Latest news with #FailiMartyrs'Day
Rudaw Net
03-04-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq has ten years of water security from Turkey: Ministry
Also in Iraq Iraq unaffected by new Trump tariffs: PM advisor Iraqi ministry says hundreds released daily under general amnesty law Iraqi parliament to vote on an anti-tobacco law next week: MP PM Sudani directs increased services to Faili Kurds on Faili Martyrs' Day A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has secured its water rights from Turkey for a decade and is improving water flow through better management and the removal of encroachments, the Iraqi water resources ministry said on Wednesday. "The framework agreement signed between Iraq and Turkey secured Iraq's water rights for the next ten years," ministry spokesperson Khalid Shamal told state media. He noted that water negotiations have witnessed a 'significant shift', with the issue now classified as a 'sovereign matter under the direct supervision of the [Iraqi] prime minister'. In April 2024, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a multi-billion-dollar strategic water agreement. Sudani stated at the time that the pact includes joint projects to improve water management on the Tigris and Euphrates, and it will remain valid for 10 years from implementation. According to Shamal, the agreement encompasses joint management of the Tigris-Euphrates basin, exchange of information and databases for the management of irrigation projects, and investments by Turkish companies in coordination with the Iraqi authorities. He said that negotiations with Turkey are ongoing within the framework of this agreement. 'The water situation in Iraq is stable,' he added, noting that they have kicked off a 'comprehensive national campaign' to remove encroachments that 'has resulted in an additional 80 cubic meters per second of water availability.' The campaign includes removing encroachments on riverbanks, shores, and unauthorized fish farms, according to Shamal. The Iraqi government has also launched a package of investment projects in the water resources sector, including three land reclamation projects and the construction of three water-harvesting dams in Nineveh, Muthanna, and between Karbala and Anbar provinces, Shamal said. In late February, Torhan al-Mufti, advisor to the Iraqi prime minister on water, told Rudaw that Iraq is among the top 15 most impacted countries globally by climate change. He also highlighted that Baghdad 'lacks a clear agreement with neighboring countries,' namely Iran and Turkey, 'regarding water distribution.' Iraq's water mainly comes from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, with 75 percent flowing downstream from neighboring Iran and Turkey, and 20 to 25 percent from internal sources. While Iran affects water flow through rivers like the Karun and Karkheh, Turkey controls the headwaters via large dams upstream.
Rudaw Net
03-04-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq unaffected by new Trump tariffs: PM advisor
Also in Iraq Iraqi ministry says hundreds released daily under general amnesty law Iraqi parliament to vote on an anti-tobacco law next week: MP PM Sudani directs increased services to Faili Kurds on Faili Martyrs' Day Iraq repatriates nearly 700 nationals from Syria's al-Hol camp A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad will not be impacted by Washington's newly announced tariffs, as Iraq's only export to the United States - oil - is exempt, a financial advisor to the Iraqi prime minister said on Thursday. "Iraq has no exports to the United States subject to customs tariffs other than crude oil," Mazhar Mohammed Salih, advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, told Rudaw, emphasizing that the impact of the tariffs on Iraq will be "zero" since oil and gas are spared from the US-imposed measures. In an unprecedented move, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a baseline 10 percent tariffs on dozens of countries, indiscriminately targeting US adversaries as well as allies in order to propel his protectionist policies. 'If you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America,' Trump said outside the White House. He held up a poster board showing the tariff percentage each country would face. According to the poster, 39 percent tariffs will be imposed on exports from Iraq as the country has placed 78 percent custom tariffs on US-made goods and products. 'The tariffs will not be reciprocal. I could have done that, I guess. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries,' Trump said. The financial advisor to the Iraqi prime minister underscored that Iraq's crude oil exports to the United States do not exceed 5 billion dollars annually, and the American market is 'secondary for Iraq compared to the Chinese and Indian markets, to which approximately 70 percent of Iraqi oil is exported." Salih stated that the 2008 US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) has protected Iraq from severe U.S. sanctions. The pact, along with the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), outlines cooperation in security, politics, and the economy. SOFA also set the timeline for US troop withdrawal after the 2003 invasion, shaping bilateral relations ever since.
