IRAQI LEADERS WELCOME G7 ENVOYS TO BAGHDAD

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with G7 leaders on Sunday (Feb. 7), while the House Speaker Salim al-Jubouri met with the British and Romanian Ambassadors to Iraq on Monday (Feb. 8). Ambassadors of the major industrialized countries expressed their countries' full support for Iraq in its financial crisis, which is suffering as a result of the collapse in oil prices

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Regional implications of Iraqi KRG’s presidency row. By Galip Dalay *

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) has been embroiled in a heated dispute over the election - or re-election - of its president. The term of the incumbent Massoud Barzani, who has served as president of the KRG since 2005, expired on 19 August 2015. Since then, the question of what should happen in the aftermath of this expiry has been a topic of great controversy,

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Millionaire commander protects Kurdish capital against IS

Sirwan Barzani, telecoms magnate and president’s nephew, is on the front line against critics and the ‘world’s most dangerous terrorists’ MAKHMOUR, Iraq - Before reaching the Black Tiger Peshmerga Base, which borders the frontline with the Islamic State-controlled area south of Mosul, one can see a banner that proclaims “Kurdistan or Death”. This is the base named after a high

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Kurds destroyed ‘thousands’ of Arab homes in Iraq: Amnesty

Peshmerga forces 'appear to be spearheading a concerted campaign to forcibly displace Arab communities,' Amnesty says Kurdish forces have destroyed thousands of homes in northern Iraq in an apparent attempt to uproot Arab communities, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. The rights group said the destruction took place after Kurdish forces captured areas from the Islamic Sta

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Economic crisis forces Iraqi Kurd government to cut salaries

A combination of Islamic State attacks and collapsing oil prices has hit the KRG economy Iraq's Kurdish region announced that it will pay only partial salaries for all government employees except security personnel as it struggles with an economic crisis due to low oil prices. The decision was taken "in order to ensure the continued distribution of part of the monthly salaries

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