By John Lee. Taqa (Arabic for "energy") has released it's full results for 2013, announcing that the company has secured regulatory approval for the development plan of the Atrush field in Iraq. The first oil production at Atrush is expected in 2015 (see Iraq section below.) For the full report on Taqa's 2013 results, including their […]
By John Lee. The delay in adopting Iraq's federal budget, in large part due to the dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government over oil exports and revenues, has reduced banking activity in the KRG by up to 25%, according to Adham Karim Darwesh. Darwesh, the manager of the Erbil branch of the Central Bank […]
The following was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford. 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 Business News. On Tuesday, the members of the Iraqi electoral commission IHEC collectively presented their […]
By John Lee. Afren have announced their full year results for 2013, highlighting what they describe as record revenues and cash flows, production ahead of guidance, continued exploration success and significant balance sheet strength. Included here are the company results for their work in the Kurdish region of Iraq. You can see more detail on […]
By John Lee. Iraq's oil income is set to jump in April, boosted by the continued discount on Basra Light as of February last year, and increased shipments to Asia. February saw a record 3.6 million bpd in exports, setting a 3 decade record for Iraq. According to Bloomberg, who interviewed analyst Alexander Poegl of JBC Energy […]
By John Lee. The United States fully supports Iraq’s democracy and democratic institutions as defined and established in the Iraqi Constitution, specifically Article 102, which provides for the independence and neutrality of the Independent High Electoral Commission. Ensuring that upcoming parliamentary elections are held on schedule is of the utmost importance and we commend the […]
By John Lee. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz (pictured) has remarked at a press conference that the country is ready to export oil from storage tanks at Ceyhan, once they have reached their capacity of 2.5 million barrels. Baghdad is currently opposed to such a move, and minister Yildiz has expressed a desire for the […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Journalist Colin Freeman wrote a March 4 article for The Telegraph's blog titled, “Forget Obama and the EU. The man who should really have the Nobel Peace Prize is an obscure Iraqi cleric." In it, he offered up […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq has purchased 36 tonnes of gold valued at $1.6bn to help stabilise the Dinar against foreign currencies, Bloomberg reports. Iraq is now the 43rd largest holder of gold reserves globally, having already held 29.8 tonnes as of August last year, but the latest purchase is one of the biggest by […]
By John Lee. Sources from Reuters have reported that Iraq's entire electoral commission have resigned en masse complaining of "political interference." The move comes following a conflict between the judiciary, legislature and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) following a decision by the judiciary to disqualify candidates said to be of "ill repute." This could quite possibly […]
By John Lee. A couple of fashion stories went largely undetected this week as Baghdad held no less than 2 fashion events showcasing homegrown designer talent. The first was held at the Palestine Hotel and was a cat walk show featuring pret a porter dresses from Iraqi designer Mona Sultan. For those unacquainted with fashion terminology (like this […]
By John Lee. Baghdad governor Ali al-Tamimi has announced the completion of a plan for 1500 new housing units in the Baghdad governorate. The moves comes as the Iraqi government recently announced it would be falling short of its target of 2.5 million new housing units to meet demand. Housing and Construction minister Mohammed al-Darraji […]
