For those who can't get on OM, and who don't have access to the forum. I will post here the articles I like for the day and some of my thoughts. Check back later
The news received the text of the proposed law to activate the institution of the presidency of the Kurdistan region - Iraq and amend the mechanism of electing the president until the legislation of the Constitution, and came as follows:
Article (1)
Cancel the law of suspension of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq No. (10) for the year 2018 and activate the Presidency of the Territory.
Article (2)
Abolition of the law of the distribution of the powers of the Presidency of the Territory to the constitutional institutions in Region No. (2) of 2017.
Article (3)
Exemption from the provision of Article II of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq Presidency Law No. (1) amended for the year 2005, the Parliament of Kurdistan - Iraq elects the President of the Territory with the powers and duties contained in the law of the presidency of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq until the ratification of the Constitution of Kurdistan - Iraq, The President and the President of the citizens of Kurdistan - Iraq at the internal and external levels and speaks on their behalf and coordinates between the federal authorities and the authorities of the region.
Article (4)
Firstly:
Exemption from the provision of Article (7) of the Presidency of Kurdistan Region - Iraq Law No. (1) of 2005 (amended), the Kurdistan Parliament shall take the following procedures for the election of the President of the Region:
The Parliament of Kurdistan shall open the door of candidacy within 30 days of the election of the Presidency of Parliament.
Candidates who meet the conditions stipulated in Article (5) of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq Law No. (1) of 2005 shall register within three (3) days from the date of opening the candidacy and submit their applications and curricula vitae to the Presidency of Parliament.
The Presidency of the Parliament shall announce the names of the candidates who meet the required legal conditions within two (2) days of the closing date of the candidature.
Any applicant may object to the non-declaration of his name within two days from the date of the names of the candidates before the Court of Cassation. The Court of Cassation shall decide the appeal within two days and the judgment shall be final.
The President of the Territory shall be elected by a public vote and by an absolute majority vote of the members of Parliament within three (3) days from the date of the final decision on appeals.
In the event that no candidate obtains an absolute majority, the voting process shall be re-established. The competition shall be limited to the two candidates who obtained the majority of the votes. The majority of them shall be elected the second time, the President of the Territory. If there is only one candidate for the post of President of the Territory, , And becomes the head of the region if the candidate obtained a majority of the votes in parliament.
Second: Exemption from the provision of point (1) of paragraph (1) of this article, the Parliament of Kurdistan opens the door to run for the post of President of the Territory within three (3) days of the issuance of this law.
Article (5)
First: The mandate of the President of the Territory ends with the expiration of the term of Parliament.
Second: The President of the Territory shall continue to perform his duties and exercise his powers until the election of a President under the provisions of this Law.
Article (6)
No legal provision or decision contrary to the provisions of this law shall apply.
Article (7)
The concerned parties shall implement the provisions of this law
Article (8)
This Law shall be implemented from the date of its issuance and shall be published in the Official Gazette (Kurdistan Chronicle)
Positive reasons
This law was issued for the purpose of activating the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region - Iraq and the election of the President of the Territory by Parliament.
Enter the plan to visit Imam Kadhim {p} in Baghdad to take effect
(Baghdad: al-Furat News) Governor of Baghdad, Falah al-Jazairi announced the entry into force of the plan to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Musa al-Kadhim.
