Iraq’s Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi on Saturday visited the border with Syria to monitor enhanced security preparations, as tensions escalate in its western neighbor.

Turkey’s defense minister on Tuesday claimed that their army has “secured” the key Zap area of the Kurdistan Region from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters following intensive operations in the rugged terrain since June.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday announced the preliminary results of the country’s population census, stating that the number of residents has exceeded 45 million.

Diyarbakir province in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast on Saturday banned chants of the iconic Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) phrase during demonstrations, according to politicians and media reports.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Saturday visited veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk in Mardin and called on the Turkish government to reverse its controversial decision to remove Turk from his post as mayor.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Wednesday paid separate visits to the winning parties in the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections and urged to expedite talks to form the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, nearly a month after the Region’s elections took place.

The Iranian army said on Saturday that Israel used airspace provided by the United States inside Iraq to launch its attack on Iran.

An attack on an aerospace industries firm in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Wednesday has left several dead and injured, Turkey’s interior minister announced.

Turkey’s largest opposition party leader Ozgur Ozel on Tuesday expressed support for comments made by ultranationalist leader Devlet Bahceli to allow jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the parliament, proposing to offer Kurds a more inclusive role.

Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey’s ultranationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on Tuesday proposed allowing jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan to address the Turkish parliament and declare the dissolution of the armed group.

Israel is trying to “draw Iran into a war,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday, as Tel Aviv has continued its attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Lebanese Hezbollah on Saturday confirmed its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on their headquarters in southern Beirut. His death has drawn condemnation from Iraq, which announced three days of mourning.

The Iraqi prime minister lamented that the Security Council has failed to maintain peace and security while speaking at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. He added that the international community’s top priority should be stopping rising violence in the Middle East.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Thursday denied having held meetings with the parliament’s speaker regarding the country’s constitution, amid controversy over amendments.

The Islamic Scholars Association in Kurdistan on Saturday criticized controversial proposed amendments to the personal status law currently being considered in the Iraqi parliament and said the changes could undermine the judiciary.

Forces in the global coalition against ISIS are set to completely leave Iraq by the end of next year, an advisor to Prime Minister Sudani revealed on Sunday, while the United States has described it as a security transition

Fifteen members of a Turkish ultranationalist group were arrested on Monday and charged with attacking two US military personnel while at port in the western coastal city of Izmir.

The Turkish government rejected claims that the recent murder of a Kurdish businessman from the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province in Istanbul was due to the victim speaking Kurdish, calling the claims “provocative” and not reflecting “the truth.”

The Diyarbakir Bar Association on Thursday slammed “racist and hateful” attacks on an intern who appeared in a viral video taking her lawyer’s oath in Kurdish.

Turkish intelligence announced the “neutralization” of a Kurdish woman in Sulaimani province, claiming that she was a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) official, state media reported on Wednesday.

A pro-Kurdish member of Turkey’s parliament on Monday slammed the killing of two journalists in a suspected Turkish drone strike in Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province, saying that the attack constitutes a war crime.

A unit of Iraq’s Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on Sunday was spotted near an oilfield in the Kurdish-controlled but disputed town of Kifri, located in southern Sulaimani province, according to Rudaw reporter on the ground.

The Kurdish football club Amedspor condemned a “racist” attack on its supporters in central Turkey on Saturday and called on authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators.

New Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha directed the province’s administrative units on Monday to include the usage of the Turkmen and Syriac languages in all official documents.

Hundreds of people evacuated their homes in Turkey’s western city of Izmir as a massive wildfire, that has been raging since Thursday evening, touched residential areas.

Turkey’s government on Monday summoned officials from the social media platform Instagram after blocking it across the country for undisclosed reasons.

The website of Turkey’s constitutional court was inaccessible late Friday morning, hours after posting an article on X, a move in apparent defiance to a previous ban on Instagram imposed by the country’s information and communications authority.

Turkish authorities blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, a day after authorities condemned the social media platform for censoring pro-Palestine voices.

The US military has claimed responsibility for a “defensive airstrike” on Tuesday night targeting combatants attempting to launch weaponized drones in Iraq’s southern Babil province.

Drone strikes targeted a base belonging to the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq’s Babil province late Tuesday, resulting in several casualties.

Turkey’s constitutional court ordered the retrial of a Kurdish man who was charged with “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” for wearing a T-shirt with the colors of the Kurdistan Region flag, media outlets reported on Tuesday.

