Shafaq News- Babil

Fishermen in Al-Kifl, south of Iraq’s Babil province, cast their netsinto the Euphrates River at sunset in search of their daily catch, imagesobtained by Shafaq News on Thursday showed.

Iraq relies on fish farming and fishing to meet domestic demand, with2024 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization indicating that thecountry’s total fisheries production reached 85,000 metric tonnes.

The Iraqi Fish Producers Association, however, reported severe losses in2025, noting that water shortages and disease outbreaks drove fish prices downto around 4,500 Iraqi dinars ($3) per kilogram, while production costs remainat about 6,000 dinars ($4), directly harming fish farmers financially.

Shafaq News- Diyala

A major fire broke out at Diyala’s main 400-kV power station in easternIraq, two months after repairs were completed following a previous blaze, asource told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Early indications suggest the incident may have been triggered by aninternal explosion, possibly linked to heavy load pressure on the powernetwork.

No details were immediately available on the extent of the damage orwhether there were any casualties.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's new cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi includedjust one woman among its confirmed ministers, down from three in the caretakergovernment of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

In the new cabinet, Sarwa Abulwahid remains the sole female minister,taking over the Environment portfolio. She also leads the New GenerationMovement (Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed) parliamentary bloc, a Kurdish party currently holdingsix parliamentary seats.

Under al-Sudani’s government, formed in October 2022, three women heldministerial posts: Taif Sami Mohammed as Finance Minister, Hiyam Aboudal-Yasiri as Communications Minister, and Evan Faeq Gabro as Minister ofMigration and Displacement, representing the Christian quota.

While the Iraqi constitution guarantees women 25% of seats in the329-member parliament, there is no comparable requirement for cabinetpositions, leaving female representation in government dependent on politicalbargaining and party choices.

Earlier today, Iraq’s Council of Representatives approved 14 ministerialnominees by absolute majority vote, filling key portfolios across economic,social, and diplomatic sectors. Lawmakers rejected nominees for the ministriesof Planning, Culture, Reconstruction, Higher Education, and Interior.

Read more: Quotas without a cause: Iraqi Women counted, rights discounted

Shafaq News- Baghdad

On Thursday, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission(CMC) suspended the broadcast of the “Al-Haq Yuqal” program hosted by AdnanAl-Taie for 45 days over “unprofessionalism” in presentation and dialoguemanagement.

The CMC also issued a warning to UTV, which airs theprogram, ordering the removal of the violating episodes broadcast on May 4 andMay 12 from digital platforms, accusing the show of breaching Iraq’s mediabroadcasting regulations related to public decency, professional standards,accuracy, neutrality, and balanced coverage, as well as airing content deemedharmful to Iraq’s social fabric or containing language considered mocking,demeaning, or offensive toward individuals or groups.

Al-Haq Yuqal, a political talk show focusing on Iraqiaffairs and regional developments, has faced repeated suspensions and lawsuitsin recent years. In March 2026, the CMC imposed a 20-day media appearance banon Al-Taie over “a lack of neutrality” during an interview with politicalanalyst Hashim Al-Kindi, while the program was suspended for seven days in May2025 over alleged violations of broadcasting regulations.

Al-Taie has also faced legal complaints, including a lawsuitfiled by Iraqi MP Alaa Al-Haidari in September 2025 over “indirect insults andreputational harm,” and another case in February 2023 accusing him of “incitingsectarian tensions and creating discord through the program.”

Iraq ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in the 2025 WorldPress Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), falling sevenplaces compared with last year.

Read more: The New era of control: Can Iraq's free press survive its politically-tainted rulers?

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

The death sentence handed down by Baghdad's Rusafa Criminal Court against a former Saddam-era prison official drew widespread welcome across Iraq on Thursday, with political parties, genocide researchers, legal activists, and citizens describing the ruling as a long-overdue moment of reckoning for victims of the Anfal campaigns.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Bafel Talabani, described the sentencing as "just punishment" for a man it called one of the worst perpetrators of the Anfal operations. The PUK warned that the trial stands as a lesson to all enemies of the Kurdish people, that accountability for criminals and the restoration of rights to the wronged "will inevitably come, sooner or later."

