By John Lee. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ibrahim al-Jaafari has met the new French Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Francois Bartley, and received a copy of his credentials. During the meeting, they discussed relations between Iraq and France and ways to enhance prospects of joint cooperation. They also discussed the ongoing preparations for […]
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of €2 million from the Government of Germany to help fund its emergency field kitchens in Iraq supplying hot meals to over a quarter of a million people. Since August, WFP, alongside its local partner, the Barzani Charity Foundation, has successfully served more than […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that a revised contract signed last week by BP and China's CNPC for the Rumaila oilfield has raised both companies' stakes in the project. Thamer Ghadhban (pictured), energy adviser to former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, told the news agency that BP's share has been increased from 38 percent to 47.6 […]
By John Lee. The new Oil Minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, has taken up his new post at a ceremony at the Ministry of Oil's head office. The new minister thanked his predecessor, Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi [Elaibi], and stressed the importance of the oil sector to Iraq's economy. Eoin O'Cinneide, writing for UpstreamOnline, has speculated that the […]
By John Lee. A bank account belonging to Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy to Iraq, and another belonging to his wife, Cheryl Benard, have been unfrozen by the high court in Vienna, Austria. According to a report from Bloomberg, the the accounts were unfrozen on 3rd September, a week before reports that the U.S. […]
UNESCO officials concluded a series of meetings held with director generals in Ministries of Education in the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government, as well as representatives from local NGOs, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and accelerate the implementation of UNESCO programmes targeting 10,000 out-of-school children and youth in Iraq. “UNESCO […]
By Shukur Khilkhal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Modern-Day ‘Cultural Sinbad’ Spreads Literature across Iraq The worsening violence plaguing Iraq has not prevented the bookseller Star Mohsen Ali from organizing book fairs in cities and provinces across the country. Since […]
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) has reported that 18 banks took part in its currency auction on Thursday. A total of $195,372,000 was sold at a price of 1166 Iraqi Dinars (IQD) per dollar. (Source: Central Bank of Iraq)
By Padraig O'Hannelly. The world has broadly welcomed the approval by the Iraqi parliament of the new cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. While the formulation of the new cabinet attempts to keep all factions involved and working together, it was clear from al-Abadi's speech that his arm was twisted in the negotiations, and that […]
By John Lee. Shares in Dragon Oil closed up 0.2 percent on Wednesday following the discovery of oil at Block 9. Kuwait Energy, Dragon Oil's partner in Block 9, issued the following update on the exploration well, Faihaa-1, being drilled in the block: Kuwait Energy announces that the consortium comprised of Kuwait Energy (70% and […]
By John Lee. Influential trade body, the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC), has welcomed three new members since the start of August: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), the internationally renowned design firm – with British-Iraqi Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid at its helm – is set to bring its bold and visionary design to Iraq, […]
By John Lee. At the request of the government of Iraq to provide urgent military support, the UK will supply heavy machine guns and nearly half-a-million rounds of ammunition. China's Xinhua news agency values the assistance at $2.6 million (3 billion Iraqi dinars). According to the statement from the British Ministry for Defence, this will […]
