Archive | 2011

Healthcare: Succeeding in the MENA Market

The Middle East Association, in partnership with Ameera Health, cordially invite you to Business Briefing and Networking Reception examining the Healthcare Sector in the MENA Region at Bury House on Tuesday 5th July. British companies are at the forefront of developments in the healthcare industry in the Middle East and North Africa. The UK medical […]

100 Days: Maliki’s Frustrations and Unrealistic Dreams

The following article was published on Tuesday by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq […]

Major Project to Improve Education in Iraq

On 6 June, the European Union and Government of Iraq launched a major programme to improve the future of young Iraqis.  The programme will be implemented though the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international cultural and educational agency.  It will: Improve education standards in 1,700 schools through improved teacher training. This will benefit 800,000 pupils […]

Iraq Oil Revenues 34% Ahead of Budget

Iraq’s oil production has risen to 2.63 million barrels a day, up by 15 percent from the same period last year, according to Bloomberg. Crude exports averaged 2.18 million barrels a day in the first five months of 2011 and are expected to increase in the second half of the year, Hussain al-Shahristani, deputy prime […]

Maliki Backs Off 100-Day Threat

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has backed down from a threat to fire poorly-performing cabinet ministers, a move which potentially opens the door to renewed popular protests in the country this summer, according to Al Jazeera. On February 27, Maliki gave his cabinet a 100-day deadline to improve basic services after a string of anti-government […]

Iraq Oil Projections Adjusted Down

Iraq will cut its 'overambitious' oil targets, the oil minister, Abdul-Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi] said on Tuesday. AKnews reports that the country had planned to up output to 12 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2017, but now aims for 8 million bpd within 13 or 14 years. Independent experts had challenged the ability of Iraq’s […]

Maliki Appoints New Boss to Trade Bank of Iraq

Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has appointed Hamida al-Jaf as head of the state-owned Trade Bank of Iraq, replacing Hussein al-Uzri amid investigations into alleged corruption, the bank’s deputy director general said. “The Trade Bank of Iraq is operating normally and people have confidence in the bank,” Deputy Director General Abdel Hadi Sadeq Abdel Mahdi […]

SCOP Announces Two Supply Tenders

The Oil Projects Company SCOP announces two new supply tenders: - Supply Instrumentation (MOV S , Pressure gauge , cables & junction boxes) for second srtategic pipe line from KP441 TO K3 pumping station. Tenders documents may be collected (by an authorized representative of the tender) at SCOP's headquarter in Baghdad against the payment of […]

WesternZagros Tests Completed - Large Oil Discovery Confirmed

WesternZagros Resources has announced that it has successfully completed the initial testing of the oil discovery made in the Jeribe Formation of the Sarqala-1 well. The Company tested the well at rates up to 9,444 barrels per day of 40 degrees API oil. This rate was reached after flowing and stabilizing the well at progressively […]

Debate Continues on Legality of Kurdistan's Petroleum Contracts

By Thomas W. Donovan, Managing Partner at Iraq Law Alliance, PLLC. Introduction Several recent events have prompted a return to the lingering debate over the legality of the production sharing contracts entered into by and between the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and around 35 private international companies over the past few years. The KRG, […]