By Simon Kent. Apparently concerned about the lethal pathogenic H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, which has previously been reported in Iraq, the country has extended a ban on poultry imports. Previously French poultry product imports were banned in December, but in January the ban was extended to over 20 countries. Monday's ban on […]
By Simon Kent. Fahd Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Federation of Arab Contractors, has called upon more Arab businessmen and entrepreneurs to engage in the reconstruction of Iraq. At a conference in Amman over the weekend, Hammadi noted, “Currently, there are opportunities for investing in projects worth around $22 billion in Iraq in infrastructure and […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's PM Haider al Abadi has announced that a major battle to retake Fallujah from ISIS has begun. The town fell under the control of the terrorists in January 2014, after security deteriorated following months of Sunni protests against the government of Nouri al Maliki. Protesters accused Maliki of rounding up hundreds […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq is set to reopen its border with Jordan near the town of Rutbah, a remote settlement over 200km from Baghdad that was liberated from ISIS control last week. Around 200 militants were thought to have been present in the town, with most fleeing and some fighting to the death. When the […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's Ministry of Oil have announced a 20,000 m3 shipment of condensate, the third since exports began in March. It is likely that the proceeds from this sale will go to pay IOCs, who are still owed funds for contractual work, as stipulated by their Technical Service Contracts. A number of observers […]
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. Iraq finds itself facing a major political crisis, as parliament is obstructed, the formation of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's new cabinet has yet to be completed and popular protests continue to demand radical reform to the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The […]
By Simon Kent. A new wave of protesters have entered Iraq's parliament, forcing Iraqi security forces to escalate force with tear gas, rubber bullets and according to reports, live ammunition. Four protesters are reported dead, with estimates putting injured at over 50. Pictures on social media showed a man who appeared to have a serious […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq has made another plea to the Jordanian government to send Raghad Hussein, daughter of the late dictator Saddam, to Baghdad and face justice for crimes against humanity. The Iraqi government also accuses Raghad of financing terror, and she has made a number of statements against Iraqi governments since 2003. The terror […]
By Simon Kent. Iraq's Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari (pictured) and the IMF's Christian Josz (head of the IMF Iraq mission) have announced a standby loan for Iraq, following weeks of negotiations in Jordan. The loan is conditional on Iraq taking certain measures, for example, complying with an IMF monitoring scheme to reduce public sector expenditure and make […]
By Simon Kent. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has announced the opening of a consulate in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi- Kurdistan. Greece already has an embassy in Erbil, and the announcement suggested the new consultate will "substantially upgrade" the country's diplomatic presence in Iraq. (Source: Independent Balkan News Agency)
By Simon Kent. Iraqi forces have retaken a remote town on the road to Jordan, 360km from Baghdad in the south west part of Anbar. Anbar is a Sunni majority, mostly desert province home to the towns of Fallujah and Ramadi. The fall of the town to the so called Islamic State in 2014 was […]
By Mohammed al Salih for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A deal between two main Iraqi Kurdish political parties, Gorran and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is expected to increase tensions and lead to further fragmentation and destabilization of Iraqi […]
