuss developments in the banking sector and the restrictions on the use of the dollar imposed on a large number of private banks.

He pointed out that the Central Bank delegation discussed cancelling the platform at the beginning of next year, and relying on correspondent banks, which will increase the imposition of restrictions on Iraqi private banks, and completely eliminate competition in favor of Jordanian banks that have American correspondent banks.

The source noted that the Central Bank is close to signing a contract with Oliver Wyman, the consulting firm for the Iraqi Development Road, to conduct a study on reforming the Iraqi banking sector, in order for it to be approved by the Central Bank in the coming period, and to be considered a roadmap for reforming the private banking sector.

On the other hand, a number of economists were surprised by the lack of announcement of the visit of the Central Bank of Iraq to America, especially since it comes at a very important time.

Shafaq.com

Iraq prepares a special plan for its employees’ salaries, costing 10 trillion dinars

The Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament revealed, on Thursday, its intention to prepare a special plan for the file of unifying the employees’ salary scale, indicating that its implementation costs 10 trillion dinars.

Committee member, Moeen Al-Kadhimi, explained to Shafaq News Agency that the Parliamentary Finance Committee had previously hosted the government committee concerned with the file of unifying the salary scale of state employees, and that it is working to find the necessary financial liquidity to achieve this unification.

He added that the number of employees exceeds 4 million, and that unifying their salaries requires nearly 10 trillion dinars, which necessitates financial allocations and amendments to the salary scale.

Al-Kadhimi pointed out that the Council of Ministers is the body concerned with amending the salary scale by approving a special law on salaries or the civil service law and sending it to the House of Representatives.

About 70% of Iraqi employees, estimated at five million employees, are demanding an adjustment in the salary scale due to what they see as “injustice and unfairness” compared to their peers in other ministries who are granted much higher allowances. The employees have threatened to continue their demonstrations if the procrastination and delay in their rights since 2008 continues.

The capital, Baghdad, and a number of governorates witnessed periodic demonstrations demanding an amendment to the salary scale, as thousands of employees took to the streets in mass demonstrations, heading to the Green Zone in the center of the capital, demanding an amendment to the salary scale in light of the high annual inflation rate.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani describes the salary scale amendment file as a “sensitive issue,” stressing the need to “reach a formula that achieves justice.”

Shafaq.com

Iraqi Dinar / US Dollar auction results for Wednesday 08-28-2024

Results of the foreign currency selling window for Wednesday 08/28/2024

Advertisement No. (5191)

The amount:

Total amounts of transfers abroad (transfers, credits)
268,125,565

Total cash withdrawals
12,650,000

Total total sales
280,775,565

Note that: The selling price of documentary credits and international settlements for electronic cards is ( 1310 ) dinars per dollar.

The selling price for transfer amounts abroad is ( 1310 ) dinars per dollar.
The cash selling price is ( 1305 ) dinars per dollar.

cbi.iq/currency_auction

Mark Zuckerberg regrets and repents

Alsumaria News – International… Meta CEO admitted to participating in a censorship scheme on opposing opinions.

Zuckerberg expressed deep regret and remorse for giving in to pressure from the Biden-Harris administration to censor dissenting Americans. “I think the government pressure was wrong, and I’m sorry we weren’t more upfront about it,” he said.

Zuckerberg’s regret was more humiliating than inspiring.

This sudden remorse came only after his company fought for years to hide evidence of its work with the government to censor dissenting views.

He was finally forced to release the documents by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the House Judiciary Committee.

In my book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Outrage , I discuss Facebook’s record as a key player in the anti-free speech coalition between government, corporations, academics, and the media.

In previous testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and other congressional committees, I noted that Zuckerberg continued to refuse to disclose this information after Elon Musk revealed this system in his release of the “Twitter Files.”

Zuckerberg has remained silent as Musk has been viciously attacked by anti-free speech figures in Congress and the media. He was fully aware of his company’s similar behavior but remained silent.

When the White House and the President claimedJoe BidenRepeatedly claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation, Facebook continued to withhold evidence after coming under pressure to suppress the story before the election.

