Safaa al-Kubaisi

Iraq's prime minister seeks parliamentary backing for a bill restricting weapons to state institutions amid growing tensions with armed factions. 

Delays in distribution of Iraq's salary deepen financial uncertainty, forcing families to cut spending as a liquidity crisis linked to oil losses intensifies. 

Iraq has been caught up in violence that has shaken the region following the start of Israel's war on Gaza

Baghdad and Washington are preparing a new military partnership focused on training, technology and security cooperation as the international coalition mission

Al-Zaidi begins his first Washington visit as Iraq's prime minister, with security, the economy, US ties, Iran, and armed factions topping the agenda.

"Members of the community want to feel safe and stable, and to remove the causes that pushed thousands of families to migrate in recent years."

Iraq moves closer to placing weapons under state control as major armed factions begin severing ties with the PMF amid government backing and US support.

Al-Sadr's statement did not explain how Saraya al-Salam would be integrated into the state, nor which security agencies would absorb the thousands of fighters.

Iraq says 13,000 children returned to school through a new programme, but poverty and displacement continue driving dropouts.

Strike is part of a broader escalation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which has increasingly been drawn into regional tensions linked to the US-led Iran War