وجه المكتب السياسي للاتحاد الوطني الكوردستاني، برقية تهنئة الى جماهير شعب كوردستان عامة وذوي المؤنفلين بشكل خاص، بمناسبة صدور حكم الإعدام بحق عجاج أحمد حردان التكريتي، جلاد نقرة السلمان وقاتل المؤنفلين..للمزيد أنقر على الرابطhttps://t.co/xpEyaAdQSb

— PUKmedia Arabic (@ArabicPukmedia) May 14, 2026

Ajaj Ahmed Hardan al-Tikriti —known as the Hajjaj of Nugrat al-Salman and also identified as Ajaj al-Abidi— was convicted of torture, murder, and rape against detainees, including women and children among Anfal victims, at Nuqrat al-Salman prison in Al-Samawah during the former regime.

Hemin Haseeb, a researcher and activist specializing in genocide prevention, told Shafaq News that al-Abidi ranks among the most notorious perpetrators linked to abuses against Kurdish Anfal victims at Nugrat al-Salman. Survivors, he said, had spent years recounting atrocities inside the facility, the torture of elderly detainees, women, and children, systematic starvation, and sexual violence against female prisoners. As prison director during that period, al-Abidi bore direct responsibility for everything that occurred within its walls.

"The ruling carries significant humanitarian and legal weight," Haseeb said. "It restores dignity to victims who endured the worst forms of torture and abuse, and confirms that crimes against humanity cannot be erased by the passage of time."

Activist Rozgar al-Barzanji welcomed the verdict as a meaningful step forward in Iraq's transitional justice process, telling Shafaq News it reflected the judiciary's willingness to confront the darkest chapters of the former regime. Justice for the victims, he said, would only be complete through the continued prosecution of all those implicated —and through the rigorous legal documentation of testimonies and evidence to ensure such crimes are never repeated.

At a press conference following the ruling, lawyers representing Anfal victims' families said the defendant had attempted throughout the trial to deny the charges. The effort failed. "The convergence of witness testimonies with investigative findings and evidence presented to the court established his full culpability," they said.

On social media, the hashtag "وانتصرت العدالة" —Justice Has Prevailed— circulated widely following the announcement of the verdict.

أحد ذوي ضحايا الأنفال يسجد شكراً لله عقب صدور حكم الإعدام بحق المجرم عجاج التكريتي. pic.twitter.com/cgfhbWtaun

— سعد شنگالي | Saad Shingali (@SaadSh1ingali) May 14, 2026

#وانتصرت_العدالة القضاء يحكم بالإعدام على عجاج التكريتيلعنة الله على صدام وجلاوزته الاوباش

— أبوالأكبر الحسني (@iq_c) May 14, 2026

Outside the courthouse, scenes of raw emotion unfolded as families of Anfal victims broke down in tears upon hearing the verdict, some embracing one another after decades of waiting for a measure of justice for what their relatives endured inside Nugrat al-Salman.

Transitional justice specialists said prosecutions of this kind are essential to entrenching accountability, preserving the memory of victims, and rebuilding trust in Iraq's judiciary, not only for Anfal survivors, but for all Iraqis who lived through the violations of the former era.

Read more: Nugrat Al-Salman horrors: 44 years Since the plight of Feyli Kurds

Shafaq News-Saladin

A pack of straydogs attacked four sixth-grade students in Saladin, central Iraq, while theywere returning home after completing their final exams, leaving them withvarying injuries, a medical source in the province’s health directorate toldShafaq News.

Eyewitness AhmadOmar told our agency that residents quickly intervened to rescue the childrenand drive the dogs away after they directly attacked the students. He notedthat stray dogs have spread across the area in recent months, particularly nearschools and vacant land, adding that residents have repeatedly filed complaintswith local authorities over recurring incidents and fears for children’ssafety.

Residents say straydogs have become a daily threat, especially to school students during earlymorning hours and after classes.

Last month, a rabid dog attacked five people, including fourchildren, in central Basra, southern Iraq.

