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 […]
Iran could Supply Gas to Kuwait via Iraq
By John Lee. The managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) has said it is possible for Iran to export natural gas to Kuwait through Iraq. Hamid Reza Araqi was quoted as saying that the pipeline which is being built to export gas to Iraq could be used for this purpose also. Iran […]
$7.4bn Investment Offer for Grand Faw Port
By John Lee. Iraq's Transport Minister has said that companies from the UAE, Iran, Turkey and China have offered to invest $7.4 billion dollars (8.6 trillion Iraqi dinars) for the development of the Grand Faw (Grand Fao) port project. Baqir Al Zubeidi told al-Forat news agency that the investment would cover the construction of quays […]
New Immunization Campaign Targets 5.8m Children
Keeping Iraq “polio free”: New immunization campaign targets 5.8 million children A five day nationwide polio immunization campaign targeting 5.8 million children under five years of age in Iraq will commence Sunday 12 April and will be marked by launch events on 12 April in Baghdad, organized by the Ministry of Health Iraq, and on […]
Yazidis Wary amid Stalled Sinjar Offensive
By Shelly Kittleson for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The road to the front line runs close to the Syrian border, through Yazidi towns once occupied by the Islamic State (IS) and bombarded by airstrikes. Peshmerga fighters allied with various other […]
New Communications Service for Oil Cos
By John Lee. O3b Networks announced a multi-year agreement to provide trunking services to UAE-based Meosat, an internet service provider to the oil and gas industry. The new capacity is intended to serve oil industry clients in southern Iraq. (Source: Telecompaper)