Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s parliamentary Investment andDevelopment Committee on Wednesday warned that South Korea’s Hanwha could haltkey services at Baghdad’s Bismayah residential complex and pursue internationalarbitration over unpaid dues, potentially exposing Iraq to about $4 billion inlosses.

Hanwha, the company behind theresidential project, announced last week that it would withdraw from thedevelopment and lay off its Iraqi employees, blaming the National InvestmentCommission (NIC) for failing to meet its financial obligations.

Speaking at a news conference inparliament, committee member Suzan Al-Saad said the NIC had received an urgentnotice from Hanwha stating that it could stop operating water and sewagefacilities at the complex from Oct. 1 unless authorities set a date forsettling its dues.

Al-Saad called on Prime Minister AliAl-Zaidi to expedite $272 million in outstanding payments, along with $300million in compensation for delays that had lasted about six years.

The company, the lawmaker warned, couldtake the dispute to the Dubai International Arbitration Centre in mid-Octoberif the issue remains unresolved.

Shafaq News- Basra

A major fire damaged six shops at a market inside theSafwan border crossing with Kuwait in Iraq’s southern Basra province onWednesday, a Civil Defense source told Shafaq News.

Firefighters contained the blaze before it spread toneighboring properties, and no injuries were reported. Preliminary findingsidentified an electrical short circuit as the likely cause.

Readmore: Iraq’s fire risk landscape at the start of 2026

Shafaq News- Baghdad

An Iraqi court on Wednesday sentenced lawmaker Ashwaq Salem Hassan to seven years in prison for illicit enrichment, according to the Federal Commission of Integrity (FCI), the second such ruling against an MP within hours.

The FCI said the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court ordered Hassan to repay illicit gains of 2.115 billion Iraqi dinars ($1.6M) and $2.924 million and imposed an equal fine, bringing the combined total to nearly 11.95 billion dinars ($9.1M).

The court also sentenced Hassan to three years for concealing information on her financial disclosure form but ordered the harsher seven-year sentence to apply. It further upheld the freeze on her movable and immovable assets and granted the FCI the right to claim compensation once the judgment becomes final.

Earlier today, lawmaker Alia Nassif received a separate seven-year sentence for illicit enrichment and was ordered to pay nearly 27 billion dinars ($20.6 million) in restitution and fines combined.

Both lawmakers were among 12 prominent political figures placed under a precautionary asset freeze by the Central Bank of Iraq in August in connection with corruption investigations, according to official documents obtained by Shafaq News.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on Wednesday ordered ministries, government bodies, and provinces to prepare official and public events marking Iraqi Sovereignty Day on October 1.

The Cabinet Secretariat said government institutions will also hold commemorations for Iraq’s martyrs and victims, while the directive calls for sovereignty-themed badges to be worn.

The commemoration follows Baghdad’s September 30 deadline for concluding the remaining Global Coalition military mission in Iraq. Al-Zaidi said in August that Iraq would be free of foreign military forces from October 1 and would enter a new phase of exercising full sovereignty over its territory.

On August 29, a senior US administration official told Shafaq News that the United States and its partners would reduce their military mission rather than end the Coalition itself, with security cooperation shifting toward a bilateral US-Iraq partnership.

Iraq and the United States agreed in September 2024 on a two-phase transition. The first phase ended in September 2025 with Coalition forces leaving Baghdad and Ain Al-Asad, while a contingent remained in the Kurdistan Region to support operations against ISIS in Syria through September 2026.

The State Administration Coalition separately set September 30 as the deadline for ending armed activity outside state institutions, although Prime Minister's adviser Qasim Al-Araji said on September 18 that no fixed deadline had been set for the committee overseeing the weapons-control process.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi Health Ministry said on Wednesday that Health Minister Abdul Hussein Al-Mussawi had ordered investigations into hospitals reporting shortages of medicines, including scorpion antivenom, despite supplies being available in state warehouses.

The ministry said the decision followed Al-Mussawi’s inspection of Baghdad’s Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, where he reviewed medicine availability.

