Kirkuk Extremists Vie for Power, Money
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. For Power and Money: Kirkuk Extremist Groups’ Play Dirty Tricks on One Another Kirkuk security forces have recorded 21 incidents of extremist violence and around 30 deaths in the […]
US, Iranian Influence Evolves 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. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will visit Tehran following the historic agreement that Tehran reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) over its nuclear program. […]
Efforts to Impose Sharia Law Spark Controversy
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. Iraqi Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari announced Oct. 23 that he had prepared a Sharia-based personal-status law and submitted it to the cabinet for approval and referral to the Council of Representatives for […]
ExxonMobil Sells Stakes in West Qurna I
By John Lee. ExxonMobil signed agreements on Thursday with PetroChina for a 25 percent participating interest in the West Qurna I project in Iraq, and with Indonesia's Pertamina for a 10 percent participating interest in West Qurna I. ExxonMobil retains 25 percent interest and remains lead contractor. The transfer has been approved by the South Oil […]
Iraq-Azerbaijan Meeting in Baku
By John Lee. The next meeting of the Iraq-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission has been fixed for 3-4 December in Baku. APA reports that the Commission is headed by the ministers of communications and information technologies of the two countries, Turkhan Mufti and Ali Abbasov. At the end of the meeting the sides are expected to sign […]
Iraq Negotiates with Airbus
By John Lee. Iraqi Transport Ministry is negotiating with Airbus to buy a number of planes, according to a report from Aswat Al Iraq. Iraqi Transport Minister Hadi al-Ameri said the negotiations related to a number of A320 planes. He also confirmed signing the contract with the Canadian company Bombardier to buy ten planes, and […]
Additional Political Entities Approved for Elections
By Reidar Visser. The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Additional Political […]
Weekly Security Update 21 - 26 November 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Little has changed in Iraq this week as al Qaeda (AQ) and Sunni insurgent groups have continued to press home a series of devastating attacks across the northern and central belts of the country. The security situation in northern Syria and northern Iraq remains febrile and fluid […]
Standard Chartered Opens Branch in Iraq
BBC reports that Standard Chartered has opened a bank branch in, Baghdad. Opening the branch, Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the move was an "indicator of trust" in Iraq's economy, adding that the UK had supported Iraq "from the beginning". The British ambassador to Iraq, Simon Collis, said the UK was dedicated to setting up […]
Conference paves way for Erbil Tourism
Travel experts and companies from around the world attended the Kurdistan International Tourism Conference in Erbil last week, paving the way for Erbil's position as Middle East Tourism Capital of 2014. The Head of the General Board of Tourism, Mawlawi Wahab made the opening remarks and welcomed the delegates who included officials from the federal […]
WFP Uses Smart Cards to Provide Cash
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has begun to use smart cards to deliver cash assistance in Iraq to participants in its cash-for-assets projects in Baghdad, Diyala and Ninewah. Through this programme, WFP provides employment opportunities and livelihood support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and other vulnerable groups. “The introduction of smart cards is […]
Agricultural Opportunities for US Businesses
A US-led business delegation comprising of a number of international companies visited Kurdistan this week to explore investment opportunities in the fast-growing region, with a focus on agriculture, food and water sectors. The delegation, led by Steven Lutes, the Director of the US-Iraq Business Initiative (USIBI) at the US Chamber of Commerce, met with the […]