The metropolitan municipality of the Kurdish city of Van in southeastern Turkey said on Friday it will take legal action against individuals who vandalized traffic markings on the streets written in Kurdish, labeling the act as “racist”.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party called on Turkish authorities to free a member who was arrested for criticizing Ankara’s operations in the Kurdistan Region.

European football’s governing body on Friday suspended Turkish defender Merih Demiral for two games, after celebrating a goal an ultranationalist Grey Wolves salute.

Turkey’s migration office announced on Friday the launch of an investigation into the leak of data regarding Syrian migrants residing in Turkey on social media, following a turbulent week marked by heightened anti-Syrian sentiment.

Four protestors were shot dead after clashes erupted between armed protesters and Turkish forces in the city of Afrin northwest Syria where Ankara-backed rebels are in control, a war monitor reported on Monday.

Turkish authorities announced the arrests of 67 people involved in a riot in the central province of Kayseri on Monday, after a Syrian national was accused of harassing a child.

Global anti-money laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed Turkey from the list of countries that require special scrutiny over money laundering concerns on Friday.

Turkish armed forces have established checkpoints within the Kurdistan Region in areas of Duhok near the Turkish border, creating obstacles for locals caught up in Ankara’s most recent military operation.

Turkey’s interior ministry has slapped several mayors of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) with travel bans, a party official announced, stating that the bans were issued without a court order.

The Diyarbakir Bar Association is pursuing legal action against individuals who shared anti-Kurdish posts on social media following the deadly fire in Diyarbakir and Mardin.

Iraq was among the top gas flaring countries globally last year, according to a recent report by the World Bank which also pointed to the country’s increase in flaring intensity.

Nearly half of the population of the cities and villages in the Kurdish areas of Syria (Rojava) have fled their homes since the start of the civil war over a decade ago, a study showed, noting that Arab settlers replaced the population in some cities.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party on Sunday called on the government to remove the state-linked trustee who was appointed in Hakkari and transfer power to the elected co-mayor.

Four days after the ousting of a pro-Kurdish mayor for his alleged links with Kurdish rebels, and the appointment of a state-linked trustee, hundreds of protesters on Friday swarmed the streets of Hakkari’s (Colemerg) Yuksekova (Gever) district in southeast Turkey to protest the decision.

Hundreds gathered in Istanbul’s Sishane square on Monday to protest a decision by the Turkish interior ministry to dismiss a pro-Kurdish mayor from his position two months after being elected in the local elections and replace him with a state-appointed trustee.

The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) held onto the mayoralty of Hilvan in Sanliurfa province in a repeat of the March 31 election that was too close to call.

Turkey’s ultranationalist leader Devlet Bahceli on Tuesday called on Ankara to coordinate with the Syrian regime for a joint military operation in northeastern Syria (Rojava), just weeks before the local elections in the Kurdish-held enclave.

Oil producers in the Kurdistan Region on Monday rejected reports blaming them for the continuing impasse on Kurdish oil exports, stating that there has been no joint discussion with Iraqi and Kurdish authorities on the matter for months.

Hundreds gathered in Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square to join the 1000th weekly vigil of the Saturday Mothers, asking for information about their missing loved ones.

Iraq’s top court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani against the division of seats for the constituencies, citing an earlier judicial decision that ordered the electoral body to allocate minority quota seats in the Region's legislature.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday endorsed a court ruling that sentenced Kurdish politicians to lengthy jail time, stating that the decision “renewed faith in the manifestation of justice”.

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday failed to elect a new speaker after a brawl broke out between members of the legislature, resulting in the session being adjourned.

In defiance of bans on gatherings, the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in Turkey held demonstrations in three provinces to protest a court ruling that handed down lengthy jail terms to Kurdish politicians.

Veteran Kurdish politician and mayor of Mardin Ahmet Turk said on Friday that the recent controversial court rulings aim to silence Kurdish politicians in Turkey, adding they had expected such heavy sentences.

Ozgur Ozel, leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), on Thursday slammed the lengthy sentences handed down for several Kurdish politicians over the 2014 protests related to Kobane city, stating that the verdicts were political.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday warned against the planned closure of camps in the Kurdistan Region hosting internally displaced people from the Yazidi heartland of Shingal, stating that the town remains unsafe and lacks basic services.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has requested UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to permanently end the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) by the end of 2025.

