The latest news from Baghdad – security updates, business, construction projects and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News
Overview Levels of violence rose slightly in Iraq last week, although conditions have generally been quiet so far in 2011 and the number of weekly security incidents has not yet exceeded 40. The majority of violence is currently taking place in Baghdad and Mosul, although last week saw several attacks in the provinces of Anbar […]
With unrest in several Arab cities, many in the region are worried about the risk of contagion. The latest flashpoints are Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan and Algeria; but is Iraq vulnerable as well? The people certainly have a lot to complain about. Electricity The heat and increased use of air conditioning put a major strain […]
Overview Last week saw considerable violence in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad. There was also a spate of attacks in Mosul and two especially bloody bombings in Karbala. Over 100 fatalities and up to 250 injuries were recorded in total around the country. There was also an increase in targeted shootings in the capital, resuming a […]
South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction has reportedly won a contract worth $219 million to build a 500 megawatt power station near Baghdad, as part of the Iraqi government's efforts to address power shortages, a government spokesman said Wednesday. Ali al-Dabbagh, who is also a minister of state, told Dow Jones Newswires after a weekly […]
Overview Last week was one of the most violent in Iraq for several months. Over 120 people were killed and several hundred injured in a spate of suicide attacks. The total number of attacks reported did not significantly increase, but with at least seven of the attacks involving suicide bombers in very crowded areas it […]
Reuters reports that the French engineering group that has signed an outline agreement to build a metro line above Baghdad's streets is in fact Alstom. Shaker al-Zamili, the head of Baghdad Investment Commission, said on Thursday that Iraqi officials signed a memorandum of understanding with Alstom in France last week. An Alstom spokeswoman in Paris […]
Baghdad municipality has signed a contract with a Turkish company, Akdneiz, to clean up the city while statistical figures show high unemployment rates. According to the contract, the districts of Karkh, Rusafa and Karrada [Karadah] in central Baghdad will be cleaned up by Akdeniz for a period of one year. Iraq's Central Statistics Agency (CSA) […]
According to a report from AFP, Iraq's northern Kirkuk province said it had stopped supplying electricity to the national grid on Tuesday, in a bold move to force the central government's hand in a dispute over power rationing. "Kirkuk province has decided to cut the power going out from its electricity stations to other provinces […]
[Please click here for update] The Iraqi National Rail Company announced on Sunday that under its supervision the urban rail project in the Iraqi capital will be completed in 2013.. According to AKnews, the company’s press secretary, Jawad Kharsani, said the project will be carried out in conjunction with the French company Tharyom (sic) [Iraq […]
Four people, including three children, were kidnapped by criminals then freed by the authorities in Iraq last week. In recent months consular warnings have continued to remind foreign nationals of the risk of abduction still present in the country. With a rise in foreigners travelling to the country it may only be a matter of […]
The deputy Iraqi interior minister said the Iraqi Council of Ministers has agreed to recruit 200,000 policemen and interior ministry staff to increase security in Baghdad province. Hussein Kamal told AKnews that the new force will be deployed in Baghdad upon the ratification of the Iraqi general budget. The force will approximately double the number […]
Trends in 2010 demonstrated that violence is still a concern in Iraq. With opportunities for investment arising in 2011 the outlook for the country is fast improving, but companies looking to take part in Iraq’s economic redevelopment will have to take security into consideration if they are to succeed. Weekly Violence The above chart shows the […]
