The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
By Ahmed Tabaqchali. Originally published by Iraq in Context; re-published by Iraq Business News with permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Between February 2017 and mid-October, Rosneft signed a number of deals with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) that established for it, […]
By John Lee. Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) has reportedly confirmed that talks are ongoing between Baghdad and Tehran to export crude oil from Kirkuk to the Kermanshah refinery (pictured) in Iran. SOMO Director Alaa al-Mussawi is quoted as saying that trucks would initially supply 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) to […]
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani chaired a Council of Ministers meeting to discuss the federal Budget Bill of 2018, which was prepared by the federal Ministry of Finance without the participation of the Kurdistan Regional Government. In the meeting, which was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, KRG Council of Ministers called upon Iraqi […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi-Saudi relations have witnessed significant improvement after years of boycott that had worsened during Nouri al-Maliki’s rule between 2006 and 2014. On Oct. 22, the establishment of a Coordination […]
By Fazel Hawramy for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. For now, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pushed the separatist Kurds back and extended the power of the federal government once again to the areas considered disputed under the […]
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On the borders of Iraqi Kurdistan, thousands of locals find work carrying contraband goods into Iran. Recently though, the job’s been getting more dangerous thanks to the Kurdish independence referendum. […]
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi government has banned international flights from landing in Kurdistan. Locals say it's causing major financial trauma and is unfair collective punishment. No one knows when the ban will […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has decided not to extend his presidential term beyond November 1. His decision came just weeks after the failure of the independence referendum he […]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the murder of a Kurdistan TV cameraman near Kirkuk and the previous day’s violence against media personnel by demonstrators in Erbil. The two separate incidents in the space of a few hours point to an alarming decline in the security of journalists in northern Iraq. The cameraman, Arkan Shareef, […]
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said on Monday that the country’s border with Iraqi Kurdistan region will reopen in coming days. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a local ceremony, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri pointed to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani’s attempts in the Iraqi Kurdistan […]
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With its shelves filled with books by Russian and Italian authors alongside contemporary Iraqi writers, Books Town provides a welcome refuge in Baqubeh in Diyala governorate, which is known […]
By Bryant Harris for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Congress is threatening to stop sending weapons to Baghdad after reports today that Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Shiite militias are shooting at US-friendly Kurdish forces in northern Iraq. Iraqi federal […]
