Iraqi Kurdistan faces shortage of bird flu drug
18h12 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Jan 31, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq's Kurdistan region, which has confirmed its first human death from bird flu, is facing an acute shortage of the vital drug to fight the disease, a medical official said Tuesday.

Kurdish rebel leader demands retrial in Turkey
15h24 - ISTANBUL, Jan 31, 2006 (AFP) - Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has formally asked to be retried in Turkey after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled last year that his trial was unfair, one of his lawyers said Tuesday.

Iraqi Kurdistan faces acute shortage of bird flu drug
13h26 - BAGHDAD, Jan 31, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq's Kurdistan region, which has confirmed its first human death from bird flu, is facing an acute shortage of the vital drug to fight the disease, a medical official said Tuesday.

Iraq confirms first bird flu victim
12h44 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Jan 30, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq confirmed on Monday its first case of bird flu, saying a teenage girl who died earlier this month in Kurdistan had succumbed to the deadly H5N1 virus.

Iraq urges WHO to check possible bird flu spread
09h45 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Jan 30, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq has called on the World Health Organisation to check the possible spread of avian flu in the country's Kurdish region where 12 people have been quarantined and a cull of birds is under way.

Turbulent Saddam trial to resume with new Kurdish judge
01h49 - NICOSIA, Jan 29, 2006 (AFP) - The trial of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on crimes against humanity was set to resume on Sunday with a new chief judge, amid growing concerns about the credibility of the court.

Iraq engulfed with hostage crises
14h11 - BAGHDAD, Jan 28, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq on Saturday was grappling with a new surge in hostage-taking a day before the resumption of the trial of Saddam Hussein, as the fate of at least nine foreign hostages remained uncertain.

Kurdish rebels release kidnapped Turkish policeman
10h01 - ANKARA, Jan 27, 2006 (AFP) - Turkish Kurdish rebels have released a Turkish policeman in northern Iraq after keeping him hostage for almost four months, human rights activists said Friday.

Turkey charges Kurdish ex-deputies for praising rebel leader
15h26 - ANKARA, Jan 26, 2006 (AFP) - An Ankara prosecutor has charged two Kurdish former members of the Turkish parliament with praising jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Anatolia news agency reported Thursday.

Austrian released in Kurdistan
16h12 - VIENNA, Jan 25, 2006 (AFP) - An Austrian sentenced to 25 years in prison for libel in Iraqi Kurdistan has been released, the Austrian foreign ministry said Wednesday in a statement.

Saddam trial to resume before new Kurdish judge
08h43 - BAGHDAD, Jan 24, 2006 (AFP) - The trial of ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity was set to resume Tuesday with a new Kurdish judge presiding over the high-profile case.

Iraq court appoints new Kurdish judge for Saddam
12h38 - BAGHDAD, Jan 23, 2006 (AFP) - Less than 24 hours before the resumption of the trial of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on charges of crimes against humanity, the court on Monday appointed a new interim chief judge.

Iraqi girl's death not caused by bird flu: Kurdish official
11h03 - BAGHDAD, Jan 23, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation has confirmed that a girl who died in Iraqi Kurdistan last week did not succumb to bird flu, a Kurdish official said Monday.

Iraqi girl death not caused by bird flu: Kurdish official
10h47 - BAGHDAD, Jan 23, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation has confirmed that a girl who died in Iraqi Kurdistan last week did not succumb to bird flu, a Kurdish official said.

Iraqi girl death not caused by bird flu: Kurdish official
10h47 - BAGHDAD, Jan 23, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation has confirmed that a girl who died in Iraqi Kurdistan last week did not succumb to bird flu, a Kurdish official said.

Kurdish demonstrators clash with police in Istanbul
15h28 - ISTANBUL, Jan 22, 2006 (AFP) - Protesters calling for the release of jailed Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan clashed with police Sunday in a working-class district of Istanbul, an AFP photographer reported.