Official estimates place Iraq’s stray dog population at morethan one million, with authorities reporting frequent bite incidents across thecountry. Animal rights advocates, however, oppose policies permitting thekilling of stray dogs, arguing that mass culling disrupts ecological balanceand violates Kurdistan Region Law No. 14 of 2022, which bans the killing ofstray animals and requires humane treatment.

Read more: Deadly dog attacks: Who protects Iraq’s neighborhoods?

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Ankara

A Turkish flight landed at Baghdad International Airport on Thursday for the first time in more than two months, after disruptions caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and the subsequent closure of Iraqi airspace.

Iraq’s Transport Ministry said the flight as part of the gradual normalization of regional air traffic.

Earlier, Baghdad International Airport director Harith Al-Obaidi told our agency that Turkish Airlines would resume flights to Baghdad starting May 14 after halting operations following the airspace closure. Baghdad airport had recovered around 90% of its operational capacity, he said, noting that Qatar Airways had also recently resumed flights.

Around 20 to 21 airlines have resumed operations at Baghdad International Airport following the reopening of Iraqi airspace on April 8.

Read more: Iraq airspace closure costs $43 million during US-Israel war on Iran

Shafaq News- Basra

Former workers on Iraq’s FCC refinery project continued protests for a second consecutive day outside the South Refineries Company in Basra on Thursday, demanding employment and permanent positions within the Oil Ministry after helping build and operate a refinery project “central” to fuel self-sufficiency efforts.

Dozens of engineers, science graduates, and former FCC workers blocked the Al-Barijisya gate near Well 20. Protesters told Shafaq News that more than 350 former staff members had participated in constructing and operating the project over several years.

“We were surprised after the project became operational that we were dismissed without rights or job guarantees,” protest representative Ahmed Shaker said, adding that demonstrations had continued for more than a year and a half without official solutions.

“Several positions went to relatives and friends of officials,” he claimed, while experienced workers who had spent years inside the project were overlooked.

The Oil Ministry did not immediately comment on the protests.

Oil-rich southern provinces, particularly Basra, have witnessed recurring protests in recent years, with demonstrators frequently blocking roads leading to oil fields, refinery facilities, and ports over unemployment and poor living conditions despite the region’s vast energy wealth. Iraq’s unemployment rate stood at 15.5% in 2025, according to Trading Economics, while the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has reported 47,000 legally registered foreign workers in the country, even as more than one million Iraqis remain officially unemployed.

The Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) project’s Japanese-funded complex, implemented by JGC Corporation through a concessional loan estimated at nearly $4 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), officially entered operation on January 31, 2026, with a refining capacity of 55,000 barrels per day. During a 2025 visit to the site, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani described the FCC complex as a “landmark step” toward reducing Iraq’s dependence on imported fuel products and achieving gasoline self-sufficiency, explaining that Iraq’s annual spending on imported petroleum products had previously exceeded $5 billion before refinery expansion projects sharply reduced imports.

Read more: Iraq’s protests after Tishreen: A system that learned how to contain the street

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Agriculture graduates in Iraq are struggling to find work despite government efforts to revive the country’s agricultural sector through development projects, land reforms, and hiring initiatives.

Thousands of students graduate annually from Iraq’s agriculture colleges. Among them is Hussein Ali, a graduate of Mosul University’s College of Agriculture and Forestry, who told Shafaq News that he had failed to secure work in state institutions or the agricultural field since graduating in 2021.

“Every time we are told to wait or apply for a new hiring round without knowing when it will come.”

The Planning Ministry says unemployment has fallen to around 13%, although estimates for youth unemployment range between 20% and 25%, while hundreds of thousands of university degree holders continue entering the market each year.

Khattab Al-Dhamin, a professor of agricultural economics at Tikrit University, explained to our agency that agricultural study programs, including both daytime and evening courses, often fail to match actual hiring needs. Demand for agriculture specialists remains limited across government institutions and companies, leading to an accumulation of unemployed degree holders and declining enrollment in some agriculture colleges.

Several colleges have also restructured departments in recent years because of falling student numbers, threatening the continuity of certain specializations, he added.

