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.

Monday, April 14, 2008 | By Gareth Jenkins

Turkey and Iran will look to boost security cooperation during the 12th meeting of the Turkey-Iran High Security Commission in Ankara on April 14-18. The agenda is expected to be dominated by discussions about cooperation against violent rebel Kurdish groups: the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which targets Turkey, and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), which is active in Iran.

April 14, 2008 By Stefan Buchen, John Goetz and Sven Röbel

NEW KURDISH TERROR GROUP?

A new Kurdish party, the PJAK, is causing Germany's intelligence agencies concern. Public prosecutors are investigating whether the group, whose leader lives in Cologne, is a terrorist organization.

March 11, 2008 | Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Turkey, with a population of approximately 70.5 million, is a constitutional republic with a multiparty parliamentary system and a president with limited powers elected by the single‑chamber parliament, the Turkish Grand National Assembly. In an October 21 referendum that was deemed free and fair, voters approved a constitutional amendment that allows the president to be elected by popular vote for a maximum of two five-year terms. In the July 22 parliamentary elections, also considered free and fair, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the majority of seats and formed a one‑party government. Two opposition parties entered parliament, and independent candidates representing four additional parties also entered parliament. Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.

  
April 11, 2008 | By Abdulkadir Onay

Earlier this month, Europol -- the European Union law enforcement agency that handles criminal intelligence -- released its annual Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, part of which addresses the European criminal activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

April 11, 2008 | By NAZILA FATHI

TEHRAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has decided to dismiss his economics and interior ministers, a government spokesman said in Iranian newspaper accounts published Thursday.

11 Apr 2008 | By Paul Taylor

BRUSSELS, April 11 (Reuters) - The United Nations will suggest a formula next month to resolve conflicts on several disputed areas in Iraq that could serve as a template for the future of Kirkuk, a senior U.N. official said on Friday.

April 10, 2008 | Michael Gunter

Michael M. Gunter offered a brief overview of his new book titled The Kurds Ascending, which discussed the recent events that improved the Kurdish situation in Iraq and Turkey. He mainly attributed positive developments in Kurdish rights to the US wars against Saddam Husayn, and Turkey’s successful EU candidacy along with Justice and Development (AK) Party reforms within Turkey.

April 10, 2008 | İstanbul

A Turkish court has sentenced Kurdish politician Leyla Zana to two years in prison for spreading propaganda of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).