Tag Archives | New Year

2019 - (Another) Key Year for Iraq

The past year has seen many developments in Iraq, including the successful completion of parliamentary elections (admittedly with a low participation of voters), the installation of a new cabinet (with a few posts still to be filled), and a considerably higher oil price than in the previous year (although that has fallen back considerably towards […]

Iraq in 2018 ... What lies ahead?

By Padraig O'Hannelly. The year just gone by has seen many changes in Iraq, including the successful routing of the so-called Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), the holding of a controversial vote on Kurdish independence, and a long-awaited improvement in relations with Saudi Arabia. The latter part of the year also saw a steady […]

Kurdistan Quadruples New Year Tourism

More than 40,000 tourists entered Iraqi Kurdistan Region for the New Year celebrations, roughly four times as many as the previous record, AKnews reports. The press secretary for the Kurdistan General Tourism Board, Nadr Rosti, told the news agency that in 2011 more than 10,000 tourists visited Kurdistan during the New Year. But in the […]

Haji Omaran Border Crossing Closes for New Year

An official from the Haji Omaran [Haj Omran, Haj Umran] Customs Office, 147 km northeast of Kurdish capital Erbil, said trade through the Haji Omaran border crossing will be suspended three days from March 21. The gate will, however, be open for the passage of the visitors from both Iran and the Kurdistan Region, Salam […]