The Daily Digest

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has taken direct control of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service after visiting its Baghdad headquarters, government spokesman Sabah al-Numan said. The move follows this week’s dismissal of intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri, which authorities have not publicly explained. An official statement linked al-Zaidi’s decision to Iraq’s “current challenges” and a government plan to strengthen state sovereignty. Al-Zaidi also said the service must remain outside party and sectarian quotas. He has now replaced the heads of four major security bodies since taking office in May.

Separately, the IMF said it was engaging with Iraq on preparing a new bailout programme. Economist Nabil al-Marsoumi warned Thursday that the federal draft budget carries a deficit of 43 trillion dinars and that potential IMF borrowing could require cuts affecting public-sector salaries and subsidies for low-income households. He . He suggested . His account put . Al-Marsoumi warned that . The Kurdistan Regional Government meanwhile , following .