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Parliament backs al-Abadi's Reform Plan

By John Lee. The Iraqi parliament has unanimously approved Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's programme of reforms aimed at stamping out corruption, reducing government waste and easing sectarian tensions, reports BBC News. The bill, which includes the elimination of senior posts, was reportedly pushed through without debate. On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Baha al-Araji resigned amid […]

New Hope for Iraq's Oil and Gas Industry?

By Samar Rassam-Whitticombe, CEO of Somer Industrial Projects (SIP). This is an extract from an article originally published by Nina Iraq, and is reproduced here with permission. After celebrating the end of Ramadan, I hope that everyone experienced a welcoming Eid al-Fitr. Unfortunately, the time of joy for Iraqi citizens was tinged with sadness due […]

Fitch Rates Iraqi Debt as 'Junk'

Fitch Ratings issued its first rating on Iraqi sovereign debt, giving it the fifth-worst junk grade, due in part to the cost of the civil conflict and the global slump in oil prices. The rating comes as the country is planning a $5-billion bond issue towards the end of this year. The international ratings agency […]

Deputy PM Resigns, Faces Corruption Investigation

One of Iraq's deputy prime ministers has stepped down, and is to be investigated for corruption, reports HuffPost. Baha al-Araji (pictured), deputy prime minister for energy affairs, resigned on Monday. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's anti-corruption reform bill, which includes the elimination of the three Deputy Prime Minister positions, was passed by parliament. (Source: […]

Iraq to Resume Chicken Imports from Iran

By John Lee. Iraq has decided to lift a ban on the import of fresh and frozen chicken and chicken products from Iran. The ban was imposed three weeks ago following an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in Iran. On 2nd August, the head of the Iran Veterinary Organization (IVO) declared the country free of […]

Military Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL

U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Airstrikes in Syria Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted […]

Currency Auction Results, 11th Aug

By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has reported that 22 banks and 8 remittance companies took part in its currency auction on Tuesday. A total of $336,991,311 sold at a price of 1166 Iraqi Dinars (IQD) per dollar. (Source: Central Bank of Iraq)

WFP to Cut Critical Food Aid to Iraq

A severe funding shortfall in Iraq is pushing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut the amount of aid it delivers to nearly one million displaced people in the war-torn country, the Organization has confirmed. “Unfortunately, lack of funds and the rise in the number of displaced Iraqis forces us to reduce the […]

Al-Abadi’s wide-ranging Plan to Slash Spending

By John Lee. The Iraqi cabinet has approved Prime minister Haider al-Abadi’s wide-ranging plan to slash spending and improve the government’s performance. The seven-point plan, which includes the abolition of the three vice-presidential posts and the three deputy prime minister posts, now goes before parliament for approval. According to the unedited statement from the Office of […]

Oil Export Data from KRG, July 2015

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has published its monthly export report for July 2015. The KRG exported 16,019,090 barrels of crude oil (an average of 516,745 barrels per day (bpd)) in the month of July through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. Of this amount, fields operated by the KRG […]

DynCorp Wins $46m Iraq Contract

By John Lee. DynCorp International, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $45,470,349 cost-plus-fixed-fee foreign military sales contract with options for technical support for multiplatform vehicles. Work will be performed in Iraq with an estimated completion date of 4th September, 2018. According to the announcement from the US Dept of Defense, one bid was […]

Coalition Continues Anti-ISIL Airstrikes

U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Airstrikes in Syria Attack, fighter and remotely piloted […]