ILO and Kurdistan Region of Iraq pledge to support formal employment for forcibly displaced persons and host communities The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) signed an implementation agreement aimed at boosting formal employment amongst internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. US backs Iraqi progress on budget deal with Kurdistan Region The Trump administration says it supports Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's progress so far in working out a budget agreement with […]
Iraqi Kurdish authorities should cease harassing broadcaster NRT, release journalist Ahmed Zakhoy without charge, and allow the outlet to report freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said. Yesterday, agents of the Asayish intelligence agency, affiliated with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, raided NRT's office in the western city of Duhok, according to a […]
By Joe Snell for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Outraged after months of not receiving salaries, regular electricity outages and a failure to provide local business bailouts, protests erupted last week in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Regional […]
By John Lee. Iran is reportedly ready to start technical negotiations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the opening of two important free trade zones. Mehdi Shushtari, Iran's Consul-General in Sulaimani, told Rudaw the preliminary work at Parvizkhan and Bashmakh border crossings has already been completed. Click here to read the full story. (Source: […]
By John Lee. KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani recently laid the foundation stone of a food industry zone in Duhok. In a statement, PM Barzani said: "Our promise is to develop other sectors of the economy and end our dependence on a single source of revenue. "Better infrastructure will benefit the whole of Kurdistan. Our […]
By John Lee. A new 300-megawatt steam power plant has been recently opened in Khabat, on the outskirts of Erbil. The plant, built in partnership with South Korean companies POSCO and the Korean National Oil Company (KNOC), adds 10 percent to the region's electricity capacity. Speaking at the opening ceremony, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani […]
By John Lee. KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani recently laid the foundation stone for a new 100-metre wide highway in Slemani (Sulaymaniyah). The 146-kilometre road will be built in three phases through a cost-sharing arrangement between the KRG and the Qaiwan Group. The first stage, valued at IQD 400 billion ($336 million), is planned to […]
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 […]
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani chaired a cabinet meeting Saturday via videoconference to discuss plans for the public pensions fund. In the meeting attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Minister of Finance and Economy Awat Janab Noori proposer the bylaws for the pensions fund. The Cabinet unanimously approved it. This fund will protect entitlements […]
KRG's Reform Programme Continues: government's operational expenditure system goes digital The Kurdistan Regional Government is this month rolling out a fully digitalised system to control operational expenditure. This important modernisation step - the result of detailed collaboration between various government bodies - will increase efficiency and reduce corruption by ensuring that all government day-to-day expenditure […]
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday chaired a cabinet meeting via video conference to discuss expenses and the need to adapt to the current budget while protecting public entitlements. In the meeting attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, the Council of Ministers stressed continued commitment to reducing salaries of senior officials, including those retired […]
