By John Lee. The Lebanese government is to open a consulate Erbil in August. According to BasNews, weekly flights connect Erbil and Beirut as over 6,000 Lebanese work in Iraqi Kurdistan, in mainly in education, tourism and investment. More than 25 countries have already opened consulates and representative offices in the Kurdistan Region. (Source: BasNews) […]
By John Lee. Passengers arriving in Lebanon on flights from are reportedly being forced to receive oral polio vaccinations. Writing in Rudaw, Judit Neurink says "these forced immunization boosters are a human rights violation, as they breech the integrity of one’s one body. More importantly, it discriminates against and scandalizes a whole population already plagued […]
By John Lee. A Lebanese company has launched a major construction project in Maysan governorate. Hariri Construction and Contracting Company (HARCO) was awarded the $80-milllion 'Luluat Al Amarah' (Pearl of Amarah) contract in late 2014, and has just started excavation at the site. It involves the construction of a five-star 16-storey hotel with 192 rooms, […]
By John Lee. Several airlines have suspended flights to Baghdad on Tuesday after bullets hit an airplane as it was landing at Baghdad International Airport. Reuters reports that two passengers were slightly injured when three or four bullets hit the body of a flydubai plane carrying 154 passengers on Monday evening. It was not known […]
By John Lee. The son of former Iraqi Prime Minister and current Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has reportedly been arrested in Lebanon in possession of more than US $1.5 billion "in cash". BasNews cites Lebanese media sources as claiming that Ahmed al-Maliki is being detained in a prison on Beirut, and that Nouri al-Maliki has […]
By John Lee. Stuart Bowen, the former Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), has claimed that between $1.2 billion [1.4 trillion Iraqi dinars] and $1.6 billion [IQD 1.9 trillion] allocated for the reconstruction of Iraq was stolen and hidden in a bunker in Lebanon, as the American and Iraqi governments ignored appeals to recover […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Commission of Integrity has reportedly repatriated five billion Iraqi dinars [$4.3 million] that were smuggled to Lebanon. According to Aswat al Iraq, the money, in addition to some real estate investments, were illegally obtained by British businessman James (Jim) McCormick, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Britain for […]
By John Lee. Fadi Abboud, the former head of the Lebanese industrialists association, has told The Daily Star that Lebanon’s total exports to Iraq will see a sharp decline over the coming months due to the deteriorating security situation in the country. Adding that Iraq is the fifth-largest recipient of Lebanese products, he said that […]
By John Lee. Lebanese banks intend to expand their operations in Iraq, the president of the Association of Banks in Lebanon said on Friday. Addressing a Lebanese-Iraqi banking conference in Beirut, Francois Bassil said: “The size of the Lebanese banks in Iraq may be too small compared to the huge Iraqi market. "Iraq’s seven state-owned […]
By John Lee. Iraq’s transport minister, Hadi Al Ameri [Hadi al-Amiri] (pictured), has reportedly apologised for an incident in which a Lebanese airliner en route to Baghdad was ordered to turn back mid-flight to pick up his son, Mahdi. Gulf News reports that the Minister also pledged to turn his son in if an Iraqi […]
By Leanne Case. Solidere Beirut: A Good Practice Example of Urban Development for Other Post Conflict Cities to Follow? So many towns and cities have failed to achieve comprehensive regeneration in the aftermath of war. This paper, an abridged version of my MSc dissertation, explores the private sector led renewal model used in Beirut, commonly […]
A contract has been signed between the Lebanese company ViecoEast and Iraq's Al Fajr for waste water treatment plants. Delivery starts in January 2014. Vidoe of the signing can be viewed below: (Source: ViecoEast)