The Algerian said in a statement received by the agency {Euphrates News} a copy of it, "the plan will see the participation of officials of the security services and services in the capital and administrative units," pointing to "the readiness of all the circles chock." He added that "the plan will include the deployment of teams to monitor the rumors and deal with them to prevent exploitation to disturb the atmosphere of the visit," noting that "the police will deploy 988 patrols along the paths of the movement of visitors." He pointed out that the Red Crescent will participate hundreds of relief teams in the capital Baghdad and its surroundings, as well as full mobilization of health services and cadres within fixed and mobile teams to provide medical and therapeutic services. The Baghdad Operations Command announced on Thursday the full details of the plan to secure the visit to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Kadhim. "The plan to secure the visit will start at 6 am on Saturday and will include the division of the city of Kadhimiya into several security hoops to protect visitors while preventing the movement of motorcycles in it and will provide air space for the march aircraft," Baghdad Operations Commander Major General Jalil al-Rubaie told a press conference. He added that "the car load will also prevent the entry of Kadhimiya and prevent the wheels coming from the provinces to Baghdad as of Saturday." "All roads in Baghdad will be opened except in the direction of Kadhimiya and the 14 Ramadan Bridge will be open," he said. "The bridges that will be closed during the visit are the Sarafiya bridge and the Imams and the bridge will be closed." He pointed out that "there is continuous cooperation with the owners of processions and citizens to make the success of the visit Rajabip and measures have been taken regarding the possibility of parents of sick souls spread rumors to confuse the visit." It is noteworthy that the Council of Ministers had announced next Tuesday an official holiday in the capital only, in conjunction with the visit and several other provinces announced a similar decision. Ended.
The deputies of the liberated provinces reject political and media targeting and demand a meeting in the presence of Halbusi
[Baghdad-where] The deputy deputies of the liberated provinces on Friday rejected what they called "political and media targeting" for them, while demanding an emergency meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohamed Halboussi to discuss the issue.
"We reject the political and media targeting issued by parties and political figures towards the MPs Falah al-Zaidan and Ahmed al-Jubouri on the background of revealing corruption files in their province of Nineveh," said the deputies in a statement received by the agency. "What they have done deserves praise and thanks, not targeting and defamation without evidence. , As well as Jubouri and Zaidan forward hundreds of martyrs from their cousins and contributed significantly and effectively in the battles of liberation. The deputies added that "we will have a position towards this escalation against the deputies of the liberated provinces," calling on political partners to "stop the media escalation, which leads us to complicate the political situation, which basically needs to moisten the atmosphere does not disturb." The deputies stressed that "the leaders of the parties and the heads of the blocs should play a role in stopping this escalation towards elected deputies who have done their parliamentary role in the best picture." They stressed that "this is a right granted to them by the constitution; no body has the right to prevent them from exercising their duties guaranteed by law. The Iraqi constitution. "
URGENTArrest of owner of the tourist island and his son to the city of Mosul in Erbil
Editorial date: 2019/3/30 0:05•572 times prescribed
(Baghdad: Al-Furat News) announced the crisis cell in the province of Nineveh, the arrest of the owner of the tourist island in the city of Mosul, which witnessed the incident of sinking the ferry and killed dozens of people on 21 March.
A statement of the cell received by the agency {Euphrates News} a copy of it was arrested both of the 'slaves of Ibrahim Ali' and his son {Ryan Obeid Ibrahim} in coordination with the Kurdistan region. He said that "they were arrested by the crime control in the city of Erbil." The ferry sank on March 21 in the Tigris River, carrying more than 200 people on the tourist island in the forest area of the city of Mosul, causing the death and loss of dozens of victims and the search is still underway for the bodies of the drowned. Sources say the death toll has reached about 100 people, mostly women and children. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi announced the general mourning for three days in all parts of Iraq on the lives of the victims and ordered the formation of a commission of inquiry into the incident and accountability of those who are behind us. The Mosul investigation court also decided to arrest 9 workers responsible for the ferry and issued an arrest warrant against the owner of the ferry and the owner of the island. The Supreme Judicial Council decided to set up a special investigative body to investigate the incident, including a number of judges and prosecutors in Mosul.
Finance launches Olympic Committee grant and final date of exchange
Iraq's National Olympic Committee (NOC) has announced the Ministry of Finance's launch of the March current account grant in the name of the National Olympic Committee.
"The next week will see the release of the discharge from the financial secretariat of the Olympic Committee and the end of the crisis after the agreement between the representatives of the Tripartite Commission, which was charged with managing the financial grant allocated within the federal budget for 2019," the financial secretary said in a statement. He praised the "Deputy Chairman of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and Representatives of the Youth and Sports Committee for their active participation in the end of the crisis and the convergence of views which resulted in the formation of committees emanating from the minutes of the first meeting of the Tripartite Commission.
