The Great Zloty Fraud: Money Changers in Karbala
By Mohammed Hamid al-Sawaf. 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. Unofficial money changers are common in Iraq – and trade is particularly brisk in the tourist town of Karbala. But recently a gang of fraudsters […]
Ambassador Beecroft Arrives as New US Ambassador
On October 11, 2012, Ambassador Robert Stephen Beecroft (pictured) arrived in Baghdad and was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq in a ceremony at the Embassy of the United States of America. He will present his credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Talabani at the earliest opportunity. Ambassador […]
KRG Increases Educational Links with Poland
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Higher Education Minister last week met government and university representatives in Poland, which has recently been added as a destination for Kurdistan’s scholarship students. Dr Ali Saeed Mohammad, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, came to Poland to explore ways of strengthening […]
START Concludes Pilot Women's Skills Programme
By John Lee. Under the management of the US Consulate General in Erbil, the START Social Development Organisation concluded a five-month pilot programme established to empower women and provide key skills. The Kurdistan Economic Enhancement-skills Programme (KEEP) is funded by the US Department of State and is currently available in the rest of the country. […]
Will CH2M Hill Replace Exxon in Water-Injection Project?
By John Lee. According to press reports, Iraq's South Oil Company (SOC) has awarded CH2M Hill a $170 million consultancy contract for the water injection project in the country's southern oil fields, replacing ExxonMobil. Al Bawaba quotes SOC Director General, Dhia Jaafar, as saying: "The South Oil Company has selected CH2M Hill to offer consultancy […]
Press Statements Following Maliki-Putin Talks
By John Lee. Presidents Maliki and Putin have issued the following statement after their meeting in Moskow: PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen, Our meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Nouri al-Maliki, was substantive and constructive. Some significant changes have have been taking place in Iraq since Mr […]
Video: PKK Military Leader Interviewed
Murat Karayilan, the chief of the PKK's armed wing, explains the Kurdish role in Syria and the impact of the Arab Spring on the region, in this interview with Al Jazeera: (Source: Al Jazeera)
Iraq "wants Russians to Replace Exxon at West Qurna"
By John Lee. Iraq is considering replacing ExxonMobil at the supergiant West Qurna-1 oilfield with Russian companies LUKoil and Gazprom Neft, according to a report from Nefte Compass. Iraq regards Exxon's contracts in the northern Kurdish region of the country as illegal. But if any agreement was reached at this week's meeting between Iraqi Prime […]
EducationUSA Introduces Iraqi Students to US Unis
The U.S. Mission in Iraq is hosting an EducationUSA University Fair in Erbil, October 12 and 13, as part of its ongoing activities to promote educational and cultural exchange opportunities between the U.S. and Iraq. EducationUSA is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides accurate and complete information – for free – to […]
Iraq to Spend $1bn on Czech Attack Jets
By John Lee. Iraq has agreed to buy 28 Czech-made Aero Vodochody L-159 advanced trainer/light-attack jets valued at $1 billion dollars (770 billions euros), a Czech defence ministry announced on Friday. Agreement to buy the 24 new planes and four older army surplus aircraft was reached at the end of a two-day visit to Prague by […]
Iraq to Maintain Basra Oil Exports in 2H-Oct
By John Lee. Bloomberg reports that Iraq will ship 25 cargoes of Basrah light crude from the Persian Gulf in the second half of October, compared with 21 in the previous two-week period. According to the loading program, Iraq will export a total of 36.6 million barrels from the al-Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) (pictured), 2.2 million […]
WesternZagros Confirms Oil at Kurdamir-2
By John Lee. WesternZagros Resources has completed its testing program in the deepest of the three stacked reservoirs drilled by the Kurdamir-2 exploration well in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The testing confirmed an oil discovery in low permeability fractured limestones of the Cretaceous-age, Shiranish Formation, adding to the previously announced major oil discovery in […]