Turkish security forces on Friday arrested 29 people in connection with clashes with police during Labor Day rallies and more arrests are expected, according to the interior minister.

Threats to journalists’ lives and safety, unequal funding, defamation lawsuits, and political instability put Iraq among the world’s countries with “very serious” violations of press freedom, as ranked by Reporters without Borders (RSF) in its annual World Press Freedom Indicator.

Iraq’s next big challenge is managing its water resources to ensure a consistent supply for food production, a Dutch water official said on Sunday, adding that the Netherlands is ready to share its knowledge in this field with Baghdad.

The Iraqi capital brought together representatives of regional countries with academics and civil society representatives to discuss the mounting threats of climate change, water scarcity, and drought in the land between the rivers.

A Turkish court on Friday sentenced the main perpetrator of the 2022 bombing on Istanbul’s Istiklal street to seven life sentences and an additional 1,794 years in prison, state media reported. The attack claimed the lives of six people.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Ankara expects to sign over 20 deals when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Iraq on Monday.

One person was arrested in Diyarbakir on the accusation of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during the inauguration ceremony of the mayors of the city's Sur district, the interior ministry announced on Saturday.

The United States private sector is interested in engaging with and investing in businesses in Iraq, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday ahead of a high-level US-Iraq committee meeting in Washington.

The Netherlands on Saturday announced that it will close its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Erbil on Sunday “as a precaution,” amid rising concerns that Iran will carry out a retaliatory attack against Israel.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) announced on Wednesday that it has requested the country’s election board to annul a decision by its Van branch that prevents the party’s candidate in the city to take up his role as mayor despite having won Sunday’s local elections.

Turkey’s interior ministry announced on Wednesday it had detained around 90 people across the country on grounds of being affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), following the crackdown on protests in support of the elected Van mayor whose candidacy was invalidated by a court ruling the previous day.

Kurdish music was the catalyst that kickstarted internationally acclaimed Tunisian singer Emel Mathouthi’s career, the artist told Rudaw on Thursday.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday said that the relation between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) poses a “threat” to his country’s national security.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the local elections later this month will be his last, alluding to bringing an end to his reign as leader of Turkey that spanned two decades.

Talks between Iraq’s top court and the Christian minority parties have started in hopes of a new ruling that would amend its controversial verdict to abolish minority quota seats in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament, with the minorities claiming the court’s ruling has “legal issues.”

Iraq’s finance minister said on Monday that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must submit a breakdown of the Region’s monthly payroll to the federal finance ministry, for it to pay civil servants' salaries, but KRG officials say they need more time.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday launched an attack on the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), saying that the oldest political party in the country has lost touch with the people because of its relationship with a pro-Kurdish party.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Friday presided over the reopening of the country’s largest oil refinery that was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) nearly a decade ago.

Jailed Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas on Friday called for talks between the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), describing the lack of contact between the two sides as a “great shortcoming.”

Turkey must stop targeting critical civilian infrastructure in northeast Syria (Rojava), Human Rights Watch said on Friday, calling for urgent action to address water, fuel, and health care crises that have resulted from the Turkish airstrikes.

The purpose of United States attacks targeting Iraqi armed groups is to degrade their capabilities and safeguard American troops, a Pentagon spokesperson told Rudaw on Thursday. The strikes have angered Baghdad and prompted the federal government to work towards wrapping up the anti-terror mission of international troops in Iraq.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party announced on Sunday that it will field a candidate for the mayoralty of Istanbul in local elections set to take place in March.

The United States Department of the Treasury on Monday announced that it identified an Iraqi bank as an institution of “primary money laundering concerns,” and sanctioned its owner over support to Iran-backed militia groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday called on the Iraqi government to declare a moratorium on all executions “with a view to abolish the death penalty,” after the emergence of reports of the mass execution of 13 inmates in a prison in Nasiriyah, southern Iraq.

The United States Department of Treasury on Monday announced its sanctioning of Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and several members of Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah for providing assistance to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Mosques across the Kurdistan Region dedicated their Friday sermon to the condemnation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) attack on Erbil, describing it as being “against the principles of Islam and other religions.”

Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday said that Ankara will not hesitate to take “further measures” against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) if it does not “change its supportive stance” towards the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry on Tuesday said that the ballistic missile strike on the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil were in line with Tehran's defense of its sovereignty, security, and the mission of "combating terrorism." The Iraqi foreign ministry summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to hand him a protest note in response to the attacks on the same day.

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