Foreign Investment in Iraq Up

More businesses signing on to trend of exchanging services

(NEWSER) - The global recession has made bartering hot, but don’t go thinking it’s all a backrub for a plumbing fix. Big money—though no cash—is changing hands through the world’s largest barter service, Bartercard. The worldwide service’s transactions are valued at $2 billion this year, up 20% over last year. That makes it the leader in a global trend that saw 400,000 business make trades worth $10 billion last year. More»

(NEWSER) - A British math whiz plans to roll out a revolutionary search engine this year, but that doesn't mean Google is doomed, Saul Hansell writes in the New York Times. “Google is a company,” while the search engine "is a technology," Hansell writes, responding to a blog that trumpeted the innovation. The new engine would answer specific questions on the Web, rather than find sites that give answers. More»

Sadr ally allegedly shoves speaker

(NEWSER) - Discussion of the security deal between the US and Iraq deteriorated into a shouting match between members of the Iraqi parliament today, the New York Times reports. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the measure next week, but could not get through a reading of the agreement today before an opposition lawmaker allegedly physically attacked the speaker. More»

Baghdad aggressively courts international investment

(NEWSER) - With security and stability on the rise, Iraq’s government is turning its attention, and its generous budget, toward reconstruction. That’s led to some big opportunities for Western businesses, which are scrambling to get a cut of the country’s $25 billion reconstruction budget. Iraq, which lacks the resources to rebuild on its own, is just as eager to make deals, reports Der Spiegel. More»

Blocking US purchase of space division is 'significant risk'

(NEWSER) - A move last month by the Canadian government to block the country's top space-tech firm from selling one of its divisions to a US buyer illustrates a tricky balancing act, Christopher Sands writes in the American: How far should Ottawa go to appease nationalist sentiment if it eats into economic benefits? The wariness, Sands notes, extends back to colonial days. More»