AB Maritime Plan Basra-Dubai Ferry Route
By John Lee. Arab Bridge Maritime, the joint venture established by the governments of Iraq, Jordan and Egypt in 1985, is planning a two ferry service between Basra and Dubai. The venture will initially cost $2 million per year based on the hiring cost of the ferries, and if successful the ferries will be purchased, […]
Disqualified Candidates Spark Controversy in Iraq
By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The newly issued judicial decisions disqualifying election candidates in Iraq have reopened the debate on the standards of justice and equal opportunity for candidates. This time the controversy was accompanied by a debate on the loose mechanisms […]
KRG Offers 100,000 bpd Through SOMO
By John Lee. Kurdish Regional Government PM Nechirvan Barzani (pictured) has offered to send 100,000 bpd of oil from the Kurdish region through the State Oil Marketing Company, Reuters reports. The move is designed to partially appease Baghdad in the on going and tortuous dispute over oil revenues and exports to Turkey. Currently over 1 million […]
US Delivers Critical Arms to Iraq
The United States continues to accelerate delivery of weapons and ammunition to Iraq consistent with our Strategic Framework Agreement and long-term security partnership. These deliveries are made in response to specific Iraqi requests and pursuant to a holistic counter-terrorism policy that incorporates political, economic, and security measures. On the security side, it is essential that […]
Basra’s Mighty Petro-Dollar
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. Basra’s Mighty Petro-Dollar: But Does the Province Have Anything to Show for it? Basra is one of the country’s wealthiest provinces in terms of oil it produces; its budget for 2014 […]
UK Export Finance to Help Kurdistan Development
A delegation from the UK Export Finance Department visited the Kurdistan Department of Foreign Relations to discuss opportunities for building further relations with Kurdistan in various fields of infrastructure and investment. The UK delegation was led by Steve Dodgson, the Business Group Director of UK Export Finance and included the British Consul General, Hugh Evans […]
Jordanian Economic Delegation to Visit Iraq
By John Lee. A Jordanian economic delegation from the public and private sectors will visit Iraq later this month to discuss economic issues of concern to both Jordan and Iraq, Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, Hatem Halawani [Hatem Hafez Al-Halawani Al-Tamimi] (pictured), said. During a visit to three factories in Eastern Amman, the […]
A Challenge for the Electoral Commission
With just six weeks left to the parliamentary elections in Iraq, scheduled for 30th April, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has sais that the elections may not be held due to the security problems in the country. Addressing a youth organization affiliated to his National Iraqi Alliance, Allawi expressed doubts about the integrity and transparency […]
Gulf Keystone to Raise $250m Debt
Gulf Keystone has announced that it has mandated Deutsche Bank and Pareto Securities to arrange a series of fixed income investor meetings in the US, Europe and Asia commencing 20 March 2014. A debt offering of up to US$250 million in accordance with Reg S/144A is expected to follow, subject to market conditions. On 13 […]
US Franchise Opportunities in Iraq
By John Lee. On Monday, March 17, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires, John Desrocher (pictured), joined the Chairman of the Iraqi National Investment Commission, Dr. Sami Al Araji, to open a two-day series of “Developing Franchise Opportunities in Iraq” meetings in Baghdad. The meetings offered 10 U.S. based franchisors, including Froots, Dr. G's, Dental Fix, Radio […]
Asiacell Selects Anam Technologies
Anam Technologies, a Irish mobile messaging software solutions provider for mobile operators, has announced that they have been selected by Asiacell to provide its SMS Firewall service ANTISpam. The service was selected by Asiacell to enhance the operator’s ability to detect and block spam traffic from entering its network and protect its customers from receiving […]
Exports via Ceyhan Halted for 3 Wks
By John Lee. Pumping along the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has reportedly been halted since the beginning of March due to sabotage, and it is unclear when exports can re-start. Oil volume through the pipeline dropped almost a quarter in January (compared to January 2013), having already fallen by 37 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, according […]