Iraq

Iraqis try to stay cool in 51C heatwave

The temperature in the capital Baghdad reportedly approached 52C on Tuesday, one of the highest the city has ever seen.

The heat is said to have remained above 51C on Wednesday.

Many people stayed indoors, with some in central Baghdad seeking respite under an improvised shower.

But the extreme heat has put even greater pressure on the country's already strained public resources.

Electricity cuts have left many people in Baghdad reliant on generators to keep fans and air conditioners running.

'More than 80 dead' in Tigris river ferry disaster

Most of the passengers on board could not swim, the head of Mosul's civil defence agency said. Reports suggest nearly 200 people were on board.

The ferry was said to be heading towards a tourist island as part of new year celebrations.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has ordered an investigation "to determine responsibilities".

In a statement Mr Mahdi said he was following the story "with pain and sadness", and had ordered "all state efforts" to find survivors and treat victims.

Turkish women sentenced to death in Iraq for IS links

Some reports say 16 women were handed the death penalty, while others say one was jailed for life.

The women confessed to marrying IS fighters or providing the group "with logistical aid or helping them carry out terrorist attacks", the judge said.

Thousands of foreigners have fought and died for IS in Iraq and Syria.

The Iraqi government declared its war against the group over in December. While IS has been driven from its major strongholds, militants have continued to carry out suicide bombings and other attacks.

Iraq: At least 60 die in twin attacks near Nasiriya

A suicide bomber detonated a vest and gunmen opened fire inside a restaurant near Nasiriya, capital of Dhiqar province, security sources said.

Soon afterwards, a car bomb exploded at a nearby checkpoint.

So-called Islamic State said it carried out the attacks. Shia Muslim pilgrims including Iranians were killed by the suspected militants.

According to news agency AFP, one report said the attackers were disguised as members of Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) - a mainly Shia group that has fought alongside Iraqi forces against IS.

Battle for Mosul: Iraq army mops up final IS pockets

An official declaration of victory from the government is expected soon.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have tried to retake the city since 17 October last year.

IS seized Mosul in June 2014 before sweeping across much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland and proclaiming a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria.

But they have been losing ground over the past nine months, as government forces advance on their former Iraqi stronghold.

US-led strikes against ISIS have killed at least 352 civilians

The numbers, contained in the monthly civilian casualty report of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, extend through March.

Inherent Resolve is the US-led assault against the Islamic State that kicked off in August 2014.

"We regret the unintentional loss of civilian lives resulting from Coalition efforts to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria and express our deepest sympathies to the families and others affected by these strikes," the task force said in a statement.

Qatar hunting party 'freed in Iraq'

The Iraqi interior ministry said "all 26" were in Baghdad and would be handed over to a Qatari envoy.

The hunters were abducted by gunmen in a desert area of Iraq near the Saudi border in December 2015.

A wide-scale search was launched but very little information was known about their whereabouts or condition.

Their release is believed to be connected to a complex deal in Syria involving the evacuation of four besieged towns. However, the interior ministry would not provide details.

Battle for Mosul: US confirms coalition air strike in Iraq district where dozens were killed

US Central Command, which oversees US military Middle East operations, said the request for the strike came from the Iraqi security forces and struck ISIS fighters and equipment.

Australia is one of the coalition partners conducting air strikes against suspected ISIS targets in Mosul, and the ABC has asked the Australian Defence Force to confirm Australian aircraft were not involved in the incident.

Civil Defence chief Brigadier Mohammed Al-Jawari said rescue teams had recovered 40 bodies and that many others lay buried in the rubble.

Wikipedia goes data free in Iraq

It is part of the Wikipedia Zero scheme that has operated in 59 countries around the world since 2012.

The Wikimedia Foundation says it wants to "bring the sum of human knowledge" to as many people as possible.

However some argue that projects such as this go against the principles of net neutrality.

"Net neutrality is the principle that all data are treated equally in the network," said Joe McNamee, executive director of the European Digital Rights group.

Iraq starts operation to drive ISIS out of west Mosul

The operation comes weeks after Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul across the Tigris River. On the first day of the new offensive, Iraqi Federal Police forces said they killed 79 ISIS militants, destroyed weapons facilities and regained control of 10 villages.

The prime minister described the operation as a "new dawn" in the liberation of Mosul, ISIS' last major stronghold in the country.

"Go forward with my blessing, heroic forces of Iraq," he said on state television.

 

Fears of 'deadly and indiscriminate' deaths