After the censorship system was recently brought before the Supreme Court in Murthy v. Missouri, and the justices asked for evidence of government coordination and pressure in Murthy, the states showed lower courts that there was government coercion in securing an injunction. The Biden administration denied such pressure, and the court rejected the plaintiffs’ position, blocked an injunction to stop the censorship, and sent the case back to the lower court. Zuckerberg remained silent.

But Facebook has not been silent when it comes to censorship, or “content moderation,” as the company prefers to call it. While Zuckerberg now expresses “regret” for not speaking up sooner, his company has sought to sell censorship to Americans in the past.

In 2021, I wrote about Facebook’s commercial campaign to rally young people to embrace censorship. Facebook presented people like Josh, who says he grew up with the internet, and fellow enthusiasts Chava and Adam as happy, shiny faces for young people eager to moderate content. They were all born in 1996—the sweet spot for censorship by those who saw young people as allies in curbing free speech.

Young people have been taught for years that free speech is harmful and exciting. Zuckerberg and Facebook wanted to tap into this generation to get people to stop fearing censorship and love “content moderation.” It’s time, as Joshua and his friends tell us, to “change” with our computers.

Now, Zuckerberg and Meta want people to know that he has been “pressured” by censorship and that he is truly sorry for his role in silencing dissenting voices. But that’s the manufactured regret that comes with forcing the truth out.

The Facebook files have now exposed the lie of previous claims by the Biden administration and a large number of congressional Democrats who attacked some of us for claiming that we had no evidence of government coordination or pressure, while at the same time opposing any effort to investigate and release such evidence.

Now we have the undeniable evidence: The Biden administration has long demanded the removal of dissenting views on a wide range of topics, and Democrats in Congress have pushed Zuckerberg to expand censorship to areas like climate change denial.

As I wrote in my book, the presidentJoe BidenHe is arguably the most anti-free speech president since John Adams. His administration helped create a censorship system that one federal judge described as “Orwellian.” Vice PresidentKamala HarrisFully supportive of this effort.

Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the only election in 1800 where free speech was a major campaign issue. It should be so again. In my book, I propose a federal law that would prohibit the government from using any federal funds to support efforts to censor, blacklist, or suppress individuals or groups. Harris should say whether she would oppose such a law or support it and dismantle the current oversight apparatus in the federal government.

Alsumaria.tv

Procrastination and delay.. Expectations that the Americans will not leave Iraq

Information / Report… The government has kept its negotiations on the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq shrouded in mystery. Iraqis do not know what the axes of the Iraqi-American negotiations are, and whether there is an implicit agreement on withdrawal or a permanent stay.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced the postponement of the issue of the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq for an unknown period, which is a warning of more crimes and violations committed by these forces on Iraqi territory.

It seems that the government has turned a deaf ear to the voices calling for the withdrawal of American forces from the country, which confirms the fears of these forces remaining inside Iraqi territory.

The accusations extend to some political parties that are working to keep American forces in Iraq.

This was confirmed by the head of the organizing body of the popular movement for the Belt and Road, Hussein Al-Karawi, who accused these parties of perpetuating the American presence inside Iraq.

Al-Karawi told Al-Maalouma Agency, “These parties work to serve agendas related to their personal interests, pointing out that the attempts of Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and some other politicians to keep American forces inside Iraq come from a standpoint of common interests.”

He pointed out that “the Kurdistan Region, led by Massoud Barzani, is seeking in every way to ensure the presence of American forces in Iraq, through the clear cooperation known between it and the American and Zionist sides.”

He considered that “it is not strange for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to stand by the continued American military presence inside Iraq, and announce the postponement of the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the country.”

For his part, the leader of the United Anbar Alliance, Dhari al-Dulaimi, confirmed today, Tuesday, that the joint committees responsible for scheduling the withdrawal of American forces have not made any progress in setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Al-Dulaimi told Al-Maalouma Agency, “The joint committees concerned with withdrawing American forces from Iraq have not made any progress in setting a date to begin the process of evacuating American forces from their bases in Iraq,” noting that “the procrastination and delaying practices practiced by the American delegation are an indication that these committees are formal and came as a result of popular pressure demanding the departure of these forces.”

