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The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spent an average of approximately $167 per person on healthcare services in 2025, helping reduce medical costs for citizens and subsidize public hospitals, the Department of Media and Information said Thursday. basnews.com/en/babat/922236

The head of the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) briefed President Donald Trump on military options for Iran during a White House meeting on Thursday, as Washington considers resuming major combat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported. basnews.com/en/babat/922232

Severe storms and flooding across Syria have killed at least five people, including four children, while five others remain missing, according to the Syrian Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. basnews.com/en/babat/922230

The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources on Thursday strongly rejected allegations concerning the region’s oil production, exports, revenues, and international oil companies, describing statements made by former Iraqi lawmaker Ala Talabani as false and misleading. basnews.com/en/babat/922215

Kurdish-German striker Deniz Undav scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner to guide VfB Stuttgart into the Round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal, Germany’s domestic cup competition. basnews.com/en/babat/922211

An Iraqi criminal court sentenced three French nationals to life imprisonment on Thursday for membership in ISIS, bringing to nine the number of French suspects given life sentences in Iraq this week, according to the Iraqi judiciary. basnews.com/en/babat/922208

An Iraqi court has sentenced two prominent politicians to prison and ordered them to repay a combined 34 billion Iraqi dinars (about $22.5 million) over corruption involving state-owned oil refinery contracts, the Federal Commission of Integrity announced Thursday. basnews.com/en/babat/922196

#BREAKING Iraq's Integrity Commission says MP Muthanna Al-Samarrai has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally obtaining financial benefits through contracts with the North and South Oil Refineries Companies.

Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said on Thursday that security and intelligence coordination between Erbil and Baghdad was continuing, stressing the Region’s participation in Iraq’s national efforts to regulate weapons and place them under state control. basnews.com/en/babat/922183

Iran’s IRGC claimed on Thursday it had shot down a US MQ-1 drone near the Strait of Hormuz using a newly deployed air defense system, amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel. basnews.com/en/babat/922178

A dust storm accompanied by strong winds swept across parts of Iraq’s Najaf governorate on Thursday, reducing visibility and raising concerns over road safety and respiratory health, following another dust episode that sent dozens of people to hospital a day earlier. basnews.com/en/babat/922176

The Lalish Cultural and Social Center has called for constructive dialogue over the future of Sinjar, saying the district is geographically part of the Kurdistan Region and urging political parties to avoid rhetoric that could deepen tensions. basnews.com/en/babat/922170

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Wednesday that Israel’s parliamentary election would not change the group’s position on the conflict with Lebanon, insisting that Israeli forces must withdraw from Lebanese territory before any discussion of disarmament can take place. basnews.com/en/babat/922167

Kuwait summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Toutounji on Wednesday after Tehran rejected allegations that an Iranian national sentenced to death in Kuwait was involved in a plot to assassinate a senior government official. basnews.com/en/babat/922165

A French jihadist was killed and a Syrian civilian injured in a confrontation between Syrian security forces and an armed group near a camp housing French foreign fighters in Idlib province on Wednesday, as tensions between the authorities and the group continue to rise. basnews.com/en/babat/922152

Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga fighters have launched an operation to search areas along Kirkuk’s borders for ISIS hideouts, as officials renew calls for a permanent joint force to address security gaps exploited by the militant group. basnews.com/en/babat/922150

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani received Aqil Muftan, president of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, on Wednesday. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the state of sports in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. basnews.com/en/babat/922145

The Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers on Wednesday urged Iraq’s federal government to revise the draft 2027 federal budget law before submitting it for discussion and a vote, saying the current draft fails to safeguard the Region’s constitutional rights and financial entitlements. basnews.com/en/babat/922142

🚨 #BREAKING: The Kurdistan Region Council of Ministers insists that the draft federal budget law must not be put to a vote in its current form, calling for a thorough review to ensure the Kurdistan Region’s constitutional rights and financial entitlements are secured.

#VIDEO: Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi arrives in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he is welcomed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.