Read more: Iraq’s healthcare system nears collapse

The inspection found that several medicines were available in warehouses operated by KIMADIA, Iraq’s State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances, while shortcomings and delays affected supplies to some healthcare facilities.

Al-Mussawi ordered investigators to determine responsibility for the shortages, hold those responsible accountable, and recommend measures to address the problem and prevent it from recurring.

Read more: Iraq’s Pharmaceutical Crisis: shortages, counterfeit drugs, and ineffective reforms

Shafaq News- Najaf

Flights between Najaf International Airport and Iran are continuing as scheduled, with no suspension ordered so far, airport spokesperson Muthanna Al-Talqani told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

He said the airport would comply with any instructions issued by the Iraqi government regarding flights to Iran, but no order to suspend services had been received from Baghdad, Najaf authorities or Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority.

The statement comes amid growing uncertainty over Iranian international flights after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington’s latest sanctions would effectively halt Iranian airlines’ overseas operations from September 23.

Iranian aviation authorities said on Tuesday that Iranian flights to Baghdad and Muscat would be suspended, while discussions were underway to redirect Baghdad-bound services to Najaf International Airport.

The development followed an earlier Iranian notification to Iraqi authorities that Tehran might temporarily stop receiving inbound flights from other countries.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Electricity can consume about 10% of an Iraqi household’smonthly income, particularly during the scorching summer months, as unreliablenational-grid supply leaves families paying two bills: one to the governmentand another to private generator operators, Economist Mohammed Al-Hasani toldShafaq News.

Al-Hasani explained that a middle-income family spendsbetween 1.1 million and 1.25 million dinars ($836-$950) annually onnational-grid electricity and private generators combined, describing theexpense as a burden that is not clearly reflected in inflation andhousehold-spending indicators.

The double expense stems from limited national-grid supply,which can fall to around 10 hours a day during periods of high demand in winterand the hot summer months, while improving in spring. Provincial authoritiesset generator rates at the beginning of each month based on national-gridavailability and seasonal conditions, though complaints indicate that someoperators charge between 3,000 and 5,000 dinars ($2.28-$3.80) per ampere abovethe officially set price. 

Speaking with Shafaq News, Abu Mazen said his familysubscribes to five amperes from a private generator for around 100,000 dinars($76) a month, or 20,000 dinars ($15.20) per ampere. The cost can nearly doubleduring summer as national-grid outages increase and greater use of airconditioning drives up demand. 

Read more: 40-GW electricity gap forces Iraq to back private generators

Government electricity can also bring unexpectedly highcosts. Youssef Tariq said his family's bill normally stands at around 30,000dinars ($22.80) a month but has exceeded 200,000 dinars ($152) in some months,which he attributed to inaccurate meter readings that resulted in charges aboveactual consumption.

Despite problems with national-grid electricity, Tariqdescribed it as preferable to relying on private generators. He accused someoperators of seeking the highest possible profits, saying they are “notsatisfied with a small profit” and often cite higher fuel prices, shortages andmaintenance costs to justify raising ampere rates.

A private generator owner offered a different account.Monthly rates, he explained to Shafaq News, depend on the duration ofnational-grid outages, gasoil prices and the amount of fuel provided by thegovernment during summer. Without free state-supplied gasoil, operators mustturn to the black market, where a liter costs around 1,000 dinars ($0.76) andcan reach 1,250 dinars ($0.95), pushing up operating costs and subscriptionrates.

Maintenance represents another major expense, with repairsafter a breakdown potentially costing around three million dinars ($2,280). Theowner's 500- kVA generator supplies subscribers with about 1,200 amperes, withrates reaching 20,000 dinars ($15.20) per ampere or more during some summerperiods.

His generator provides electricity around the clock underwhat is locally known as “golden” supply. According to the owner, customers donot complain about supply hours, although some object to higher prices,particularly during summer. 

Read more: Two powers, one grid: The geopolitical siege of Iraq’s economy

Taken together, the costs of national-grid electricity andprivate generators leave families with less income to cover other needs amidbroader living and service expenses, according to Al-Hasani. With national-gridsupply still insufficient, he identified clean energy, particularly solarpower, as an alternative that could reduce dependence on private generators. 

