LUKoil Seeks more Compensation Oil
By John Lee. LUKoil boss Vagit Alekperov (pictured) has reportedly threatened to cut investment in Iraq unless Baghdad offers more oil in return. The Iraqi government reimburses IOCs' costs in physical shipments of oil. LUKoil is a partner in the West Qurna-2 project, and in the development of Block 10. (Source: Reuters)
KRG "can be Self-Sufficient in Months"
By John Lee. Ashti Hawrami (pictured), KRG energy minister, has said that Iraqi Kurdistan is expected to reach financial self-sufficiency from Baghdad within months, despite central government withholding the region’s 17 percent share of budget. Speaking to Rudaw, he outlined plans to increase oil production to 750,000 bpd by the end of this year. In a […]
Video: Revenge and Reprisals in Iraq?
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Human Rights Watch says Iraqi civilians are being caught between the "horrors of ISIL and the brutality of Shia militias". The rights group accuses government forces, volunteers and Shia fighters of burning and […]
Iran Gathers Power, as US Further Sidelined
By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. While the United States has invested trillions of dollars and thousands of lives since 2003 to bring Iraq into its orbit, today it is Iran that appears to have achieved that […]
Video: IS Genocide Against Yazidis
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Islamic State jihadists may have committed genocide in trying to wipe out the Yazidi minority in Iraq, the UN said Thursday in a report laying out a litany of atrocities:
Turn a Light On: Electricity Sector Reform in Iraq
By Luay Al-Khatteeb and Harry Istepanian, of the Brookings Institution. The need to confront and drive back the forces of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS. ISIL) has pushed long-term reform efforts in Iraq far down the list of priorities. Yet pressing economic reforms – such as restructuring and rebuilding the country’s energy sector – increasingly […]
Belarus, Iraq to Cooperate on Healthcare, Education
By John Lee. On Tuesday, the Head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Africa and Middle East Department, Igor Leshchenya, had a meeting with the Iraqi Ambassador to Belarus, Haidar Hadi. The sides discussed the whole range of issues, including steps to further strengthen relations between the countries. In particular, they identified possible measures […]
Health Rights for Women in Iraq
Report first published in nina-iraq.com, the magazine for Iraqi women everywhere. By Suaad Allami, a leading Iraqi women’s human rights lawyer, US State Department International Women of Courage Award Recipient 2009, and Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards winner 2014. Based in Baghdad, Suaad founded the Iraqi NGO, Women for Progress, in 2007. Health rights in […]
Video: US returns Iraqi Artifacts
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Ancient Iraqi artifacts seized or tracked down by US Customs were put on display at the Iraqi embassy in Washington at an event to mark their repatriation, even as parts of Iraq remain under […]
GKP Shares Rally as Shaikan Ramps Up
By John Lee. Share in Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP), operator of the Shaikan field in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, gained 20 percent on Wednesday as the company announced that it has resumed production and truck loading operations at both its production facilities (PF-1 and -2), in line with the pre-payment of US$ 26 million […]
WesternZagros Year-End Results
By John Lee. WesternZagros Resources has announced its operating and financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2014. WesternZagros achieved several key financial and operational milestones during 2014 and to date, including the commencement of light oil production and sales at an average rate of 5,000 barrels of oil per day […]
Kirkuk Oil Production hits 400,000 bpd
By John Lee. An un-named industry source has told BasNews that oil production in Kirkuk has risen to 400,000 bpd. He said that, to begin with, they were exporting only 150,000 bpd through the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline to Ceyhan Port in Turkey, but later increased this to 300,000 bpd, eventually reaching 400,000 bpd on Monday. […]