According to UN Development Programme estimates, private businesses employ roughly 40% to 50% of Iraq’s workforce, but largely rely on informal contracts, low wages, and limited job security, reducing their appeal to young professionals.

“A large part of the problem is the absence of appointments in the agricultural sector, whether in government or the private sector,” former parliamentary Agriculture Committee member and agricultural engineer Zozan Kochar clarified, adding that coordination between universities and market demand remained weak. Additionally, funding directed toward agriculture remains limited compared with the oil sector, although Iraq “possesses fertile land and climate diversity.”

Confidence in the sector has also been undermined by recurring disputes over farmer compensation and support payments, with Iraqi farmers staging repeated protests in Baghdad in recent weeks over unpaid government dues.

Planning Ministry spokesperson Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi previously said the government had developed a labor market roadmap in coordination with the Higher Education Ministry to improve compatibility between university output and market needs through improving the business environment, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, expanding financing programs, and strengthening education and vocational training links with market demand. Public works programs were also being used to create “rapid employment opportunities,” particularly for youth and vulnerable groups, in partnership with international organizations and private companies.

Deputy Labor Minister Huda Sajjad also revealed that authorities were working on legislation to establish a Higher Council for Training aimed at expanding vocational skills and linking training programs to local economic needs, while Iraq’s National Investment Commission announced 97 opportunities in August 2025 covering crop production, livestock, irrigation systems, mechanization, food processing, and land reclamation projects.

Additional support measures emerged through Iraq’s agricultural land lease law. In February 2025, Parliamentary Agriculture Committee head Faleh Al-Khazali stated that degree holders could receive plots of up to 5 hectares under Law No. 24 of 2024, with ownership possible after five to 10 years of project implementation. The legislation would expand agricultural areas to around 1.7 million to 1.8 million hectares after broadening activity to include orchards and livestock production.

Read more: Iraq: 250K graduates annually amid 20% youth unemployment

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Association of Travel and Tourism Agents in Iraq urged Prime Minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi and members of parliament, ahead of Thursday's cabinet confidence vote, to ensure the tourism portfolio is awarded on merit rather than political quota, partisan loyalty, or nepotism.

In a statement, the association called for separating the Tourism Authority from the Ministry of Culture and establishing it as an independent body with its own administrative and financial autonomy, to be led by a specialist with direct experience in the tourism sector. The move, it argued, is essential to developing the sector's role in supporting the national economy, attracting investment, and creating jobs.

The association also pressed for the appointment of a tourism minister with genuine professional experience in the field, citing the need to develop Iraq's archaeological, religious, and heritage sites as tourist destinations and to raise the standard of services available to travelers and industry workers alike.

Read more: Ali al-Zaidi named Iraq's prime minister: Easy nomination, harder road ahead

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) on Wednesday barredpolitical analyst Hussein al-Shalakh from appearing on television channels for60 days after accusing him of violating media broadcasting regulations.

The decision followed remarks al-Shalakh made during a televisedappearance on Alawla Iraqi Channel on May 12, which the CMC described asviolations of rules banning “incitement to violence and hatred,” as well asstandards related to “public decency and conduct.”

The regulator warned Iraqi and foreign media outlets operating in thecountry against hosting al-Shalakh during the ban period.

On May 10, the CMC imposed a 30-day ban on television personality FaridMajid after determining that remarks he made during a sports program amountedto “an insult to the divine.”

Read more: The New era of control: Can Iraq's free press survive its politically-tainted rulers?

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

A medical team at Iraq’s KirkukMaternity and Children Hospital on Wednesday successfully performed the country’s“first surgery of its kind” on a 20-day-old infant suffering from an extremelyrare congenital condition, of which only 22 cases have been documentedworldwide.

The newborn had beenexperiencing severe breathing difficulties before advanced examinations,including cardiac echocardiography and CT imaging, confirmed a diagnosis ofPeritoneopericardial Diaphragmatic Hernia, Arjan Mohammed Rashid, directorgeneral of the Kirkuk Health Directorate, told Shafaq News. The condition, heclarified, caused part of the infant’s liver to shift next to the heart insidethe pericardial membrane, alongside fluid accumulation around the organ.

