In an interview with FRANCE 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Iraq's Foreign inister Fuad Hussein said he was hoping to host a meeting in Baghdad between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hussein said that after five meetings between intelligence officials of the two rival powers in recent months, it was time to upgrade and have the two top diplomats meet in person.

As quickly as Baghdad erupted, Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters went home. All it took was a word from the leader, a demonstration of force by the populist Shiite cleric as protracted coalition-building in Iraq spills over into a power play with neighbouring Iran. Can Sadr stare down pressure from across the border? His umpteenth announcement on Monday that he was quitting politics was the signal for clashes that killed at least 30 people.

Baghdad is hoping to revive talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the deadly confrontation in Yemen. Diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh have been non-existent for years.

'Iraqi people have no confidence left in the political system'

'Iraqi people have no confidence left in the political system'

Many of the migrants currently languishing at the Poland-Belarus border come from Iraq. Most of them hail from the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan in the north of the country. This area is often described as a haven of peace, but the reality is somewhat darker. Our correspondent Lucile Wassermann went to meet the Iraqis ready to risk everything to flee their region.

In Iraq's vast western desert, some 200 families live in a hamlet largely cut off from the rest of the world, their only neighbour one of the country's biggest military bases. Lost in rocky ochre hills and surrounded by humble palm groves, Al-Sahl’s only education facility is a primary school, and residents rely on livestock and farming to survive.

Iraqi forces claim to have captured a high-ranking IS leader in an international operation.

Rewaz Faiq is just one of two women serving as parliament speaker in the Middle East, where politics is a man's world, but the Iraqi Kurdish mother of two is unfazed. Having entered politics at the age of 15, Faiq knew she would face challenges when she was elected in 2019 to the post in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

After decades of #conflict, #terrorism and government mismanagement, #Baghdad's monumental buildings are increasingly dilapidated and under threat. Many fear that without laws and protection, they could gradually perish, taking much of Iraq's cultural heritage with them. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann report.

Over the next five years, 26-year-old Delband Rawanduzi and her volunteers aim to plant one million oaks to repopulate forests in Iraqi Kurdistan depleted by war, illegal logging and fires. The resilient trees can endure both the cold of northern Iraq and the dry spells of one of the world's hottest countries.

He sought safety. She wanted freedom. They were dreams they could have died for. From a first date that ended in bloody carnage in Baghdad, to finally receiving the keys to a new home in The Netherlands, theirs is an epic tale of courage, survival and love.