Hahn Air Enables e-Ticketing in Iraq
Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry operating the Galileo global distribution system (GDS) and worldwide ticketing expert Hahn Air announce the implementation of new e-ticketing functionality that will enable Galileo-connected travel agents in Iraq to issue e-tickets on bookings made with any of Hahn Air’s 230 partner airlines. Leveraging Travelport’s innovative […]
Romanian Company wins $67m Road Contract in Iraq
The Romanian company Delta ACM won a contract in Iraq for a 20.6 km long section of Erbil-Koya highway. The value of the contract is $66.7 million, says Florea Diaconu, the owner and president of Delta. “The works will be in the Iraqi Kurdistan area", he said. Ten other companies competed for the tender and […]
Kufa Uni Signs Broadband Agreement with Omnnea
In a move to enrich Kufa University's educational and research activities, Kufa University president Dr. Abdul Razzak Al-Issa signed a broadband service agreement with Omnnea. The broadband service will be used to allow both Kufa University faculty and students to conduct research, hold video conferencing and to utilize e-learning curriculum. Dr. Al-Issa stated, "One of […]
Middle Euphrates Airport Tender - October
Iraq's Minister for Transport has said a tender to build an airport in the Middle Euphrates region is expected to be floated in October. According to Reuters, he could not give an estimated cost for the project, which will be located between the holy Shi'ite southern cities of Najaf and Kerbala, but other sources estimate […]
Iraq Taxi Drivers Protest Against Fuel Oil Prices
Dozens of taxi drivers in Duhok demonstrated this week asking for an increase in their allocation of fuel, and for the provision of better quality fuel. As a result, Duhok's Governor confirmed that taxi drivers' allocations will be increased. One protester, Khalil Mohammad (40), told Alsumaria News that as oil prices increased, taxi drivers were […]
Water Supply Problems in Maysan
The volume of waters from the Tigris River reaching Iraq has been receding to the extent that several water purification plants in the Province of Missan [Maysan] are running without water. Mohannad Kadhem, the head of water purification and distribution in the southern province, said the problem started with tributaries belonging to the river feeding […]
Baghdad Clamps Down on Unlicensed Liquor Stores
Stores selling alcohol in the Iraqi capital were shut down by the Baghdad provincial council on Monday amid protests from their owners, according to a report from AKnews. Store owners were caught by surprise when police patrols arrived unannounced at their premises with orders from the provincial council to close down all unlicensed shops and […]
It’s the rentier economy, stupid!
The protests in Iraq, while obviously inspired by those in other Arab countries, have a different focus. The latter have been primarily about politics. In Iraq the protestors’ demands center on economic problems. They want more jobs and electricity and less corruption. Due to its natural resource endowment, Iraq is an example of what political […]
New Iraq Oil Prices for April
Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) has adjusted its official selling prices for its Basra Light and Kirkuk crude grades for March. In common with some other countries, Iraq’s oil is priced relative to regional benchmark prices: For shipments to US, contracts are priced are relative to the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI); Shipments to […]
$6.3bn Grand Faw Port Tender by End-2011
Reuters, quoting Iraq's Minister for Transport, reports that a tender will be issued by the end of this year for the building of the multibillion-dollar 'Grand Faw' port south of Basra. Talks are ongoing with investors from Australia, France, Germany, Italy and the UAE to help finance the project. After a presentation of the project's […]
Vehicle Imports from Iran Drop Sharply
Vehicle imports through the Haji Omaran [Haj Omran, Haj Umran] border crossing (pictured) on the Iranian border north of Erbil have dropped by 73 per cent, from 2,000 cars per month in 2010 to 1,195 vehicles in the first two month of 2011, according to a report from AK News. Salar Omar, vehicles department official […]
Plans to Move Electricity Supply Underground
A spokesman for the ministry of electricity has reported that plans are being considered to move the national grid underground, in order to prevent citizens illegally taking power supplies directly from overhead distribution lines. Musab al-Mudarres told AKnews that the practice of taking electricity directly from local power lines is widespread across Iraqi, and the […]