Iraq unites behind singing idol
11h17 - BAGHDAD, March 31, 2007 (AFP) - Charismatic Iraqi singer Shada Hassoon shot to stardom in her war-torn homeland on Saturday as a symbol of unity after winning an Arab version of "American Idol" in a glitzy Beirut final.

Turkish PM investigated for 'praising' rebel leader
13h13 - ANKARA, March 26, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish prosecutor launched a formal investigation Monday into Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over allegations he praised Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan seven years ago, a report said.

Kurdish party official detained in Turkey
14h57 - ANKARA, March 25, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police on Sunday detained a senior member of Turkey's main Kurdish party for a speech in which he allegedly praised jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, Anatolia news agency reported.

Turks lukewarm to broader rights for Kurdish minority
10h09 - ANKARA, March 24, 2007 (AFP) - About a third of Turks back Kurdish-language education and broadcasts as a means of ending the two-decade Kurdish conflict in Turkey, while a majority believe that combatting separatist Kurdish rebels is the way out, a poll showed Saturday.

Three Turkish soldiers killed in landmine blast
17h13 - ANKARA, March 23, 2007 (AFP) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed and two others were wounded Friday in a landmine explosion blamed on separatist Kurdish rebels, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Kurds want to ramp up presence of foreign oil companies: minister
03h55 - LONDON, March 23, 2007 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdistan wants to drastically increase the presence of foreign oil companies operating in the region by the end of the year, the Kurdish energy minister said in an interview published Friday.

Kurdish leader demands control of Iraq oil hub
13h06 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 22, 2007 (AFP) - The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan raised fresh calls on Thursday for a referendum to decide the future of the country's crucial oil hub of Kirkuk, warning that Kurdish patience had limits.

Unrest mars Kurdish festival in Turkey
22h07 - MERSIN, Turkey, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds marked their biggest festival, Newroz, on Wednesday with celebrations across Turkey marred by sporadic violence and clashes between police and militants.

Kurds celebrate festival in Turkey amid tight security
16h50 - MERSIN, Turkey, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds marked their biggest festival, Newroz, on Wednesday with celebrations marred by sporadic clashes between police and militants.

Thousands gather for Kurdish festival in Turkey amid tight security
11h44 - ANKARA, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds gathered across Turkey Wednesday to celebrate their biggest festival as police stepped up security measures for fear that radicals might use the flashpoint event to stir unrest.

Landmine blast injures two Turkish soldiers
15h44 - ANKARA, March 20, 2007 (AFP) - Two Turkish soldiers were wounded after a landmine exploded during a security operation in a southeastern province, a local official said on Tuesday.

Turkish PM investigated for 'praising' rebel leader
13h13 - ANKARA, March 26, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish prosecutor launched a formal investigation Monday into Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan over allegations he praised Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan seven years ago, a report said.

Kurdish party official detained in Turkey
14h57 - ANKARA, March 25, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police on Sunday detained a senior member of Turkey's main Kurdish party for a speech in which he allegedly praised jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, Anatolia news agency reported.

Turks lukewarm to broader rights for Kurdish minority
10h09 - ANKARA, March 24, 2007 (AFP) - About a third of Turks back Kurdish-language education and broadcasts as a means of ending the two-decade Kurdish conflict in Turkey, while a majority believe that combatting separatist Kurdish rebels is the way out, a poll showed Saturday.

Three Turkish soldiers killed in landmine blast
17h13 - ANKARA, March 23, 2007 (AFP) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed and two others were wounded Friday in a landmine explosion blamed on separatist Kurdish rebels, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Kurds want to ramp up presence of foreign oil companies: minister
03h55 - LONDON, March 23, 2007 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdistan wants to drastically increase the presence of foreign oil companies operating in the region by the end of the year, the Kurdish energy minister said in an interview published Friday.

Kurdish leader demands control of Iraq oil hub
13h06 - ARBIL, Iraq, March 22, 2007 (AFP) - The prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan raised fresh calls on Thursday for a referendum to decide the future of the country's crucial oil hub of Kirkuk, warning that Kurdish patience had limits.

