Archive for February 23, 2011

A man took his life this evening.

I know very little about the young man other than he had a vision of a better life. The 22 year old was a dinar investor and had promise the investment would change his life’s course. Like many of us the gentleman had some issues which developed in his life and to complicate matters he became discouraged over the prolonged time it is taking for the dinar to revalue.

Unfortunately as a long term dinar investor I have heard this story too many times. There are no words which can soothe the pain of those who he left behind or explain why someone would ever take their own life.

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By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and YASIR GHAZI

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s top Shiite religious leaders, the populist cleric Moktada al-Sadr and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called Wednesday for Iraqis to defer their protests, leading many members of the country’s Shiite majority to say they would not join in nationwide demonstrations scheduled for Friday.

Many Sunnis said they still planned to go ahead with the demonstrations, which are being billed as a “day of rage.” But the Shiite withdrawal dealt a significant blow to protest organizers, who had hoped to fill Iraq’s streets with millions of people to call for improved government services. (more…)

Libya no-fly zone call by France fails to get David Cameron’s backing – Nicolas Sarkozy calls for sanctions to be imposed on Muammar Gaddafi, but Britain fears UN resolution may fail to win support

Nicolas Sarkozy is leading the calls for a Nato-imposed no-fly zone to be enforced over Libya to “prevent the use of that country’s warplanes against [its] population”.

Sarkozy, the current president of the G8 and G20 economic forums, has also called for the European Union to impose sanctions against Libya and suggested that the assets of the family of the Libyan leader,Muammar Gaddafi, should be frozen.

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VietFinanceNews.com – Accelerating inflation in Asian economies from Singapore to Vietnam is bolstering the case for further monetary tightening by central banks around the region.

Singapore’s inflation rate rose to a two-year high of 5.5 percent in January, while prices in Malaysia climbed at the fastest pace since mid-2009, reports today showed. Vietnam’s consumer prices gained the most in 24 months in February.

Asian currencies rose from a one-week low today on speculation central banks will raise interest rates as surging oil prices threaten to fuel inflation. China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam all increased borrowing costs this year, widening the gap with the U.S. Federal Reserve’s near-zero benchmark rate, as Asia leads a global recovery.

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Ayad Allawi

Allawi, in London, looking security relations, political and economic

LONDON (Babuz): leader of the Iraqi bloc held by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, in London on political talks, economic and security with a number of British officials .. The Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi said the peaceful demonstrations in a democratic country like Iraq which is a natural and legitimate way to reform.

During a meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in the presence of John Jenkins, Britain’s ambassador in Iraq and the official Department of Middle and Far East and a member of the Iraqi parliament Maysoon al-focused talks on the situation in Iraq and tensions in some regions of the Middle East and its impact on the political scene in the region.

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Shen, Mr. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched a sharp attack against the corruption and the corrupt during a meeting with the inspectors general in the ministries and independent bodies.

Maliki said: “We are fighting a battle against corruption and terrorism together, so we desperately need for the work of inspectors, because their basic and necessary to protect public money and construction projects and service of spoilers, and those who do not want Iraq to apply.

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BAGHDAD – Najib Amiri
Called a number of members of the House of Representatives heads of political blocs to reduce the confiscation of the right of voters to choose their representatives in parliament and compensation compensatory seats loser biggest stressing the need to review this issue carefully in order to preserve the right of voters who give him the representative of his province. “Said Board Member Representatives from a coalition Iraqi High Nassif Jassem.

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Headline: Chinese Vice Minister to Talabani: We are Ready to Complete the Requirements to Lift International Sanctions

The Republic of China People’s desire to develop mutual relations with the Republic of Iraq and its continued strong support for the completion of the requirements to lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq under UN Security Council resolutions, and enhanced cooperation at all levels of political, economic, commercial, cultural, popular and which would rise to relations between the two countries.

This came during a meeting with President Jalal Talabani at the Peace Palace in Baghdad on Wednesday, a Chinese government delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister, Jay Jones, who conveyed the greetings of Chinese President Hu Jintao and his congratulations to His Excellency the President on the occasion of his re-election as President of the Republic.

