Coffee's on. Washington is pressing and Baghdad is moving: Iraq starts closing its border crossings with Iran today, gradually shutting them all, while the State Department says it is waiting on al-Zaidi to deliver every pledge he made to Trump. The budget went back to the Finance Ministry after it ran into the legislative recess, al-Hashimi puts Iraq's debt at 117 trillion dinars internal and $17 billion external and says the higher dollar only covers part of the deficit, and reserves rose to $81.5 billion in August. In markets, French yields hit a 24-year high, the story is now contagion, and Franklin Templeton warns no one is ready for Eurozone debt crisis 2.0. Plus Russia frees the last wrongfully detained American, the feds suspend some tech giants from the foreign worker program, and new reporting on the Omar probe. Here's the drop.
Iraq & the Dinar
- Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran gradually, starting Wednesday — 964
- Washington presses and Baghdad moves: Iraq moves to close most of its crossings with Iran — Baghdad Today
- “We are waiting for all of al-Zaidi's pledges to Trump to be carried out”: State Department calls on the PM to fulfill his counterterrorism commitments — 1News (Arabic)
- Why was the budget sent back to the Finance Ministry? It ran into the legislative recess — Alsumaria (Arabic)
- “117 trillion dinars in internal debt and $17 billion external”: al-Hashimi says the higher dollar covers only part of the budget deficit — 1News (Arabic)
- Iraq's foreign reserves rise to $81.5 billion in August — Shafaq News (Arabic)
Money & Markets
- French bond yields explode to a 24-year high as unrest and fiscal crisis collide — ZeroHedge
- France's debt crisis is no longer the story… contagion is — ZeroHedge
- Franklin Templeton warns no one is ready for a Eurozone debt crisis 2.0 — ZeroHedge
- America's greatest financial advantage may also be its biggest blind spot — ZeroHedge
Around the World
- Russia frees the last wrongfully detained American at Trump's request — ZeroHedge
- France's open-air incinerators: the uncounted toxic toll of annual street protests — ZeroHedge
Home Front
- US suspends some tech giants from the foreign worker program — what's next? — The Epoch Times
- Feds using DNA to probe the Ilhan Omar “married her brother” claim, eye conspiracy charge: report — ZeroHedge
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