Sadr during paying respect to the his late father in Najaf
Sadrist Movement Leader Muqtada al-Sadr appeared for the first time since his return to Iraq few days ago, while visiting the grave of his father, Mohamed Sadeq al-Sadr, in Najaf.
Sadr returned to Iraq after a visit to the Lebanese capital Beirut for a few months, according to Lebanese media.
Sadr has stopped holding meetings and writing on Twitter since the end of December last year.
Saairun Alliance Parliament member Raed Fahmi said that Sadr has refrained from intervening in the current phases of the government formation, adding that he will speak out in case the government got off the reform track.
Fahmi said in an interview that Sadr has affirmed he would intervene in the early stages of the new government formation, adding that Sadr's "silence is considered a chance [given] to the government, [to] watch its performance." "
The oil licensing rounds in the country have achieved "great achievements in raising the capacity of production of crude oil to unprecedented numbers," a senior official in the Iraqi oil sector said on Friday evening.
He said Abdul-Mahdi al-Amidi, Director General of the Department of Oil Contracts and Licenses in the Iraqi Ministry of Oil in a lecture today that the contracts of licensing rounds concluded with giant companies "recorded a turning point" in the field of the oil industry in the country to develop oil fields, notably Rumaila and Zubair and crazy and Western Qurna I and II, .
He explained that Iraq produced from all the fields of licensing rounds managed by foreign companies for the period 2010-2018 more than 8 billion and 500 million barrels of crude oil, and achieved financial returns exceeded 571 billion and 400 million dollars. Al-Ameedi pointed out that the net profits of foreign companies operating in licensing rounds amounted to about 7 billion dollars for the period 2010-2018. Al-Amidi said that the General Authority for Iraqi taxes achieved for the same period financial profits exceeded 2.5 billion dollars, while the cost of production of a barrel of Iraqi crude oil capital and operating and wages profitability of 9 dollars and 5 cents, while the cost of production will continue to fall below this rate annually.
He said that Iraq has a large project in cooperation with one of the international oil companies, called the "Integrated South Project to develop the fields of Ben Omar and Artawi, and construction of a sea water project to address oil fields, and expand the export capacity of crude oil to more than 6 million barrels per day. He added that Iraq "is currently in contact with Kuwait and Iran, to resolve the issue of oil fields and border joint, and that negotiations with Kuwait has made significant progress in the contacts with Iran did not register any formula of agreement.
In case war erupted between Iraq, Iran, on which side IMIS will be?
Iraqi President Barham Salih and Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani
Iraqi armed militias supported by Iran have spread enormously across the Iraqi territory, where their leaders receive orders from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hence, their loyalty is to Iran.
It is no longer a secret that there are more than 67 armed Shiite sectarian militias, of which 41 are from Iran.
All of these armed Shiite militias operate under IMIS headed by Falih al-Fayadh, who are loyal to Qassem Soleimani, chief of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force.
If war between Iraq and Iran erupted tomorrow, which country would IMIS choose to be on its side? The Baghdad Post has asked some activists to state their opinions.
IMIS is divided into two references; the first is Iraqi, has a political representation inside Iraq, which is linked ideologically to Najaf. It is believed that this reference would stand by Iraq, said Zaid Abd al-Wahab, a member of the International Relations Academy.
While the other reference is linked to the Iranian Marja' (reference), and complies with Soleimani's orders, Abd al-Wahab said, adding that this reference would fight for Iran.
Sheikh Hussein al-Mo'aied told The Baghdad Post that IMIS is an armed military arm for Iran to secure the influence and dominance of the Iranian regime inside Iraq.
It is clear that these militias will prevent a war to take place between Iran and Iraq, but if it happened, undoubtedly, they would stand by Mullahs, Mo'aied said.
Lebanese international lawyer Tariq Shandab, said that these militias are loyal to Iran and will stand by Khamenei.
