Wassit Council Urges Boycott of Electricity Bills
The chairman of Wasit [Wassit] council’s media department has said that the council has called on its citizens not to pay their electricity bills because they are too high. The economic commission in the federal Council of Ministers directed the ministry of electricity last year to gradually increase the cost of consumer electricity in order […]
Kurdistan Bolsters Ties with Poland
A delegation representing 15 companies from the Kurdistan Region went to Poland on Thursday to visit an annual business expo in the country. Salah Khidir, the head of the Polish-Iraqi Commerce and Industry Chamber told AKnews that the three-day expo will start on Jan.14. The Kurdish team seeks to boost ties with the host country’s […]
Events, My Dear Boy, Events
When asked what represented the greatest challenge for a statesman, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan replied: “Events, my dear boy, events”. Fifty years later, the same thought must have gone through the mind of Nouri al-Maliki as he prepared to meet the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, in an historic meeting in Baghdad, […]
Eni and BP to Recover Costs at Zubair and Rumaila
Output at Iraq's Zubair oilfield has reached 265,000 bpd compared to baseline production of 184,000 bpd and Italy's Eni and its partners can start to recover investment costs, an oil official said on Wednesday, according to a report from Reuters. The service contracts that Iraq awarded to international oil companies stipulate that the firms start […]
GM Sales in Iraq Up 52% Year-On-Year
General Motors's sales in the Middle East rose 26 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with the year prior, helped by big gains in Iraq, the company announced on Wednesday. The carmaker sold 123,258 vehicles in the Middle East in 2010, up 5.5 per cent from the previous year, according to a report in […]
Kuwaiti PM's First Visit to Iraq Since Gulf War
The Kuwaiti premier, Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah (pictured), and Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, discussed issues relating to borders, security and finance, during the first visit by a Kuwaiti premier to Baghdad since the 1990 Gulf War. The two neighbours are locked in a dispute over billions of dollars in war reparations from Baghdad, relating […]
Chinese Cars to be Produced in Iraq
The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals has said in a statement that the General Company for the Automotive Industry signed two contracts with two Chinese companies for the assembly and production of 7500 saloon cars and pick-ups. These cars annual value of sales is put at to 99.05 billion Iraqi dinars (about US$84 million). […]
Concerns Over Food Ration Cards in Iraq
The Planning and Cooperation Development ministry stated on Tuesday that the ration card file will be completely managed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs instead of the Trade ministry in early 2014, indicating that the file is affecting Iraq economically and hindering the conclusion of international conventions. Mahdi al-Allak, the Undersecretary of the […]
Weekly Security Update for 12th January 2011
Overview Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. Militant activity was concentrated in the central region, although there were also several bombings in Mosul. The majority of explosive devices detonated over the week were small, usually inflicting injuries rather than fatalities. Shootings are currently more of a concern, with the authorities put on high […]
Rumaila Oilfield Beats Production Target
The Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO) has met a major milestone in the re-development of the super-giant field in Southern Iraq by increasing production by more than 10 per cent above the 1.066 million barrels a day (b/d) initial production rate agreed in December 2009. Meeting this production target, and the approval of the Rumaila rehabilitation […]
Iraq to Seek Bids for Nassiriya Oilfield Development
Iraq plans to invite international oil companies to develop the giant Nassiriya oilfield in a bidding round later this year, a senior Iraqi government official said on Monday. Pre-qualified Japanese companies will be invited to develop the field, along with other interested global oil firms, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hussain al-Shahristani told reporters, […]
Iraq Rail Boss Calls for Privatisation of Loss-Making Co.
The Iraqi Transport Ministry said on Sunday evening that the national rail company loses 72 billion Iraqi Dinars ($62m) each year due to high payroll expenditure and low annual revenues of less than 12bn Iraqi Dinars ($10m). Speaking to AKnews, the General Director of the Iraqi National Rail Company, Jawad al-Kharasani, complained that the network’s […]