Seeking to get off US blacklist, spyware firm NSO taps ex-envoy Friedman as chairman

Israeli-founded spyware firm NSO Group has appointed former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman as executive chairman, as part of a bid to get off Washington’s blacklist, where it was placed in... Read more »

Iraq between two fires: Tehran and Washington eye Baghdad’s post-election phase

Shafaq News Ahead of Iraq’s November 11 elections, Iran bets on deep bonds while Washington banks on state control — and Baghdad struggles to turn exposure into leverage. As Iraq moves toward... Read more »

Hamas announces it will return body of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, held since 2014

The military wing of Hamas announced Sunday that the body of IDF officer Lt. Hadar Goldin, held by the terror organization since 2014, will be returned to Israel at 2 p.m., a... Read more »

Iraq’s 2025 poll: +21M voters, new law, fading monitors, and fierce bloc rivalries

2025-11-08T19:12:34+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News Iraq will hold its parliamentary elections on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, with special voting on Sunday, November 9, for security forces, displaced... Read more »

The history of Naot sandals: The heart and sole of Israel

There’s a good chance your favorite Jewish camp counselor, that effortlessly cool older cousin who did a teen tour in Israel, or even your Sunday Hebrew school teacher, owned a pair of... Read more »

A decade of isolation: Why Europe still bars Iraq’s “Green Bird”

Shafaq News When the European Union banned Iraqi Airways in 2015, citing “serious safety concerns” and a failure to meet international aviation standards, the decision went far beyond a bureaucratic restriction. For... Read more »

Arab perspectives on Iraq’s elections: A test for regional stability and shifting influence

2025-11-08T21:56:14+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News Amid escalating regional tensions and shifting geopolitical dynamics, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections on Tuesday, November 11, have drawn intense attention from... Read more »

A leak by the IDF’s top internal investigator is shaking Israel

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of graphic violence. The IDF’s Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, was arrested on Sunday, after admitting last week to her involvement in leaking a... Read more »

France probes suspected terror threat linked to 2015 Paris attacker

PARIS — France’s anti-terror unit said Saturday three people were in custody as part of an investigation into a suspected terror threat linked to Salah Abdeslam, the last surviving perpetrator of the... Read more »

The biometric bribe: Card trafficking undermines Iraqi democracy

Shafaq News Iraq prepares for its parliamentary elections on November 11, 2025, and the promise of democracy faces its toughest test — not inside parliament halls, but in the alleys where desperation... Read more »