By Mohammed A. Salih for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. As a coalition of Sunni Arab states led by Saudi Arabia targets Shiite Houthi forces and their allies in Yemen, Iraqi Kurds are watching with concern and caution, wondering how […]
Qatar Airways has has announced that it will double the frequency of flights to Basra and Najaf. There will be eight flights per week to Basra from 16th May, and 8 per week to Najaf from 2nd June. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is committed to […]
By John Lee. Qatar-based Ooredoo has reported that its Iraqi subsidiary, Asiacell, substantially grew its customers during the year, increasing by 15% to 12.3 million compared to 10.7 million at FY 2013. In its 2014 Full Year Results, it said Asiacell faced the challenge of the growing security issue in the country during the year, […]
By John Lee. Shell has reportedly signed a deal with Iraq worth $11 billion (12.8 trillion Iraqi dinars) to build a petrochemicals plant in Basra. On Wednesday, Industry Minister Nasser al-Esawi [Nasser al-Issawi] told a press conference that the Nibras complex would make Iraq the largest petrochemical producer in the Middle East. The news comes […]
By John Lee. In its results for the first nine months of 2014, Qatari telecom provider Ooredoo has reported that revenues at its Iraqi unit Asiacell are down 10 percent. The company gave the following update on operations in Iraq: "Asiacell continued to face the challenge of political and social instability during the period, allied […]
By John Lee. Newly-appointed prime minister Haidar al-Abadi has called for an end to the boycott by a number of governorates of products from neighbouring countries, including Saudi Arabia. He urged those provinces to instead develop their economies through regional cooperation, particularly with neighbouring states. A number of provincial councils, including Baghdad, Basra and Najaf, […]
By John Lee. Mobile operator Asiacell has posted an 8 percent drop in sales in the first half of 2014, due to the security situation and increased competition. In its first half results its parent company, the Qatar-based Ooredoo, made the following statement: "Asiacell faced a growing wave of political and social instability during the […]
By John Lee. Mobile operator Asiacell has posted a 12.2 percent drop in annual net profit. Reuters reports that the company, part of Qatar-based Ooredoo, made a net profit of 581 billion dinars ($498.62 million) in 2013, down from 662 billion dinars a year earlier. Profit was impacted "non-recurring items - mainly related to tax […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi prime minister has accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of effectively declaring war on his country. He says they're funding Sunni fighters in Anbar province, an area the Iraqi government is struggling […]
By John Lee. Qatari telecommunications operator Ooredoo, which owns the Iraqi mobile phone company Asiacell, has hit out at prices quoted by the Iraqi government for a long-delayed auction for 3G spectrum licences. Company CEO Dr Nasser Marafih (pictured) told Arabian Business: “The country needs it, the people need it. We are ready to deploy […]
Qatar Airways launched flights on Wednesday to its fifth destination in the Republic of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah, increasing the airline’s frequency across Iraq from 16 to 20 flights each week. The new services, which will operate four-times-a-week non-stop from the airline’s Doha hub, brings the carrier’s global network to 129 destinations worldwide. The Doha – Sulaymaniyah route […]
By John Lee. The Muthanna Investment Commission has announced that a Qatari company has been contracted to build a housing project in central Samawa. Doha Investment Company won the contract for the $65 million housing complex, which will include 480 housing units, a school, a health centre and various other services, reports al-Shorfa. Some will […]
