Tensions Rise Over BP Kirkuk Deal
By John Lee. Reuters has reported that BP will undertake work to arrest declining production at the Kirkuk oilfield, in a move that has outraged the Kurdistan Regional Government. Abdul Mahdy al-Ameedi, head of the oil ministry's Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), told The Wall Street Journal that a request has been sent to […]
KRG Hits Out at Baghdad over Oil Policy
The Kurdistan Regional Government has issued a strongly-worded statement challenging the policy of the Federal Government and the Ministry of Oil: The Kurdistan Regional Government is proud of the achievements of its oil and gas industry since the fall of the former regime in 2003. It expects the federal government of Iraq to be proud […]
Video: Tensions Flare over Kirkuk
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Kurdish military officials and the Iraqi central government are currently trying to defuse an armed confrontation over a disputed northern territory. Kurdish military officials said the forces of Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi prime minister, […]
Video: Funeral of Sunni MP Killed in Suicide Bombing
From Jewish News One. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Hundreds of Iraqis have attended the funeral for Sunni Member of Parliament Ifan Saadoun al-Issawi, after he was assassinated near Fallujah, Iraq. Seven people, including the lawmaker, were killed in the suicide […]
Video: "US, Saudis Unleash al-Qaeda on Iraq"
From Iran’s PressTV. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. An analyst says, Iraq is being pressured with terrorist bomb attacks by foreign imperial entities and Persian Gulf dictatorships to reverse their position on Syria. In the background of this at least 40 […]
Iraq On Track for Big Wheat Crop
By John Schnittker, Chief Economist at Schnittker Associates, and former Ministry Advisor at the US Embassy in Baghdad. Iraq’s 2013 winter grain prospects appear to be good to excellent condition at this time. Late fall and early winter rains as well as irrigation supplies have been adequate to support increased plantings and good early growth […]
Education for All – Cultural Empowerment, Political Imperative
Picture: Dr Mahmoud Osman, Member of the Council of Representatives Iraq, speaking at yesterday's conference. By Madeleine White, educationalist, writer and Head of Strategic Partnerships, Whizz Education. I was going to write about Educational Technology, as Bett (the world’s leading educational technology event) is happening in London at the end of the month. I also […]
EU-Iraq Agreement: New Opportunities to Boost Democracy
Iraq can enjoy new economic opportunities and receive a boost to its efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the country thanks to its first-ever framework agreement with the EU. That is the view of Italian Christian Democrat MEP Mario Mauro (pictured), who is responsible for steering the agreement through Parliament. He is recommending […]
DPM Discusses Investment with Australian Ambassador
By John Lee. The Deputy Prime Minister, Salih al-Mutleg [Saleh Al-Mutlaq], hosted the Australian Ambassador to Iraq, Lyndall Sachs (pictured), at his office in Baghdad. AIN reports that the two sides discussed encouraging Australian investment companies to work in industrial, agricultural and humanitarian development fields. The Ambassador said her country was ready to offer all support […]
Iraq’s Political Rights Rating Falls
By John Lee. Iraq’s political rights rating declined over the past year, according to a new report from Freedom House. The fall was due to the concentration of power by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and increasing pressure on the political opposition, as exemplified by the arrest and death sentence in absentia of Vice President Tariq […]
Anti-Maliki Demos Show no Sign of Slowing
For weeks, Sunni Arab tribesmen have taken over the centre of Samarra to rail against the "injustices" of Iraq's Shiite-led authorities: (Source: AFP)
13,000 and Counting
By John Lee. A partner at a London-based financial advisory business has suggested Iraq as a true frontier market investment, saying: “The greatest opportunities for emerging market investors have always come when political chaos coincides with a dire media consensus, and a major underlying economic improvement is thereby ignored. Iraq stands firmly in this tradition […]