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 […]

Women’s Movement Faces Setbacks

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. When well-known feminist activist Mona Eltahawy put forth her theory that women are hated and detested in the Middle East, she faced objections from both men and women in various Arab countries. Yet, when […]

Report Denounces Human Rights Situation in Iraq

UNPO’s UPR Reports Denounce Human Rights Situation in Iraq and Iran On the occasion of the 20th Session of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, UNPO has submitted two reports denouncing the human rights situation in the Republic of Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite their international responsibilities, these States have failed to […]

Does 'Mental Accounting' Matter?

By Mark DeWeaver. ISX observers sometimes blame share price declines on people selling their recently listed bonus or rights issue shares. Such behavior would be interesting to document because it seems to imply a departure from perfect rationality. From the point of view of conventional finance theory, there just isn’t any reason to differentiate between […]

Weekly Security Update 11 - 17 Mar 2014

By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Amid continued violence in Iraq’s central and northern governorates, the proximity of the parliamentary elections triggered a series of political manoeuvres aimed at mobilising the country’s disaffected electorate. In a bid to undermine Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, Parliament Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi re-oriented political debates towards the Anbar crisis, criticising the lack of government […]

Kentz-Foster Wheeler Venture Wins Shell Contracts

By John Lee. Foster Wheeler Kentz Energy Services DMCC, the Dubai-based joint venture company of Foster Wheeler and Kentz, announced today that it has been awarded framework contracts by Shell Iraq Petroleum Development B.V. ("Shell"), for the provision of engineering, procurement and related services for the Majnoon Oil Field Commercial Production Project in Iraq. Shell […]

Delegates From 40 Nations Attend Terror Summit

By Omar al-Jaffal for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi government held a conference on combating international terrorism on March 12-13 in Baghdad, in which it suspended its official work on the opening day of the conference. Although the official reason for the […]