The latest news from Kurdistan – security updates, reconstruction and more – brought to you by Iraq Business News.
Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament yesterday, requesting the Parliament to immediately undertake the task of creating an independent electoral commission for the Region, and to begin preparations for holding a referendum for the people of Kurdistan to decide their future. In his remarks to the Parliament, the President urged Members […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The president of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq has asked his parliament to prepare for a referendum on independence, potentially paving the way for the break-up of the country of Iraq. Al […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday rejected an assertion by the country's autonomous Kurdish region that its control of disputed territory is here to stay.
By John Lee. Iraq’s Supreme Court has turned down a request from oil minister Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi [Elaibi] to issue a temporary injunction against the Kurdistan Regional Government to prevent direct oil exports from the region. According to a report from Rudaw, the unanimous ruling prompted the KRG to declare victory in its dispute with Baghdad […]
By John Lee. Bloomberg reports that Iraqi Kurdistan will keep Peshmerga troops in the nearby oil hub of Kirkuk until people there can vote on whether to join the Kurdish enclave. Safeen Dizayee (pictured), spokesman of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said: “As a people, we have the right to be independent, but the issue […]
On Wednesday, June 25th 2014, the first hypermarket under the French Auchan banner was opened in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This 6,000 sqm store is part of a 106-shop mall, located near the center or Erbil [Hewlêr]. The opening of this store is based on a franchise agreement between the Auchan Group and SI Retail, one […]
Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani yesterday chaired a meeting which included several ministers, the KRG Oil and Gas Council, and Kurdistan’s governors to discuss measures to tackle fuel shortages in the Region. The meeting was designed to identify solutions to overcome the current fuel shortage, considering the current situation in Kurdistan and throughout Iraq and […]
UNICEF received one million doses of polio vaccine in Erbil on Saturday, marking the first ever occasion of such a delivery directly to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I). Following on its recent agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to greatly expand immunization efforts in the KR-I, Saturday’s shipment will support the joint UNICEF, […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The shutdown of Iraq's biggest refinery, roads blocked by fighting, and skyrocketing demand have created the worst fuel crisis in years in the country's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani said Friday there was no going back on autonomous Kurdish rule in oil city Kirkuk and other towns now defended against Sunni militants by Kurdish fighters.
By John Lee. The KRG's Minister for Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami (pictured), has told Reuters that the Kurds have plans to increase their oil exports eight-fold by the end of 2015. He said Kurdish oil exports could double "within a month or so" to around 250,000 bpd and hit 400,000 bpd by the end of […]
By John Lee. Japan is to set up a temporary diplomatic office in Erbil, to ensure the safety of Japanese residents and visitors in the Kurdish region. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (pictured) said at a press conference: "Japanese residents in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq have temporarily been staying in Erbil where public order is […]