“A solar system capable of providing around 15 amperes costsan estimated seven million dinars ($5,320), a price still beyond the reach ofmost middle-income families,” Al-Hasani said. Easing the financial burdenrequires improving national-grid supply while providing alternative-energysolutions at prices households can afford, he concluded. 

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has identified approximately 626,000 registered andunregistered heritage buildings nationwide, Saad Hamza Zghair, deputy directorgeneral of world heritage at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities,told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

He said heritage buildings in Iraq are evaluated againstspecific standards to qualify for heritage status, and are then sorted intothree categories: A, B, and C. Category A represents buildings of majorsignificance that retain all the defining features of a heritage structure,while categories B and C reflect descending levels of importance.

Zghair explained that the defining features of thesebuildings include decorative elements found in traditional architecture, suchas arches and vaults, which lend the structures their aesthetic character."Building layout also carries significant weight," he added, notingthat it spans architectural traditions from the Sumerian and Babyloniancivilizations through to the modern era.

Read more: Najaf registers 190+ heritage buildings under preservation law

He also pointed out that a building's heritage value extendsbeyond its architectural features to include the historical events tied to it,particularly homes once inhabited by poets, artists, historians, and othernotable figures, as well as mosques carrying religious and historicalsignificance.

"The ministry aims to formally register all heritagebuildings in official records," Zghair indicated, adding that provinceswith long historical roots, including Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul, account forthe largest concentrations of heritage buildings.

On the legal framework, Zghair explained that Iraq'sAntiquities and Heritage Law contains more than 17 articles addressing thepreservation of heritage buildings, setting out procedures for theirregistration and formal declaration, alongside provisions that penalizeviolations against them.

He remarked that ownership of a heritage building remains withthe property's owner, who retains the right to sell, purchase, or lease it.However, demolition, reconstruction, or maintenance and restoration workrequire prior approval from antiquities authorities under the law. The law grants heritage property owners several rights andbenefits, including exemption from certain taxes, as well as access to grants,loans, and other incentives aimed at supporting the preservation of thesebuildings, Zghair concluded.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Interior Ministry has asked parliament to send afact-finding committee to review recruitment at its colleges and institutesafter MP Waad Qaddo accused the ministry of excluding members of the country'sethnic and religious minorities.

In a statement, the ministry clarified that its recruitmentdirectorate relies on electronic systems and professional standards based oncompetence, physical fitness, and meeting legal requirements, withoutunfairness or selectivity. It said it applies the quotas set aside for Iraq'sminorities, including Christians, Shabak, Yazidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, and FeyliKurds, to keep hiring balanced across provinces.

Qaddo, an MP representing the Shabak community, accused thedirectorate on Monday of “deliberate unfairness and neglect toward minorityapplicants,” and urged the prime minister to step in.

He said he had logged numerous concerns about the panelsthat screen and interview applicants to the Higher Institute, the PoliceCollege, and the officer-training program, and that the unfairness he allegedreached beyond minorities to all Iraqis.

The ministry said it was fully prepared to open all itsdata, statistics, and lists of applicants and successful candidates to theparliamentary committee, so the figures could be checked against the quotas andthe laws in force.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Dozens of graduates from oil-related colleges and technical institutesprotested on Tuesday outside the state-run North Oil Company in central Kirkuk,demanding jobs and inclusion in the oil sector’s recruitment plans.

Sarmad Ahmed, one of the graduates, told Shafaq News that many qualifiedgraduates in oil-related fields remain unemployed despite “a need forspecialized staff in the sector.” He called on the authorities to take concretesteps to address graduate unemployment, including adding them to upcomingrecruitment rounds or contract hiring.

Sura Khaled, another graduate, said the prolonged wait for work has leftmany in difficult circumstances, and called on the Ministry of Oil and othergovernment bodies to respond to their demands. “Most of the protesters holddegrees in fields tied directly to the oil industry,” she said.

Read more: Fuel, jobs dominate week of protests across Iraq

Shafaq News- Babil

Iraq’s Commission of Integrity (CoI) arrested nine suspects on Tuesday over an alleged scheme to conceal ownership of more than 170 properties in Babil and Baghdad worth tens of billions of dinars.

