By John Lee. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has called on Iraq to halt all executions and commute the sentences of hundreds of people sentenced to death: UNAMI notes with concern that between 8 and 9 October, 42 people sentenced to death were executed, among them one woman, as confirmed by the Ministry […]
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Violence once again plagued Iraq this week but the tempo and volume of attacks dropped off markedly from the high of the previous two weeks. Once again the violence was predominantly focused on Baghdad and surrounding districts however we have seen a marked return to violence in […]
President Masoud Barzani has received and welcomed a United Nations delegation in his offices in Salahadin. The delegation was headed by Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Nickolay Mladenov. Mr. Mladenov and President Barzani discussed the recent developments in the Kurdistan Region as well as the political situation in Baghdad. During […]
By Mustafa al-Kadhimi for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in an exclusive written interview with Al-Monitor, said that Iraq supports a “transitional government that will manage affairs until elections are held and a constitution is […]
It’s been nearly two months since the government in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reopened its borders to accept refugees fleeing conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic. Some 63,000 Syrian people have crossed the border since mid-August. In mid-September, as the school year was about to begin, two of these refugees, at two different camps, […]
The Swedish Special Envoy to the Syrian Opposition, Ambassador Jan Theslef, met with Minister Falah Mustafa today to discuss ongoing developments in Iraq, Syria and the greater region. The meeting was also attended by the Swedish Ambassador to Iraq, Mr Jörgen Lindström, and the Assistant Head of DFR, Ms Siham Jabali. During their meeting, both […]
By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With the help of Iraqi intellectuals, 21 young volunteers inaugurated a large arena for group reading on Sept. 28 on Abu Nawas Street in central Baghdad. These young people, who included five […]
On the margins of the 64th annual session of the UNHCR Executive Committee meeting in Geneva, the high-level Iraqi delegation met with key officials to discuss political developments in Iraq, Kurdistan Region and the broader region, as well as the ongoing violence in Syria. The high-level Iraqi delegation, led by Iraqi Federal Foreign Minister, Mr […]
By John Lee. Fake bomb detectors are reportedly still being used in Iraq, months after British conman James McCormick was jailed for selling them. The former policeman is thought to have made £50 million from selling devices, based on a novelty £13 golf ball finder, to Iraq and other countries. Sentencing him to 10 years in […]
By John Lee. [UPDATE: In January 2017, Wal King, former CEO of Leighton Holdings, received an apology and an out-of-court settlement from Fairfax Media following their claim that he knew of alleged corporate misconduct, including the payment of a $42 million bribe in Iraq.] Shares in the Australia's Leighton Holdings, Australia’s biggest builder, fell more […]
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Nearly 900 civilians were killed across Iraq in September as sectarian violence worsened, raising the death toll for 2013 to more than last year's total, the United Nations reported this week. Sunni Islamist militants have perpetrated the overwhelming majority of violence, with the ISI leading the campaign. […]
By John Lee. According to casualty figures released today by UNAMI, a total of 979 Iraqis were killed and another 2,133 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in September. The number of civilians killed was 887 (including 127 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,957 (including 199 civilian police). A […]
