By John Lee. Iraq's Commission of Integrity has reportedly repatriated five billion Iraqi dinars [$4.3 million] that were smuggled to Lebanon. According to Aswat al Iraq, the money, in addition to some real estate investments, were illegally obtained by British businessman James (Jim) McCormick, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Britain 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. 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 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. 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 […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Kurdish officials have said that they will support the Iraqi central government and Prime Minister Haider al-Abaddi's cabinet for a three month trial period. But the union remains on shaky ground, with the […]
From CNN. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. CNN's Christiane Amanpour speaks with Iraq's new Deputy Prime Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. New prime minister Haider al-Abadi wins parliamentary approval for a power-sharing cabinet. Adrian Finighan speaks to Tariq al Hashimi - a former vice president of Iraq; Ahmed Rushdi - Director of the House […]
On 08 September, the Iraqi Parliament voted to form a new government around Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The vote did not include the key positions of Defense and Interior Ministers however, which were previously occupied by Nouri al-Maliki and are considered crucial to the Sunni participation in the new cabinet and political process. While the […]
By John Lee. Al Jazeera reports that Saudi Arabia has unveiled a 900-km multi-layered fence along its border with Iraq. The project, which includes five layers of fencing equipped with watch towers, night-vision cameras and 50 radars is aimed at cutting the "number of infiltrators, drug, arms and cattle smugglers to zero". In 2009, Riyadh […]
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) High Council of Women’s Affairs (HCWA) together with UNICEF, Heartland Alliance International, and Wadi, and in collaboration with UN Women and UNFPA, released this week results of a first-ever ‘knowledge, attitudes and practices’ (KAP) survey on the root causes of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq […]
