Walkingstick
These [new exchange] centers were established because many Iraqi banks inside of Iraq were operating and acting outside of the CBI laws. So Sudani shut them [bad banks] down
...Sudani all of a sudden started to reopen most, if not all, of his banks that he had shut down.
Why? Because he controls the monetary reform. Sudani is the boss of the monetary reform with no interference from thievery, profiteering from political people like it always was.
Iraq’s long-awaited census to shape Iraq’s future development plans
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government has announced plans to conduct the country’s first general population and housing census in 27 years on November 20, 2024.
The last census in 1997 recorded a population of 22.33 million, while the Ministry of Planning estimated the 2022 population at around 42 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.5%. For the first time, the census will employ technology for data collection.
The long-awaited census is considered by experts necessary for the success of Iraq’s five-year development plan since it will provide accurate data to shape a comprehensive, sustainable strategy centered on the private sector.
Enumeration and Survey Process
The Ministry of Planning confirmed that preparations for the census are ongoing, with the process now entering the final stages. The current phase, which began on September 1, focuses on the enumeration and survey of all households, buildings, and facilities across Iraq. The process will continue for two months, during which all family members in the country will also be counted.
Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, the Ministry of Planning spokesperson, noted that “the enumeration and survey process was delayed in the Kurdistan Region due to the involvement of teachers in second-round exams, which delayed their participation in training sessions.” The process will begin in the Kurdistan Region on September 16, 2024, and will conclude on the same date as in other Iraqi provinces.
Al-Hindawi described this phase as the “backbone of the general census,” involving 40,000 field researchers across all governorates except the Kurdistan Region. Another 80,000 researchers will be trained by mid-October, bringing the total number to 120,000. All census operations will be conducted electronically.
“Preliminary results will be announced within 24 hours of the census’s completion, detailing the population of Iraq and its governorates, as well as a breakdown of males and females. Full census data will be released within two months.”
Impact on Development
Economic expert Abdul Rahman Al-Sheikhli pointed out that the data collected will be very important to the government’s five-year development plan, which began in 2024 and is set to conclude in 2028. “The plan will only succeed with accurate data to design a sustainable, comprehensive strategy that takes into account the resources needed to serve Iraq’s economy,” Al-Sheikhli said, adding that “the future plan would rely heavily on the private sector, with a reduced role for the public sector to meet administrative needs.”
“The census forms include 11 detailed sections, to be filled electronically, providing a clear picture of Iraq’s population and housing conditions. However, displaced persons and refugees will not be included in the count.” He explained.
Economic expert Karim Al-Hello agreed with Al-Sheikhli on the importance of the population census.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Al-Hello explained that “the census is remarkable across all economic, political, and cultural aspects, among others, due to the lack of comprehensive statistics in the country. Accurate data on the population and housing will reveal many critical insights and help identify the needs of the country accordingly.”
Concerns Over Costs
Economic researcher Abdul Salam Hassan Hussein raised concerns about the estimated costs of the census, which are projected to reach billions of dollars. Hussein likened the potential for corruption in the census process to the 2022 tax trust embezzlement case involving Noor Zuhair, commonly referred to as the “Theft Of The Century.”
Hussein questioned the necessity of the high expenses, arguing that “millions of Iraqis living abroad make it unlikely that the census will fully succeed…the government could have conducted the census during elections or through public employees and schools, reducing the costs significantly.”
Shafaq.com
Wolverine
[via Judy Byington]
I can tell you with 100% assurance that things are moving. This is our week. One of the seven big leaders of this movement told me this morning that it was happening this week, probably at least by Friday 8 Nov. 2024.
Shiite faction: Iraqi government will not allow Iran to use its territory to target Israel
Shafaq News / The “Ansar Allah Al-Awfiya” movement, affiliated with the “Islamic resistance factions in Iraq”, confirmed on Monday that the Iraqi government will not allow Iran to use Iraqi territory as a starting point for any attack against Israel.
The leader of the movement, Ali Al-Fatlawi, told Shafaq News that “American reports on the existence of Iranian intention to use Iraqi territory as its starting point to attack Israel, carry several messages, including that they want to give a justification that Iraq will be a corridor for attacks, as it allowed the Zionist entity to do so, and it also wants to give Israel an excuse to strike Iraq because the attacks were launched from within its territory.”
Al-Fatlawi stressed that “Iraq certainly does not allow its territory to be a starting point for any attacks in the region, not for Iran or others, and Iran has no intention at all, especially since the missile force it has is able to reach Tel Aviv and achieve targets directly, so the American reports are an attempt to mix the cards.”
The American Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Iran had informed Arab countries of its intention to carry out a “strong and complex” attack against Israel, in response to the recent Israeli attack that killed four Iranian soldiers and a civilian.
“Our military has lost people, so we need to respond,” the newspaper quoted an Iranian official as saying, noting that Iran may use Iraqi territory as part of the operation and is likely to target Israeli military facilities “but more aggressively than the previous time.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Iranian response plot to Israel includes stronger warheads and other weapons, and that it may target Israeli military facilities more aggressively than the previous time.
EXCERPTS FROM MARKZ
CAN THE POPULATION CENSUS SUCCEED IN DRAWING A NEW ECONOMIC POLICY IN IRAQ? The Iraqi government is preparing to conduct a general populatio...