Protests in Iraq Lead to Electricity Subsidies
Iraqi residents are to receive their first 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month free of charge, the Ministry of Electricity said on Saturday, according to Reuters. The move follows protests over poor electricity supply and basic services. In the most recent demonstration, hundreds of people gathered in Baghdad on Friday to protest shoddy services and […]
Iraq Signs Fiber-Optic Telecom Agreement
The Iraqi Communications Ministry has signed a preliminary agreement with the Saudi company STC to link Iraq to Turkey and Saudi Arabia by an optical cable system. Official ministry spokesman Samir Ali Hassoun told AKnews that this initial agreement determines the financial aspects of the deal. The Ministry of Communications has been working for a […]
Starlight and Emirates in Erbil Cargo Venture
UAE-based Starlight Airlines, the largest cargo operator to and out of Iraq, has entered into an agreement with Emirates SkyCargo to launch cargo operations between its Sharjah hub and Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Khaleej Times reports that under the agreement, the service commenced last week with a Boeing 777 freighter flight to […]
Syria and Iraq Discuss Oil Pipeline
Syria's Minister for Petroleum, Sufian Allao [Aloa] (pictured), and visiting Iraqi Minister for Oil, Abdul Kareem Luaibi [Elaibi], met on Sunday to discuss ways of further bolstering bilateral cooperation in oil, gas and mineral resources. They also discussed a possible 'reoperation' of a Syrian-Iraqi oil pipeline once it is rehabilitated, and closer cooperation between both […]
Wassit Discusses Investment with Turkish Firms
Wassit Provincial Council met with a number of Turkish firms on Sunday to discuss possible investment ventures in the province, according to the chairman of its information committee. The projects are in the fields of sanitation, water networks and "urban communities", Sondos al-Dhahabi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The designs of four new cities in […]
Press in Baghdad 'Less Free Than in Kabul'
An independent Spanish journalist said on Monday that there is greater press freedom in the Afghan capital Kabul than in the Iraqi capital, after experiencing first-hand the ongoing restrictions imposed on journalists and their movements in Baghdad. AKnews reports that on his fifth visit to Iraq, Carlos Zorotoza complained that his camera was confiscated by […]
150 Foreign Companies Pursued over Oil-for-Food Program
A legal adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Sunday that the Iraqi government is currently pursuing more than 150 foreign companies accused of corruption in the Oil-for-Food program, according to an AKnews report. Fadel Mohammed told the agency that the government is determined to bring these companies to justice, adding that there are […]
Iraqi Grain Board Tenders for Plastic Sheeting
The Grain Board of Iraq (Ministry of Trade) has announced a tender for the supply of plastic sheets. The deadline for bids is 10:00 am Baghdad time on 9th March. Please click here to download the tender document.
Gulf Keystone Updates on Shaikan-3
Gulf Keystone Petroleum (LSE: GKP) has announced an update on its Shaikan-3 Shallow Appraisal Well. Following completion as a Sargelu/Alan formation producer and as a result of an acid treatment, Shaikan-3 has achieved a rate of 9,800 bopd. The stabilized flow rate was recorded on a 128/64th inch choke with a flowing tubing pressure of […]
New Iraqi Import Tariffs - The Full List
Further to our report last week on Iraq's new import tariffs, you can download the new tariff list in English by clicking on the link below: Import tariffs (English version) The Arabic version is contained in 21 large pdf files, and can be downloaded from the Ministry of Finance: Import tariffs (Arabic version) Iraq Business […]
The Ongoing Govt-Formation Process: Phase 2 Completed
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. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. […]
Conference Highlights Significance of Kurdistan Oil for West
Potential energy routes and energy security were discussed in a syposium in Brussels, according to a report from AKnews. The participants highlighted what it calls "the Turkish attempts to monopolize energy supply to the EU", as well as the significance of Kurdish energy for the West. The event was organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation […]