Five former lawmakers of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are set to stand trial on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in deadly 2014 protests which called on Ankara to aid the Kurdish city of Kobane in northeast Syria (Rojava)
The captain of a rescue aid vessel warns against the perils facing immigrants when crossing the Mediterranean Sea after last week’s capsized ship off the coast of Italy that killed 34 people.
Authorities have killed at least 600 stray dogs in Iraq's southern city of Nasiriyah, following an uptick in dog attacks against children.
Thirty pilgrims from the Kurdistan Region lost their lives in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia after concluding Hajj, the majority of which, officials say, participated outside government procedures.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the world, thanked Kurdistan Region officials for hosting him during the presidential decree crisis with the Iraqi government.
Erbil’s governor announced on Sunday that the suspect of the Qaysari Bazaar blaze has been identified and will be made public.
Kurdistan Region provinces are exporting more than 7,500 tons of vegetables and fruits to Iraqi provinces, a part of the growing desire by the Region to expand its agriculture sector and move away from petrochemicals.
More than 2,500 dunams (2.5 square-kilometers) of cropland have been destroyed by burning this season in Erbil governorate alone and officials are warning residents and farmers to take precautions to protect their harvests in the Kurdistan Region.
An Iraqi airstrike has targeted a hideout of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Hamrin mountain range that crosses Kirkuk and Salahaddin governorates, with three members of the group inside amid a recent escalation in the Iraqi forces’ anti-ISIS operations.
Four people from Sulaimani province lost their lives after their car overturned in a crash in Ramadi on Saturday. They were returning from Saudi Arabia after completing their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday killed two members of the Islamic State (ISIS) while planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province.
Iraq’s meteorology and seismology organization on Friday announced that temperatures are set to reach 50 degrees Celsius in seven provinces the following day.
Iraq and the United States are working closely on creating the “right environment” for new investment opportunities across various sectors, a US department of commerce official said on Thursday.
Five people were killed, and at least 28 others were injured on Thursday after a stubble fire broke out in the Mardin and Diyarbakir provinces in southeastern Turkey.
Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Friday arrived in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil, where he met with top Kurdish officials, and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.
Sulaimani province recorded the lowest average household size across Iraq in a recently conducted pilot census, a planning ministry official said on Friday.
A fire burned six concrete mixers near Erbil-Gazna road on Friday. The blaze, sparked by dry shrubs, went up after contact with a fuel tank.
A leader of Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party on Thursday said that there will be no freedom in Turkey without a solution to the Kurdish issue, during a rally in protests of the removal of a pro-Kurdish mayor in the city of Hakkari (Colemerg).
The head of Soran’s water directorate warned on Thursday that the district and surrounding villages might face severe water shortages over the summer, due to drought and insufficient water projects.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday announced the capture of two suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) accused of planning acts of terror in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Residents of Sulaimani’s Chamchamal district have been left without access to fresh water for nearly two weeks, with the district mayor warning of an impending “humanitarian crisis.”
Russia has “historic” ties with Kurds in the Kurdistan Region and is committed to strengthening the centuries-long relations despite current difficulties, its consul general told Rudaw.
Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani is set to visit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region this weekend, nearly a month since assuming office after the death of Tehran’s former top diplomat in a helicopter crash, a source at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad told Rudaw on Tuesday.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet with the opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel on Tuesday in CHP’s Ankara headquarters in a landmark visit, with drafting of a new constitution and appointment of trustees expected to be the main topics of discussion.
Italy’s Consul General to Erbil Michele Camerota said on Monday that Rome encourages the holding of the Kurdistan Region’s long-overdue parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
A land dispute on Monday turned into a deadly exchange resulting in the killing of three and the injury of four others near Erbil’s 120-meter road, a security source told Rudaw.
Turkey’s competition board announced on Monday that it had imposed a fine of 482 million lira ($14.85 million) on Google for failing to meet obligations regarding hotel searches.
A young shepherd on Monday died after he was hit by a lightning strike near the town of Kifri.
A massive fire killed around 300 livestock in a village in southern Sulaimani province on Sunday.
A warehouse, built with illegal, highly flammable material, caught fire in Baghdad, killing four foreign workers.
Iraqi counter-terror forces arrested two people accused of terrorism in separate operations in northern Iraq, security forces announced on Sunday. In the south, the forces also arrested alleged drug traffickers.
Iran on Sunday approved six candidates for a presidential election to replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash.
A Kurdish non-governmental organization has begun a professional training program in Halabja designed to support rejected asylum seekers from Denmark. The project is funded by the Danish government.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will send the names of its security and Peshmerga forces to Baghdad after reaching an agreement with the federal government, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said on Saturday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Saturday inaugurated a gas processing plant in the southeastern province of Maysan.