Rudaw Net
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi ministry says hundreds released daily under general amnesty law
Also in Iraq Iraqi parliament to vote on an anti-tobacco law next week: MP PM Sudani directs increased services to Faili Kurds on Faili Martyrs' Day Iraq repatriates nearly 700 nationals from Syria's al-Hol camp Five killed in Diwaniyah tribal dispute clash a day after a similar conflict in Basra A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's justice ministry said on Thursday that hundreds of people are being released across the country daily after a recently approved general amnesty law entered implementation. 'The implementation of the general amnesty law continues. Just yesterday, more than 800 beneficiaries of the law were released,' ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Luaibi told Rudaw. According to the ministry's statistics, there are 30 prisons in Iraq with some 67,000 inmates, 1,600 of which are foreigners. The number excludes the Kurdistan Region's prisons and those held by security forces and different armed groups across the country. 'The process continues even during the [Eid al-Fitr] holidays,' Luaibi added, explaining that the release of prisoners is not under their jurisdiction but rather the Supreme Judicial Council's. The general amnesty, submitted by Sunni lawmakers, amended the 2016 law's definition of affiliation with terrorist organizations. This change was a key prerequisite for Sunni blocs to agree to join the ruling State Administration Coalition. Sunnis argue that thousands from their community have been unjustly imprisoned in Shiite-dominated Iraq since 2003 over alleged terrorism links. In mid February, the controversial law went into effect after being published in the Official Gazette of Iraq, along with two other controversial laws demanded by Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers - the personal status and land restitution laws, respectively. The Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of vast swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014. During the liberation process, thousands of people were arrested for alleged links to the jihadist group, especially in Sunni areas like Nineveh province. Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.
Rudaw Net
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iraqi parliament to vote on an anti-tobacco law next week: MP
Also in Iraq PM Sudani directs increased services to Faili Kurds on Faili Martyrs' Day Iraq repatriates nearly 700 nationals from Syria's al-Hol camp Five killed in Diwaniyah tribal dispute clash a day after a similar conflict in Basra Khazali says Israel seeks to 'separate' Kurdish territories in Iraq, Syria A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A draft law on combating smoking and imposing additional taxes on tobacco products will be presented for voting in the Iraqi parliament, the head of the legislature's health and environment committee told Rudaw on Wednesday. 'We are in the final drafting stage of the law on combating smoking and protecting society from its damages,' Majid Shingali said, adding that they will share the final draft with experts for 'legal and linguistic review' soon as a preparation to discuss it in next week's session. The 21-provision draft law has been passed through the first and second reading, making it ready for the final vote. If passed, the law will impose a tax of 500 Iraqi dinars (around $0.38) on each imported pack of 20 cigarettes. It will also prohibit smoking in public places, with violators facing a fine of 50,000 Iraqi dinars (around $38.20). Additionally, individuals who sell tobacco products - including hookah materials, electronic cigarettes, and vapes - to minors will be subject to a prison sentence of no less than six months or a fine ranging from 250,000 (around $190) to 500,000 Iraqi dinars (around $382). Dara Sekaniani, a member of the Iraqi parliament's legal committee, expressed pessimism regarding the passage of the draft law, saying that the legislative product was initially enacted in 2012. 'I have never heard of anyone being punished for smoking,' Sekaniani said. 'The government is not serious with its execution [anti-smoking law] and the citizens are not committed to implement it.' Similarly, the Kurdistan Region parliament enacted an anti-smoking law in 2007 that banned smoking in public places and fined people breaking the law. Nevertheless, the law remained unenforced. Smoking is highly prevalent in Iraq, with smoking prevalence for people 15 years of age and above reaching 18.6 percent, and 9.5 percent for youth aging 10 to 14 years in 2022, according to the Tobacco Atlas, a World Health Organization (WHO)-recognized global public health initiative providing data-driven insights on tobacco control. Tobacco Atlas also estimated that more than 27,000 people die from smoking in Iraq each year.
