Foreign Contractors Detained in Iraq
The Iraqi government has temporarily detained more than 100 international workers in recent weeks over visas and paperwork issues, according to the International Stability Operations Association, a trade group representing contractors. “We want to ensure that you are aware of the seriousness of this issue and the impact it is having on our members’ ability to […]
Dunia Weekly Iraq Market Tracker
Iraq Business News is delighted to bring you the latest Iraq Market Tracker report from Dunia Frontier Consultants. The market tracker highlights the activities and market performance of a basket of publicly traded firms who derive a significant percentage of their revenues from operations in Iraq, but are traded on foreign exchanges: a proxy Iraq […]
Enka Signs $235m Iraqi Power Deal
Reuters reports that Iraq has signed a $235-million electricity deal with a subsidiary of Turkey's Enka Insaat to install a 500-megawatt power plant in the Al-Najibiya district of Basra. The company will install four General Electric (GE) gas units, each with a capacity of 125 megawatts, within the next 16 months, said electricity minister Karim Aftan. […]
Iraq and Iran to Jointly Develop Oilfields
Mehdi Fakour (pictured), Managing Director of the Iranian Central Oil Fields Company (ICOFC), has announced that Tehran and Baghdad have decided to establish a joint company to developing three joint oil fields, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency. "An Iraqi delegation will visit Iran on February 6 to finalize the establishment of the company," […]
Iraq to Participate in Arab-Chinese Business Conference
Iraq is planning its participation in the fifth round of the Arab-Chinese Business Conference, according to AKnews. Iraq is expected to attend the one-day conference in Sharjah city with a high-level delegation headed by the Minister of Trade, Khairullah Hasan. “Iraq is in the process of reconstructing the country. Therefore normalizing these economic relations is […]
Syrian Exports to Iraq Hit $20 million
Syrian exports to Iraq reached 20 million dollars in December, half of it from Aleppo, according to Alwatan daily. Aswat al-Iraq says Iraq is a major contact for Syria following sanctions against the regime. (Source: Aswat al-Iraq)
Genel Takes Control of Chia Surkh
Genel Energy announced on Monday morning that it has taken a step forward in its strategy to consolidate its position as a leading oil and gas player in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by becoming the government's sole Contractor in the Chia Surkh exploration block. The Company said today that it is to increase its […]
Finance Ministry Considers Adding 42,000 Jobs to Budget
The parliamentary Finance Committee said on Sunday that it is considering adding 42,000 jobs to the 58,000 allocated in the 2012 budget, according to AKnews. On Jan. 5 the Iraqi government approved the 2012 budget of $100 billion USD (117 trillion IQD) with a deficit of up to $13.5 billion USD (20.5 trillion IQD), based […]
Statoil to Sell Stake in West Qurna-2?
The Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) reports that Norwegian producer Statoil ASA is trying to sell its stake in the West Qurna-2 oilfield. According to the report, the company may use the negotiations to improve the terms of the West Qurna-2 contract and decide against pulling out. If a sale happened, it would be the […]
Iraqi Marine Oil Terminal to be Ready 25th Jan
The first of four new single-point mooring facilities will be ready to commence operations on Jan. 25, according to a report from Bloomberg. If correct, this would be a pull-forward of the schedule reported by Reuters on 4th Jan. Dhia Jaafar, director general of South Oil Company, said the project involves laying pipelines, building eight […]
16 Million Pilgrims Flock to Karbala
AKnews reports that over 16 million pilgrims flocked to Karbala to mark Arbain, the 40th day after Ashura, which is the day Shiite's believe Imam Hussein Ibn Ali was martyred in the 7th century. The deputy leader of the Karbala Provincial Council Nassif, Jassem al-Khutabi, told AKnews that over half a million come from abroad, […]
Is Iraqi Media Law a Step Forward?
Iraq’s new media law, the product of several years of debate, is supposed to protect journalists, but it has been the subject of much controversy. Hazim al-Sharaa, an IWPR editor in Iraq, looks at why some fear the legislation will restrict rather than enhance freedom of speech. Can you describe the new media law? This […]