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The Latest Breaking News from Najaf

At least 1800 hospitalised in Iraq as sandstorm halts flights and triggers power outages

Airports in Najaf and Basra temporarily shut as visibility impaired due to the sandstorm deemed to be the biggest this year

The Independent UK

Iraqi law that may allow child marriage sparks protests

Demonstrations opposing the new law have been held in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk and Najaf

Evening Standard

Low Turnout and Boycotts Mar Iraq's Provincial Elections

Iraq's first provincial elections in a decade are underway amid an influential bloc's boycott, low turnout, sporadic violence, and alleged irregularities.

Top News

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We need an extraordinary act of peace

Something almost impossible happened in Iraq in 2004. We need that kind of spiritual energy right now

Salon

Iraqis Protest Amendments to Electoral Law

Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in several governorates in the central and southern parts of the country on Sunday evening, protesting against the new proposed amendment to the electoral law. The growing popular discontent aimed to force the parliament not to approve the draft amendment and reinstate the…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Report Accuses Iran’s Quds Force of Smuggling Millions of Dollars from Iraq

A report published by Iran International news channel accused on Tuesday the Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), of smuggling millions of dollars from Iraq to the Guard's accounts in Iran, in cooperation with the Iranian embassy in Baghdad. The channel, based in London, said…

Asharq Al-Awsat

How Shiite Islam reached Tanzania, and Ashoura processions became an annual tradition

Each year, the largest contemporary Muslim pilgrimage takes place in Iraq to remember Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Before the pandemic, this event reportedly drew more than 30 million people, but in recent years participation declined to more than 14 million. This procession from Najaf to Karbala, where Hussein…

The Conversation

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Iraq’s Maliki Faces Lawsuit Demanding His Arrest, Travel Ban

Head of the Sadrist bloc in Iraq Nassar Al Rubaie has filed a lawsuit against former prime minister and leader of State of Law Coalition Nouri Al Maliki. In a letter presented to the third panel of Al-Karkh Criminal Court, Rubaie requested authorities to issue an arrest warrant against Maliki…

Asharq Al-Awsat

How Sistani Silently Halted Iraq’s Slide Back into War

When a pronouncement by a religious scholar in Iran drove Iraq to the brink of civil war last week, there was only one man who could stop it: 92-year-old Iraqi Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani, who proved once again he is the most powerful man in his country. Sistani said…

Asharq Al-Awsat

How a 92-year-old cleric silently halted Iraq's slide back into war

When a pronouncement by a religious scholar in Iran drove Iraq to the brink of civil war last week, there was only one man who could stop it: a 92-year-old Iraqi Shi'ite cleric who proved once again he is the most powerful man in his country.

Reuters

Power Crisis Adds to Iraq’s Political Woes

The power crisis sweeping Iraq has triggered a wave of protests in central and southern parts of the country, with fears the rallies being politicized growing among observers. In Najaf, mass demonstrations erupted due to a complete power outage. In the far southern province of Basra, protests took place for…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraq Prosecution to Probe 'Maliki WikiLeaks'

Iraq’s judiciary is expected to examine two complaints to probe the voice recordings attributed to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in which he criticized politicians, notably his rival cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Known in Iraq as the “Maliki WikiLeaks”, the former PM threatened to attack Najaf city to protect the country’s…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraq Continues to Exhume Mass Graves

A noisy backhoe digs up earth to uncover yet another mass grave in Iraq, human remains are exhumed and the forensics experts get to work on their grim task. A skull is freed from a layer of clay, a tibia is placed in a body bag -- all bound for…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraq's Prized Rice Crop Threatened by Drought

Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, the aromatic basis of rich lamb and other dishes, and a key element in a struggling economy. The long-grained variety of rice takes its name from its distinctive scent, which is similar to that of amber resin.

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraq Yet Again Hit by Increasingly Frequent Dust Storms

Iraq on Sunday was yet again covered in a thick sheet of orange as it suffered the latest in a series of dust storms that have become increasingly common. Flights were grounded due to poor visibility at airports serving the capital Baghdad and the city of Najaf, with the phenomenon…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Baghdad Airport Resumes Flights After Suspension Due to Bad Weather

Baghdad international airport resumed flights on Wednesday after suspending operations earlier in the day due to bad weather, the state news agency INA cited Iraq's Civil Aviation authority as saying. Iraq was hit by the third heavy dust storm in two weeks, temporarily grounding flights as the weather phenomenon grows…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraqi Presidential Amnesty for Drug Smugglers Turns into Political Scandal

An amnesty issued by Iraqi President Barham Salih to the son of the al-Najaf province governor after he was convicted of drug dealing has turned into a political scandal in the country. The president had issued the amnesty at the recommendation of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, but the affair has…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Iran Warns Sadr of Divisions Leading to ISIS Resurgence

While Iraq’s Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties, holds meetings to announce a new political initiative, Iran’s Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani warned head of the Sadrist Movement Moqtada Al Sadr against the resurgence of ISIS amid Iraqi divisions. Qaani had met with Sadr on Tuesday in the central…

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Kuwait Airways resumes flights to Iraq’s Najaf

Kuwait Airways is resuming commercial flights to Iraq’s Najaf city starting from Saturday, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA reported. The Gulf state’s flag carrier suspended its flights to Iraq last month after several rockets landed in Iraq’s Baghdad International Airport compound, damaging at least one disused civilian airplane. Six rockets…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Barzani Launches Initiative to Resolve Shiite Rifts in Iraq

Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani launched on Monday an initiative aimed at bridging the divide between head of Iraq's Sadrist movement, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the Shiite Coordination Framework. The initiative was discussed during a meeting between President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and Sadr…

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