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As leaders topple, regimes change and nerves jangle across the Middle East and North Africa, debates rage about democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Suddenly the reputation of George W Bush – whose calls for democracy in the region were ridiculed by those who stated that the region has no history of that form of government – is being viewed (by some) in a kinder light.

If we divert our attention from current events in Libya, Iran, Bahrain and Yemen, and focus specifically on the kingdoms, emirates and sheikhdoms of the GCC nations, what are the chances of their moving to what we in the West think of as democracy? And what are the changes of mindset that they would need to go through to succeed in putting in place what Winston Churchill once referred to as the “least worst form of government”? (more…)

Energy Source:

Colonel Gaddafi’s rather strange television appearance last night failed to quell the Libyan insurrection, and this morning has seen a mounting number of oil companiesdepart the country and the oil price continue to surge.

The news for Opec in the short term is bad, with Libya currently accounting for 1.6m barrels a day of oil production. In the long term, it could be even worse, however, especially if trouble spreads to Kuwait, with 2.3m b/d, Iran, with 3.7m, or even the big one – Saudi Arabia, with 8.3m. (more…)

Increase follows massive loss of around $141 bn in 2009

Strong crude prices boosted the nominal economy of Gulf oil producers by nearly $130 billion in 2010 while real GDP growth sharply rebounded, according to a key Saudi bank.

The rise in oil prices also turned the deficit in the combined fiscal balance in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) into a surplus last year and largely widened their current account, the Saudi America Bank Group (Samba) said in a study.

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The Guardian
(Reuters) – The euro fell on Tuesday while the dollar rallied broadly after escalating political tension in Libya prompted selling in higher-yielding assets for the safety of the U.S. currency and also the Swiss franc.

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The Times of India
TOKYO: The euro was weaker in Asia on Tuesday as risk-averse investors sold the unit and sought safe havens amid escalating violence in Libya, dealers said.

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The member of the National Alliance for the Supreme Council Hassoun The House of Representatives is determined to detect the files and cases of corruption that have occurred in past years.

Ali said in a statement to the news agency public opinion (and babysit): “The Parliament and its members are determined hard to detect corrupt files that have occurred in past years,” noting that all the national representatives, they should represent the Iraqi people who elected and that would go directly in this direction and work on detect corrupt files that represent the disease is endemic in all aspects of the state.

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The latest daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq on the 23-FEB-2011. The results were as follows:

DETAILS NOTES
Number of banks 16
Auction price selling dinar / US$ 1170
Auction price buying dinar / US$ —–
Amount sold at auction price (US$) 177,638,000
Amount purchased at Auction price (US$) —–
Total offers for buying (US$) 177,638,000
Total offers for selling (US$) —–

Source: CBI

Gen. Jeffrey BuchananBaghdad, Feb. 23 (AKnews) – The spokesman of the U.S. forces in Iraq described on Wednesday the Iraqi government’s decision to postpone the purchase of American F-16 fighter planes as a positive step towards serving the Iraqi public.

Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan told AKnews that with increasing public demands being made on the Iraqi government, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has some crucial decisions to make.

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Indian businessmen have started exploring Iraq for business opportunities. But the greatest hurdle that prevents an influx of Indian workers to Iraq is the security issue.

As Iraq, devastated by the US-led assault, followed by long years of sectarian fighting and violence degenerating into a civil war, limps back to normalcy and reconstruction activity gathers pace, a lot of business and employment opportunities are opening up.

Indian businessmen have started exploring the region for business opportunities, and the smaller ones are gingerly feeling their way around the place, sniffing out economic opportunities.

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Dozens of people attended a peaceful demonstration in central Tahrir Square today, which cordoned off since early morning, the Iraqi security forces and cut off the highways leading to it, and the participants in the demonstration is subject to inspection measures in successive stages as they enter and exit from the area designated for protests.

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Report showed the annual plan for the World Bank’s intention to help Iraq face the challenges of economic and development under the cooperation with the new government and the Bank seeks to technical assistance and advisory services on some of the economic policies especially in the areas of governance and public sector management in order to help Iraq use its resources effectively in the management of economic policy overall, particularly oil revenues and investment in infrastructure by facilitating partnerships between the public and private sectors, social protection and provision of services.

