Some Iraqi citizens are symbolically applying for the presidency to challenge the country’s long-standing ethno-sectarian power-sharing system (muhasasa), which allocates top political posts based on sect and party affiliation rather than merit. Critics argue this system fuels corruption, inefficiency, and division.One such candidate, Ahmed Tawfiq, a retired engineer and economist, says his candidacy aims to [...]

Iraq is facing one of its worst droughts in decades as record-low water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers threaten wheat production and food security. Farmers like Ma’an al-Fatlawi near Najaf are struggling as river water dwindles and groundwater proves too saline for farming. Although Iraq achieved wheat self-sufficiency in recent years, the current [...]

Severe flash floods triggered by heavy rains struck parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, causing significant destruction, shutting down major routes, and resulting in three deaths and at least twelve injuries. In response, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered government agencies to provide urgent humanitarian aid and directed both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry [...]

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein urged the United States to reconsider its travel advisory for Iraq, saying the country’s security situation has improved. His comments came during a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas, who visited Iraq to strengthen bilateral relations. Both sides discussed ways to enhance political, economic, and security cooperation. [...]

The United Nations in Iraq, together with the National Directorate for Women in Iraq and the High Council for Women and Development in the Kurdistan Region, launched the 2025 “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign through events in Baghdad and Erbil. UN Deputy Special Representative Ghulam Mohammad Ishaqzai said that while Iraq has [...]

A fire at Iraq’s Zubair oilfield on Sunday killed at least two workers and injured five others, some critically, officials confirmed. The blaze erupted during welding operations near a pipeline carrying crude oil to storage tanks. Firefighters battled for several hours before bringing the fire under control by mid-afternoon, according to the Basra Oil [...]

Human Rights Watch has denounced Iraq’s recent amendment to its 1959 Personal Status Law, warning that it undermines women’s rights and reinforces gender inequality. Passed in January, the amendment allows Iraqis to choose between civil or religious laws for family matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody. Under this change, the Shiite [...]