Basra Plans World's Tallest Tower
By Simon Kent. Basra provincial council has reportedly hired international consultancy firm Mott MacDonald to finalise plans for a 3500ft, 240 floor building which would be host to business communities, residents and public entertainment. According to designers AMBS Architects, the "city in the sky" is designed to be an "antidote" to modern super towers in […]
US Strike Destroys 100 ISIS Fuel Tankers
By Simon Kent. A wave of US aircraft, including A-10 bombers which can fire thousands of exploding canon shells per minute, have destroyed 116 ISIS fuel tankers near the Iraqi border in Syria. The operation at Albu Kamal (the Iraqi side of the border is Al Qaim), code named Tidal Wave II, targeted a gathering […]
Jump in Iraqi Crude Exports to US
By Simon Kent. Iraqi crude exports to the US surged to 521,000 bpd for October, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA.) The increase in exports of Iraqi crude to the US marks a historic shift, since US imports of Iraqi crude actually decreased after 2003 despite the gradual increase in Iraqi production, with […]
Canada Changes Iraq Mission
By Simon Kent. Recently elected Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has announced a plan to increase the number of training personnel working with Kurdish Peshmerga in Northern Iraq. The number of Canadian advisers and trainers currently stands at 69. The announcement comes after Trudeau pledged to end Canadian air support to Iraqi forces fighting the so […]
Abadi Removes Grain Board Officials
By Simon Kent. Nine senior officials at Iraq's Grain Board have been relieved of their jobs, although no details of the dismissals have been reported. The Grain Board has a critical responsibility for procuring grain imports, strategically vital for feeding a country with a growing population and an agricultural sector threatened by acute drought. The […]
UK Hits IS in Multiple Air Strikes
By Simon Kent. Following on from France's recent escalation of bombing against the so called "Islamic State" in Syria, the UK appears to have followed suit with a similar escalation in Iraq. According to a UK Ministry of Defence briefing reported in The Huffington Post, British jets from the Royal Air Force killed at least 30 militants […]
Iraq and Egypt Announce Energy Cooperation
By Simon Kent. Iraq and Egypt are working on a plan to export Iraqi oil through Jordan to Egypt, for refining in Egypt and re-sale to the European market, Reuters reports. The three countries have already signed an agreement for this plan, part of Egypt's strategy to regain a degree of self suffiency for domestic energy needs […]
Iran to Add Rigs at Shared Oilfield
The First Deputy Managing Director of the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) said the company will add two more drilling rigs to the development project at South Azadegan oilfield, which is shared between Iraq and Iran. Mohammad Reza Takayedi told Shana that NIDC has been tasked with drilling operations of 40 wells in a 24-month […]
Mass Grave Discovered in Sinjar
By Simon Kent. Kurdish and Yezidi forces made the grim discovery of a mass grave over the weekend, containing the remains of up to 70 women near the town of Sinjar. Sinjar, a key town on the approach to ISIS occupied Mosul, is home to many of the Yazidi community and was recently recaptured in a […]
Iraqi Forces Advance into Ramadi
By Simon Kent. Iraqi army forces, supported by pro-government Sunni tribes and US air strikes, have advanced into central Ramadi according to officials quoted in UPI. The reported capture of the train station in the centre of the town would mark the culmination of a series of "shaping operations" to cut off ISIS from their […]
Iraq Stock Market Report
Advertising Feature Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) market report (week ending: 12th Nov 2015). Please click here to download a table of listed companies and their associated ticker codes. The RSISX index ended the week at ID999 / $1,036 (-3.4%) (weekly change) (-28.9% and -30.1% YTD change, respectively). The number of week traded shares […]
KRG to Export Oil through Iran
BasNews reports that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is planning to build pipelines transporting oil and gas to and from Iran. Abdullah Akrayi, the Head of the KRG’s Department of Relations with Iran, told BasNews that Erbil has resumed discussions with Tehran to establish two pipelines importing gas from Iran and sending KRG oil to […]