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Eqal President of the United Nations Mission in Iraq, Ad Melkert, the popular demonstrations taking place in Iraqi cities indicate the importance of resolving the problems between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, warning of the possibility of its transformation into a source of trouble in the future.

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Alsumaria News received a copy of a document showing that two thirds of Al Iraqiya List members signed in favor of naming Qutaiba Al Jibouri as Vice President instead of Tarek Al Hashemi.

59 MPs from Al Iraqiya signed the document and called on President Jalal Talabani to name Al Iraqiya’s candidate Al Jibouri for the position of Vice President.

Al Iraqiya on other hand issued a statement on Monday in which it announced the dismissal of MP Ahmad Al Uraibi and Qutaiba Al Jibouri for violating the national project and connecting with opposed parties.

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Wednesday February 23, 2011

Started the conference and exhibition of Baghdad (work for work) on Tuesday, with 100 international and Arab companies and foreign countries in various disciplines and will last for three days.

The opening ceremony was held which was attended by Chairman of the National Investment Sami Araji and Chairman of the Securities Abdul Razzaq al-Saadi, at the Hall of the Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Baghdad.

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Iraq demonstrations highlight the scourge of poverty is a major

Faleeha good living in a small house in central Baghdad, with 11 members of her family, which like thousands of other protesters in Iraq do not believe that political leaders are making no effort to improve her life.

Says Faleeha (67 years), sitting on the ground surrounded by  in the house you live in two decades “Politicians, officials and leaders do not care about us, they have a lot of money and do not care for others.”

And problems experienced by Faleeha Hassan and her children and grandchildren continued in Iraq since the fall of the regime in 2003.

And her son, and Sam is the only source of livelihood in this family, through the sale of soup for visitors near the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Gailani.

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The Central Bank of Iraq, on Wednesday, said Iraq’s debt paid 3 thousand and five hundred creditor commercial value of $ 2.7 billion, as a means to protect his money from the manipulation of foreign trading companies.

The bank adviser said the appearance of Mohammed Saleh, told the Kurdish news agency (Rn) that “Iraq’s debt paid for 3 and a half thousand commercial creditor, in order to protect his money from foreign manipulation and prevent exposure of the means of fraud carried out by some global business.”

It is hoped that Iraq shall submit to the UN Security Council a detailed report in May next, looking the most important pillars of the protection of Iraqi funds.

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Baghdad (news) .. A member of a coalition of state law and the National Alliance MP Ehsan Al-Awadi said the beginning of next month will choose the security minister. The House of Representatives has voted by majority to give confidence to the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, without the security ministries in December 21 last year.

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The deputy of the National Coalition House of Representatives, said Tuesday that the demonstrations that feature in Iraq on 25 this month, will push the government towards the provision of basic services and the ration card items as soon as possible.

And frequent calls in the sites of social interaction on the Internet and auction sites Iraq, to do a demonstration Magdy Rady on 25 this month, in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad and a number of cities in the country, to protest against poor service and lack of ration card items and demand the elimination of unemployment and financial and administrative corruption.

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VietFinanceNews.com – The International Monetary Fund called for a weaker dollar to help the United States reduce its deficits with the rest of the world and rebalance the global economy, in a report released Wednesday.

In the report prepared for a Group of 20 finance chiefs meeting last week, the IMF said that its calculations showed the dollar remains “on the strong side” of medium-term fundamentals, while the euro and the Japanese yen were “broadly in line” and several Asian currencies, including China, were undervalued.

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MP from the Sadrist movement for procrastination Prince Kanani (NA) some political blocs its commitment to the Iraqi List, the National Council for the formation of strategic policies.

Kanani said that some political blocs stalling in meeting its commitment to the Iraqi List, and therefore, this procrastination is part of reneging on the agreement that was in Arbil, “hoping to commit to the political blocs in agreement that recognizes, as agreed at the initiative of Massoud Barzani.”

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