Moody's affirms Iraq Credit Ratings
By John Lee. Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the Iraqi Government's long-term issuer and foreign currency senior unsecured ratings at Caa1, and maintained the stable outlook. It notes Iraq's exceptionally high reliance on oil, and "very weak institutions and governance", while adding that ongoing discussions with the IMF indicate a possibility of a supported adjustment […]
Iraq Stock Market Report
Advertising Feature Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) market report (week ending: 8th July 2021). Please click here to view a table of listed companies and their associated ticker codes. The RSISX index ended the week at IQD925 (-1.5%) / $812 (-1.5%) (weekly change) (+27.6% and +22.4% YTD change, respectively). The number of week traded […]
Biden "in Vicious Bombing Cycle in Iraq"
By Michael Knights, for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Biden Wants to Leave the Middle East, But He's in a Vicious Bombing Cycle in Iraq Caught between aggressive Tehran-backed militias and a skeptical Congress, […]
Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19 in Iraq: Key Findings
Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19 in Iraq: Key findings Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19 in Iraq: Key findings is the final paper in a series of eight released by UNDP on the impact of COVID-19 in Iraq. Throughout the series, UNDP provides a multidimensional analysis on the impact of the pandemic and related shocks, current and past, on […]
PM: "Every Iraqi Family has Right to Own a Decent House"
By John Lee. The Iraqi Council of Ministers held its regular session on Tuesday, chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi. Regarding the housing crisis, the Prime Minister clarified that the government plans to distribute 550,000 plots of residential land to citizens in a first phase of allocation. He added: "Every Iraqi family has the right […]
Iraqi Cabinet allocates $34m for Emergency Electricity Work
By John Lee. Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi chaired the regular session of the Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday. Addressing the ongoing crisis in electricity supply, the cabinet agreed to allocate 50 billion Iraqi dinars ($34 million) for emergency expenses and maintenance of the electricity infrastructure. This will be achieved by profitable Ministry of Oil companies lending […]
New Program to Counteract Financial Crime in Iraq
New program to help counteract serious financial crimes in Iraq The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq, in partnership with the United States Government and the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq has launched a multi-year training initiative today, to strengthen and improve complex organized and financial crime investigations in Iraq. The training program, called […]
Video: Iraq Power Outage Sparks Protests
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Anger at frequent power cuts is spilling onto the streets of Iraq as summer temperatures soar. Experts say Iraq needs about 30,000 megawatts a day to overcome this crisis. Protesters are blaming consecutive […]
China to Snap Up Iraqi Oil Assets?
By John Lee. Both BP and Lukoil are reported to be considering quitting upstream oil operations in Iraq. Reuters quotes Iraq's Oil Minister, Ihssan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail, as making the comments during a parliamentary session last week. Last month, BP was said to be planning to spin off its Iraqi operations in Iraq into a separate […]
Ex-Dentons Partner to represent KRG for Arent Fox
By John Lee. Washington DC-based law firm Arent Fox LLP has entered an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to provide legal advice on various issues including legal and regulatory matters in the United States. It will also advise on strengthening the KRG's alliance with the United States, tracking and monitoring legislation in Congress, […]
Engineers Still Held Without Charge in Iraq
By John Lee. Australian citizen Robert Pether and his Egyptian colleague Khalid Radwan are reportedly still being held without charge in Iraq, following a contract dispute relating to the construction of the new Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) head office in Baghdad. The pair were detained in early April, having allegedly been tricked into traveling […]
Heatwave: Iraq and Iran suffer conjoined Electricity Crisis
Writing in The National, Robert Tollast quotes analysts as saying that the disastrous collapse in Iraqi and Iranian electricity supplies was partly caused by the dysfunctional partnership between the countries' energy sectors. Click here to read the full story.