Two people were injured on Friday after a tanker truck carrying oil caught fire after it overturned in Sulaimani province’s southern Darbandikhan district.
A police officer was shot dead and another was injured in clashes with gunmen in Kirkuk, Kirkuk police department announced on Friday.
A number of KFC restaurants were attacked in Baghdad late Monday by armed men, according to Rudaw reporter on the ground.
After recent meetings between Kurdish and Iraqi officials, relations between Baghdad and Erbil have improved, a Sunni politician told Rudaw on Monday.
A suspected Israeli airstrike in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday killed a commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), semi-official media reported.
Iraq’s parliament on Monday passed the proposed budget tables which seek to increase spending for 2024.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad registered his name to run in the election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, state media reported on Sunday.
The OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries on Sunday agreed to extend their voluntary oil production cuts until the end of 2025.
One person was killed and eight others were injured when a building collapsed in Istanbul. Two people have been detained in relation to the incident.
The majority of Kirkuk’s official posts have been dominated by Arabs since 2017, according to Kurdish and Turkmen officials who called for a proportional distribution of all positions.
Iraq’s oil ministry, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and international oil companies (IOCs) will meet this week with the goal of finally resolving all obstacles preventing the resumption of Kurdish oil exports, a member of parliament said on Saturday.
As some United Nations member states celebrate International Children’s Day on Saturday, over 1,200 children are working in the busy streets of the Kurdistan Region, according to a children’s organization.
Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells on Friday attacked an oil field in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province, setting one of the wells on fire, a conflict monitor reported.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on Friday began a two-week pilot population census, in preparation for the long overdue full count set for November.
A Palestinian woman working in a nightclub in Duhok died after suffering from severe burns in a mysterious fire, the cause of which remains unknown.
The Iraqi parliament will convene on Monday to vote on the 2024 budget bill, the legislature’s media office announced on Friday.
Over 800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in Sulaimani camps returned to their original places of residence in Salahaddin and Nineveh provinces, Iraq’s migration and displaced minister announced on Thursday.
Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) natural resources ministry on Wednesday expressed its readiness to meet with the federal government and representatives of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to reach an agreement on the resumption of the Region's oil exports.
Political parties in Kirkuk agreed on Wednesday to hold a provincial council session to form the local government in the multi-ethnic province, following a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
Basim Naim, former Palestinian health minister and a Hamas politburo member, said on Wednesday that he was unaware of Palestinian funds being spent on building settlements in the Kurdish city of Afrin in Syria, stating that Palestinians cannot build their homes at the expense of other people.
Eleven years ago, Rudaw Media Network embarked on an ambitious journey: to create a professional and high-quality media outlet delivering news and information to Kurdish audiences worldwide. We also aimed to be a trusted source for international viewers interested in our dynamic region.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday distributed assistance funds to the owners of shops damaged in a massive fire at a bazaar in Duhok last month.
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has proposed September 5 as a date to hold the Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections, days after informing the Region’s presidency its inability to hold the legislative poll on its previously scheduled date.
A fire caused by an electrical short circuit burned 21 tanker trucks used to transport fuel in Erbil, a civil defense official said on Wednesday.
The Iraqi government is not taking serious steps to solve the issues of the Kurdish farmers in the disputed areas, a Kurdish official said on Tuesday, days after the formation of a ministerial committee to investigate the dispute over farmland ownership.
Direct fire from Iranian border guards killed a 19-year-old Kolbar on Tuesday near the Kurdish city of Baneh in western Iran, a human rights watchdog reported.
Veteran Sunni politician Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a candidate for the speakership of the Iraqi parliament, called for a vote recount after the legislature failed to elect a new speaker during a parliamentary vote earlier this month.
Over 1,200 different fire incidents have been recorded in Iraq since the start of 2024, a decrease compared to the previous year, a spokesperson for Iraqi civil defense said on Tuesday.
Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) finance ministry on Monday announced that it has transferred over 85 billion dinars ($65 million) from domestic revenues to the federal government.
Kurdish security forces (Asayish) on Sunday announced the arrest of five individuals in Sulaimani on terror-related charges. One of the suspects operated an improvised explosive device (IED) factory.
A chain reaction collision involving four vehicles left 10 people dead and 39 injured in Turkey’s southern Mersin province on Sunday.
Five pro-Iran fighters were killed in eastern Syria on Sunday by an improvised explosive device (IED), a conflict monitor reported, blaming Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The Iraqi government wants to bring gun ownership under control and has allocated one billion Iraqi dinars (about $764,000) for each province to purchase unregistered weapons from citizens, an interior ministry official said on Sunday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday received a delegation from the Qatari foreign ministry who are in the Kurdish capital of Erbil to inaugurate their consulate.
