The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
The capital of Iraqi Kurdistan is seeing a building boom, as developments go up at around the same rate as real-estate prices rise. Despite all the construction, though, the average citizen still can’t afford their own home. At times Erbil resembles a building site. Construction sites, both residential and commercial, dot the cityscape. Yet the […]
Shell Global Solutions has signed an agreement with the South Refineries Company of Iraq for the provision of technology licenses to a refinery in Basra, Southern Iraq. Shell Global Solutions will provide a license for a sulphur recovery unit and visbreaker unit as part of the agreement. Together with the refinery expansion, these technologies will […]
The Iraq Future Energy Conference will be hosted in Istanbul, Turkey, from 26th September to 29th September. There is a full programme to demonstrate how energy and infrastructure companies can take a piece of the projects worth tens of billions of US dollars. Attendees can learn about the Ministry of Oil's four-year plan ending in […]
Iraqi businessmen in Kurdistan, the northern region of Iraq, are contemplating a boycott on trade with Iran unless Iranian shelling of Kurdish territory does not cease, reports Aknews. Kurdistan can bring about significant trade pressure. The head of Kurdistan's Exports and Imports Union (KEIU), Mustafa Abdulrahman, estimates that trade exchange volume is US$3bn per year. He […]
With ports and pipelines blocked in Libya, North Africa, and civil war moving into its sixth month, Iraq is set to benefit, says The National. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that foreign oil companies in Syria are reporting business as usual, despite escalating violence. "Iraq is going to boom," Erin Miller Rankin, a construction and project lawyer in […]
A Turkish company's proposals for new schools, rebuilding infrastructure, more local energy and medical facilities is likely to be accepted by the local government in the region of Wasit, south-east of Baghdad, reports Aswat al-Iraq. I.F. Spor's plans include wind power and health projects such as a cancer treatment centre. Other redevelopment projects in the […]
According to a report in the Financial Times, investors are turning their attention to Iraq’s debt. In 2004, after the US invasion of Iraq, the 'Paris Club' of 19 western creditors agreed to forgive roughly 80% of the $37.2bn owed to them. This deal was used as a template for resolutions with other creditors and […]
As demand for petrol in central and southern Iraq rises to cope with power shortages, the amount of fuel allocated to Kurdistan from Baghdad has been reduced by almost 65%, according to AKnews. Erbil’s fuel distribution director, Nuraddin Hamed, told the agency that while Erbil used to receive 1,600 million liters of petrol from the […]
AKnews reports that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is currently constructing 1,000 new homes in Baghdad for Iraqi refugees abroad returning to their homeland, with further housing projects in the pipeline. The Iraqi Minister of Migration, Dindar Doski, told the news agency that the UNHCR’s housing projects came about after a call […]
The parliamentary hearing of an investigation into five million unlicensed mobile phone lines distributed by Iraqi telecom giant Zain Iraq has been postponed because of “political pressure”, alleged Ihsan al-Awwadi of the parliamentary communications and information commission. Scheduled to be held on Monday, the hearing to confirm the allegations against Zain has been delayed until […]
At Iraq Business News, we realise how important it is for our readers to have access to the best possible information on Iraq and the industries that operate there. So far, we have brought you the latest news in the English language only, but we are happy to announce that we are now able to […]
