Iraq is seeking partnerships with major US energy companies to modernize its oil sector, increase oil and gas production, and diversify export routes, the Iraqi oil minister told Rudaw on Friday.

Iraq has concluded “investigation and accountability procedures” for some 85 percent of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees transferred from Syria earlier this year, a senior judiciary official told Rudaw on Wednesday, adding that the defendants' cases are expected to be referred to courts for rulings starting in August.

The French foreign ministry deputy spokesperson on Friday described the French president's visit to Damascus as “historic" and reiterated France’s support for a unified Syria that includes all its components.