EU High Rep. Ashton visits Kurdistan Region
The Kurdistan Region’s President and Prime Minister on Monday in Erbil met with the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, on her first visit to the Region. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission visited Erbil to discuss Iraq’s currently instability and the Kurdistan […]
Educational Support Programme for Refugees
Around 1.5 million people in Iraq are refugees or internally displaced people, women, men and children who struggle every day to meet their basic needs and access essential services. While finding shelter and ensuring food for these people are obvious immediate priorities, education should be part of the emergency response as well as of long-term […]
A New Iranian President
Iraq's neighbour Iran has elected a “moderate conservative”, Hassan Rohani, to be its new President, a contrast to his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was more openly belligerent. The extent to which this is a real change is debated, with many sources, not least in Israel, taking a more sceptical view of developments. Iran is, of […]
Weekly Security Update 12 - 19 June 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Despite the ever present daily churn of violence in Iraq the country experienced a degree of hiatus this week with a slow down in the number of daily high impact mass fatality attacks that have been a key feature of the period of April / May 2013. […]
KRG to Export Oil by New Pipeline ‘Very Soon’
By John Lee. Ashti Hawrami (pictured), the Natural Resources Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said on Wednesday that Iraqi Kurdistan will start exporting crude oil by pipeline "very soon" after the completion of a new link to the Turkish border by the end of September. Bloomberg quotes the minister as saying that the pipeline to […]
Beechcraft Extends Deal with Iraq Air Force
This week at the Paris Air Show, Beechcraft Corporation announced the award of a 28-month contract extension for contractor logistics support for the Iraq Air Force King Air fleet, led by its Global Mission Support team. The Beechcraft Special Mission King Air 350ER platform was selected by the Iraq Air Force in 2006 and the […]
Iraq Increases Gas Reserves
Iraq's Ministry of Oil has reportedly announced that Iraqi gas reserves reached to 137 trillion standard cubic meters (sic) [cubic feet?], due the increase in exploration sites. Spokesman Asim Jihad said investment and development operations comprised of three stages to reach the peak of production. Earlier, oil under-secretary Fayadh Hassan said that Iraq is trying […]
Foreign Min meets Member of UK House of Lords
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met on June 18, 2013, at the headquarters of the Ministry, member of the British House of Lords, Baroness Emma Nicholson, and her accompanying delegation comprising representatives of a number of British companies. During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop them at all levels. They […]
Video: Interview with Former PM Ayad Allawi
More than a thousand people were killed in violence in Iraq last month according to the United Nations. The country appears to be dividing along religious lines, not helped by its neighbour Syria's descent into civil war. In this BBC Hardtalk interview, Sarah Montague talks to Ayad Allawi, the country's first Prime Minister after Saddam […]
Video: Victory for UK Families of Soldiers Killed in Iraq
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Families of British troops killed by roadside bombs in Iraq have won the right to sue the government. The Supreme Court has ruled that British troops serving in battle are covered by domestic […]
Paulson Buys WesternZagros Convertible Notes
By John Lee. Paulson & Co, the hedge fund run by John Paulson (pictured), has bought Cdn$70 million [$68.6 million USD] of WesternZagros 4.00% Convertible Senior Unsecured Notes ("Convertible Notes"). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement have been used to repay the remaining Crest Energy International ("Crest") debt of US$44.5 million plus […]
Gulf Keystone Starts Drilling at Shaikan-7
By John Lee. Gulf Keystone has announced the commencement of the Company's drilling campaign to explore deeper, yet untested horizons of the world class discovery at the Shaikan field, which the Company operates. Shaikan-7, the first deep exploration well on the Shaikan block, is targeting the mid to lower Triassic and, potentially, Permian horizons, spudded […]