Latest news with #IraqiNewsAgency
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq says Turkey ready to renew, expand oil export deal
Also in Middle East PKK disarmament could be completed within four months: Kurdish lawmaker Sudani, Erdogan discuss Ankara-PKK peace talks President Barzani plays key role in PKK peace talks, says veteran politician Turkey continues to strike PKK ahead of disarmament: Watchdog A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi oil ministry said late Monday that the Turkish government has officially expressed its willingness to renew the 1973 oil export agreement with Baghdad and expand it to other fields, a day after Ankara announced the end of the deal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not renew the 1973 Iraq-Turkey oil export agreement and the deal is set to be terminated in 2026, the country's official gazette announced on Monday. The agreement stipulates that the deal will be considered extended unless a termination note is sent by one of the parties one year before its expiration. The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) late Monday cited an official from the Iraqi oil ministry as saying that based on this Ankara has sent a letter to Baghdad 'expressing its desire to renew the agreement and attaching a draft of a new agreement for cooperation in the energy field that is more comprehensive than the previous agreement, as it included cooperation in the fields of oil, gas, petrochemical industries, and electricity in order to expand the horizons of cooperation between the two countries." The unnamed source added that both sides have been negotiating a new deal since July 2014, noting that the Iraqi oil ministry 'is in the process of reviewing the draft agreement sent by the Turkish side and negotiating with them about it to reach a formula that serves the interests of Iraq and Turkey." Turkey has confirmed sending the letter to Iraq. The agreement was first signed between the Turkish and Iraqi governments on August 27, 1973, and has been renewed repeatedly over the years, most recently in 2010. The Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline was built to transport crude oil from Kirkuk and other fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The development comes amid renewed efforts by the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to resume long-stalled oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the pipeline have been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014.
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Iraq says Development Road complements China's BRI
Iraq's Ministry of Planning said the country's Development Road project is consistent and complements China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The plan is to connect the Iran-Iraq railway to the GCC nations, Eastern countries, and Europe, a ministry spokesman, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, told the Iraqi News Agency. In April last year, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE signed an agreement to cooperate on the $17 billion Development Road. The project may also include oil and gas pipelines in the future. Launched in 2013, the BRI aims to link the East and West through key corridors and axes via land and maritime routes. 'Iraq is one of the key axes, considering that there is a railway linking China to Uzbekistan, then Pakistan, and Iran,' Al-Hindawi said. He stated Iraq's strategic location makes it an important logistics and transport hub for Asia, the Levant, and Western markets, adding that the country offers significant reductions in both travel time and shipping costs. (Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon) (
Iraqi News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Iraqi News
Over 12,000 traffic offenses recorded in Iraq in one day
Baghdad ( – The Iraqi Ministry of Interior revealed on Sunday that 12,150 traffic violations were recorded in one day, indicating wide disdain for laws. According to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the Ministry of Interior's spokesperson, Miqdad Miri, mentioned in a statement that the huge number of violations took place merely on Saturday. The results highlight the ministry's intentional attempt to enforce traffic regulations more strictly throughout the country. The ministry's efforts are part of a continuing push to improve road safety in Iraq, according to Miri. Miri issued an urgent warning to drivers, emphasizing the ministry's steadfast commitment to decreasing reckless driving while holding offenders responsible. The ministry's primary goal is to protect residents, and drivers must follow traffic laws or face numerous penalties, according to Miri. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, recently installed a thorough traffic monitoring system in an attempt to improve road safety and enforce traffic laws. This system uses radars and traffic signal cameras that are placed strategically across the city to record incidents of drivers failing to use seatbelts, speeding, and running red lights. This program is a major step in encouraging safe driving practices and lowering the number of traffic-related accidents in Baghdad's metropolitan area. A report on road accidents in 2021 revealed that car drivers and pedestrians in Iraq represent the highest percentage of fatal injuries, followed by motorcyclists. The report indicated that most road accidents in Iraq are caused by high-speed driving and the use of mobile phones while driving.
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
A Fire at a Shopping Center in Eastern Iraq Kills More Than 60 People
KUT, Iraq (AP) — A fire engulfed a newly opened shopping center in eastern Iraq, killing more than 60 people, including children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Civil defense teams rescued more than 45 people who became trapped when the fire broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in Wasit province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Others are still missing, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency. Photographs and videos on local media showed the five-story Corniche Hypermarket Mall engulfed in flames only a week after it had opened. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials and residents alleged that a lack of fire safety measures in the building contributed to the scale of the tragedy. Iraq's Interior Ministry said in a statement that 61 people died in the shopping center fire, most of them from suffocation. Among the dead were 14 charred bodies that remain unidentified, it said. The fire started on the second floor, in an area selling perfume and cosmetics, the state news agency said, The fire was deeply painful for the community, said 60-year-old Kut resident Abdul Redha Thahab. 'My friend and neighbor's family, who lived right next to my house — a family of six, the husband, his wife, their two daughters, and two young children — all perished in the fire,' he said. Provincial Gov. Mohammed al-Miyahi declared three days of mourning, with Iraq's Cabinet later following suit. He said legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping center owner, but did not specify what the charges were. 'We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,' al-Miyahi said. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, al-Miyahi called the fire 'a heartbreaking tragedy for the people of Wasit' and alleged that the building owner had not implemented the necessary fire safety measures when he converted it into a shopping center. He said that no government official has resigned or been dismissed as a result of the fire, and that they are currently awaiting the results of the investigation. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he said. The building owner could not immediately be reached for comment. Poor building standards have often contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 people was determined to have been fueled by highly flammable, low-cost type of 'sandwich panel' cladding that is illegal in Iraq. In 2023, more than 100 people died in a fire at a wedding hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames. Thahab, the Kut resident, said the building lacked fire safety measures, including emergency exit stairways. Residents of the neighborhood had joined firefighters in battling the blaze because there were not enough fire trucks to quickly control it, he said. Some of the victims came from farther afield. In the southern city of Najaf, Imad al-Quraishi walked in the funeral procession of a relative who died in the blaze. Like others, he blamed poor safety standards. 'No emergency exits, no fire extinguisher, no care, nothing,' he said, adding that if the authorities in the area 'have any honor, they will submit their resignation today.' Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani visited the site of the fire Thursday. He did not speak publicly at the site, but said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to investigate and take measures to prevent a recurrence. The state news agency later reported that al-Sudani had visited the family of one of the victims to give condolences.
South Wales Guardian
6 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Dozens dead after fire at shopping centre in Iraq
Iraq's Ministry of Interior said in a statement that 61 people died, most of them from suffocation, in the fire that broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in the province of Wasit. Among the dead were 14 bodies that remain unidentified, it said. Civil defence teams were able to rescue more than 45 people who were trapped inside the building, the statement said. Photographs and videos on local media showed the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, a five-story shopping centre that had opened only a week earlier, fully engulfed in flames. The state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that people remained missing. Photographs and videos on local media showed the building fully engulfed in flames. Provincial governor Mohammed al-Mayyeh declared three days of mourning. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation but that legal cases were filed against the building owner and shopping centre owner. He did not specify what the charges were. 'We assure the families of the innocent victims that we will not be lenient with those who were directly or indirectly responsible for this incident,' he said. The results of the preliminary investigation will be released within 48 hours, he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that he had directed the interior minister to go to the site of the fire to investigate.
