By John Lee. Mawtani reports that the Iraqi government has approved the construction of a private free-trade zone south of Baghdad. Sabah al-Qaisi (pictured), the chairman of the Ministry of Finance's General Commission for Free Zones, told Mawtani: "[The Ministry of Finance's General Commission for Free Zones] approved two requests submitted by a group of local […]
By John Lee. Iraq’s Minister of Housing and Reconstruction, Mohamed Sahib al-Daraji [Mohammed Al-Deraji] (pictured), has launched an initiative to establish a unified Arabic house design. During a conference of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction, the minister said: "Starting from 2013, the modern designs will match the modern construction techniques and the old forms […]
Iraqis step up to CNN's Open Mic, one year after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. (Source: CNN)
A new oil rush is taking place in Iraq. The country is emerging as a new oasis of opportunity, while the rest of the world struggles to emerge from the global financial crisis. And as Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf reports from Baghdad, it is not just oil that is attracting hungry foreign companies: (Source: Al […]
By Abdul-Muhaymen Basel. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Driver licensing in Ninawa is slow – so slow that unlicensed locals drive fearlessly and police don’t care. But if drivers cross the state line, they […]
A delegation of nine American specialists in the fields of federal law enforcement, justice, and cultural heritage protection visited Baghdad from December 17 to 20, 2012, to attend a conference on Countering Antiquities Trafficking. At the conference the delegation trained Iraqi Ministry of Interior police investigators representing 15 provinces on methods of identifying Iraqi cultural […]
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and UN Women have just concluded a two-day workshop on negotiation and mediation for women members of the Kurdistan Parliament. The workshop, co-organized by the Kurdish Assembly, brought together lawmakers committed to expanding the meaningful role of women in negotiation and mediation processes. “Having women in key […]
More than $224 million has been injected into Iraq’s private sector economy in the form of Small & Medium Enterprise bank loans thanks to a cooperative effort between the USAID-Tijara Provincial Economic Growth Program and 12 private commercial banks. Of this amount, around $113 million presently is in circulation helping business owners expand their companies […]
More than 50 years since the revolution that removed Iraq's monarchy, many people are now learning more about the country's royal history. The governor of Baghdad has even suggested that the government should apologise for the murder of the king and his family. As Iraqis are finally facing that part of their history, many flocking […]
By Christine van den Toorn. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. One of the most peaceful towns in Iraq, near one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq, is under threat. Bashiqa is in danger […]
Speech of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the MOHR Conference, National Centre for Human Rights, Baghdad 19 December 2012. Minister for Human Rights, Engineer Shiya Al Sudaani, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honoured to be here with you today for the publication of the Ministry of Human Rights’ report on implementation […]
By John Lee. Bulgaria has pledged to open an embassy in Iraq in January, according to a report from Novinite. In an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, senior Iraqi parlamentarian Humam Hamoudi said that Iraq and Bulgaria need to boost bilateral relations. He added: "Iraq is very interested in Bulgaria's experience in the health sector, […]