A joint surgical teamspecializing in pediatric, cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery performed anemergency abdominal operation to return the liver to its normal position andclose the congenital opening, Rashid noted, adding that the infant laterunderwent intensive postoperative care before being transferred to thepediatric surgery ward and discharged in good health.

Shafaq News- Saladin

Local authorities in Tikrit of Saladin province, have launched a campaign in coordination with Iraqi securityforces to shut down alcohol shops across the city center.

The Tikrit districtadministration indicated that the campaign, which began on May 12, includesobtaining written pledges from shop owners and removing alcoholic beveragesfrom stores as part of measures aimed at enforcing existing regulations andensuring compliance.

Tikrit’s local governmentimposed a ban on alcohol sales inside the city in 2018, citing what officialsat the time described as a lack of social acceptance among residents.

At the national level, Iraqbanned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in social clubs inNovember 2024. Since 2020, the Interior Ministry has also carried out campaignstargeting nightclubs, entertainment venues, and alcohol shops in Baghdad.

Read more: Iraq’s alcohol ban: How enforcement outpaced social policy

Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraq’s Diyala province is receiving 500 megawatts of electricity against demand exceeding 2,400 MW during peak summer consumption, the Diyala Electricity Distribution Branch stated on Wednesday, attributing the shortfall to lower national generation and disruptions in imported gas supplies from “neighboring countries.”

The branch warned that any emergency or disruption affecting the national grid could further reduce supply to one hour on against four hours off, adding that the current allocation was “insufficient” to stabilize distribution networks and meet rising demand amid soaring temperatures and increased summer loads.

The shortages are affecting Diyala, an eastern Iraqi province home to nearly 2 million residents, amid mounting pressure on Iraq’s electricity sector following disruptions to Iranian gas supplies during the US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.

“All secondary substations, transmission lines, and electricity distribution networks in the province are fully ready to operate and handle electrical loads if Diyala receives increased allocations and the necessary power supply.”

Disruptions in Iranian gas supplies have already knocked more than 3,000 MW off the national grid, Iraqi Electricity Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa al-Abadi told Shafaq News in March. Imports later resumed at sharply reduced levels of around 5 million cubic meters per day compared with contracted volumes of 50 million.

The Electricity Ministry has also warned that summer demand could approach 40 GW against production estimated at roughly 29 GW, while Iranian gas has historically supported nearly one-third of the country’s electricity generation.

Read more: Iraq power 2026: war on Iran collapses the grid's last defenses ahead of peak summer

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Local authorities in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province moves against unlicensed factories operating along the Euphrates River, warning that the facilities threaten water quality and surrounding ecosystems through violations on the riverbanks.

Qais Naji, director of Al-Anbar’sEnvironment Directorate, told Shafaq News that all such factories along theEuphrates would face legal measures, adding that local authorities inAl-Habbaniyah had formed a joint committee involving the Environment Directorateand the district administration to monitor these activities under thesupervision of District Commissioner Ali Dawood.

Environmental teams, according toNaji, are conducting regular field inspections and submitting official requeststo the Environment Ministry to issue closure orders against violatingfacilities, particularly in the Al-Khalidiya area along the Euphrates.Factories that fail to comply with closure orders will be referred to thejudiciary under Iraq’s Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of2009.

Read more: Al-Anbar: An unfinished chapter in Iraq’s water story

Mohammed Ibrahim, an environmentalexpert, separately warned that untreated industrial waste discharged into theriver could contaminate groundwater and water used for agriculture anddrinking. Pollutants including heavy metals, oils, and chemical waste couldaccumulate in the Euphrates, harming biodiversity, causing fish deaths, anddegrading surrounding ecosystems.

Unregulated industrial activity couldincrease thermal and chemical pollution in the river, negatively affectinghuman health through the use of contaminated water for irrigation and drinking,he added, while continued violations without effective oversight could “deepenenvironmental pressures” through soil erosion, lower agricultural productivity,and deteriorating water quality.

In 2025, a study by researchers fromthe University of Al-Anbar also found biological oxygen demand (BOD5) levels inthe Euphrates near Al-Khalidiya exceeded permissible limits, associating thedeterioration with sewage, industrial, and agricultural pollution sources.