Hussein al-Janabi, a leader of the National Front for the Salvation of Iraq, ruled out the possibility that a war would take place between the two countries, adding that all the militias' leaders, as well as the Iraqi government, are under the leadership of Tehran and abide by Khamenei's instructions.
A large group of IMIS will stand with Iran, Dr. Anwar Malik, an Algerian thinker said, adding that some leaders of the Iran-backed militia had fought with Khamenei against their country. "
Monday, the start of issuing a free visa between Iraq and Iran
The Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Bahram Qasimi, said that the issuance of visas for free Iranian and Iraqi nationals will take effect on April 1 in accordance with the agreement reached between the two countries.
In a statement to an Iranian radio and television reporter, Qasimi said that after the historic visit by Iranian President Hassan Rowhani to Iraq two weeks ago, it was agreed to cancel the fees to issue entry visas to the nationals of the two countries and make them free. He noted that "this agreement was the result of the efforts of officials and all concerned bodies and meetings between the delegations of the two countries at the level of experts." "In contrast to some perceptions, during the visit of President Ruhani to Iraq, no document was signed on canceling the entry features of the two countries," the foreign ministry spokesman said. "Iran and Iraq have agreed not to pay any fees for the issuance of features as an effective and facilitating factor in relations and popular ties and the issuance of features free of charge to nationals of both countries," Qassimi continued. After the visit of President Rohani and his accompanying delegation, all necessary preparations were made to implement this agreement in Iran, and the follow-up was required by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Consular Section and other departments. According to the information received, Iraq and after the ratification by the Iraqi Council of Ministers of this agreement It has carried out executive actions in the past few days in the context of the implementation of the Agreement. He said that the issuance of attributes to the citizens of both countries has become final and final, and this agreement will enter into force from April 1.
A tripartite meeting of the foreign minister with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts
[Follow-up] Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim attended a meeting which included Foreign Ministers Sameh Shukri and Jordan's Ayman Safadi.
The participants reviewed ways to enhance cooperation, coordination and tripartite integration in various fields within the framework of the historical relations between the three countries and the possibility of achieving strategic and economic interests to meet the aspirations of the peoples of our sister countries. Sameh Shukri said the meeting was a follow-up to what was agreed upon by the leaders of the three countries, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Adel Abdul-Mahdi, during their summit held in Cairo recently. He said the meeting discussed how to implement the mandates of the three foreign ministers to prepare for future meetings at the technical level until the implementation of the priorities set by the three leaders begins. The Foreign Minister described the relations between the three countries as historic, pointing out that there are areas of economic cooperation in the benefit of the peoples of the three countries.
Crisis cell: arrest of the owners of the tourist island in Nineveh
The crisis cell in Mosul announced on Friday the arrest of the owners of the tourist island Obeid al-Hadidi and his son Rayan al-Hadidi. "The owners of the tourist island, Obeid al-Hadidi and his son Rayan al-Hadidi, have been arrested," said Ninewa operations chief and member of the crisis cell Maj. Gen. Najem al-Jubouri on his Facebook page. .
Khalid Abdul-Ilah (Degla): Everyone who fights corruption is subject to political squabbling
Political analyst Khalid Abdul-Ilah said on Saturday that anyone trying to fight corruption is interfering with your political strife.
"The political targeting is confusing the situation in general," he said. "Fighting corruption depends on stages.
He pointed out that Iraq needs to reveal the leaders and political blocs in favor of the citizen.