The Commission said the group was led by the director of the Abu Gharaq Real Estate Registration Office and allegedly registered properties in the names of relatives, friends and other people to conceal their true ownership and the source of the funds.

Investigators from the Commission’s Babil office, working with the Falcons Intelligence Cell, uncovered the network after an inquiry into the property transactions.

The Commission said the main suspect had previously headed real estate registration offices in Al-Mansour and Babil. Some of the properties under investigation include state-owned and agricultural land.

Read more: Iraq’s Dawn Crackdown spreads through state institutions

Investigators also recovered records the suspects allegedly tried to hide or destroy. Some documents were found inside a bag hidden among grass, while witnesses said others had been thrown into Shatt al-Hilla. Investigators later recovered documents from the riverbank and pulled others from the water.

Witnesses also provided information on how the properties were purchased and registered and whose names were used, according to the Commission.

Investigators found that the main suspect owned two commercial buildings in central Hilla in addition to other properties under investigation.

Read more: Iraq corruption reports top 26,000

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Iraqi Civil Defense Directorate teams were battling a fire on Tuesday at a 500-ton sulfur tank inside the Mishraq Sulfur Plant in Nineveh province.

The directorate said the blaze broke out during welding work on the tank.

No casualties were immediately reported, and authorities did not say whether the fire had affected production.

The Mishraq facility, operated by the state-owned Mishraq Sulfur Company, produces and stores sulfur and sulfur-related products.

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

Amid persistent youth unemployment in Iraq, a young man inChamchamal has turned his car into a mobile ice cream and juice business thathas since expanded to four branches.

“Finding a job is not easy, so I decided not to keepwaiting,” Ali told Shafaq News, adding that he learned how to make and selljuices from his father before starting the business from his car. He said theventure required capital and daily effort, as well as learning how to deal withcustomers, choose suitable locations, and maintain product quality.

“I found in this work a way to rely on myself and turn myambition into reality,” he added.

Over time, Ali expanded the business beyond his mobile shop,opening four branches, while continuing to operate the original mobile outletat different locations.

“My message is simple: I do not wait for a job opportunityto come to me. I look for it myself,” he concluded.

Read more: As protests multiply, Iraqis ask whether the street still moves the state

Iraq’s Planning Ministry estimated unemployment at about 13%in 2025, while the Strategic Center for Human Rights put youth unemployment at35.8%, citing UN and International Labour Organization data. Planning Ministryfigures also show that nearly 250,000 graduates from public universities andinstitutes enter the labor market each year.

Hundreds of graduates have repeatedly protested in Baghdadand other provinces, seeking government jobs and employment suited to theiracademic qualifications.

Read more: State jobs cannot solve Iraq's unemployment

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Mosul International Airport is unlikely to begin operationsby the October 1, 2026 deadline previously set by federal authorities, alawmaker representing Nineveh province said on Monday.

In a press conference, Abdul-Moneim Al-Sanjari called onPrime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi to intervene to ensure Mosul International Airportbegins operations, calling on the government to explain the reasons for thedelay. He added that further postponement “is unacceptable after much of therehabilitation work had been completed.”

“The airport is essential for more than four million peopleand plays a key role in boosting investment, trade and tourism,” according toAl-Sanjari.

Read more: Aviation Authority: Operational gaps push back Mosul Airport opening

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has yet to release September salary funding to any ministry despite the month nearing its end due to incomplete financing procedures, limited liquidity, and lower revenues, an informed source told Shafaq News on Monday.

The Finance Ministry’s Accounting Department had also not released funding for state employees’ salaries.

In August, salary funding was released near the end of the month and some ministry employees did not receive their pay until early September. A source told Shafaq News at the time that limited liquidity and lower revenues had delayed funding while authorities worked to secure the allocations needed for salaries.

Read more: Iraq turns to bank borrowing to cover August salaries amid oil-revenue collapse

On July 30, Finance Minister Faleh Al-Sari estimated that monthly salary obligations totaled about 7.8 trillion dinars ($5.96B), while the ministry faced a funding shortfall of roughly 3.3 trillion dinars ($2.52B) at the time. Three senior Finance Ministry officials later told Shafaq News that the government was moving to borrow more than 3 trillion dinars ($2.29B) from local private banks to help cover public-sector salaries amid lower oil revenues and tighter liquidity.

