Day: October 27, 2019

On 22^nd October, the Washington Institute published a Policywatch document saying that, as new protests and further government crackdowns loom in Iraq, Washington should call out abuses by Iran-backed entities and sanction the key offenders.  It claims that a cabal of Iran-backed militia and security officials worked with Iranian advisors to design this tougher approach, which included assassinations, sniper fire, drone attacks, intimidation, illegal detentions, and Internet blackouts.  It details some of the actions taken, and argues that the US should expose and sanction these officials for attacking civilians — not just junior officers, and not only to punish past crimes, but also to deter further abuses as new protests loom following the religious festival of Arbain.  It identifies a group of Iraqi militia and security leaders joined with officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to form a crisis cell in Baghdad, and whom presumably the author feels should be subject to sanctions.

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/exposing-and-sanctioning-human-rights-violations-by-iraqi-militias

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Birmingham Live on 27^th October carried an article saying that the Royal Mail say former dental technician Graham Rought, 56, defrauded it out of a potential £100,000 with stamp washing scam.  He faces jail for selling used stamps from the garden shed where he carried out the illegal cottage industry.  The swindle involves using used first- and second-class stamps – usually only of interest to collectors – which are purchased from organisations such as charities, washed, then sold online sites such as eBay, but he claims he initially did not realise the scheme was illegal.  He and his co-defendant began bulk-buying the stamps in July 2013.  The value of the stamps sold was £443,244, while they profited by £149,344. The majority of the sales were to businesses and traders.  The stamps were laundered by chemically removing cancellation marks and using white spirit to remove glue.  The stamps were then sold at a discount, latterly by a new business named Stampbusters.  Last year, the Charity Commission warned charities collecting used stamps as a way of fundraising that they could be inadvertently “enabling fraud”.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/used-stamp-fraudster-police-treated-17151894

This blog is primarily for my own use, to keep informed and up to date. However, if you would like to say thank you (and perhaps help me get a new, better laptop when I am away…) you can “buy me a coffee” at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y