Geeze now I know why the news in Iraq is so guarded, and controlled by the big boys.
New peril for Iraqi reporters: the law
By Paul von Zielbauer The New York Times
Published: September 29, 2006
BAGHDAD Ahmed al-Karbouli, a reporter for Baghdadiya TV in the violent city of Ramadi, did his best to ignore the death threats, right up until six armed men drilled him with bullets after midday prayers.
He was the fourth journalist killed in Iraq in September alone, out of a total of more than 130 since the 2003 invasion, the vast majority of them Iraqis. But these days, men with guns are not Iraqi reporters' only threat. Men with gavels are, too.
Under a broad new set of laws criminalizing speech that ridicules the government or its officials, some resurrected verbatim from Saddam Hussein's penal code, roughly a dozen Iraqi journalists have been charged with offending public officials in the past year.
Currently, three journalists for a small newspaper in southeastern Iraq are being tried here for articles last year that accused a provincial governor, local judges and police officials of corruption.
The journalists were accused of violating Paragraph 226 of the penal code, which makes anyone who "publicly insults" the government or public officials subject to up to seven years in prison.
On Sept. 7, the police sealed the offices of Al Arabiya, a Dubai-based satellite news channel, for what the government said was inflammatory reporting. And the Committee to Protect Journalists says that at least three Iraqi journalists have served time in prison for writing articles deemed criminally offensive.
The office of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has lately refused to talk to news organizations that report on sectarian violence in ways that the government considers inflammatory; some have been shut down.
In addition to coping with government pressures, dozens of Iraqi journalists have been kidnapped by criminal gangs or detained by the American military, on suspicion that they are helping Sunni insurgents or Shiite militias. One, Bilal Hussein, who photographed insurgents in Anbar Province for The Associated Press, has been in American custody without charges since April.
And all Iraqi journalists have to live with the fear of death, which often dictates extreme security measures. Abdel Karim Hamadie, the news manager for Al Iraqiya Television, said he sometimes goes months without leaving the station's compound.
"The last time I went home was three weeks ago," he said, showing off a small room adjacent to his office where he sleeps each night. "Before that, I spent three months at work. I used to hit my chair because I was so angry. But then I got a new chair."
American diplomats here say they admire the dedication of Iraqi reporters in covering the war and the government's efforts to create a democracy.
"Journalists here work under very, very difficult conditions," said a U.S. Embassy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"They are taking fire from every direction. They've got the defamation law hanging over their heads. They've got their political opponents gunning for them. They are trying very hard, and we want to encourage them."
Under Saddam, reporters and editors were licensed and carefully watched. Even typewriters had to be registered with the government.
During that time, some reporters got by on the conviction that their articles, about the government's glorious new water projects or certain victory in the war with Iran, were at least patriotic.
"I never praised Saddam himself, never," said Shihab al-Tamimi, 73, who runs the Iraqi Journalists Union from a battered old mansion here. "But I praised the project, for the good of the country."
Now, Iraqi journalists still operate with considerable freedoms, at least compared Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries, and many Iraqis have achieved a new level of professionalism by working closely with Western journalists. So despite the growing government pressure, the news media have become increasingly aggressive in reporting the government's successes and failures.
Ethical boundaries, though, remain murky. It was disclosed last year that the Lincoln Group, a U.S. public relations firm hired by the Pentagon, had paid Iraqi news outlets to print positive articles on the American presence here and provided stipends to Iraqi journalists in exchange for favorable treatment.
Even though the Iraqi news media have made strides, the journalists themselves are being slain at an extraordinary rate. Since the Iraq war began, more than 130 journalists - most of them Iraqi - have been fatally shot, beaten or tortured to death, according to the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, the most prominent domestic advocacy group for journalists to emerge since the invasion. (The Committee to Protect Journalists, which requires more evidence to verify reported killings, lists 79 journalists and 28 news workers.)
Reporting was contributed by Sahar Nageeb and an Iraqi employee of the New York Times, both in Baghdad.
