Archive | 2014

KRG Prime Minister Barzani Outlines Priorities

The eighth cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government was announced at a special session of the Kurdistan Parliament held on 18 June 2014. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, and all cabinet ministers were sworn into office. In a speech outlining the programme of the eighth cabinet, Prime Minister Barzani stated that […]

Security Update 20 June 2014

By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting   ISIS related violence in the last 48 hours Baiji Iraqi security forces have reportedly recaptured the refinery, after tribal sheiks helped negotiate a rebel withdrawal from the area. ISIS rebels regrouped into the town of Baiji, which they now appear to control completely. The situation remains fluid and reporting […]

Video: Investor Peter Schiff on Iraq and World Economy

From Russia Today. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's largest oil refinery shut down Wednesday amid ongoing fighting between military forces and insurgents with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The Beji refinery accounts for a quarter of the country's […]

Video: US Ready for Military Action

From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. US President Barack Obama has announced Washington is ready to send up to 300 military advisors to Iraq and would take "targeted" and "precise" military action if necessary following the swift advance of radical […]

Video: UNESCO calls for Saving Iraq Heritage Sites

From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The UN's World Heritage body UNESCO has called Iraqis to unite behind their heritage as fear mounts that protected sites may get damaged as Sunni rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and […]

Kurds Seize Control of Border Crossing

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces have seized most of the borders that divide the landlocked Kurds between Iraq and Syria, with increasing public support from both sides of the border. ]Kurds in several cities in […]

Security Update 19 June 2014

By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting ISIS related violence in the last 48 hours Southern Kirkuk The village of Bashir remained the scene of clashes between Kurdish forces and ISIS fighters, who are still battling over control of the area. The fighting on Wednesday left at least nine policemen and Peshmergas dead, and 28 injured. Tal […]

The Eyes of the World are on Iraq

The eyes of the world are on Iraq at the moment, as the country struggles to contain the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS). And while the attack on the important oil refinery at Baiji is a setback for the government, many are now of the opinion that ISIS […]

Gazprom Neft "has No Problems in Iraq"

By John Lee. Gazprom Neft has said it has no problems in Iraq and does not feel that its work in the country is under threat. Deputy CEO Vadim Yakovlev (pictured) told reporters on Tuesday: “Of course we are worried because we operate there and our people are still working ... [but] we do not […]

US Consul General attends Khudairi Open Day

Khudairi Group (KG) has stepped away from its projects to organize its inaugural Customer Appreciation Day at its Erbil dealership. Guests enjoyed a reception at John Deere, watched HSE-trained operators demonstrating the finesse of John Deere and SANY heavy machinery, including the 25-ton crane, the 315SK backhoes, and the 444K wheel loaders. They also viewed SANY’s […]

Hawrami: New Iraq Needs Power-Sharing

By John Lee. The key to Iraq's unity is power-sharing, revenue-sharing and the implementation of the Constitution, Dr Ashti Hawrami (pictured), the Kurdistan Regional Government's Minister of Natural Resources, told a London conference yesterday, saying: “The policies of centralisation and discrimination have put Iraq's future at risk ... As of last week (following the crisis […]