The Development Road aims to tie the Grand Faw Port in Iraq’s oil-rich south to Turkey, turning the country into a transit hub in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.

Shylan Kamal, 46 and a mother of three, sees her passion for the sport as a matter of gender equality in conservative Iraq ’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

Syria’s membership was suspended 12 years ago early on in the uprising-turned-conflict, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions.

Turkey’s president said Abu Hussein al-Qurashi was ‘neutralised as part of an operation’ by Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency.

Ancient Babylonian treasures are slowly disappearing again under windblown sand in a land parched by rising heat and prolonged droughts.

‘The two sides emphasised the importance of following up on the implementation of the Beijing Agreement and its activation in a way that expands mutual trust,’ a joint statement said.

Readers discuss better assessment design, and accountability for the Iraq war.

The US Congress is moving toward doing something it hasn’t done since the Vietnam war – repealing authorisations for the president’s use of military force.

Under the plan, some migrants who arrive in the UK in small boats would be flown to Rwanda, where their asylum claims would be processed.

The much-stated reason for the continued US presence is to help Iraq battle remnants of Isis. But a key reason is Iran.

The amphetamine-type stimulant has been sweeping the Middle East for years. The pills had been hidden in apple crates, the Iraqi border authority said, and the lorry driver had been arrested.

General Michael Kurilla, the head of the US military’s Central Command visited several prisons and camps in northeastern Syria holding suspected jihadists and their relatives.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew to Syria to assess efforts to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State and review safeguards for US forces against attacks.

Before this, at least seven tremors over magnitude 4 had been recorded since Friday evening in Turkey, including the quake-hit south.

China has sought for years to internationalise the yuan, but recent moves by Iran and Russia are far from initiating ‘real, meaningful change’, according to analysts who say larger economies would need to get on board.

Iraqi activists protested to demand a law against domestic violence, days after a YouTuber was strangled by her father in a killing that sparked outrage in the conservative country.

The man killed the 22-year-old this week because he was unhappy about her decision to live alone in Turkey.

Tougher rules on cross-border fund transfers have led to a shortage of dollars on the Iraqi market and in turn a depreciation in the dinar’s value.

Iran had accused Akbari of being a spy, without offering evidence, for Britain’s MI-6 intelligence agency and aired a highly edited video of him discussing the allegations.

Hoda Muthana said she was brainwashed by online traffickers into joining IS in 2014. She says she hopes to return to the US and serve prison time if necessary.

The new 300-megawatt plant, known as Karoon, will be located in Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province and will take eight years to build and cost around US$2 billion, state media reported.

Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi is the second Isis chief to be killed this year at a time when the group has been trying to rise again with deadly attacks in Iran and Syria.

Australia has had 11 terrorist attacks, and disrupted another 21 plots, since the threat assessment was elevated from ‘possible’ to ‘probable’ in 2014.

Vote by Iraq’s parliament for a new president ended a year of deadlock after a national election in October last year.