Iraq will ask companies to begin submitting bids for new exploration licences for oil and gas in June and will announce preliminary results next January, Oil Minister Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi said.
The government plans to hold a promotional conference for the new licences in August, he said in Baghdad today.
Mr Kareem al-Luaibi also said that Iraq will "soon" sign a deal to develop the Akkas gasfield. The agreement was due to be signed in February after a delay of more than three months, with partners Korea Gas Corporation, known as Kogas, and KazMunaiGaz National, Kazakhstan's state fuel producer.
Crude oil exports are currently average 2.08 million barrels a day and will rise to 2.1 million barrels by the end of April, Falah al-Amri, head of the State Oil Marketing Organisation, said at the same conference.
Bloomberg News
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
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On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
The five pillars of Islam
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
