Friday, April 25, 2008 | Mehmet Ali Birand

ANK - The same song has been playing in my head since childhood: “ 23 Nisan, neşe doluyor insan...” meaning, “it’s the 23rd of April, it always gives one a thrill,” (‘joy’s a better word, but it doesn’t rhyme!). We always like to sing this song even at times when we don’t believe much in it. 

April 23, 2008 | By Maad Fayad
 
London, Asharq Al-Awsat and Agencies - The population of Arbil and the rest of the Kurds who live in Iraqi Kurdistan prefer to use the historical name ‘Lir’ in reference to the Kurdish region’s capital, Arbil, as an homage to the history of the region, which predates back to over 6,000 years.

22 Apr. 2008

Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq (KRG.org) The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Prime Minister, Mr Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil today said that he is very optimistic about his recent discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the hydrocarbons law, the Peshmerga forces and Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution.

Avril 21, 2008 | Today's Zaman  İstanbul

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) may face a closure case at the Constitutional Court over money transfer it made to the neo-nationalist TV network Kanal Türk, news reports said on Sunday.

April 19, 2008 | By Kimi Yoshino, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

SULAYMANIYA, IRAQ -- The tallest player on the women's national basketball squad is 5 feet 7 inches. She and her teammates cannot practice in the nation's capital because of poor security. And in northern Kurdistan, where they are now based, they practice outdoors, often in frigid temperatures.

April 20, 2008 | Secretary Condoleezza Rice

Baghdad, Iraq - PRESIDENT TALABANI: (Via interpreter.) First of all, I want to start by thanking our guest and friend, Secretary Rice, for her visit. We started our meeting by thanking her for convincing our brothers from the Arabic Gulf Council to include (inaudible) in their conference tomorrow in Bahrain. And we gave her an update about Iraq and also, before me, Prime Minister Maliki gave her an update about what’s happening in Iraq. And we told her that we are living the Iraqi political spring.

April 17, 2008 | Bitterlemons-International.org | Steven A. Cook, Douglas Dillon Fellow

With all the attention in Iraq over the last five years focused on the fate of al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the conflict between Sunni and Shi’ite, the role of Iran, the security of Anbar province, the “surge” and, most recently, the further deterioration of Basra, the situation in northern Iraq has only received sporadic attention.

April 16, 2008 | By BEN LANDO | UPI Energy Editor

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Iraq's central and Kurdish region governments have reached a deal on an oil law, including a method for weighing the validity of the oil deals the Kurds have signed with foreign firms, the top government spokesman told United Press International.

Wed Apr 16, 2008 | By Wojciech Moskwa and Joergen Frich

OSLO, April 16 (Reuters) - Shares in Norwegian oil and gas producer DNO (DNO.OL: Quote, Profile, Research) soared on Wednesday on hopes Iraq is close to finalising an oil and gas law for Baghdad to back oil contracts signed by Kurdish authorities.

April 15, 2008  | The Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey: A Turkish court on Tuesday found 53 Kurdish mayors guilty of praising a criminal group because they asked Denmark to let a television station with alleged links to Kurdish guerrillas continue to operate there.