Plan to Build Rail Link between Basra and Iran
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on his first foreign trip since taking office. Following the meeting they announced that they have agreed to "revitalise current agreements between our two countries, including the agreement to establish a rail link between Iran and the Iraqi city of […]
Closing Borders due to COVID-19 Revives Iraqi Agriculture
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Closing borders due to COVID-19 revives Iraqi agriculture Iraq's agriculture sector has been revived in the past few months, after the government closed its borders and banned the import […]
Iran, Iraq Determined to Meet $20bn Trade Target
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the governments of Iran and Iraq have decided to raise the value of annual trade exchange to $20 billion. Speaking at a joint press conference with Iraq's visiting prime minister in Tehran on Tuesday, President Rouhani said the Iranian and Iraqi governments have decided to raise the value of bilateral […]
The Business of Recycling War Scrap in Iraq
By Isadora Gotts for the London School of Economics (LSE) Middle East Centre. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The business of recycling war scrap: the Hashd al-Shaʿabi's role in Mosul's post-conflict economy The modalities of the scrap trade reflect a larger […]
France prioritizes Medical Equipment in Southern Iraq
Battling Coronavirus: France prioritizes critical medical equipment in southern Iraq The Government of France has committed EUR 300,000 (US$334,448) to support the Government of Iraq's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The funds will be used to purchase ventilators - a life-saving piece of equipment for Coronavirus […]
Iraq's Locally Made Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant
The University of Karbala produces locally made hand sanitizer and disinfectant for health facilities, in first of its kind UNICEF-supported project In the first of its kind project since the corona virus outbreak, graduate students in the pharmaceutical department of the University of Karbala have produced 14,500 locally made hand sanitizers and 10,000 large products […]
The Accounts that Didn't Bark: Iraq's Hidden State Balances
By Ahmed Tabaqchali, CIO of Asia Frontier Capital (AFC) Iraq Fund, for the London School of Economics (LSE) Middle East Centre. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Accounts that Didn't Bark: Iraq's Hidden State Balances Iraq's new prime minister, soon after […]
Senior Officials Discuss Iran-Iraq Trade Ties
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iraqi President Barham Salih weighed plans for the development of the economic and trade ties between the two countries. Zarif met with President Salih in Baghdad on Sunday for talks on a range of issues. In the gathering, Zarif and Salih highlighted the age-old and historic relations between […]
Fake Bomb Detector Conman Released from Jail
By John Lee. The British conman who made an estimated £50 million from selling fake bomb detectors in Iraq has reportedly been freed from jail. According to The Sun, James (Jim) McCormick claims that his fortune and lavish lifestyle has disappeared, and that a lawnmower is now his only possession. Security officials believe his scam […]
Kurdistan Region: Arabs "Blocked From Returning"
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is preventing about 1,200 Arab families from returning home to 5 villages more than 6 years after the area was retaken from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday. KRG authorities have allowed Kurdish residents in neighboring villages, in the […]
PM Promises 4G Connectivity by End-2020
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has promised to have 4G mobile services available in Iraq by the end of the year. Speaking at a press conference in Basra, al-Kadhimi added that introduction will have an impact on the economy of Iraq. (Source: Govt of Iraq)
Iraq's Digital Innovators
This article has been originally published in the GIZ magazine 'akzente' at https://akzente.giz.de/en/artikel/iraqs-digital-innovators. It is reprinted here by kind permission of GIZ. A new generation of young Iraqi entrepreneurs are confronting the country's challenges, even during the coronavirus pandemic. Text und Fotos: Olivia Cuthbert The streets are eerily silent in Mosul's old city. A fierce […]