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 […]
Iraq Stock Market Report
Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) market report (week ending: 12th January 2012). Please click here to download a table of listed companies and their associated ticker codes. The RSISX index ended the week at ID1,456 / $1,598, -1.5% (weekly change). The number of weekly traded shares was 3.1 bn and the weekly trading volume […]
Weekly Security Update for 13th January 2012
The year 2012 has not begun well for Iraq. Levels of violence rose in the country last week, with at least 107 people killed and 300 injured in nationwide incidents. Several of the latest bombings have targeted pilgrims gathering in the centre of the country to mark Arba’een. The holy religious period is currently at […]
Russia’s Bashneft Eyes Iraqi Oil
Russia’s Interfax news agency reports that OAO Bashneft is in talks to form a consortium to develop Iraqi oil fields. The company, controlled by billionaire Vladimir Evtushenkov’s AFK Sistema, reportedly wants to be a junior partner in a consortium that will bid in the next round of tenders for Iraqi oil fields. (Source: Bloomberg)
$2bn Japanese Fertiliser Plant for Basra
Reuters reports that a Japanese consortium is planning to build and operate a $2 billion fertilizer plant in Basra. Citing an article from Japanese business daily The Nikkei, they say the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide up to 150 million yen ($2 million) to Mitsui, Toyo Engineering Corp and Tokyo-based consulting firm Unico […]
Talabani, Maliki and the Disputed Territories
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. […]
Iraq’s Rice Harvest Drops to About 100,000 tons
Azzaman reports that Iraqi rice yields have dropped to 108,000 tons from an average 200,000 tons it used to produce annually, increasing the country’s reliance on imports. Iraq is estimated to have imported more than 1.5 million tons of rice last year. The country’s Grain Board said the year’s rice produce has already been shipped […]
ShaMaran Shares Slump on Suspended Operations
ShaMaran Petroleum shares fell by 33% on Thursday following this update on its Pulkhana and Arbat blocks in Kurdistan: ShaMaran Petroleum is in the process of examining options to re-focus its asset base in Kurdistan and as a consequence has agreed with the Kurdistan Regional Government to suspend operations on both the Pulkhana and Arbat […]