Unrest mars Kurdish festival in Turkey
22h07 - MERSIN, Turkey, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds marked their biggest festival, Newroz, on Wednesday with celebrations across Turkey marred by sporadic violence and clashes between police and militants.

Kurds celebrate festival in Turkey amid tight security
16h50 - MERSIN, Turkey, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds marked their biggest festival, Newroz, on Wednesday with celebrations marred by sporadic clashes between police and militants.

Thousands gather for Kurdish festival in Turkey amid tight security
11h44 - ANKARA, March 21, 2007 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of Kurds gathered across Turkey Wednesday to celebrate their biggest festival as police stepped up security measures for fear that radicals might use the flashpoint event to stir unrest.

Landmine blast injures two Turkish soldiers
15h44 - ANKARA, March 20, 2007 (AFP) - Two Turkish soldiers were wounded after a landmine exploded during a security operation in a southeastern province, a local official said on Tuesday.

Iraq security better in 2003: Kurdish leader
13h22 - AMMAN, March 20, 2007 (AFP) - Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani conceded Tuesday that security in Iraq was better before the 2003 US-led war but warned an early US troop withdrawal would worsen the situation.

Turkish mayor jailed for collaborating with rebel Kurds
16h55 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 19, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a senior Kurdish politician to more than seven years in jail for collaborating with armed Kurdish rebels, judicial officials said.

Turkish police foil Kurdish rebel bomb attack
08h42 - ISTANBUL, March 19, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police said Monday they had detained 12 suspected Kurdish rebels and seized 11.7 kilos (25.7 pounds) of plastic explosives believed intended for attacks against industrial facilities.

22 held in Kurdish new year clashes in Turkey
15h31 - ISTANBUL, March 18, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police on Sunday held 22 people for questioning during a violent protest in Istanbul organized several days before the Kurdish new year, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Kurdish politican indicted for 'inciting hatred': prosecutor
14h02 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 16, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish prosecutor Friday indicted a senior politician from the country's main Kurdish party, demanding a jail sentence of up to three years over remarks that allegedly threatened violence, court officials said.

President of Iraq's Kurdistan starts Saudi visit
17h12 - RIYADH, March 12, 2007 (AFP) - The president of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, Massud Barzani, arrived on Monday in the Saudi capital, the official news agency SPA reported.

Turkey says tests show Ocalan poisoning claims 'groundless'
16h52 - ISTANBUL, March 12, 2007 (AFP) - Toxicology tests on jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan are negative, proving false claims by his lawyers that he was being poisoned, state prosecutors said Monday.

Iraqi Kurdistan to showcase region for foreign investment
12h18 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 12, 2007 (AFP) - Iraq's relatively peaceful northern Kurdistan region is to stage a trade fair this week in a bid to attract foreign investment, an official said on Monday.

Kurdish politician arrested over petrol bomb attack on bank
12h06 - ANKARA, March 12, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police detained 14 people, including a Kurdish politician, in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a bank in the northwestern town of Gebze, officials said Monday.

PKK supporters clash with Turkish riot police
22h19 - ANKARA, March 11, 2007 (AFP) - Supporters of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) took to the streets with Molotov cocktails and clashed with police during protests in towns across Turkey on Sunday, reports said.

Turkish troops kill Kurdish rebel
17h55 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 11, 2007 (AFP) - The Turkish army killed a militant from the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Sunday during fighting in the Kurdish-populated southeast, security sources said.

Turkish army finds bodies of Kurd rebels
16h50 - DIYARBAKIR, March 11, 2007 (AFP) - The Turkish army on Sunday found the bodies of seven members of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a rural area in the Kurdish-populated southeast, security sources said.

Turkish police hold Kurdish protestors on women's march
17h11 - ANKARA, March 10, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish police on Saturday detained 27 people after a rally supporting International Women's Day turned into a march in support of Kurdish separatists, the Anatolia agency reported.

Turkish army could hit Kurdish rebels in Iraq: general
14h03 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 10, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish armed forces could strike at any moment against Kurdish rebels Ankara says are sheltering over the border in Iraq, the country's army commander said Saturday.

