Latest news with #Baghdad
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Baghdad and Irbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after a more than two-year halt and amid drone attacks on oil fields. Lucrative oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Irbil, with a key pipeline through Turkiye shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues. The Kurdistan regional government shall 'immediately begin delivering all oil produced' in the region's field to Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) 'for export,' the Iraqi government said in a statement. The quantity should be no less than 230,000 barrels per day, and Baghdad will pay an advance of $16 a barrel. The Kurdistan regional government said in a statement it 'welcomes' the deal, and hoped all agreements would be respected. Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan in Turkiye. But the region's official oil exports have been frozen since March 2023 when the arbitration tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris ruled oil exports by the regional government illegal and said that Baghdad had the exclusive right to market all Iraqi oil. The decision halted the region's independent exports by pipeline via Turkiye. Ever since, the federal and regional governments have been haggling over the production and transport costs payable to the region and its commercial partners among other financial issues. The latest agreement should also solve the long-standing issue of unpaid salaries for civil servants in Kurdistan, which has been tied to the tension over oil. The federal finance ministry will pay salaries for May once SOMO confirms it has received the oil at the Ceyhan port. The regional government said it hoped that the issue of salaries would be treated separately from any disputes. The deal comes after a tense few weeks in Kurdistan, which has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks mostly against oil fields, with the latest strike hitting a site operated by a Norwegian firm on Thursday morning — the second attack in two days on the same site. There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the past week's attacks, and Baghdad has promised an investigation to identify the culprits.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Baghdad and Erbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports: Government
The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after a more than two-year halt and amid drone attacks on oil fields. Lucrative oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, with a key pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues. The Kurdistan regional government shall 'immediately begin delivering all oil produced' in the region's field to Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) 'for export,' the Iraqi government said in a statement. The quantity should be no less than 230,000 barrels per day, and Baghdad will pay an advance of $16 a barrel. The Kurdistan regional government said in a statement it 'welcomes' the deal, and hoped all agreements would be respected. Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. But the region's official oil exports have been frozen since March 2023 when the arbitration tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris ruled oil exports by the regional government illegal and said that Baghdad had the exclusive right to market all Iraqi oil. The decision halted the region's independent exports by pipeline via Turkey. Ever since, the federal and regional governments have been haggling over the production and transport costs payable to the region and its commercial partners among other financial issues. The latest agreement should also solve the long-standing issue of unpaid salaries for civil servants in Kurdistan, which has been tied to the tension over oil. The federal finance ministry will pay salaries for May once SOMO confirms it has received the oil at the Ceyhan port. The regional government said it hoped that the issue of salaries would be treated separately from any disputes. The deal comes after a tense few weeks in Kurdistan, which has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks mostly against oil fields, with the latest strike hitting a site operated by a Norwegian firm on Thursday morning -- the second attack in two days on the same site. There has been no claim of responsibility for any of the past week's attacks, and Baghdad has promised an investigation to identify the culprits.
National Post
9 hours ago
- General
- National Post
Fire at newly opened Iraq shopping mall kills more than 60
A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing at least 61 people, authorities said Thursday, as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives. Article content Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP that his five relatives died in an elevator. Article content The blaze — the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected — broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall. Article content Several people told AFP they lost families including mothers and children who had gone to shop and dine at the mall, days after it opened in Kut — around 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad. Article content Footage shared on social media showed people including children standing on the roof, calling for help. Article content Article content Ali Kadhim, 51, has been shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, where the victims were taken, looking for his cousin, who is missing with his wife and three children. Article content Back at the mall, he waited anxiously as rescuers searched for victims in the wreckage, with an ambulance on standby. Article content 'We don't know what happened to them,' he said. Article content An AFP correspondent at the scene said the blaze had been contained and the front of the building was severely charred. Article content The interior ministry said in a statement that 'the tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified.' Article content 'We couldn't escape' Article content INA news agency later quoted a medical source who put the toll at 63 dead and 40 injured. Article content A medical source in Kut told AFP there were 'many unidentified bodies'. Article content Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. Article content Ambulances ferried casualties as late as 4:00 am, with wards in Kut overwhelmed. Article content One man fell apart, pounding his chest and screaming.
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
More than 60 people killed as fire breaks out in newly opened Iraq mall
A fire tore through a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut overnight, killing more than 60 people and leaving 11 others missing, authorities said Thursday as grief-stricken families searched for missing relatives. Officials said many people suffocated in bathrooms, while one person told AFP his five relatives died in an elevator. The blaze – the latest in a country where safety regulations are frequently neglected – broke out late Wednesday, reportedly starting on the first floor before rapidly engulfing the five-storey Corniche Hypermarket Mall. The cause was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded. Several people told AFP they lost family members – and in some cases whole families – who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened in Kut, around 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Footage shared on social media showed people including children standing on the roof, calling for help. An AFP correspondent reported seeing charred bodies at the province's forensic department. Ali Kadhim, 51, said he had been shuttling between the mall and the main hospital, where the victims were taken, looking for his cousin, who is missing along with his wife and three children. Back at the mall, he waited anxiously as rescuers searched for victims in the wreckage, with an ambulance on standby. "We don't know what happened to them," he said. An AFP correspondent at the scene said the blaze had been contained and the front of the building was severely charred. The interior ministry said in a statement that "the tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified". 'We couldn't escape' The official INA news agency later quoted a medical source who put the toll at 63 dead and 40 injured. Wasit provincial governor Mohammed al-Miyahi told INA the victims included men, women and children. A medical source in Kut told AFP there were "many unidentified bodies". Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, which includes a restaurant and a supermarket, the interior ministry said. The ward of the main hospital was overwhelmed, while elsewhere, an AFP correspondent witnessed distraught relatives waiting at the forensic department for news, some collapsing in grief. One man fell apart, pounding his chest and screaming. Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, said he lost five family members in the fire. "A disaster has befallen us," he told AFP. "We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home. "An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted – and we couldn't escape." Lax safety regulations Moataz Karim, 45, rushed to the mall at midnight, only to be met with the devastating news that three of his relatives were missing. Hours later, he identified the charred bodies of two relatives, one of whom had begun working at the shopping centre three days ago. "There is no fire extinguishing system," he said angrily, as he waited for further news outside the forensic department. Safety standards in Iraq 's construction sector are often disregarded, and the country, whose infrastructure is in disrepair after decades of conflict, often experiences fatal fires and accidents. Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius. In September 2023, a fire killed at least 100 people when it ripped through a crowded Iraqi wedding hall, sparking a panicked stampede for the exits. In July 2021, a fire in the Covid unit of a hospital in southern Iraq killed more than 60 people. Governor Miyahi said local authorities would file a lawsuit against the mall's owner and the building contractor. "The tragedy is a major shock ... and requires a serious review of all safety measures," he said. The government declared three days of mourning. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a "thorough probe" into the fire to identify "shortcomings" and prevent further incidents. Several countries, including Egypt, Iran and France, offered condolences to Iraq and the victims' families. The US embassy in Baghdad likewise offered "its deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims".
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Iraq Agrees on Oil Plan With Kurds in Step Toward Export Deal
Iraq approved a plan for its semi-autonomous Kurdish region to transfer oil to Baghdad, a step toward resuming exports that have been halted for more than two years. The Kurdistan Regional Government will supply Iraq's state oil marketer SOMO with 230,000 barrels a day as part of a deal for Baghdad to release funds for salaries in the northern region, people familiar with the matter said. The transfer of the crude is a crucial element for an agreement between the federal and semi-autonomous administrations to restart exports through a pipeline to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
