Central Bank of Iraq Buys 36 Tonnes of Gold
By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq has purchased 36 tonnes of gold valued at $1.6bn to help stabilise the Dinar against foreign currencies, Bloomberg reports. Iraq is now the 43rd largest holder of gold reserves globally, having already held 29.8 tonnes as of August last year, but the latest purchase is one of the biggest by […]
Iraq's Electoral Commission Ends In Mass Resignation
By John Lee. Sources from Reuters have reported that Iraq's entire electoral commission have resigned en masse complaining of "political interference." The move comes following a conflict between the judiciary, legislature and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) following a decision by the judiciary to disqualify candidates said to be of "ill repute." This could quite possibly […]
Weekly Security Update 18 - 24 Mar 2014
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com The proximity of the general parliamentary elections was reflected in changing security dynamics and political movements across several leading parties. Though campaigning is only set to open on 01 April, legal disputes and vindictive declarations highlighted major divisions between the ruling coalition, Shia factions and Sunni opposition groups. Despite his recent withdrawal from […]
Another Look at Corporate Actions
By Mark DeWeaver. In this old post from 2010, I considered the possibility that ISX share prices might fail to adjust completely for corporate actions. There didn’t seem to be much evidence for this but it was a bit hard to be sure. In those days, stocks would generally be suspended for a number of […]
Baghdad Showcases Homegrown Fashion Talent
By John Lee. A couple of fashion stories went largely undetected this week as Baghdad held no less than 2 fashion events showcasing homegrown designer talent. The first was held at the Palestine Hotel and was a cat walk show featuring pret a porter dresses from Iraqi designer Mona Sultan. For those unacquainted with fashion terminology (like this […]
1500 Housing Unit Development Planned for Baghdad
By John Lee. Baghdad governor Ali al-Tamimi has announced the completion of a plan for 1500 new housing units in the Baghdad governorate. The moves comes as the Iraqi government recently announced it would be falling short of its target of 2.5 million new housing units to meet demand. Housing and Construction minister Mohammed al-Darraji […]
US and Iraq Collaborate to Improve Service Delivery
By John Lee. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Alonzo Wind joined the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Secretariat, Dr. Ali Al-Allaq, in opening the Third National Conference on Excellence in Services at the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad on March 24. The two-day conference provided an opportunity to recognize […]
Health Ministry: Iraq Needs 56,000 Physicians
By John Lee. Iraq's Health Ministry has announced the need for 56,000 more doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers in Iraq in order to reach a target ratio of 10 physicians per 10,000 of the population, according to Aswat al-Iraq. For that target to be reached in the next four years, the Ministry is coordinating […]
Metinvest to Supply Large Diameter Pipes
By John Lee. Metinvest Group received permission to supply large diameter pipes fabricated from internally produced pipe-making plate for oil and gas pipelines in Iraq. The Oil Ministry of Iraq included Metinvest Group into its list of certified suppliers of large diameter pipes manufactured from internally produced pipe-making plate. The move followed Azovstal Iron and […]
First of 10 New Fast Trains Ready for Shipment
By John Lee. China's Dongfang Electric Corp. has completed the first of 10 high speed, desert modified diesel trains at a ceremony attended by Iraq's ambassador to China, Railway Gazette reports. The trains were ordered in 2012, a year after Iraq announced plans for a Basra to Baghdad high speed rail route, an initiative that does not […]
Iraq Calls For Foreign Investment For New Housing
By John Lee. Iraq's housing minister Mohammed al-Darraji says that the country is planning to spend $5bn on new housing units in the next 3 years, but that the required 2.5 million new units will not be complete on time to meet demand, Rebuilding Iraq reports. Currently there will only be 130,000 new units by next year, […]
Shahristani Welcomes Barzani's 'Good Will' Offer
By John Lee. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein al-Shahristani (pictured) has welcomed Nechirvan Barzani's offer of sending 100,000 bpd of oil through the State Oil Marketing Company. According to Aswat al-Iraq, Barzani's widely reported "good will" gesture was also welcomed by former oil minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum who was positive about the offer. Until the […]