http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/iraqen-usCopyright 2010 ABQ Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:36:00 GMT5014476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/countries/iraqhttp://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100319093632/Iraq: Financial irregularities uncovered in Salah al-Din councilThe Board of Supreme Audit has discovered financial irregularities in the Salah al-Din provincial council, an official statement said on Thursday.Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:57:06 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100319093632Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100318T154433ZJQT49/Iraq PM, Ex-Premier In Tight Race For Parliament Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and main rival Iyad Allawi were locked in a close election race on Thursday, as updated results showed their blocs running neck-and-neck for seats in parliament.Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:55:25 GMTAFP ANA20100318T154433ZJQT49Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_18032010_190329/Kuwait clears diplomat nomination Kuwait has approved the nomination of Mohammad Hussain Mohammad Bahr Al Uloom as Iraq's ambassador to Kuwait, diplomats said on Wednesday. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:02:22 GMTGulf News GN_18032010_190329Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_18032010_190342/China Could Scrap Iraqs $8.5b DebtBaghdad China may write off all of Iraq's $8.5 billion (Dh31.2 billion) of debt accrued under the rule of Saddam Hussain, Iraqi finance minister Baqer Al Zubaidi said yesterday. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:59:46 GMTGulf News GN_18032010_190342Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100318T114310ZJPO21/Iraq signs deal for 250-million-dollar World Bank loanIraq has signed an agreement to receive the first of two 250-million-dollar loans from the World Bank to help the country plug its budget deficit, the finance ministry said Thursday.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:49:58 GMTAFP ANA20100318T114310ZJPO21Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100318T090619ZJOU89/Iraq election race neck-and-neck: updated resultsPrime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and main rival Iyad Allawi were neck-and-neck Thursday, with updated results showing their blocs in a tight race to be the largest faction in the Iraqi parliament.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:18:46 GMTAFP ANA20100318T090619ZJOU89Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100318074619/Iranian bank opens branch in BasraAn Iranian bank has opened a branch in the southern province of Basra to facilitate money transfer between the two countries, the Iranian consul in the city said.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:32:15 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100318074619Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100318075050/ID200b for sewage, ID100b for electricity in BasraAccording to future plans to develop Basra, ID200 billion will be allocated to the province's sewage systems and ID100 billion to electricity.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:31:25 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100318075050Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100318T031917ZJOG08/US considering presenting own Mideast plan: reportIn the face of a diplomatic spat with Israel, the White House is weighing proposing a US plan to form the basis of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, The New York Times reported Wednesday.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:05:44 GMTAFP ANA20100318T031917ZJOG08Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T182844ZJNF90/Maliki Takes Slim Lead In Vote Tally: Updated ResultsIraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki took a slim overall lead in the nationwide vote tally from his main challenger Iyad Allawi, updated results from the country's election showed on Wednesday.Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:05:29 GMTAFP ANA20100317T182844ZJNF90Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T142328ZJLW61/Iraq graft watchdog charges 365 with corruptionIraq's anti-corruption watchdog has charged 365 people with stealing a total 40 million dollars in public funds, it said on Wednesday.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:38:33 GMTAFP ANA20100317T142328ZJLW61Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T130335ZJLM73/British PM admits slip in evidence to Iraq probe Prime Minister Gordon Brown admitted Wednesday misinforming Britain's Iraq war inquiry over defence spending when he gave testimony earlier to it this month.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:31:35 GMTAFP ANA20100317T130335ZJLM73Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317112917/ID26 billion loans from agriculture ministry The ministry of agriculture announced on Wednesday that it agreed to give loans with more than 26 billion Iraqis dinars for irrigation projects and to finance small farmers.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:03:53 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317112917Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317100021/Iraq: Increasing banks' capitals to ID250 billion to strengthen them The decision to raise the capitals of special banks to 250 billion Iraqi dinars aims to strengthen them as the lack of capitals decreases the financing capability for the real development purposes, the Central Bank of Iraq's advisor said on Wednesday.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:10:15 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317100021Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T081749ZJKE81/Iraq PM ally claims fraud, demands nationwide recountAn ally of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday alleged widespread fraud in Iraq's parliamentary elections and demanded a nationwide recount.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:03:59 GMTAFP ANA20100317T081749ZJKE81Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317083413/Kuwait Airways welcomes meeting with Iraqi carrier officials Kuwait Airways voiced here Tuesday welcome of meetings with Iraqi Airways' officials, categorically denying any prior knowledge of an ongoing visit by an Iraqi delegation to Kuwait.