Kauaihn Economic Times:
ECONOMIC TIMES / CHATTER
FOR TWITTER ACCT
Just send a text message from your cell phone to:
40404 (may have to add 40404 as a contact first) Then send a message that says: Follow @FactsnOpinion1 and you will join their twitter feed and instantly get the doc. You do NOT have to join twitter to get tweets
Among 10 Things to Know: Trump revels in retelling early results of Mueller probe; Democrats intensify demands for full Mueller report; Justice Dept. could review Smollett case; New Zealand mosque survivor forgives attacker; Arabs seek unity on Golan. Read the full story
OIL/COMMODITIES/ENERGY
Gold on track for 3-session skid as dollar gains traction higher
MarketWatch
Gold prices on Thursday head lower for a third straight day, with the longest skidin three weeksin sight for the precious metal as a firmer dollar helps to undercut demand.Read the full story
METALS-Copper slips on stronger dollar, eyes trade talks
Reuters
London copper prices edgedlower in early Asian trade on Thursday as the dollarstrengthened, while investors awaited news from U.S.-China tradetalks restarting in Beijing. A strong greenback makes dollar-denominated metals moreexpensive for holders of other currencies and weighs on prices. FUNDAMENTALS * COPPER: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.2 percent to $6,321.50 a tonne by0204 GMT, aftereking out a 0.1 percent gain in the previous session. Themost-traded May copperRead the full story
Trump demands that OPEC produce more oil as prices get 'too high' POLITICO
“Very important that OPEC increase the flow of Oil,” Trump tweeted.Read the full story
Judge rules US not in compliance with federal law on drilling plan
The Hill
A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the U.S. government's study of drilling projects in Colorado wasn't in compliance with federal law and ordered the government to do further analysis.Read the full story
BANKS/BANKING/CREDIT
Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan steps down suddenly
New York (CNN Business) Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan is stepping down effective immediately as the bank struggles to overcome a litany of scandals.
The Search For Relief From Banks’ ‘Suffocating’ Legacy Infrastructure
the money cloud
FinTech competition quickly ended banks’ practice of turning a blind eye to a lack of digital offerings. With more options than ever, customers demand better services, and that often cannot be offered without better technology. While partnering with and acquiring FinTechs has emerged as a key strategy for traditional financial institutions to ramp up their […]Read the full story
Deutsche Bank reportedly wants to raise up to $11 billion to buy Commerzbank. Its market cap is only $15 billion
Business Insider
Deutsche Bank is reportedly planning on raising up to €10 billion ($11.2 billion) in fresh equity as part of its bid for Commerzbank, according to the Financial Times. The plan is designed to end speculation about the bank's capital levels, with figures of between €3 billion and €10 billion being discussed. Merger plans between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have been repeatedly scrutinized as part of a plan to create a "German champion" in financial services. The merger plans between GermanRead the full story
Why this seemingly expensive credit card is worth its annual fee — especially for anyone who travels Business Insider
Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective. The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a much higher annual fee ($550) than most credit or charge cards, which can scare some people off. However, the benefits and perks you can get from the card far outweighRead the full story
Greek bank deposits drop for second month in a row in February
Reuters
Greek private sector bankdeposits dropped in February for the second consecutive month,central bank data showed on Thursday.Read the full story
TREASURIES/BONDS/STOCKS
Investors needed bonds, not alternatives, in 2018
Axios
Asset managers have been moving away from fixed income and towards alternatives in recent years, looking to generate higher returns. But in 2018 the best performing portfolios were those that did just the opposite, a survey released today from investment bank Natixis found.Read the full story
Investors should be pleased with first quarter stock and bond gains
CNBC
It's not just that the S&P 500, up 11.9 percent, is having its best quarter since 2012. Everything is up, including stocks and bonds.Read the full story
Global bond yields continue to fall as as recession fears haunt markets Business Insider
Global bond yields continue to fall raising real concerns about the rising risk of recession. Stock markets held up despite the negative sentiment with traders boosted by ongoing trade war negotiations between the US and China. US, Japanese, and Australian yields plunged prompting fears that central banks could look to ease monetary policy. Global recession fears are unabated as credit markets signal led further dismay about slowing growth with yields on US Treasuries slipping once again. YieldsRead the full story