Read more: Pollution gnaws at Iraq: Laws without teeth, fines without impact

The warnings come as Iraq faces oneof its worst water crises in decades. A 2025 World Weather Attribution studydescribed the year as Iraq’s driest since 1933, with water levels in the Tigrisand Euphrates rivers dropping by up to 27%, while nearby Al-Habbaniyah Lake hassuffered sharp declines due to drought, reduced Euphrates inflows, and risingevaporation rates, according to NASA Earth Observatory.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Before spring slips away each year,Suad Ali follows a journey she has known since childhood. Alongside her motherand grandmother, she heads to the shrine of al-Khidr on the banks of the TigrisRiver in Baghdad, carrying candles, silent prayers, and wishes too personal tosay aloud.

As darkness settles over the river,dozens of small flames begin drifting across the water. Families gather quietlyalong the shore, watching the candles float into the night as if the riveritself might carry their desires somewhere beyond reach.

“With every candle, we carry awish,” Ali reflected to Shafaq News. “We pray that it will come true.”

Known in Iraq as “al-Khidr Candles,”the ceremony remains one of the country’s oldest surviving folk traditions. Forgenerations, families living near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have markedcertain spring evenings by lighting candles and placing them on palm fronds orsmall wooden boards before releasing them into the current. The occasion isespecially associated with the month of May, which Iraqi popular traditionlinks to blessings, renewal, and answered prayers.

Many Iraqis believe al-Khidr —arevered figure in Islamic tradition associated with wisdom, guidance, andmiraculous appearances during hardship— becomes spiritually present during thisperiod. Some arrive hoping for marriage, while others pray for healing, thereturn of an absent relative, success for a child, or relief from personalstruggles. The farther a candle travels without being extinguished, accordingto popular belief, the greater the chance that the accompanying prayer will befulfilled.

Although no clear historical accountexplains how the custom first emerged in Iraq, folklore researchers believe itlikely evolved through the blending of local traditions and older spiritualpractices tied to rivers and flowing water. Iraqi folklore researcher Alial-Ward explained that Wednesday and Thursday nights have long been regarded asblessed evenings in Iraqi social life, which is why many families choose one ofthose nights to perform the ceremony.

Al-Ward stressed that the practiceis rooted more in emotional and social memory than in religious doctrine. Overtime, he noted, it became part of Iraq’s cultural identity, surviving politicalupheaval, wars, and the rapid transformations that reshaped everyday lifeacross the country.

For women in particular, thetradition often carries deeply personal meanings shaped by longing,uncertainty, and optimism. Some longstanding customs involve unmarried womenremoving their abayas inside the shrine courtyard while praying for marriage, whileothers later return with offerings of myrtle, lit candles, and trays filledwith traditional treats after believing their wishes have been fulfilled.

“They arrive carrying flowers whilewomen around them break into ululations,” Bidaa Abdul Zahra described,recalling evenings when marriages or long-awaited prayers were celebrated atthe shrine.

Near the al-Khidr shrine inBaghdad’s al-Allawi district, Palestinian-Iraqi resident Nihal al-Zaki stillremembers childhood evenings spent watching glowing candles drift toward herneighborhood from distant parts of the capital.

“Whenever a flame stayed lit for along time, we believed someone’s wish would finally come true,” al-Zakirecalled. “We waited for those candles every Wednesday night.”

Women traditionally remainedstanding by the riverbank until the candles disappeared into the darkness,holding onto the fragile comfort offered by the tiny moving lights. Over time,“al-Khidr Candles” found their way into Iraqi poetry, folk songs, and oralstorytelling, becoming more than a custom —a symbol of patience, longing, andresilience.

The tradition also stretches beyondreligious boundaries. Sattar al-Hilu, the spiritual leader of Iraq’s Mandaeans—an ancient monotheistic community whose religious practices center on flowingwater and baptism— noted that Mandaean religious texts contain no references tovows or offerings linked to al-Khidr, though the figure remains deeplyrespected among Mandaeans, much as he is among Muslims and other Iraqicommunities.

