Activist, journalists arrested by security forces in Duhok
The number of coronavirus deaths reported in the United States on Wednesday (October 22) reached its highest in two months, offering more evidence that the pandemic was gaining fresh momentum across the country as cooler weather sets in.
First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives Hassan al-Kaabi on Thursday (October 22) called on Russian ambassador in Baghdad Maxim Maximov to examine the possibility of Russia providing loans to Iraq in order to implement strategic infrastructure projects.
United Arab Emirates citizens will be able to stay in Israel for up to 90 days on a single visit, the Gulf power’s state news agency WAM said on Thursday (October 22), after it became the first Arab nation to reach a visa-exemption agreement with Israel.
Duhok Civil Defense Directorate said on Thursday evening (October 22) that a fire broke out in six warehouses containing shoes and school supplies in the city’s main bazaar.
On the last leg of his European tour, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London on Thursday (October 22).
An activist and two journalists were arrested by the local security forces in Duhok governorate early on Thursday (October 22).
The federal Ministry of Interior said on Thursday (October 22) that the Kirkuk Police Directorate arrested five Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The Directorate of Asayish-Western Sulaimani said on Thursday (October 22) that it arrested three suspects for firing randomly in Chamchamal district.
Spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Jotiar Adil said on Thursday (October 22) that the KRG is ready to make additional cuts to its oil production, if the federal government compensates with funding to pay public servants and other loses that result from the cuts.
The federal Ministry of Health said on Thursday (October 22) that it recorded 3,899 new cases of coronavirus infection and 47 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours.
Head of Sulaimani Food Trade Directorate Shawkat Muhamad said on Thursday (October 22) that the price of olive oil has increased on local markets and attributed the increase to the failure of the federal government to consistently send supplies of the household staple as part of its ration program.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Health said on Thursday (October 22) that it has recorded 1,308 cases of coronavirus infection in the Kurdistan Region over the past 24 hours.
Turkey said on Wednesday (October 22) it extended the stay of its Oruc Reis survey vessel and two other ships in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until Oct. 27, in a move likely to further escalate tensions in the region.
Federal Agriculture Ministry decided on Thursday (October 22) to ban pomegranate imports, citing a surplus on local markets.
The US dollars to the Iraqi dinar (IQD) exchange rates was up on the Kurdistan Region’s currency markets on Thursday (October 22).
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Wednesday (October 21) that his cabinet will build 42 housing and construction projects with a budget allocation of $332 million.
Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) administrative authority Faleh al-Fayyad on Wednesday (October 21) confirmed his office’s readiness to aid the investigation into an attack on the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) headquarters in Baghdad and promised to take measures against those found to be responsible.
Three civilians were killed at a fake checkpoint on the Jalawla-Khanaqin road near Halwan bridge on Wednesday night (October 21) with several others abducted.
Crude oil prices were down on Thursday (October 22), compared with the previous day.
US Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday (October 21) that Russia and Iran have both tried to interfere with the 2020 presidential election.
Greece urged the European Union on Wednesday (October 21) to reconsider its customs union with Turkey in response to Ankara’s continued gas exploration in contested Mediterranean areas, deploring what it termed Turkey’s “imperial fantasies.”
German police have arrested a 20-year-old Syrian suspected of attacking two tourists in the eastern city of Dresden at the start of October, killing one of them, police said on Wednesday (October 21).
Iraq’s Counterterrorism Service (CTS) said on Wednesday (October 21) that its forces arrested four Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Kirkuk governorate.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Council of Ministers said on Wednesday (October 21) that KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has approved a proposal by Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources Begard Talabani to forgive customs taxes on material and equipment that are not available in the Kurdistan Region and imported for agriculture projects.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday (October 21) said the United States will not change policy toward Syria to obtain the release of US journalist Austin Tice and other detained Americans.
In theory, fines levied by the government against polluters in the Kurdistan Region are supposed to fund environmental initiatives and expand inspections to uncover additional violations, but current and former officials at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Environmental Board say that the money is routinely diverted for other uses.
Ezidi Deputy Prince for Youth Affairs Mir Harman Mirza Bag said on Wednesday (October 21) that the US has allocated an additional $500,000 to help renovate Lalish temple.
With less than two weeks left until Election Day in the United States, NRT sat down with students and a recent graduate of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani to talk politics, policy, and process.
Iran’s health ministry on Wednesday (October 21)reported 5,616 new coronavirus cases for the previous 24 hours, the highest daily number since February, bringing the national tally to 545,286 in the Middle East’s hardest-hit country.
The federal Ministry of Health said on Wednesday (October 21) that it recorded 3,667 new cases of coronavirus infection and 52 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Health said on Wednesday (October 21) that it has recorded 1,078 cases of coronavirus infection in the Kurdistan Region over the past 24 hours.
Undersecretary of Iraq’s Ministry of Oil Hamid al-Zobaie said on Wednesday (October 21) that local refineries will be able to fully meet Iraq’s gasoline needs by 2023 and that natural gas production will increase by 1,200 million standard cubic feet by then.
It was a series of intercepted phone calls on a tense night in June that made Iraq’s new prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi fully realize how few friends he had.
The US dollars to the Iraqi dinar (IQD) exchange rates was up on the Kurdistan Region’s currency markets on Wednesday (October 21).
Head of Sulaimani International Airport’s Press and Relations Office Dana Muhammad said on Wednesday (October 21) that flights to and from Turkey will resume on Monday.
Despite a significant deterioration in the public health environment over the past week, a member of the Supreme Committee for Coronavirus Response said on Wednesday (October 21) that officials in the Kurdistan Region were holding off on imposing new coronavirus lockdowns because of the fears that it could cause serious economic harm to the Kurdistan Region.
Federal Planning Minister Khalid Batal said on Tuesday (October 20) that Iraq will conduct a census in 2021, having postponed it from this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and financial pressures.
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has left for Brussels to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with NATO and European Union officials, his office said on Wednesday (October 21).
The fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a human rights group that he founded filed a lawsuit in a US court on Tuesday (October 21) with allegations that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ordered him killed.
Crude oil prices were up on Wednesday (October 21), compared with the previous day.
The Federal Police announced on Tuesday (October 20) that its forces have uncovered a mass grave in Dawd Aluka village in Kirkuk’s Hawija district believed to contain the remains of at least 45 Peshmerga captives executed by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The Erbil Anti-Drug Directorate said on Tuesday (October 20) that two suspects were arrested in possession of narcotics and fake Iraqi and US currencies.
Russia’s energy minister said on Tuesday (October 20) it was too early to discuss the future of global oil production curbs beyond December, less than a week after saying plans to reduce the output restrictions should proceed.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell said on Tuesday (October 20) that an Islamic State (ISIS) militant was shot and killed by Federal Police while he was planting an explosive charge on the Tikrit-Kirkuk highway near Mahdia village.
The People’s Defense Forces (HPG) released a statement on Tuesday (October 20) saying that it has no connection to the murder of Ghazi Alikhan in Amedi on October 8.
Saad Hussein, a 42-year-old Ezidi Iraqi, is one of the last in the northern region of Nineveh producing the anise-flavored spirit, arak, from local dates.
Iran’s health minister appealed on Tuesday (October 20) for more public and government support to enforce restrictions aimed at stemming a third major outbreak of coronavirus infections as new cases set a daily record of 5,039.
Federal Deputy Minister of Migration and Displacement Karim al-Nouri said on Tuesday (October 20) that five displacement camps will be closed in Baghdad and Diyala governorates in the near future.
Residents of Sulaimani’s Kanispika neighborhood burned tires and partially blocked a nearby roadway on Tuesday (October 20) to protest the demolition of their houses by the municipality.
The Iraqi oil minister said on Tuesday (October 20) that oil projects are being delayed in his country because of the OPEC+ production cuts, but he expects an oil price recovery from the second quarter of next year to help the sector.
The federal Ministry of Health said on Tuesday (October 20) that it recorded 3,920 new cases of coronavirus infection and 49 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours.
Two months have elapsed since the local security forces in Duhok and Erbil illegally closed NRT’s offices in those governorates following extensive coverage of protests about the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) handling of deteriorating economic conditions, including its decisions to delay and cut public sector salaries.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Health said on Tuesday (October 20) that it has recorded 1,010 cases of coronavirus infection in the Kurdistan Region over the past 24 hours.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Electricity Kamal Muhammed said on Tuesday (October 20) that the aim of privatizing the electricity sector in the Kurdistan Region is to increase the number of hours of electricity available to the public and to reduce the cost borne by the government.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Berlin on Tuesday (October 20) and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A man along with three of his sons died after a planted bomb exploded near Makhmour’s Rwala village early on Tuesday (October 20), with another son missing.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday (October 20) participated in a ceremony opening the Rovia-Gopal three-lane road, which connects Erbil to Duhok governorate.
The US dollars to the Iraqi dinar (IQD) exchange rates was down on the Kurdistan Region’s currency markets on Tuesday (October 20).
Oil prices slipped for a fourth straight day on Tuesday (October 20) on worries a resurgence of coronavirus cases globally is stifling a promising recovery in fuel demand, while growing output from Libya adds to plentiful supply.
Despite receiving their salaries in recent days, teachers and public sector workers in the Garmian administration and Koya district continued strike on Tuesday (October 20) over delays and cuts in their disbursement, saying that they will continue until their demands are met.
