Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned Iraq’s new amendment to the Personal Status Law, saying it discriminates against women and makes them “second-class citizens.”The law, amended in January, lets people choose between religious or civil laws for marriage, divorce, and inheritance. It allows men to apply Shiite religious codes to their marriages without their wives’ [...]

Iraq and Oman signed two agreements and 24 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s visit to Oman. The accords cover a wide range of sectors, including taxation, visa waivers, legal and judicial cooperation, tourism, education, housing, media, banking, energy, oil, industry, ports, and logistics. They also include plans for joint projects [...]

Iraq has launched its first national migration plan (2025–2030), a five-year strategy to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration. The plan aims to create opportunities for work, education, and family reunification, while strengthening migration governance and supporting national stability and development. Around two million Iraqis live abroad, over 58,000 have returned in the past seven [...]

In Iraq, over 600 pilgrims were briefly hospitalized after inhaling chlorine gas. The leak came from a water treatment station on the Karbala–Najaf road. The incident occurred overnight during the Arbaeen pilgrimage season. Iraq’s health ministry confirmed 621 cases of asphyxia from the chlorine leak. All affected individuals were given medical treatment. Thankfully, all patients [...]

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced the arrest of 11 individuals on terrorist charges across several provinces. The operations were carried out with the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Kurdish security agencies, and local forces. Five suspects were captured in Nineveh, where army aviation supported the destruction of seven hideouts. Four individuals were arrested in different [...]

Iraq has significantly reduced its national poverty rate to 10.8% from 2018 to 2024, as announced by Minister of Planning Mohammed Ali Tamim. This progress was shared during the launch of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index Report. The report examines poverty beyond income, identifying developmental gaps and social deprivations. Iraq collaborated with the UNDP and [...]

A fire broke out at the Corniche Hypermarket in Kut, Iraq, killing at least 61 people, with many others injured or missing. The five-story shopping center had only opened a week earlier. Most victims died from suffocation in bathrooms, and 14 bodies remain unidentified. Videos showed flames tearing through the mall as firefighters rescued people, [...]

On Wednesday, a drone attack hit the Ain Sifni oilfield in Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, which is run by U.S. company Hunt Oil. This was the second attack on the same site in one day and is part of a growing series of strikes on oilfields in the Kurdistan region. Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP), which operates [...]

Twelve Turkish soldiers died from methane gas exposure while searching a cave in northern Iraq during a military operation. The cave search was part of Operation Claw Lock, aimed at targeting PKK militants. A total of 19 personnel were affected, and the soldiers were reportedly trying to recover the body of a comrade killed in [...]