New peril for Iraqi reporters: the law - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune
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29-09-2006, 11:40 PM #9881
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29-09-2006, 11:41 PM #9882
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they have been removing currency from circulation for about a year now. if you watch the books you find places where figures have been reduced. our resident foreign banking expert is on the job!
the stories about two sets of books are very easy to believe here. i mean you can see that these people have ways of not telling the truth without actually lyin about it.
you must also take into consideration the fact that if the currency is used to purchase oil that gives it an instant market so that it can sustain any value no matter how much currency is in circulation.
like i said before, i think the three zeros come off the amount which is equal to the dollar (ie. .00067) which would cause the figure to be .67DINAR to the dollar. which would be $1.47 which happens to be the amount of dinar now to amount to a dollar with the decimal place moved 3 places or 'zeros'.JULY STILL AINT NO LIE!!!
franny, were almost there!!
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29-09-2006, 11:47 PM #9883
Should I get excited? hmmmm. I think I will, maybe not. I'll just wait and see what happenes then I will get excited!!!
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29-09-2006, 11:53 PM #9884
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29-09-2006, 11:55 PM #9885
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30-09-2006, 12:10 AM #9886
I have to say this forum is very refreshing!
The curfew is a positive sign for this weekends RV. They have always stated that an RV could cause more violence this would be away for them to control the situation and keep good Iraqi people safe.
Dinar-ExcitedLast edited by Dinar-Excited; 30-09-2006 at 02:09 AM.
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30-09-2006, 12:21 AM #9887
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30-09-2006, 12:33 AM #9888
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Maybe I get this wrong but doesn't the amount of .00067 mean that 1 Dinar equals .00067 Dollar, and not the other way round? So if they remove the three zeros that makes 1 Dinar equal .67 Dollar. Not a bad figure, but I really don't get to 1 Dinar being worth $1.47 that way.... 1 Dollar would be worth 1.47 Dinar!
Just trying to get things clear for myself - all these figures are getting my head a bit dizzy. Reading the last rumours I started hoping the Dinar might reval to more than a dollar.... maybe I'm getting greedy? 670.000 Dollars for my million should really be enough!!!
AntjeLast edited by antjesz2; 30-09-2006 at 12:51 AM.
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30-09-2006, 12:48 AM #9889
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Looks like to me the FIL passed!!
This really is big news!!! I hope others can realize it's importance.
Gulf News - 29 September, 2006
Bahrain-based Ahli United Bank (AUB) yesterday said that it has completed the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in the Commercial Bank of Iraq, one of the country’s largest private banks.
As a result of this acquisition, the capital base of the Commercial Bank of Iraq has increased to $ 43.7 million from $ 9.6 million. The bank was established in 1992. Since its inception, the bank has performed consistently well and its assets were 131 billion Iraqi dinars ($ 89 million) and net profits were 1,927 million dinars ($ 1.28 million) as of June 30, 2005.
“The acquisition represents a significant step for Ahli United Bank and another important milestone in our strategy to become a major regional banking group,” said Fahad Al Rajaan, Chairman of Ahli United Bank.
“The economic potential for Iraq is tremendous. (we know we know ) After years of economic isolation, the rebuilding of the country’s industry, infrastructure and oil sector will need considerable banking support. With an educated population, vast oil wealth and the opening up of the economy, Iraq is at the threshold of progress and development; as soon as the security atmosphere improves,” he added. There's that keyword again (security)
“Given the current security situation in Iraq, AUB will adapt a gradualist approach towards developing its presence and operations” Al Rajaan said.
The Commercial Bank of Iraq, established in 1992, has nine branches – eight in Baghdad and one in Basra.
“We are positive that the current security and operating environment will improve substantially, allowing the Bank to roll out a range of products and services to meet the requirements of both local customers and those of regional and international companies seeking to establish their operations in Iraq.
To read the rest of the article Gulf in the Media
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30-09-2006, 12:51 AM #9890
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