Things We Lost In The Mire - 38

IRAN/KURDS – The Iranian military launched military exercises near the Iraqi Kurdistan on Sunday, the day before the region’s independence referendum. Iran, which has a sizeable Kurdish minority, opposes the vote.

TURKEY/IRAQ – Over the weekend the Turkish parliament renewed a bill allowing the military to intervene in Iraq and Syria if faced with ‘national security threats’. This was seen as a final warning to Iraqi Kurds to call off their independence referendum scheduled for today.

CHINA/N KOREA – China says it will ban exports of some petroleum products to North Korea, to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions. It will also reduce some imports of textiles.

COMING UP –  

By now we should know the official results of the German election. The week will be dominated with the fall out and explanations of Chancellor Merkel’s share of the vote and that of the AFD. Talks will now be on to form a coalition government. We’ll also see the fall out of whatever happens re the Kurdish independence referendum, and the moves in Spain ahead of Catalonia’s ‘illegal’ independence vote scheduled for Sunday.

DIARY –

Mon – Saudi Shura Council to vote on ending separate authority for religious police.

Mon –  French truckers strike against President Macron’s labour reform plans.

Mon –  North Korea opens 4 day International Trade Fair.. 

Mon – 4^th round of Brexit talks begin.

Tues – President Trump meets Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy in White House.

Tues –  Speech by French President Emmanuel Macron. He may call for the Eurozone countries to further integrate via a Eurozone Parliament.

Tues – UK PM Theresa May meets European Council president Donald Tusk.

Weds – Venezuelan government and opposition holds talks in Dominican Republic.

Weds – Thailand: Supreme Court verdict in trial of former President Yingluck Shinawatra. Ms Shinawatra is not thought to be in the country anymore…

Thurs –  Presidents Putin and Erdogan meet to discuss their plans to enforce ‘de-escalation zones’ within Syria’s Idlib province.

Thurs – EU Heads of Government informal dinner to discuss future of Europe. Tallinn.

Thurs – George Harrison’s sitar, upon which he played Hare Krishna, goes under the hammer. (Not literally).

Sat –  China to shut down trading platforms for the Bitcoin currency.

Sat – Deadline for U.S. Congress to agree a federal budget.

Sun –  Austria. Ban on wearing burka in public comes into force.

Sun –  Germany: Same sex marriages become legal.

Sun –  Germany: New social media law comes into effect meaning eplatforms with more than 2 million German users can be fined if they fail to remove hate speech within 24 hours of being ordered to so do.

Sun –  Opening day of UK’s governing Conservative Party annual party conference. (Manchester)

Sun –  Columbia: Ceasefire between government and National Liberation Army (ELN) comes into effect. Scheduled to end in Jan, unless renewed.

Sun – Catalonia votes in independence referendum.