Among Christians, some believersassociate al-Khidr with Mar Elias, or Saint Elijah. Raya Emmanuel, from theChristian-majority district of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province, explained thatChristians also light candles in his honor, though more as a gesture ofreverence toward a sacred figure than a ceremony tied to personal wishes.

Along the rivers that shaped some ofhumanity’s earliest civilizations, the small floating flames continue to gatherIraqis from different faiths and backgrounds around something profoundlysimple: the enduring desire to believe that even the faintest light can survivethe current.

Shafaq News-Baghdad

Iraq grantedcitizenship to 2,557 foreigners between 2006 and 2026, the Interior Ministryannounced Tuesday, offering the first comprehensive public accounting ofnaturalization figures spanning two decades.

Major GeneralMiqdad Miri, head of the ministry's Relations and Media Department, said thatall naturalization cases proceeded under applicable legal standards and currentadministrative instructions, with each grant subject to security and proceduralclearances before approval.

Citizenship inIraq rests on Law No. 26 of 2006, which sets strict conditions designed topreserve what the law describes as "sovereign integrity." The lawrecognizes several pathways to citizenship. Birth to an Iraqi father or motherqualifies automatically, a significant change introduced by the 2006 law toextend equal rights to children of Iraqi mothers. Foreign nationals married toIraqi citizens may apply after five years of continuous legal residence,provided the marriage remains intact. Unmarried foreigners who have livedlegally in Iraq for at least ten years may also apply, subject to a cleancriminal record, no conviction for a dishonorable offense, and proof of avisible means of livelihood.

Meeting theseconditions, however, does not guarantee citizenship. The law grants noautomatic entitlement: each application goes before senior state authoritiesand intelligence agencies for a final discretionary security review, andapproval can be withheld even where all formal requirements are satisfied.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

The Teaching Veterinary Hospital in Kirkuk on Tuesdaylaunched a preventive campaign as part of preparations for the seasonal spreadof Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), carrying out disinfection operationsat slaughterhouses, animal markets, and livestock barns across several areas ofthe province.

Mansour Ahmed al-Bayati, the hospital’s director, toldShafaq News that the campaign affiliated veterinary clinics under a preventiveplan aimed at limiting the spread of epidemic diseases, particularlyhemorrhagic fever, as temperatures rise and livestock movement increases.

Al-Bayati said the teams disinfected Kirkuk’s modernslaughterhouse and animal holding areas, in addition to livestock barns inal-Wataniya village and several other villages, districts, and subdistrictsacross the province. He explained that the preventive measures target insectsand parasites that transmit diseases and aim to maintain healthy conditions toensure the safety of meat sold in local markets and protect residents fromdiseases transmitted between animals and humans.

According to Shafaq News monitoring, Kirkuk has recorded onecase of hemorrhagic fever since the beginning of 2026, while the provinceregistered five deaths out of six reported infections in 2025.

Read more: Blood, ticks, and broken systems: The resurgence of CCHF in Iraq

Shafaq News- Ilam/ Baghdad

Iraqi tourism to Iran’s Feyli Ilam provinceincreased by 75% over the past year, with around 8,000 Iraqi visitorsofficially registering stays at hotels and tourism facilities in the provinceso far, local tourism authorities said on Monday.

Farzad Sharifi, director general of Ilam’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism, andHandicrafts Department, told Iran’s Mehr News Agency that Ilam is a leadingdestination for many Iraqi visitors due to the “deep social and historicalties” linking communities on both sides of the border. He added that the430-kilometer shared frontier and the Mehran border crossing facilitatecontinuous movement and communication, particularly between Mehran and Iraq’sWasit province.

Tourists are drawn to the province’s historical landmarks,natural environment, rural guesthouses offering traditional local experiences,and medical tourism supported by improving healthcare services.

Read more: Kurdish Ilam’s waterfall wonderland: Escape to Absharan

As part of efforts to expand tourism cooperation, theprovince also organized the “Across the Border” event aimed at introducingtourism operators from Wasit to Ilam’s tourism opportunities and investmentpotential, Sharifi noted.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has recorded an overall obesity rate of 39.28%, placingit 172nd out of 197 countries in CEOWORLD magazine's 2026 global obesityranking.

