Weekly Security Update 29 Apr - 05 May 2014
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Despite persistent ISIS threats against the general elections held on 30 April, increased security precautions managed to contain some of the expected violence and encourage Iraqis to cast their ballots, with a relatively high turnout established at 59% by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). As a telling illustration of this enthusiastic political […]
ICF Charity Event: Lukman Faily Runs Again!
By John Lee. For our more athletic readers in the US, we are pleased to announce a special charity event in Alexandria, Virginia on the 10th of May. Impressively, Iraq's Ambassador to the US Lukman Faily (pictured) will be the Distinguished Guest Runner having recently run in the Boston Marathon. This looks like a fun […]
Oil Companies Pledge $15m to Refugees
By John Lee. Oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region have so far donated $15 million dollars towards humanitarian aid for refugees from the war in Syria, through an initiative launched by the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources. Thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled to the Kurdistan Region have received help through the donations. […]
Iraq Authorises 3G Licenses
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has announced that it will shortly offer licenses to mobile operators to give customers 3G internet service, AFP reports. The colossal increase in mobile phone ownership in Iraq post 2003 has been one of the notable developments in the country, a nation which still has a highly limited fixed-line network. Mobile […]
Iraq Oil Exports Up for April
By John Lee. Iraq's oil exports were up to 2.5 million bpd for April, an increase on March's exports of 2.4 million bpd, despite the inactivity of the major northern Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which has been inoperable due to insurgent sabotage. A statement from the ministry of oil said that April's total of 75 million barrels […]
Official Election Results Announced 25th of May
By John Lee Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission has confirmed that the final official results of the April 30th elections will be announced on the 25th of May. So far a number of sources have released preliminary results, or what they have described as a first count. Elsewhere, various parties have claimed an approximate number […]
Endurance in Baghdad
By John Lee The BBC's Kevin Conolly has published an illuminating piece about the mentality of Baghdad residents who live day to day with the risk of violence. Citing what others have compared to the "blitz spirit" of Londoners during the German air raids in WW2, Conolly describes life in and around Baghdad's famous Mutanabbi […]
Lukoil's West Qurna 2 Ambition
By John Lee. Writing in Forbes, correspondent Christopher Helman has written an autobiographical study of Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov (pictured) and the company's long term ambition in developing the giant West Qurna 2 field in southern Iraq. Helman notes the stunning scale of the endeavor, which has spanned several decades including a deal with Saddam in 1997 […]
Syria to Sell Excess Wheat to Iraq
By John Lee. According to Lebanon's The Daily Star, Syria is to tender 100,000 tonnes of soft wheat and 100,000 tonnes of durum wheat to the Iraqi market. Sources quoted inside Syria said that the wheat was excess from last year's harvest that was due for distribution in various parts of Syria, but that this […]
Iran Announce Work at Azar-Badra Field
By John Lee. Iran have announced that drilling will begin next year at the Azar oil field, which is known as Badra on the Iraqi side of the border. On the Iraqi side, Badra is operated by Gazprom Neft. Saying that initial activity should yield some 30,000 bpd with a later target of 65,000 bpd, […]
Bloom Properties Win Major Karbala Development
By John Lee. Bloom Properties, the Dubai based multi sector subsidiary of National Holding, has won a major housing development in the Karbala governorate after signing an agreement with the provincial governor Amal al Deen al Hir and the Iraqi National Investment Commission. The 40,000 housing unit development will be constructed in phases over eight […]
KRG Begins Government Formation
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. After around 176 days of a political impasse over power sharing, Iraqi Kurdistan announced that it had started to form its new regional government. Rather significantly, the opposition Change movement […]