Iraq’s Film Industry Hits Bottom
By Ali Abdulameer for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. One of the strange indicators in Iraqi culture today is the graduation of dozens of cinema and cinematic art enthusiasts from the film departments in academies and technical institutes every year. Yet, […]
New Head of Sweden’s Embassy Section Office
The new Head of Sweden’s Embassy Section Office, Jessica Svärdström, met with the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, as part of her introductory meetings since assuming her new role. Ms Svärdström is also the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden to Iraq. Siham Jabali, […]
US Ambassador Meets Foreign Minister Zebari
By John Lee. On October 23rd, Ambassador Beecroft met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to discuss U.S.-Iraqi relations, the Strategic Framework Agreement, and preparations for the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Maliki to Washington. They also discussed political and regional issues of common interest and developments of the Syrian crisis in addition to the […]
Weekly Security Update 17 - 24 Oct 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Iraqis bore the brunt of another violent week, however the tempo of insurgent attacks waned, possibly due to a lack of resources or as the focus of their operations shifted to the fighting against the rebel groups and Kurdish militias in Northern Syria / Iraq. Despite […]
New Hope for Job Seekers in Iraq!
At Iraq Business News we take pride in keeping you up to date on all aspects of Iraqi commerce, connecting you with the information that matters. As part of that mission, we can now help you find the right people to build your Iraqi team. Our new IBN Jobs Page offers free advertising to employers […]
Nineveh Takes Steps towards Energy Independence
By John Lee. The Governor of Nineveh province, Atheel al Nujaifi (pictured), has told Reuters that Baghdad has focused on the giant southern oilfields and has paid little attention to developing resources in his province. The province has started talks with oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, and is drafting terms to attract investment. Nujaifi added: "We […]
UK Helps Protect Syrian Children Fleeing to Iraq
Britain will give vulnerable Syrian children fleeing to Iraq the protection they need, International Development Secretary Justine Greening (pictured) announced on Wednesday. There are around 200,000 Syrian refugees now in Iraq to escape the ongoing violence, the majority in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with more arriving every day. This follows the sudden opening of […]
FM Receives Turkish Delegation
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, received on October 22, 2013 Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Turkish Parliament, Volkan Bozkir, the delegation accompanying him, and the Turkish Ambassador to Iraq, Faruk Kaymakci. During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation between the Iraqi and Turkish parliaments […]
Tinted Cars and Ghost-like Officials
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A decade after the fall of Saddam Hussein, an ingrained fear of the “tinted car” remains ingrained in Iraqi minds. If anything, since 2003 this fear has grown, commensurate with the […]
Petrofac Awarded 2nd Phase of Iraq Project
By John Lee. Oilfield service company Petrofac has announced a contract extension from South Oil Company (SOC) for its Iraq Crude Oil Expansion Project. The 12-month extension, worth around US$99 million includes the second phase of the project and will see the Company provide an additional scope of operations and maintenance services. The extension follows […]
Dana Begins Arbitration Proceedings On Kurdish Contract
By Matthew Gayle. According to Iraq Oil Report, the consortium managing the only producing natural gas field in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is taking the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to court, alleging overdue payments that are likely to total over $2 billion. Dana Gas, a United Arab Emirates fuel producer, began arbitration proceedings in London on rights […]
Iraq Begins Receiving Russia Arms Shipments
By Matthew Gayle. According to UPI, Iraqi officials are saying that the military has started taking delivery of Russian arms as part of a landmark $4.3 billion contract signed in October 2012. The officials have not specified which systems have arrived in Iraq or when, but UPI's sources say it's understood they include 10 fully […]