Obesity among Iraqi women stands at 48.13%, compared to30.43% among men.

In the Arab world, Kuwait ranked highest at 57.85%, followedby Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia at 45.56%.

At the bottom of the global index, Vietnam recorded thelowest obesity rate at 1.72, and American Samoa ranked first at 75.29%.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Turkish Airlines will resume flights to BaghdadInternational Airport starting May 14 after a suspension lasting more than twomonths, airport director Harith Al-Obaidi said on Monday.

The airport, according to Al-Obaidi, has recovered 90% ofits operational capacity following the resumption of Qatar Airways flights onSunday.

Iraq’s Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced on April 8the reopening of the country’s airspace and all airports to air traffic afterclosures linked to aviation risks stemming from the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Read more: Iraq airspace closure costs $43 million during US-Israel war on Iran

Shafaq News- Nineveh

The graduation of Amir Khaled, the lone graduate from thearchaeology department at the University of Mosul, has renewed Iraqi debateover the future of low-enrollment university departments.

A source at the university told Shafaq News on Monday thatthe institution includes three departments with varying enrollment levels,noting that one department was recently established and another graduated fivestudents, while the archaeology program retained only a single studentthroughout the four-year course.

Khaled’s case also drew attention on social media and withinacademic circles to the broader challenges facing specialized universitydepartments with limited enrollment, particularly regarding staffing, funding,and their long-term sustainability under higher education regulations.

Iraq is one of the world’s oldest cradles of civilization,home to ancient Mesopotamian cities where some of humanity’s earliest writingsystems, laws, urban centers, and cultural traditions first emerged. FromBabylon to Nineveh and Hatra, the country contains thousands of archaeologicaland historical sites.

Read more: From Babylon to Erbil: Iraq’s UNESCO sites and those next in line

Shafaq News- Maysan

A fire at Iraq’s Al-Kahlaa power station cut electricity production in Maysan province after one generating unit was forced offline at the 400-megawatt facility, Shafaq News correspondent reported on Monday.

The fire was caused by a technical malfunction inside the station, and reduced output at one of Maysan’s main power generation facilities, affecting electricity supply hours across the province as Iraq prepares for another high-demand summer season.

Iraq's summer demand can exceed 50,000 megawatts, while available generation capacity often remains “significantly lower” because of fuel shortages, technical failures, and aging infrastructure, according to the Electricity Ministry.

Repeated disruptions hit the country's power sector in recent years, including fires at electricity facilities, transmission failures, and fuel supply interruptions that have contributed to recurring outages across several provinces. In February, a fire during maintenance work at Iraq’s Baiji refinery killed two workers and injured 13 others, according to the Oil Ministry.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s passport held its spot among the world’s weakest travel documents in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, ranking 101st globally and ahead of only Syria among Arab countries.

According to the index, Iraqi passport holders can access just 29 destinations worldwide without obtaining a visa in advance or by receiving a visa on arrival. The United Arab Emirates retained its position as the Arab world’s strongest passport and ranked second globally, followed by Qatar at 46th worldwide, Kuwait at 48th, Saudi Arabia at 51st, Bahrain at 52nd, and Oman at 55th.

Morocco ranked 64th globally, Tunisia 69th, Mauritania and Algeria 79th, while Jordan and Egypt shared 85th place. Lebanon ranked 92nd, followed by Sudan, Libya, and Palestine, while Somalia was 98th and Yemen 99th.

The index, which evaluates 199 passports using International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, measures how many destinations holders can enter without requiring a pre-approved visa.

Read more: Trust gap, wars, instability: Why Iraq’s passport ranks among weakest

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Germany is gradually restoring normal diplomatic operations in Iraq,with its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil beginning a phased return ofstaff, the embassy noted on Monday.

No fixed date has been set for the full resumption of consular and visaservices.

Several foreign missions in Iraq have reduced or temporarily suspendedparts of their activities amid security concerns, particularly after thebeginning of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran earlier this year.