Finance Ministry data showed Iraq spent 44.627 trillion dinars ($34.09B) on public-sector salaries and social welfare in the first half of 2026, nearly 82% of total federal spending during the period. Oil accounted for about 79% of state revenue. The International Monetary Fund has warned that Iraq’s heavy reliance on oil revenues, high salary and pension spending, and rigid current expenditure leave public finances exposed to oil-market shocks and elevated financing needs.

The IMF also projects oil will continue to account for more than 90% of government revenue through 2030.

Read more: No exit but Hormuz: Iraq's economic vulnerability exposed

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Health Ministry on Monday announced preparations for its annual health exhibition and conference, Health Expo Iraq, inviting health-sector institutions from Iraq, the Arab region, and other countries to participate.

Speaking at a press conference, Health Ministry Technical Deputy, Hani Al-Aqabi, said the exhibition aimed to exchange knowledge, build national capacities, support Iraq's healthcare industry, and offer solutions matched to the sector's needs and the ministry's priorities.

The exhibition is scheduled to run from October 28 to 31 at the Baghdad International Fair.

Shafaq News- Diyala

More than 130 date varieties went on display on Monday in Baquba, the provincial capital of Iraq’s Diyala, during the province’s first specialized date festival in years, promoting a crop expected to reach about 150,000 tons this season.

The festival featured varieties including Barhi, Maktoum, Ajwa Al-Madina, and local types such as Qaranfali. Mohammed Al-Mandalawi, spokesperson for Diyala’s Agriculture Directorate, told Shafaq News that the festival offered an opportunity to highlight the diversity and quality of the province’s dates and introduce citizens and traders to varieties produced in its orchards.

Supporting palm cultivation requires agricultural supplies and pest control, not simply increasing the number of trees, Al-Mandalawi said, adding that Diyala has good soil and produces rare date varieties, particularly Qaranfali in Mandali.

Holding the event again after a years-long interruption gave farmers an opportunity to display their produce and introduce the public to the quality and diversity of Diyala dates, festival attendee Ayman Al-Tamimi said, although growers still face high costs for agricultural services, pest control, and harvesting, along with weak marketing and lower prices during the peak season.

Kalala Zangana, a Kurdish attendee from Khanaqin, told Shafaq News the festival brought together Diyala’s different communities and ethnic groups and showed that date palms and their fruit form part of the province’s shared identity.

Diyala’s date production is expected to reach about 150,000 tons in 2026, compared with about 130,000 tons last season, according to the Agriculture Directorate. More than 60,000 new palm offshoots have been planted this season, and the province has more than 2 million palm trees. The province alone exports thousands of tons of dates annually, particularly to countries in South and East Asia, as well as Arab countries.

Nationally, Iraq’s Agriculture Ministry said on May 9 that the country exported more than 600,000 tons of dates in 2025, along with more than 100,000 tons of date paste. Iraq has more than 22 million date palms and produces more than 600 local date varieties, according to the ministry.

Read more: Iraq’s date harvest thrives in extreme heat, but water crisis bites

Shafaq News-Kirkuk

Kirkuk’s Second Specialized Dental Center is facingshortages of medical supplies, with half of its dental chairs out of serviceand limited fuel affecting generator operations, the center’s director said.

Dr. Twana Ihsan Mohammed told Shafaq News that only four ofthe center’s eight dental chairs are currently operational, while the restrequire maintenance.

The center also lacks needles, filling materials, and otherbasic dental supplies, while limited fuel forces it to shut down its generatorafter midnight to conserve fuel.

Staff are trying to manage the shortages by coordinatingavailable resources, Mohammed added, calling on health authorities to providethe needed supplies and repair the center's equipment to ease pressure on staffand improve dental services in the province.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Kirkuk Provincial Council hasproposed designating Al-Andalus fuel station for women drivers, with premiumgasoline available alongside its regular petroleum products.

