PM meeting with Prime Minister of Iraq: 22 October 2020

The government of the United Kingdom issued the following earlier this week:

Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Downing Street.

Published 22 October 2020

From:

Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP

This morning, the Prime Minister welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and his ministers to Downing Street.

They reflected on the UK and Iraq’s historic and close relationship, and resolved to strengthen the strategic partnership between our two nations.

Prime Minister al-Kadhimi described the economic and security challenges facing Iraq and set out his government’s programme of financial reform and stabilisation.

The leaders agreed to work together to address critical political, security and prosperity issues, and the Prime Minister pledged the UK’s support for the Iraqi government as it implements reforms.

They also welcomed the first meeting of the Iraq Economic Contact Group today in London, which will help to drive forward efforts to address the challenges faced by Iraq and create opportunities for the Iraqi people.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Announces National Suicide Hotline Legislation Signed Into Law

 From IAVA:

               Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Announces National Suicide Hotline Legislation Signed Into Law

New 9-8-8 Number to Ease Access for Individuals, Veterans, in Distress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 19, 2020
CONTACT: press@iava.org

New York, NY – Today Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) celebrated the enactment of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661), which designates 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. Congress recently passed the IAVA-backed bill and President Trump signed it into law on October 17.

The new law will help ensure that individuals and families, including veterans, experiencing mental health distress would be able to easily access help and resources. In addition to designating the new three-digit 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline, it would include the Veterans Crisis Line for veteran-specific mental health support. It would also authorize states to collect fees to support implementation of 9-8-8.

Until the Federal Communications Commission finalizes the technical implementation of 9-8-8 as the nationwide number, anyone seeking help should still call 1-800-273-8255. Veterans should press 1 following that number.

“IAVA would like to express our great appreciation to U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Jack Reed (D-RI) for sponsoring this critical, bipartisan legislation and ensuring that it was signed into law by President Trump,” said IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler. “IAVA was proud to join with many in the nation’s mental health community to advocate for this timely legislation, as COVID-19 adds considerable life stressors upon American families.”

IAVA is the voice for the post-9/11 veteran generation. With over 400,000 veterans and allies nationwide, IAVA is the leader in non-partisan veteran advocacy and public awareness. We drive historic impacts for veterans and IAVA’s programs are second to none. Any veteran or family member in need can reach out to IAVA’s Quick Reaction Force at quickreactionforce.org or 855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) to be connected promptly with a veteran care manager who will assist. IAVA’s The Vote Hub is a free tool to register to vote and find polling information. IAVA’s membership is always growing. Join the movement at iava.org/membership.

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#Wikileaks #JulianAssange Julian Assange- US Military Involved in 108,000+ Deaths in Iraq! (10 Years Since The Iraq War Logs)

 This is a short throwback clip from our interview with Julian Assange from 6 years ago where he discusses the contents of the Iraq War logs. On this day 10 years ago, the leaked documents were first published by Wikileaks. FULL INTERVIEW WITH JULIAN ASSANGE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTV_V... In the full interview, he disccuses the meeting he had in 2011 with Eric Schmidt, then a top executive and now chairman of Google, and 3 others. He says the meeting was nominally over a book that was being written, which was published and had pre-publication endorsements from the likes of Tony Blair and Henry Kissinger, but the question he wanted to know was why was this book being written? He examines the networks behind Google, and their 'in-house state department' Google ideas, and reveals that they are pushing the position that the State should control what is and is not published, to the extent of a state body overseeing whistleblowers that they have to go through before they can release any material. He says that Google is in bed with the state department, citing as an example that the girlfriend of Eric Schmidt contacted him regarding arranging a meeting with Hilary Clinton. He also points out that the argument the US military use against WikiLeaks, that the publication of cables could theoretically cause harm, was undermined when the general charged with investigating any harm caused by WikiLeaks testified under oath at the trial of Chelsea Manning that they couldn't find a single person that had been harmed. He also talks about the mistakes he believe the Guardian made, and how HBGary tendered $2 million a month to attack WikiLeaks and Glen Greenwald. He talks about some of the more recent publications he has made, such as FinFisher, a cyberweapon which can hijack mobile phones and turn on the microphone, and can infect massive amounts of computers by putting itself in the major gateway of a country or ISP. He warns whilst people may be suspicious of the intentions of the NSA and the like regarding the internet, associations you may perceive to be working the other way are funded by the same players. He also points out that the amount of people with security clearances in the US has more than doubled since 2010, with 6 million people now part of this 'state within a state' who are subject to extra laws and requirements that are classified – 'an extremely alarming phenomenon'. #Wikileaks #JulianAssange #IraqWar LIKE Going Underground http://fb.me/GoingUndergroundRT FOLLOW Going Underground http://twitter.com/Underground_RT FOLLOW Afshin Rattansi http://twitter.com/AfshinRattansi FOLLOW on Instagram http://instagram.com/underground_rt