Syria rejects ‘division or federalism’: FM

"The absence of the Syrian Democratic Forces within state institutions deepens the rift between them and the state," Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said, coming as Damascus seeks to centralize power despite Kurdish desires for devolved government.

News

Iraq preparing 2026 budget before completing 2025 accounts 'an unsound step': Lawmaker

Moeen al-Kadhimi, a member of Iraq’s Parliamentary Finance Committee, told The New Region that "talking about a new budget is unrealistic when there are no final accounts for this year."

News

CBI issues new regulations to curb foreign currency smuggling

The new Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) measures come as the US has increasingly sanctioned Iraqi banks over allegations of currency smuggling and other means of bypassing economic measures imposed on Iran.

News

Sadr calls for discipline after supporters remove election posters in Basra

 Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has urged his followers to stay calm and avoid reacting to provocations as tensions rise ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. His statement came after a video showed some of his supporters in Basra removing posters of other candidates placed near a large image of him.

News

A labor of love: Sharazoor's rich pomegranate yields

Photos by Awder Mohammed.

Gallery

Iraqi political assassinations 'serious threat to civil peace': Azm Alliance official

A senior leader from the Azm Alliance has warned that increasing attacks on election candidates across Iraq threaten public safety and the country’s democratic process. At least three candidates have been attacked in recent days, including one who was killed by a car bomb in Tarmiyah.

News

East Amman on October 7: Exclusive interview with Palestinian diaspora community leader

In a ghettoized, majority-Palestinian neighborhood in Jordan's Amman, The New Region interviewed Talal al-Bargothe, a district leader of the Muslim Brotherhood–affiliated Islamic Action Front, at a rally on October 7, discussing Israel's genocide in Gaza, global solidarity, and the sentiments of the Palestinian diaspora.

Features

Iraqi elections to proceed on scheduled date: IHEC

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) told The New Region that "the commission has completed all technical, logistical, administrative, and human resource preparations" ahead of parliamentary elections on November 11.

News

Iraq begins preparing 2026 budget: Government advisor

The last time Iraq passed a budget bill was in June 2023 when the parliament approved a three-year budget

News