He added that “the rumours of American statements about the imminent withdrawal of its forces from Iraq are nothing but media speeches whose purpose is to procrastinate and delay in order to absorb the public pressure demanding their departure,” indicating that “American forces are not withdrawing from Iraq at the present time according to the statements of its officials.”

Member of the State of Law Coalition, Ahmed Al-Sudani, said on Sunday that Washington is delaying the paragraph on withdrawal from Iraq, noting that the exit of American forces is necessary to achieve national security.

Al-Sudani said in a statement to Al-Maalouma Agency, “An important part of achieving national security for Iraq is to remove the American forces that play a negative role in the security scene through repeated attacks.”

He added, “Washington is delaying its talks with Baghdad in determining the withdrawal paragraph through fixed timetables, and this matter reflects America’s agenda in Iraq and its attempt to remain despite popular rejection from all spectrums,” indicating that “the demands of the Iraqi people are clear regarding this crown.”

He explained that “the security situation in Iraq is stable and it has large forces capable of warding off terrorist threats,” noting that “the situation necessitates the withdrawal of American forces from the country and any procrastination by the administration in Washington is unacceptable.”

It is noteworthy that the current government has formed joint committees to work on expelling the Americans after the numerous violations they committed on the country’s territory.

Almaalomah.me

Al-Sudani’s plan for a second term deepens political differences

Information / Translation… A report by the NewRegen website confirmed on Wednesday that the quest of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to obtain a second term deepens the differences between the political forces in their attempt to arrange their electoral alliances in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The report, translated by Al-Maalouma Agency, stated that “according to politicians and local officials, the list proposed by Al-Sudani includes dozens of potential allies, including a number of ministers, governors, tribal sheikhs, officials, and dozens of representatives who enjoy enormous popularity.”

He added, “According to Iraqi political norms, the parliamentary bloc that obtains the largest number of seats will compete for the position of Prime Minister, and will have the final say in choosing candidates for the positions of President, Speaker of Parliament, and sovereign ministries.”

“In order to secure a second term, Al-Sudani launched a large package of infrastructure projects in the central and southern governorates in the first weeks following the formation of his government. He also employed thousands of graduates, doubled the number of beneficiaries of the welfare network, and eased tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government by ensuring a fairly regular payment of monthly salaries for KRG employees, which had been a chronic dispute with Baghdad since 2017,” he explained.

Politicians said that Al-Sudani’s recent moves and new alliances have angered most of his partners, while one of the leaders of the Coordination Framework said that “Al-Sudani exploited the framework to reach the prime minister’s office, then turned against it, and began to play on the internal differences between the forces of the Coordination Framework and exploit them to his advantage.”

Almaalomah.me

Revealing the main currency used in Iran’s trade with Iraq

Shaaban Forotan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Joint Iranian-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, revealed today, Tuesday, that the largest part of trade between Iraq and Iran, at the level of traders and exporters, is carried out through the Iranian riyal.
“Most Iranian exporters now work in riyals in trade with Iraq, and financial transactions between the two countries will continue without using the Iranian riyal, i.e. also in dollars. This does not mean the complete elimination of the dollar, but a large portion of traders conduct their transactions without the dollar,” Forotan said in statements to Iranian media.

He explained that “the commitment to trade in dollars does not include all product groups, but the exchange of riyals into dollars cannot be implemented due to sanctions imposed on banks, and riyal traders earn from selling goods in the Iraqi market through their contacts with the stock exchanges of Iraq and Iran or a third country such as the United Arab Emirates, and they do not have the possibility of direct settlement.”

He pointed out that “the supply of Iranian goods faced a problem in the Iraqi market, which is the multiple increase in the prices of goods in Iran during the year, while prices are expected to increase only once a year.”

Alsumaria.tv