Iran-Kurdistan Trade to Exceed $4bn
By John Lee. Trade between Iran and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is expected to exceed $4 billion (5 trillion Iraqi dinars) this year, AKnews reports. "This year, the maximum value of our trade activities will exceed $4 billion and such a boost is certainly the result of further cooperation," a local Kurdish official has […]
Video: Interview with Kurdish President, Massoud Barzani
By John Lee. On this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, Jane Arraf sits down with Massoud Barzani to find out how far he is willing to go to protect and promote the interests of the Kurdish people: (Source: AlJazeera)
Iraq Stock Market Report
Advertising Feature Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) market report (week ending: 26th July 2012). Please click here to download a table of listed companies and their associated ticker codes. ID1,363 / $1,475 (-3.5%) (weekly change). The number of week traded shares was 20.4bn and the weekly trading volume was ID23.0bn ($19.1mn). Non Iraqis […]
Video: Kurdish Forces Keep Iraqi Troops from Syrian Border
By John Lee. Iraqi Kurdish security forces have prevented Iraqi government soldiers from reaching a disputed area that borders Syria, according to this video from Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh reports from the Fishkhabour border crossing between Iraq and Syria: (Source: AlJazeera)
Basrah Light Exports 'Stable' for 1H-August
By John Lee. Bloomberg reports that Iraq will keep its daily exports of Basrah Light crude from the Persian Gulf roughly the same in the first half of August as in the second half of July, compared with shipments in the previous two weeks. Twenty cargoes are scheduled to be shipped from the al-Basrah Oil […]
Iraq to Spend $428m on Firefinder Radars
By John Lee. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Iraq for 12 Firefinder Radars and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $428 million. The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of: 6 AN/TPQ-36(V)11 FIREFINDER […]
Iraq Needs Services, Not Heavy Weapons
By John Lee. The second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament said Iraq needs to build and provide public services rather than buy heavy weapons, according to a report from AKnews. Commenting on the visit of Iraq's Defense Minister Sadoun al-Dlemi [Sadoun al-Dulaimi, Sadun al-Dulaymi] to Russia to buy heavy weapons, Arf Taifur expressed his surprise […]
$162m "Basra Times Square" Project Gets Green Light
By John Lee. Basra Investment Commission (BIC) has granted an investment licence for a $162-million tourism project in central Basra. Khalaf al-Badran (pictured), Chairman of the BIC, said: "The license for the 'Basra Times Square' project was granted to Dier Company for Contracts ... This project will achieve great benefit and will be a remarkable […]
Tourism Up 75% in Kurdistan
By John Lee. Tourism in the Kurdistan Region is up 75 percent in the last six months in comparison to last year. A spokesperson for the region's Investment Board expects 2.5m tourists to visit in 2012, up from 1.7 million in 2011. According to the report from AKnews, Kurdistan has 370 hotels, 180 motels, 970 […]
KRG Forms 'High' Commission for Drugs
By John Lee. AKnews reports that the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Health has formed a 'high commission' (sic) for approving drugs. The commission is intended to register and approve pharmaceuticals and monitor quality. and then select the data and type of the drugs. (Source: AKnews)
Iraqi Inflation Falls to 5.8%
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Planning said that inflation in Iraq for the period from June 2011 to June 2012 has been running at a reported 5.8 percent. This figure is down from the 6.2 percent reported in May, and the 6.7 percent in April. (Source: NINA)
Turkish Firm Considers Housing Projects in Baghdad
By John Lee. Baghdad Investment Commission has announced that a Turkish company is interested in building large residential projects in downtown Baghdad. According to AIN, a statement by the Commission said: "The Chairman of the Investment Commission Shaker al-Zamili [Shaker al-Zamili, Shaker A Shabib] (pictured) received a delegation from the Turkish Techno Group Company which […]