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:46:04 GMTKUNA (Kuwait News Agency) ZAWYA20100317083413Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T071414ZJKA26/Iraq PM and main rival locked in tight election battlePrime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main rival were locked in a tight election battle Wednesday, with updated results showing both their blocs neck-and-neck in the race to dominate parliament.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:30:54 GMTAFP ANA20100317T071414ZJKA26Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317053159/Residential compound's cornerstone laid in NassiriyaThe cornerstone of the investment al-Ahrar residential compound were laid in northern Nassiriya city on Tuesday, according to the media director of the implementing company.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:17:29 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317053159Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317053253/Iraqi Agriculture Ministry prevents importing 5 cropsIraqi Ministry of Agriculture decided to prevent importing five kinds of vegetables to protect the local product, according to the advisor of the agriculture minister on Tuesday.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:15:45 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317053253Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317053330/International fair to develop agriculture in Iraq next AprilIraq's Ministry of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that it will organize its second edition of the annual agricultural fair next April in cooperation with the Ministry of Water Resources.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:15:32 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317053330Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317053525/ISX index down by 1.6% on TuesdayThe Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX) index went down on Tuesday by 1.6% to close at 96.4 points.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:14:24 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317053525Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317054632/CBI sells $212.9m on TuesdayThe Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) dollar sales reached $212.910 million in its daily auction on Tuesday."The demand hit $16.490 million in cash, covered at an exchange rate of 1,183 Iraqi dinars per dollar, and $196.420 million in foreign transfers outside the country, covered at an exchange rate of 1,173 Iraqi dinars per dollar," according to a CBI news bulletin.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:13:21 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317054632Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317054739/Barzani urges UAE companies to invest in KurdistanPresident of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, urged UAE companies to invest in the Kurdistan region, a presidential statement said.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:12:35 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317054739Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100317054813/Basra governor, French envoy discuss economic, cultural cooperationThe governor of Basra has met with the French ambassador in the country, Boris Boillon, to discuss means of boosting economic and cultural cooperation.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:12:18 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100317054813Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100317T013427ZJJP42/Iraq PM And Main Rival Projected To Tie On Seat CountPrime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main rival Iyad Allawi were projected on Wednesday to win the same number of seats in Iraq's parliament in a dramatic tightening of the country's election race.Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:49:18 GMTAFP ANA20100317T013427ZJJP42Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100316T145617ZJHH68/Syria, Iran interests diverge in Iraq: USThe nominee for US ambassador to Damascus hinted Tuesday at a chance to drive a wedge between Syria and ally Iran, telling US lawmakers the two regional powers have different goals in Iraq.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:45 GMTAFP ANA20100316T145617ZJHH68Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100316110625/Investment permits given to several projects in BaghdadSeveral companies working in the fields of housing, tourism and hotels have been given investment permits to carry out several projects in Baghdad.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:20:50 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100316110625Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100316T084345ZJFR42/ArcelorMittal plans steel plant in IraqThe world's biggest steel maker ArcelorMittal said Tuesday it plans to build a 130-million-dollar steel plant in Kurdish northern Iraq in partnership with the Turkish company Dayen.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:09:39 GMTAFP ANA20100316T084345ZJFR42Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100316T071939ZJFL66/Iraq PM's bloc set to be biggest nationally: latest results Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc looked likely to form parliament's single largest grouping Tuesday, after results showed the incumbent had strengthened his hold on key Baghdad province.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:49:34 GMTAFP ANA20100316T071939ZJFL66Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100316061502/Investment permit given to build shopping complex in BasraThe investment commission in Basra has given an investment permit to establish a shopping complex in the north of the city at a total cost of $3.27 million U.S. dollarsTue, 16 Mar 2010 06:36:12 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100316061502Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100316062057/Wheat cargo arrives at Umm Qasr PortTwo ships carrying more than 84,000 tons of wheat have arrived at the Umm Qasr Port, the Iraqi Ministry of Trade said.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:35:44 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100316062057Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20100315000097/Iraq Ctrl Bank Plans To Rebase Dinar; No Time Fixed YetThe Central Bank of Iraq is planning to rebase the Iraqi dinar but hasn't decided yet on the timing of the move, the bank said.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:29:25 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20100315000097Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100316060841/Consultants for UNDP Iraq's project soughtUNDP Iraq is seeking the services of an experienced and reputable international consultant company to provide the required services for the development of an integrated water and sanitation master plan. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:10:59 GMTEmirates Business 24/7 ZAWYA20100316060841Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100316T013747ZJFB50/Iraq PM's Bloc Set To Be Biggest Nationally: Early ResultsIraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc looked likely to form parliament's single largest grouping Tuesday, after results showed the incumbent had strengthened his hold on key Baghdad province.Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:25:46 GMTAFP ANA20100316T013747ZJFB50Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315033827/25,000 Iraqis voted in Amman-hosted polls - IHECAround 25,000 Iraqis voted in their country's parliamentary elections from Jordan earlier this month, according to official figures.According to preliminary figures from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), 272,016 Iraqis living abroad participated in the elections in 16 countries.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:16:38 GMTJordan Times ZAWYA20100315033827Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315051323/Transport minister urges Dutch firms to invest in Iraq's transport sectorIraqi Minister of Transport Amer Abduljabbar reviewed with the Dutch ambassador in Baghdad vistas of cooperation and means of increasing them, urging Dutch firms to invest in the country's transport sector, according to a ministry release.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:43:00 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315051323Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315051533/ISX index down by 1.2%, closes at 100.5 pointsThe Iraqi Stock Exchange (ISX) index on Sunday registered a drop of 1.2% to close at 100.5 points as rates of shares of 22 out of a total 42 companies that traded in today's session fell.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:42:15 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315051533Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315051641/Foundation stone to be laid for housing project in BaghdadA foundation stone will be laid in the coming few days for a project to build 1,824 housing units at the Muthanna Airport, an official statement said.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:41:36 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315051641Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315051743/Germans in Basra for investmentsBasra Governor Shaltagh Abod discussed on Sunday with the German ambassador to Iraq investment opportunities in the province.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:41:04 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315051743Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315051908/Maritime transportation company makes huge revenues in 2009The State Company for Maritime Transportation made 20.8 billion Iraqi dinars in revenues in 2009, the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation said.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:40:34 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315051908Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315052112/CBI sells 189m on Sun.The Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) dollar sales dropped to $189.830 million in its daily auction on Sunday, compared to $251.565 million in the previous session. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:40:03 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315052112Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100315052202/Water Resources Ministry begins reclamation works in AnbarThe Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources on Sunday said it has begun reclamation works along the Euphrates River in Anbar, according to a ministry statement.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:38:46 GMTAswat Aliraq ZAWYA20100315052202Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100315T013252ZJAZ82/Iraq PM Bolsters Chances Of Retaining PostPrime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's chances of retaining his post appeared strong on Monday, more than a week after a general election that has seen his bloc claim leads in several key Iraqi provinces.Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:08:23 GMTAFP ANA20100315T013252ZJAZ82Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100314T142745ZIYZ03/Iraq PM takes lead in key province, Kurds hold off 'Change'Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc built on its gains in Iraq's parliamentary election, initial results showed on Sunday, as he took a comfortable lead in the key province of Basra.Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:32:05 GMTAFP ANA20100314T142745ZIYZ03Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100314T135301ZIYW68/KDP-PUK holds off 'Change' in Iraq's Dohuk: early resultsKurdistania, an alliance of the Kurdish autonomous region's two long-dominant parties, has held off a new challenger in the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk, early results showed on Sunday.Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:57:17 GMTAFP ANA20100314T135301ZIYW68Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100314T134551ZIYW22/Ex-Iraq PM ahead in Sunni bastion of Anbar: early resultsFormer premier Iyad Allawi's bloc is leading in the predominantly Sunni province of Anbar in the west of the country, early results from Iraq's March 7 general election showed on Sunday.Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:51:15 GMTAFP ANA20100314T134551ZIYW22Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100314044604/Arab Equity Investors Richer By $134 BillionArab equity investors emerged wealthier by nearly $134 billion (Dh492bn) at the end of 2009 to offset part of post-crisis losses, but the general performance of the region's bourses was below other markets, according to an official Arab market watch.Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:04:09 GMTEmirates Business 24/7 ZAWYA20100314044604Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20100313T161241ZIWY27/Iraq ex-premier leads in Nineveh province: early resultsThe Iraqiya bloc led by secular former prime minister Iyad Allawi was leading in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, early election results showed on Saturday.Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:58:50 GMTAFP ANA20100313T161241ZIWY27Open