The Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, on Monday called on the legislature to move forward with the first reading of a proposed amendment to Iraq’s Personal Status Law, which among other things would legalize child marriage, saying it does not contradict “foundations of democracy.”

The Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has temporarily suspended the preparations for Kurdistan Region’s elections pending the ruling on a lawsuit filed by the Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani against the division of seats for the constituencies, the body’s spokesperson told Rudaw on Wednesday.

Heteronormativity has always been the prevailing status quo in conservative-majority Iraq, but no legislation had explicitly criminalized same-sex conduct until Saturday when the parliament made several amendments to the country's anti-prostitution law, banning any practice of homosexuality and transsexuality with harsh penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

Guhdar Zebari, one of the journalists arrested during 2020 anti-government protests in Duhok, was released on Saturday after serving over three years in prison, according to one of his lawyers.

With many Kurdish and Sunni lawmakers absent, the Iraqi parliament on Saturday condemned recent deadly strikes carried out by the United States against pro-Iran armed groups and referred a petition calling for the expulsion of foreign forces to the legislature’s relevant committees for review.

Ending the mission of the United States-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq will be achieved during the current cabinet, said a government spokesperson on Sunday, noting that the process has already been set in motion.

At least three United States service members were killed and 25 others injured as a result of a drone attack on an American military base in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Sunday. US President Joe Biden accused Iran-affiliated militias of carrying out the attack.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday said that Iran’s deadly missile attack on Erbil the previous night is an indication that Iraq and the Region are still very prone to terrorist attacks and are therefore still in need of the assistance of the United States-led coalition forces.

Iraq’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said that Baghdad will pursue legal measures against Tehran, including filing a complaint to the United Nations’ Seucrity Council, following a deadly attack with ballistic missiles on Erbil province the night before.

In the late hours of Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched 10 ballistic missiles towards the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, under the pretext of targeting “spy headquarters” of anti-Iran groups, killing at least four and wounding 17 others.

Residents of a disputed Kirkuk neighborhood on Monday staged a sit-in protest against a lawsuit filed by an Iraqi oil company, calling for the confiscation of their houses on account of them belonging to the oil ministry.

Tragedy struck a wedding party in Nineveh province's Hamdaniya district on late Tuesday after a massive fire engulfed the hall and killed over 100 people.

#SUMMARY#