Obama: An additional $200m for Iraq
By John Lee. The United States is to provide an additional $200 million (240 billion Iraqi dinars) in humanitarian aid to Iraq. After a meeting with prime minister Haider Al-Abadi, President Obama said the United States has an obligation to help displaced families. The pledge did not include new direct military assistance. Obama added: "Any […]
PM al-Abadi Meets Oil Bosses
During his visit to Washington this week, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received the Chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum, Mr. Steve Chazen, and the Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, Mr. Rex Tillerson, in separate meetings. Both chairmen discussed the progress in oil production in Iraq, and thanked the Prime Minister for the security and stability […]
Oilfield Torched near Erbil
By John Lee. Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) militants set fire to an abandoned oil field near Makhmour and Qaraj, east of Erbil, on Wednesday. Anofficial told BasNews that the oil field is located between Peshmerga and IS militants’ frontlines, about 2 kilometres away from Peshmerga forces. It is believed that the oil field was […]
ZagrosJet Launches Domestic Flights
The Kurdish airline Zagros Jet has been granted permission to fly domestically within Iraq. According to a report from Ruday, this adds Bagdad, Sulaimaniya, Basra and Najaf to its list of destinations. The new service will start April 20 when the airline will begin offering six flights each week from Erbil to Baghdad. Moafaq Sherwani, […]
Iraqis on Social Media Fight Extremists Online
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The extremist Islamic State group has worked the Internet to it's advantage from the very start of its campaign in Iraq. Locals have lagged behind. But now, some say, they […]
Foreign Minister Receives Japanese Ambassador
By John Lee. Foreign Minister, Dr. Ibrahim Al Jaafari, received the Japanese Ambassador to Iraq, Kazuya Nashida, in Baghdad this week. Minister Jaafari referred to the role played by Japan in Iraq in the investment field and supporting the Iraqi government's efforts in countering terrorism, appreciating the humanitarian assistance provided by the Japanese government to […]
Video: Tikrit still Deserted after Liberation
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Calm has returned to Tikrit two weeks after Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitaries retook the city from the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL) group.
Iraq to Issue $5bn in Bonds
By John Lee. Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari (pictured) said on Wednesday that Iraq has decided to issue $5 billion in international bonds, as it attempts to finance a budget deficit of $25 billion for the current year. He told reporters in Washington that negotiations were in progress with Citibank and Deutsche Bank, but according to […]
PM al-Abadi Meets US CEOs
By John Lee. On his official visit to the United States, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met a group of CEOs and chairmen of major US corporations in Washington on Tuesday. According to a statement from the PM's office, the business leaders shared their respective visions on assisting Iraq and on solutions to Iraq's economic and financial […]
Iran Signs Deal on Clearing Waterway
By John Lee. During a visit to Basra, the Iranian Transport Minister, Abbas Akhwandi, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Governor of Basra, Majid al-Nasrawi, to lift sunken ships in the Shaat al-Arab waterway. According to a report from AIN, the two also laid the corner stone for a railway project linking […]
Italy may Build Hospital For Peshmerga
By John Lee. BasNews reports that Kurdistan's Ministry of Peshmerga and the Italian Consulate in Erbil are planning to cooperate on the construction of a hospital for wounded Peshmerga in Erbil. Peshmerga Minister Mustafa Said Qadir met with the Italian Consul Carmelo Ficarra and two Italian companies on Sunday to discuss the project, and a […]
New Privately-Owned Iraqi Airline
By John Lee. A new privately-owned Iraqi airline carrier is expected to start international flights by July. Deputy Transport Minister Bangen Rekani told Bloomberg that FlyBaghdad, owned by Iraqi investors, will operate two Airbus Group NV A320 narrow-body planes and a Bombardier Inc. CRJ-200 regional jet. Start-up costs of are estimated at $25 million to $30 […]