US firm's $220m Housing Project in Basra
U.S. engineering firm World Solutions International (WSI) has unveiled a $220 million [257 billion Iraqi dinars] contract to build 2,500 housing units in Iraq, which is battling a housing shortage and in desperate need of investment. The engineering and construction company, based in Maryland in the United States, said on Thursday the units would include […]
Murphy Oil to Explore in Kurdistan
Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE: MUR) announced on Thursday that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Murphy Central Dohuk Oil Co., Ltd., has finalized an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government-Iraq (KRG) to acquire an interest in the Central Dohuk block. Murphy will operate and hold a 50% interest in the block. The Central Dohuk block covers approximately 619 […]
IEA Sceptical of Iraq's Oil Output Plans
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reportedly poured cold water on Iraq's plans to quadruple oil production to 12 million barrels a day by 2017, saying it could take 20 years just to reach half the target total. But the agency predicted in a draft of its annual World Energy Outlook that Iraq will succeed […]
Could Kurdistan Unrest Hit UK-listed Oil Firms?
According to a report from Interactive Investor, foreign oil companies operating in Kurdistan have been thrust into the limelight as the race for a new Iraqi Prime Minister gets underway. There are over 25 international oil companies operating in the region, including UK-listed Gulf Keystone Petroleum (LSE: GKP) and Heritage Oil (LSE: HOIL). AIM-listed Gulf […]
Iraq Expects Initial Gas Field Contracts This Month
Iraq's Oil Ministry expects to sign the initial contracts for the Mansuriyah and Akkas gas fields on 14th November, and for the Siba gas field the following day, Abdul-Mahdy al-Ameedi, head of the ministry's licensing and contracting office said on Thursday. "And after the signing we will send the initial contracts to the cabinet for […]
$160m New Projects in Dhi-Qar
The governor of the province of Dhi-Qar held has announced that 17 infrastructure projects worth more than 185 billion dinars [$160m] have been granted to local companies, according to Aswat al-Iraq. Taleb al-Hassan told the news agency that “the province will implement another batch of projects in the regions and municipalities which have not witnessed […]
New $5.6m Hospital for Wassit
Wasit Investment Commission has announced that it granted its first investment licence within the health sector to an Iraqi company for the construction of a private hospital at a cost of around 6.5 billion Iraqi Dinars [$5.6m]. The new 100-bed hospital is to be equipped under the supervision of engineers from the investment board and […]
University of Cincinnati Partners With Salahaddin Uni.-Hawler
The University of Cincinnati is one of only a handful of American universities to be selected for an international partnership to rebuild Iraq’s educational system and its economy. UC President Gregory H. Williams and Salahaddin University-Hawler President Ahmed Anwar Dezaye celebrated the partnership in a formal Nov. 4 partnership-agreement-signing ceremony at the UC Teachers College. […]
KRG Bids Farewell to British Consul General and UN Diplomat
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Department of Foreign Relations held a farewell reception for Mr Jeremy Macadie, Consul General of the United Kingdom, and Ms Moraig Henderson, Head of the Erbil Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq. Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), said, “I would […]
Between Freedom and Abuses: The Media Paradox in Iraqi Kurdistan
From Reporters Sans Frontieres: The press freedom situation is better in Iraqi Kurdistan than it is in neighboring regions, and with 850 media outlets officially registered and 5,000 journalists, has considerably improved over the last decade. Yet the number of attacks against journalists has also grown steadily over the last two years. Police and security […]
Sterling Energy Falls 10% After Update
Shares in Sterling Energy (LSE: SEY), which has operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, fell 10% on Thursday morning following an Interim Management Statement for the period beginning 1 July 2010. HIGHLIGHTS · Sangaw North #1 exploration well is drilling ahead at 2,927m. · Production, net to Sterling from the Chinguetti field, averaged 621 […]
Weekly Security Update for 4th November 2010
National Overview The national total number of officially reported hostile incidents remained at 119. There was no change to the modus operandi of assassinations in Baghdad during the reporting period; however the seniority of the targets increased and included senior figures in key government ministries. Attacks against the United States Forces - Iraq were minimal; […]