British Ambassador’s Notebook: A Week in Kurdistan Region
By Michael Aron, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Iraq. This article was originally published by Rudaw, and is re-published with permission by Iraq Business News. Rather than the usual one or two day visit to Erbil, I have just spent a week in Kurdistan Region travelling to Suleymaniya, Dohuk, Soran and Shanidar. What a […]
New SIGIR Report is a Valuable Resource
The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) has released its 33rd Quarterly Report to the U.S. Congress. This 158-page report is a valuable resource for all who are interested in economic development in Iraq. Please click here to download.
US Company Investigates Opportunities in Thi Qar
A US company named as "EBM" is said to be considering investment in Thi Qar [Dhi Qar] province, according to Aswat al-Iraq. Luay Kheirallla, the director of Thi Qar Investment Commission, said that the company visited the area to investigate investment opportunities in fields of housing and tourism. (Source: Aswat al-Iraq)
Iran Announces $450m Gas Pipeline to Iraq
Iran's PressTV reports that the country's Gas Engineering and Development Company is planning to build a gas pipeline to export gas to Iraq. Ali-Reza Gharibi, the Managing Director of company, said on Friday that "the 48-inch gas pipeline to Iraq, which will run for 220 kilometers, will be a branch of Iran’s sixth national gas […]
AAIB Launches First Online War and Terrorism Travel Cover
Anglo-Arab Insurance Brokers (AAIB) launched the first on-line global travel plan to include war and terrorism cover as standard at the Arab Travel Markets Conference and Exhibition in Dubai on 30th April 2012. Marketed under the 'Frontier Travel' banner, www.frontiertravelinsurance.com offers insurance to travellers in any country in the world except the US and Canada […]
Harris to Provide Air Traffic Control System to Baghdad
Harris Corporation, the international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a contract to provide a back-up air traffic control system for Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Harris will supply a back-up Liberty-STAR™ Voice Communication and Control System (VCCS) to the primary Liberty-STAR™ VCCS previously installed by Harris. Featuring a modular architecture, open-platform software […]
Thailand and Iraq to Re-Open Embassies
Relations between Thailand and Iraq have gradually improved, and the two countries are preparing to re-open embassies in Bangkok and Baghdad. According to a report from MCOT, the Iraqi ambassador to Thailand, Dr Amal Mussa Hussain Ali Al-Rubaye, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at […]
The Cassation Court Vote: A Rare Case of Iraqi Consensus?
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford and currently based at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
Opportunities in Iraq – A Conference
The British Business Group (BBG) Joint Committee in conjunction with UKTI cordially invites you to the Regal Ballroom at St Regis, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 15th May 2012, @ 9am The Joint Committee of the British Business Groups in the UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), with the support of UKTI, is engaged in […]
Weekly Security Update for 3rd May 2012
Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week following a spate of al-Qaeda attacks the previous week which killed dozens of people. Nonetheless, conditions were still relatively bad. At least 47 people were killed and 65 injured in nationwide incidents. Tactics A suicide bomber in Ba'qubah killed 10 people and injured 15 mid-week. Otherwise a […]
Press Freedom and Economic Development
In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3rd May to be World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), a day which, among other objectives, serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. According to UNESCO figures, since 2008 a total of 26 Iraqi media workers have been killed, […]
Iraq Hits New Oil Export Highs in April
Iraq's crude oil exports averaged 2.508 million bpd in April, the highest level in decades, the head of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has announced. The figure was up 8.3 percent on March's 2.317 million bpd, Falah al-Amri told Bloomberg. Oil sales in April generated $8.8 billion in revenue from a total of 75.25 […]