Former Kurdish MPs convicted again over PKK links
18h28 - ANKARA, March 9, 2007 (AFP) - Four former Kurdish lawmakers who spent a decade behind bars in Turkey for alleged links with armed rebels were Friday sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in a retrial, but will not have to go to jail, a defence lawyer said.

Former Kurdish MPs convicted again over links with armed rebels
16h15 - ANKARA, March 9, 2007 (AFP) - Four former Kurdish lawmakers who spent a decade behind bars in Turkey for alleged links with armed rebels were Friday sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in a retrial, but will not have to go to jail, a defence lawyer said.

Kurds in Helsinki demonstrate in support of Ocalan
18h59 - HELSINKI, March 8, 2007 (AFP) - Some 100 Kurds demonstrated on Thursday in Helsinki in support of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, Finnish police said, amid claims that he is being progressively poisoned in prison.

Turkey charges 92 over illegal Women's Day demo
11h26 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 8, 2007 (AFP) - A court in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey on Thursday charged 92 women over a demonstration to mark International Women's Day that saw them shouting slogans in favour of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, a court official said.

Kurdish politician jailed in Turkey for 'praising' rebel leader
14h34 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 7, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish court jailed a senior member of the main Kurdish party in Turkey for six months Wednesday for remarks deemed to praise Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Kurdish party leader jailed in Turkey for 'praising' rebel leader
12h22 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 6, 2007 (AFP) - A Turkish court Tuesday jailed the chairman of the country's main Kurdish party for six months over remarks deemed to praise jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Turkey says tests refute rebel poison claims
19h02 - ANKARA, March 5, 2007 (AFP) - The Turkish government on Monday said toxicology test results on jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan were negative and that they proved his lawyers' claims he had been poisoned were "pure lies."

Aziz praises 'hero' Saddam at Iraq trial
14h03 - BAGHDAD, March 5, 2007 (AFP) - Iraqi former deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz on Monday praised Saddam Hussein and denied there had been mass killings under the executed dictator's rule, earning sharp rebukes from the judge at the so-called Anfal genocide trial.

Iraqi Kurdish students in Ukraine-style 'orange' protest
15h12 - SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, March 4, 2007 (AFP) - Around 100 Iraqi Kurdish students held a Ukrainian-style "orange protest" on Sunday in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah to protest against corruption in their regional government.

Kirkuk tensions could affect entire region: Turkish FM
13h59 - CAIRO, March 4, 2007 (AFP) - The tense ethnic situation in the oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk could have a negative effect on the entire region, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned on Sunday.

Kurdish group threatens to target Turkey's tourist areas
10h01 - ANKARA, March 4, 2007 (AFP) - A Kurdish rebel group claiming responsibility for past bomb attacks in Turkey has threatened to hit tourist targets and warned European visitors to stay away, the pro-Kurdish Firat news agency reported Sunday.

Turkey seizes explosives destined for suspected bomb attacks
17h53 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 3, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish security forces seized 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of plastic explosives in the country's southeast, local officials said Saturday.

Three Kurdish politicans arrested in Turkey over rebel links
10h34 - DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, March 3, 2007 (AFP) - Three Kurdish politicans have been arrested in Turkey's southeast on charges of spreading propaganda for armed separatist Kurdish rebels, judicial sources said Saturday.

Kurdish party warns Ocalan poisoning claims may spark violence
11h41 - ANKARA, March 2, 2007 (AFP) - Turkey's Kurds may respond with violence if jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan's life is really in danger, the country's main Kurdish party warned Friday following claims that Ocalan is being progressively poisoned in prison.

Turkey's Erdogan in get-well gesture to Talabani
17h41 - ANKARA, March 1, 2007 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called ailing Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to convey his get-well wishes, an aide to Erdogan said, days after harsh exchanges between Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds.

Kurdish demonstrators storm UN office in Geneva
16h43 - GENEVA, March 1, 2007 (AFP) - Kurdish demonstrators forced their way into the United Nations building here on Thursday in protest at the reported poisoning of rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Kurdish rebel leader poisoned in jail: lawyers
15h57 - ROME, March 1, 2007 (AFP) - Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has been poisoned in jail in Turkey, his lawyers said Thursday, demanding the United Nations dispatch a medical team to investigate.