Wassit’s 1st anti-corruption conference launched

WASSIT / IraqiNews.com: The first anti-corruption conference in Wassit province opened on Wednesday with the participation of five provinces, a provincial council member said. “Five provinces: Karbala, Najaf, Babel, Diwaniya, and Wassit, took part in the one-day conference, which was attended by the head of the integrity authority, Raheem al-Akeely; the head of the parliamentary integrity commission, Sabah al-Saadi; and heads of follow-up committees in the provincial councils of the five participating provinces,” Ikhlas al-Shamri told IraqiNews.com. A Shiite province, Wassit, 180 km south of Baghdad, is in the east of the country. Its name comes from the Arabic word meaning “middle,” as it lies along the Tigris about midway between Baghdad and Basra. Its major cities include the capital, al-Kut, and al-Hayy. Prior to 1976 it was known as Kut Province. SS (P)/SR 1