Kurdistan to Hire 3,000 New Police
The Kurdistan Region's police chief said his office has proposed to recruit an additional 3,000 new policemen. Abdullah Khaylani told AKnews that the Kurdistan Interior Ministry agreed to the proposal, and it is currently being discussed in the regional Council of Ministers. The Council will respond to the demand after the ratification of the Kurdistan […]
Karbala Allocates $60m to Roads and Power
Karbala has allocated 70 billion Iraqi dinars [$60 million] from the 2011 budget to improve the electrical grid and road system in the province. The President of the provincial council in Karbala said that the Council decided to allocate 70 billion dinars from the budget for the sectors of electricity and roads from a total […]
Fulbright Program Accepts 85 Iraqi Students
The spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Iraq said on Sunday that the number of Iraqi participants in the Fulbright program increased to 85 students in 2011. Aaron Snape told AKnews that more than 600 Iraqi students and scientists had participated in the Fulbright program since 1951, including 302 students and scholars since the program […]
Iraq to Bolster Trade with Sri Lanka
Iraq welcomes Sri Lanka’s cooperation and talented labour force to rebuild the nation, according to a report from Sri Lanka's Daily Star. Addressing a media briefing at the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Iraq's Ambassador, Kahtan Taha Khallaf Kali, said Iraq aims to produce 11 million barrels of oil per day in 2016, compared to about […]
Salahadin Negotiates with Kurdistan on Tozkhormato Oil
Salahadin Province Council decided last week to form committees in order to negotiate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about drilling for oil in the Tozkhormato region [Tuz Khormato]. Provincial Council member Damen Alaiwi told Alsumaria News that the council decided the plan in order to give people living in that region the right to […]
Iraqi Oil Ministry Prepares 4th Licensing Round
The spokesman of the Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Sunday that the ministry is working to complete the preparations for the fourth oil licensing round. Assem Jihad told AKnews that the fourth round of licences will include the provinces of Najaf, Karbala, Samawa, Diwaniya and Anbar, which were not included in the previous rounds. "The […]
Heritage Oil Shares Holding Firm on Rumours
Heritage Oil has held the 10% gain in its share price, following the report in the Thursday's Financial Times that the company had received a informal takeover offer from an un-named Abu Dhabi-based company. The company has not commented on these latest rumours, and is understood to have rejected the offer, which would value the […]
Director of SOMO Reported Killed
According the a report from Aswat al-Iraq, the Director General of Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO), whom it names as Hussein Jamal Abdullah, has been shot dead in Baghdad. The attack was carried out by a group of armed men close to west Baghdad’s People’s Stadium. A colonel in the Iraqi Army has also […]
Reduced Oil Flow to Ceyhan Causes Delays
Platts reports that reduced pumping rates through Iraq's northern oil export pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan are expected to cause delays of eight to nine days to crude oil loadings. Pumping through the pipeline, damaged by a bomb attack over a week ago, resumed on Wednesday but at below normal levels, the sources […]
Iraqi Microfinance Targets Women
Iraq's Ministry of State for Women's Affairs, Ibtihal al-Zaidi, told AKnews that the Iraqi Council of Ministers agreed to allocate a proportion of small loans for women. During its recent meeting on granting loans to finance the small enterprises, the Council of Ministers agreed that priority will be given to women supporting families. "The request […]
Najaf to Host Agricultural Exhibition
The Najaf province announced on Saturday that it will host its 4th agricultural exhibition on April 25, to encourage investment in the agricultural sector in the province. Faed Kadhim Noun, the head of the provincial council, told AKnews that local and international companies are invited to participate in the exhibition in order to improve the […]
IMF Approves $471 Million Payment to Iraq
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review of Iraq’s economic performance under a program supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) on Friday. Completion of the second review makes an additional SDR 297.1 million (about US$471.1 million) available for disbursement, bringing the total resources currently purchased by Iraq under the […]