In an official letter, CouncilChairman Mohammed Ibrahim Hafez asked the relevant authorities to take thenecessary steps and report back on the measures taken, describing the move aspart of the Council’s efforts to organize fuel distribution and providededicated services for women drivers in Kirkuk.

Read more: Her Car, Her Income: Baghdad women reshape the road

Iraq, including the KurdistanRegion, has faced renewed fuel shortages, with long lines forming at fillingstations as motorists wait for supplies.

Protests have also taken place inseveral provinces. Farmers in Karbala demonstrated over higher diesel costs andsupply restrictions, while farmers, factory owners and construction-equipmentoperators in Al-Muthanna protested fuel-price increases.

The Oil Ministry has said domesticdiesel consumption exceeded production during the summer peak. Separately, itattributed recent gasoline shortages to delayed imports as regional tensionsdisrupted tanker movements.

Read more: Iraq’s "Green Taxi" plan takes shape amid gasoline crisis

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Health authorities in Al-Anbar province shut down four foodbusinesses in Ramadi on Monday and destroyed about 30 kilograms of meat deemedunfit for human consumption during an inspection campaign.

The Health Monitoring Division of the Public HealthDepartment at the Al-Anbar Health Directorate conducted field inspections ofshops, restaurants and other food establishments to check compliance withhealth standards.

The campaign resulted in the closure of two butcher shops, arestaurant and a bakery producing tandoor bread after inspectors found thatthey failed to meet the required health conditions.

On September 14, the Najaf Criminal Court sentenced the ownerof a butcher shop in Al-Abbasiyah, in Kufa district, to 10 years in prisonafter authorities found 75 kilograms of pork unfit for human consumption in hispossession. He was also accused of hunting wild boars, slaughtering them andselling the meat to customers as livestock meat.

The issue drew scrutiny in a separate case in Nasiriyah. OnSunday, the Dhi Qar Health Directorate reported that laboratory tests conductedin Baghdad on meat seized from a restaurant confirmed that it was spoiled andunfit for human consumption, but not pork. Local media had previously reportedthat 200 kilograms of pork had been found at the restaurant.

Read more: Najaf meat scandal shakes consumer trust in Iraq

Shafaq News- Maysan

Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission, the country’smain anti-corruption body, said it seized 120 land-allocation files suspectedof irregularities in Maysan province on Monday and detained eight employees,with warrants issued for additional suspects.

A team from the Commission’s Maysan office found therecords at Amarah Municipality and the provincial Real Estate RegistrationDirectorate. The files concerned plots sold through public auctions butallegedly processed without being formally recorded by the directorate inexchange for gifts or other benefits.

Last week, the Supreme Judicial Council identifiedirregularities in the registration of 13 municipal plots belonging to AmarahMunicipality in Maysan’s Abu Rummana and Maghraba areas, leading to sevenarrests.

Read more: Iraq’s Dawn Crackdown spreads through state institutions

Shafaq News- Erbil/ Nineveh

Four-year-old Hajar Mohammed Hassan died on Sunday after rescuers pulled her from a 20-meter-deep well southeast of Mosul following more than seven hours of rescue efforts, health and Civil Defense officials said.

Saman Salman, spokesperson for Erbil’s Health Directorate, told Shafaq News that Hajar died while being taken to a hospital in Erbil after her condition deteriorated.

A Nineveh Civil Defense source said she suffered severe injuries and complications from prolonged entrapment and oxygen deprivation despite attempts to resuscitate her.

Hajar had fallen into the narrow well in Al-Sharai village in Kwer, southeast of Mosul. Rescue teams from Nineveh and the Kurdistan Region, assisted by local residents, worked for hours to reach her before pulling her out in critical condition.

Earlier, Civil Defense said the girl was alive while trapped and that rescuers had been able to hear her from inside the well.

Shafaq News- Al-Diwaniyah

A 28-year-old woman gave birth to triplets at Al-Diwaniyah Women and Children Teaching Hospital on Sunday.

The woman had previously undergone a caesarean delivery, the hospital said in a statement.

