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Energy

Iraqi oil exports stagnate at two-decade lows as wartime restrictions persist

April oil sales fell to one-twelfth of pre-war volumes as Basra exports restarted and stalled, and northern exports hit a plateau.
A worker checks the valve gears of pipes linked to oil tanks at Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, which is run by state-owned pipeline company Botas. (UMIT BEKTAS/Reuters)
Mar 14, 2013

Pertamina claims offer for West Qurna stake

Indonesia's economy minister, in Baghdad to sign energy cooperation agreement, says state firm wants up to 20 percent of the super-giant Basra field being developed by ExxonMobil.

Mar 4, 2013

Protestors attack West Qurna 2 field

Unemployed Basra residents invaded the offices of a local subcontractor, after years of unfulfilled promises and weeks of frustrated protests.

Feb 13, 2013

Dhi Qar blames Baghdad for oil missteps

The head of Dhi Qar province's oil authority told protestors that it was a Baghdad decision to change their work shifts, and promised to convey their concerns. Four months ago the Oil Ministry changed the shift of the South Oil Company (SOC) workers in Dhi Qar from a schedule that had them working 24-hour shifts […]

Feb 13, 2013

Missan engineers hold sit-in

Around 150 engineers in Missan province staged a sit-in demanding the provincial council provide them with permanent employment contracts and pensions. Amer Aziz Al-Jabri, a representative from the Missan Labor Union, said that, in addition to improved pay and conditions, engineers also staged the sit-in to "denounce injustices by provincial officials." The union claims that […]

Feb 13, 2013

Protestors seek to expel Turkey envoy

Hundreds of protestors in Diyala province demanded the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador to Iraq, claiming his country is meddling unduly in Iraq's internal affairs. The protest, staged in Khalis, a town 15km from the provincial capital Baquba, was part of a broader movement by Iraqis loyal to the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki […]

Feb 13, 2013

Ex-interior minister warns of insurgent camps

Former Iraq Interior Minster Baqir Jabr al-Zubaidi warned in a speech that training camps have been set up in northern and western Iraq for armed groups in a "regional plot" to destabilize the country. Zubaidi, also known as Bayan Jabr Solagh, spoke at the Missan province convention center in a forum with provincial and tribal […]

Feb 12, 2013

Basra farmers protest Exxon encroachment

Demanding payment for lost land and jobs in the oil field, Basrawis take to the streets to decry the West Qurna 1 project and its embattled developer, ExxonMobil.

Feb 12, 2013

Cabinet decisions: Feb. 12, 2013

Each week Beyond the Headlines features a raw translation of the Cabinet decisions, as made public in Arabic by the media office of the Council of Ministers. The fifth regular meeting to the Cabinet held in Baghdad, Tuesday, February 12, 2013 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and issued the following decisions: 1. […]