Video: Attacks Kill Dozens as Violence Spirals
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Attacks in Iraq kill dozens of people and bring the death toll from May's violence above 600, sparking fears of all-out sectarian conflict.
Shares in GKP, Genel, Up on Oil Find
Gulf Keystone (GKP) and Genel Energy announced a commercial oil discovery at the Ber Bahr-1 exploration well on the Ber Bahr block in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Shares in GKP were up more than 5 percent on the day, with Genel Energy up 1.2 percent. Genel Energy, as operator, made the following statement: "The […]
Iraq to Buy 150,000t of Thai rice
By John Lee. Iraq has bought 150,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand in a nominal tender for at least 30,000 tonnes, a source at the trade ministry has told Reuters. The rice is to be purchased from two sources: Olam International is to supply 120,000 tonnes; and, Ameropa is to supply the remaining 30,000 tonnes. […]
Economy Starts to Hum, but Projects Need to Ramp Up
By Sherif Salem. As has often been the case in Iraq, developments in recent weeks have inspired both pessimism and optimism. On the one hand, an increase in bomb attacks – with 300 fatalities in April – raised fears of a return to the peak in levels of violence seen of 2005-2006. And events in […]
IBN Welcomes Good News on Iraqi Visas
By Padraig O'Hannelly. Foreign companies, especially in the oil sector, have long complained of problems obtaining visas to work in Iraq, and it's an issue that Iraq Business News has highlighted many times in the past. This is particularly frustrating for businesses that need to deploy specialised personnel to help develop Iraq and get it […]
Weekly Security Update 22 - 28 May
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk NEWS UPDATE Several bomb blasts in Iraq have killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens more in the latest eruption of violence, officials reported this morning. The blasts, including at least one car bomb, targeted the capital, Baghdad, and the northern city of Mosul. At least one car […]
GKP Seeks New Chairman
Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has provided an update on its intention to move from AIM to the Premium Segment of the Official List of the London Stock Exchange. The Company will initially make an application for the Common Shares of the Company to be admitted to the Standard Segment of the Official List. The Company […]
Iraq and Kuwait Discuss Chapter VII
The Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, received on 28th of May, 2013, at Al Seif Palace, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and his accompanying delegation. The Emir praised the efforts made by the Iraqi Government to end the third phase of the joint border pillars maintenance in implementation of Security […]
Contractors Invited to Build New Airport
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Transport (MOT) has invited contractors to participate in a pre-qualification procedure for the construction of the new Middle Euphrates International Airport (MEIA). Sited near Kerbala [Karbala], the project will be financed by the General Federal Budget of the Republic of Iraq. MEIA will be a domestic and international airport […]
Turkey Puzzled by US Stance on Exxon-KRG Oil Deal
Turkish officials are dismayed hearing about US concerns that Turkey’s decision to sign an agreement with ExxonMobil in northern Iraq is perceived as a threat to Iraq’s unity. Noting that it is ExxonMobil, a US company, that is going to do the exploration work in the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) area, the Turkish side […]
German Delegation Visits Iraqi Kurdistan
President Masoud Barzani welcomed a German delegation headed by Mr. Nils Schmid, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy for the state of Baden-Wurttemberg in his office in Salahadin. Mr. Schmid and the accompanying delegation expressed their support for the Kurdistan Region and were impressed with the amount of development and progress here. […]
Sadr Gives Maliki 'Final Warning'
By Ali Abel Sadah for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. What did controversial Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr mean when he issued on May 27 “a final warning to the government to assume its duty of protecting the people"? Political observers […]