Stock Markets Mar 29, 2019 09:57 GMTInvesting.com- Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Friday, March 29: 1. U.S. stocks set for best quarterly performance since 2009 U.S. futures pointed to a higher open on Friday with the S&P 500 on track for gains of more than 12% in the first three months of the year in what would be its best quarterly performance since 2009. Traders appeared to show optimism over recent developments seen in trade negotiations between theRead the full story
CRYPTO'S / DIGITAL CURRENCY
Bitcoin Needs Price Gain for Bull Reversal in March
CoinDesk
A bull reversal would be confirmed if bitcoin closes March at levels above $4,190, price charts suggest.Read the full story
Coinsbit: the first cryptocurrency exchange in the world, integrated with the 200,000 POS terminals
AMBCrypto
Coinsbit is the first exchange in the history of cryptocurrencies, which has implemented a large integration with 200,000 POS-terminals. Now it provides the possibility to its users to purchase digital coins for Fiat funds with no mediator involved. Tokens will be available for purchase through terminals, in case it is listed both on the exchange...Read the full story
Japan Green Lights 2nd Crypto Exchange for April Launch as Data Shows Huge Interest
Cointelegraph
Crypto exchanges are passing Japan’s licensing scheme as figures reveal a total of 23 in pipelineRead the full story
CURRENCIES
Dollar gains ahead of final read of 2018 GDP MarketWatch
The U.S. dollar on Thursday strengthens ahead of a final read of fourth-quarter gross domestic product, which could be cut and serve as an indicator of the severity of the slowdown in the U.S. economy.Read the full story
Dollar climbs to 3-week high despite GDP revision
MarketWatch
The U.S. dollar on Thursday strengthens across the board against its G-10 and emerging market rivals, shrugging off a downward revision in fourth quarter GDP data.Read the full story
Pound LIVE: GBP Sterling lower against euro and US dollar after DUP Brexit blow
Express
THE pound is trading lower this morning after DUP leader Arlene Foster confirmed the Northern Irish party "cannot sign up" to Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Mrs Foster reiterated her opposition of the deal, blaming its controversial "backstop" provisions designed to prevent a hard border. The unionist party fears the measures will place a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, potentially seeing divergence between the rules in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.Read the full story
Turkey imposes currency controls ahead of its upcoming local elections
Axios
Turkey has essentially imposed currency controls ahead of upcoming local elections in which candidates supporting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are facing tough challenges.Read the full story
Turkish lira slides 5 percent ahead of key elections this weekend
CNBC
The Turkish lira dropped by as much as 5 percent against the dollaron Thursday morning, as the country gears up for elections this weekend.Read the full story
HEALTH / SCIENCE
The FDA Wants to Change Mammogram Regulations for the First Time in Two Decades
Lonafarnib: How This Cancer Drug Has Shown Promise For the Treatment of Dementia Newsweek
Not all drug development needs to start from scratch. Sometimes researchers discover that a drug developed for one disease can be used for another.Read the full story
Vaping may be more dangerous than we realized
Vox
E-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes but that doesn’t mean they’re harmless.Read the full story
Anti-vaxxers open door for measles, mumps, other old-time diseases back from near extinction
USA TODAY
The current measles outbreaks puts a spotlight on old diseases making a comeback, sometimes because of a failure to vaccinate.Read the full story
Endometriosis: Why does it take years for women to be diagnosed? ABC News
US growth revised down amid fears of global slowdown - business live
the guardian
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as worries of a global slowdown spook investors Latest: US economy growing slower than thought Turkish president hits out over lira crisis Eurozone confidence weakens again Introduction: Falling bond yields show growth worries are building 1.07pm GMT Today’s GDP report further muddies the water about whether Donald Trump achieved his target of 3% growth last year, or not. The Commerce Department estimates that GDP rose by 2.9% in 2018,Read the full story
U.S. Economy Slowed Last Year More Than Previously Reported
TheStreet
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis says gross domestic product grew at a 2.2% clip in the fourth quarter of 2018, below the initially reported 2.6%. The U.S. economy grew at a 2.2% clip in the fourth quarter of 2018, slower than previously reported. The revision down from 2.6% was published Thursday by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis. The actual pace of expansion represents an even more dramatic slowdown than previously understood from the 3.4% growthRead the full story
NBC News poll: Americans split on who will win in 2020
NBC News
A majority of Americans do not believe that nominating a female or nonwhite candidate will help or hurt the Democratic Party in the general election, according to the poll.Read the full story