Iraq's Talabani, Barzani agree to one Kurdistan government
18h15 - ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 21, 2006 (AFP) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani on Saturday signed an agreement that paves the way for a single administration to run their autonomous northern region.

Kurds announce discovery of mass grave
11h10 - SULEIMANIYAH, Iraq, Jan 21, 2006 (AFP) - Kurdish authorities announced Saturday that a mass grave dating from the time of Saddam Hussein had been unearthed in the course of routine road repair.

Court frees Turkish soldier accused of killing Kurdish protester
20h49 - ANKARA, Jan 18, 2006 (AFP) - A court in Turkey on Wednesday ordered the temporary release of a soldier accused of killing a demonstrator and injuring five others during riots in a Kurdish region in November, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Iraqi Kurds guard against bird flu after suspect death
12h07 - ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 18, 2006 (AFP) - A 14-year-old girl has died in Iraqi Kurdistan after showing symptoms of bird flu, spurring emergency measures to keep the illness at bay although tests on the victim have so far proved negative.

Iraq's Kurds guard borders against bird flu
11h48 - ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 18, 2006 (AFP) - Strung out along the border with Turkey, Iraq's Kurdish provinces are scrambling to put in place measures to prevent avian flu from spreading south across the mountains.

Iraqi girl dies with bird flu symptons, but tests negative
08h56 - BAGHDAD, Jan 18, 2006 (AFP) - A girl has died in Iraqi Kurdistan after showing symptoms of avian flu and, while initial tests were negative, officials said Wednesday they had sent samples to Jordan for further checks.

Flu sample from Iraq sent to Jordan for testing
08h30 - BAGHDAD, Jan 18, 2006 (AFP) - Health officials in northern Iraq sent samples to Jordan for testing for avian flu on Wednesday following the death of a 14-year-old girl.

Kurdish rebel leader's solitary confinement prevents meetings: lawyers
13h10 - ISTANBUL, Jan 17, 2006 (AFP) - Lawyers representing jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan protested Tuesday that they were unable to meet their client after authorities increased his isolation on a prison island in northwestern Turkey.

Police seize explosives, arrest 3 in Turkey
10h52 - ANKARA, Jan 16, 2006 (AFP) - Turkish police seized 23 kilos (50 pounds) of plastic explosive and arrested three presumed members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the town of Van in eastern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported Monday.

France, Britain to return Iraqi Kurd volunteers
12h20 - VIENNA, Jan 13, 2006 (AFP) - France and Britain are working together to send volunteer Iraqi Kurd refugees back to their region in the north of the strife-torn country, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday.

Iraqi Kurds bans sale of live chickens
15h24 - ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 11, 2006 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdish authorities have banned local trading in live chickens because of a lethal form of bird flu that has infected 15 people across the border in Turkey, a senior official said Wednesday.

Police say they foiled bombings by Kurdish rebels in Istanbul
14h01 - ISTANBUL, Jan 9 (AFP) - The Istanbul police have foiled planned bomb attacks in the city, detaining seven suspected Kurdish militants and seizing 12 kilograms (27 pounds) of explosives, the local police chief said Monday.

Kurds want Talabani re-elected Iraqi president
14h39 - ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 7 (AFP) - Iraq's outgoing President Jalal Talabani has been re-selected to run for the job, the two largest Kurdish parties announced Saturday.

Dutch prosecutor appeals against businessman's Iraq war crimes conviction
17h43 - THE HAGUE, Jan 6 (AFP) - The Dutch national prosecutor has appealed against a businessman's war crimes conviction for supplying chemicals used in gas attacks on Kurdish villages in Iraq in the 1980s, a judicial official said Friday.

Iran Kurds form reformist front
13h18 - TEHRAN, Jan 2 (AFP) - Thousands of ethnic Kurds in Iran, headed by a prominent former MP, have created a movement aimed at obtaining rights they say have been "neglected" by the Islamic Republic during the past 26 years.