The mother and all three newborns are in stable condition and remain under medical supervision.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Rescue teams from Nineveh and the Kurdistan Region were racing on Sunday to save a four-year-old girl who fell into a 20-meter-deep well in Al-Sharai village in Kwer, southeast of Mosul, a Civil Defense source told Shafaq News.

The source said two specialized Nineveh teams, working with Civil Defense crews from the Kurdistan Region, had been trying for hours to reach the child, with the well’s extremely narrow diameter complicating rescue efforts.

Teams confirmed that the girl was still alive after hearing her from inside the well and lowered a rope in an attempt to secure her, the source said.

Rescuers were continuing efforts to find a safe way to extract the child without putting her at further risk.

Witnesses said the girl had been trapped in the well since around 3:00 p.m. local time, with rescue operations continuing into the evening.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A case involving wild-boar meat sold as livestock meat in Najaf has unsettled some consumers in Baghdad, with residents interviewed by Shafaq News saying they have temporarily reduced purchases of red and minced meat and turned instead to chicken.

The case began in early September, when security forces arrested the owner of a butcher shop in Al-Abbasiyah in Kufa district after he was accused of hunting wild boars, slaughtering them and selling the meat to customers as livestock meat.

On September 14, the Najaf Criminal Court sentenced the butcher to 10 years in prison after authorities found 75 kilograms of pork unfit for human consumption in his possession.

The ruling was issued under Resolution No. 146 of 1998, which criminalizes selling dog, donkey or other meat unfit for human consumption while presenting it as sheep, cattle or other meat.

Legal and constitutional expert Habib Al-Quraishi told Shafaq News that Iraqi law does not explicitly criminalize the sale of pork itself, despite its prohibition under Islamic law.

He said the offense in the Najaf case concerned fraud, the sale of meat unfit for human consumption and presenting it to buyers as livestock meat.

In a working-class neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, butcher Abu Kamal said the case had quickly affected sales, describing what he called a “near-total reluctance” among some of his regular customers.

“The spread of details about the pork case and the involvement of a butcher caused a clear slowdown in business,” he told Shafaq News. “Many customers have started asking where the meat comes from and checking for the official veterinary stamp to make sure they are not being deceived.”

Abu Kamal linked the mistrust to “insufficient” regular and surprise inspections of butcher shops, as well as violations at slaughterhouses.

He said the fallout had hurt not only violators but also shop owners who follow health and regulatory requirements.

Concerns surrounding the issue also prompted scrutiny of a separate case in Nasiriyah.

On Sunday, the Dhi Qar Health Directorate said laboratory tests conducted in Baghdad on meat seized from a restaurant confirmed that it was spoiled and unfit for human consumption but was not pork. Local media had previously reported that 200 kilograms of pork had been found at the restaurant.

For some households, the Najaf case has changed buying habits. Um Maryam, 38, said she had stopped buying red and minced meat regardless of type or price because she no longer trusted its source.

“I have had to use chicken for our main dishes, even though it has become more expensive, because I want food I feel comfortable serving and do not want to risk buying meat that is religiously prohibited,” she told Shafaq News.

She called for tougher inspections of butcher shops, slaughterhouses and restaurants, saying such cases involved more than commercial fraud. “They affect people’s beliefs and their trust in the food being sold to them,” she said.

Psychology professor Sana Al-Daghistani said food or medicine fraud can have effects beyond financial losses or physical harm, influencing consumers’ mental state and purchasing behavior. “The consumer feels deceived by the seller or by those responsible for supplying and distributing food,” Al-Daghistani told Shafaq News. “The impact becomes greater when religiously prohibited meat is sold as ordinary meat.” She said a loss of trust can lead to anxiety and heightened scrutiny of product origins and safety.

Pairing the exposure of fraud with effective enforcement and penalties proportionate to the offense, she added, could help restore consumer confidence in markets and regulatory authorities.

The effect has also reached some restaurant customers. University student Sama Al-Taie said the Najaf case had prompted her and several classmates to avoid small restaurants that rely heavily on meat in fast-food meals.

“We have started choosing simple foods without meat because we cannot know where the meat used in some restaurants comes from or whether it has been inspected,” she told Shafaq News.