A currency trader at the Slemani Currency Exchange Market. Photo: Hama Sur / Channel8

Iraq Struggles to Contain Volatile Dinar Currency Disparity 

A persistent, wide gap remains between Iraq's official and market exchange rates, with open markets trading at 1,530 IQD despite the Central Bank's 1,320 IQD official peg.

4 hours ago
The history of the World Cup and War

War, Politics, and the World Cup: Why 1942 and 1946 Never Happened

The history of the FIFA World Cup has been shaped not only by sport but also by global conflict and crisis, ranging from early travel and financial limitations to a 12-year suspension during World War II and even modern-day geopolitical tensions affecting the 2026 tournament.

Renowned Kurdish singer Kamal Muhammad (center), alongside Dr. Yad Naqshbandi, Director of Hiwa Cancer Hospital (left), addresses a press conference in Sulaymaniyah to announce "A Hope for Hiwa," a two-day charity concert set for August 27 to raise funds for cancer patients and medical equipment at the hospital.

Kamal Muhammad Announces Charity Concert for Hiwa Hospital

Prominent Kurdish artist Kamal Muhammad has announced a two-day charity concert at the Sulaymaniyah Art Hall to raise vital funds for cancer patients and support operational needs at Hiwa Hospital.

8 hours ago
First Kurdish Book Fair in Slemani.
Photo: Hama Sur

First Kurdish Book Fair Opens in Slemani

The first Kurdish Book Fair has opened at Family Mall in Slemani, bringing together publishers and distributors to showcase a wide range of Kurdish books and new publications.

11 hours ago
Yazidi worshippers kiss a doorway at Lalish Temple. Photo: Ismael Adnan / Getty Images / AFP

Exhibition in Qamishlo Documents Yazidi Heritage and Memory

A new photography exhibition in Qamishlo is using personal images and community stories to document Yazidi culture and preserve memories shaped by years of persecution and displacement.

14/08/2026
Photo of bowls of local figs and walnuts from Ahmad Awa, Hawraman Festival

First Local Products Festival Opens in Hawraman

The first local products festival has opened at Ahmed Awa Summer Resort in Hawraman, bringing together local producers, food vendors, and craftspeople for a three-day event.

13/08/2026
A recovered stone is displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 1, 2013. Tens of thousands of artifacts chronicling some 7,000 years of civilization in Mesopotamia are believed to have been looted from Iraq in the chaos which followed the the US-led invasion in 2003. Despite international efforts to track items down, fewer than half of the artifacts have so far been retrieved. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraq Steps Up Efforts to Recover Smuggled Antiquities

Iraq is continuing efforts to trace and recover antiquities taken from the country and smuggled abroad following the 2003 invasion, according to a senior Culture Ministry official.

12/08/2026
Photo of an archaeologist during an excavation

How Archaeologists Unearth and Preserve Kurdistan's Past

Archaeological excavation is a collaborative scientific process that combines fieldwork, advanced technology, and expertise from multiple disciplines to uncover, document, preserve, and interpret evidence of ancient human societies.

09/08/2026