Iraq’s planning ministry on Saturday announced that the Kurdistan Region’s share of federal investment funds is 4.8 trillion dinars ($3.67 billion).
A suspected Israeli strike on Saturday killed at least two members of Lebanese Hezbollah in central Homs province, a conflict monitor reported.
Convictions on drug-related charges have increased significantly, the general director of the Kurdistan Region’s correctional facilities told Rudaw on Saturday.
Representatives of the United Nations member states donned their national team kits and participated in a friendly football match, to celebrate the passing of a resolution that declared May 25 as World Football Day.
Police forces in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad detained over 110 beggars of different nationalities, including children, an interior ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has impacted the trade volume with Iraq, a Ukrainian diplomat in Iraq told Rudaw, adding that his country is looking for new forms of economic engagement with both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Three people were severely injured after a fire broke out in a gas plant in Erbil on Thursday, a civil defense spokesperson told Rudaw.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Natural Resources Ministry stated on Wednesday that gas produced in the Khor Mor field cannot be sold to any party without Erbil's approval, a day after the Iraqi government approved plans to supply gas from the field to a Kirkuk power plant.
Iran’s Consul General to Erbil Nasrollah Rashnoudi said on Tuesday that his country puts “special importance” on relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and hopes that new leadership will maintain the same policy after the recent death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Tuesday the arrest of two “dangerous” Islamic State (ISIS) leaders during security operations in the cities of Qamishli and Raqqa in northeastern Syria (Rojava).
At least three Syrian army soldiers were killed on Tuesday in an Islamic State (ISIS) desert ambush in Syria’s central Homs province, a conflict monitor reported.
A woman was killed in Iran’s western Ilam province, allegedly by her husband, in the name of protecting family “honor”, a human rights watchdog reported on Tuesday.
At least six pro-Iran fighters were killed Monday in Israeli airstrikes in Syria near the Lebanese border, a war monitor reported.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday assigned Vice President Mohammed Mokhber to assume interim duties until a new election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi after he died in a helicopter crash. Top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani will serve as acting foreign minister.
A father in Sulaimani province’s Penjwen town allegedly stabbed his 18-year-old daughter to death over a “social dispute,” police said on Monday.
A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is expected to visit Baghdad on Monday to push the federal government into buying more wheat from the Kurdistan Region’s farmers.
After a surge in cases of Congo fever in Iraq, Erbil has tightened regulations to halt imports of animals from southern provinces, an official from the veterinary directorate said on Sunday.
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had a “hard landing” in the north of the country on Sunday afternoon, Iranian media reported.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and his cabinet on Sunday finalized a draft budget bill that seeks to increase spending for 2024.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has ruled out holding talks with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) about delaying a long-overdue parliamentary election, a politburo member of the party said on Saturday.
Suspected Turkish artillery fire on Saturday injured three people, including a child, in northern Syria, a war monitor reported.
Suspected Turkish artillery fire on Saturday injured three people, including a child, in northern Syria, a war monitor reported.
Twenty provinces across Turkey have banned protests and social gatherings for four days following a controversial court ruling sentencing several Kurdish politicians to lengthy jail time.
Nearly 30 people have been killed in Syria by the Islamic State (ISIS) attacks in the first two weeks of May, a war monitor reported on Friday.
Iran on Wednesday carried out the death sentence of a Kurdish prisoner after spending 15 years in prison, a human rights watchdog reported.
Zakho police announced on Wednesday the arrest of 15 individuals within a span of two months, on charges of misuse of technology, social media and means of communication.
Over half of Turkey's Kurds do not use the Kurdish language at home, according to a study, with the majority of families primarily using Turkish to communicate.
Turkish security forces on Tuesday arrested over 500 individuals for alleged ties with the outlawed Gulen movement, the interior minister announced.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is scheduled to visit Baghdad on Tuesday for meetings with Iraqi leaders including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani.
Iraqi security forces on Tuesday arrested five drug dealers across the provinces of Najaf and Muthanna, state media reported, as the country continues to fight the rise of narcotics.
A top Iraqi army commander and several soldiers were killed in a "terrorist" attack in the Salahaddin province, the Iraqi defense ministry announced on Monday.
Iraq’s largest Sunni bloc in the parliament, Taqadum Alliance, on Monday, announced its support for veteran politician Mahmoud al-Mashhadani to take up the parliamentary speaker position that has been vacant since November.
An Algerian and a Chinese cyclist arrived in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil on Sunday two months and a half after setting off from France, taking a pit stop on their way to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca for Hajj pilgrimage.
Archaeologists working at Shanidar Cave where the remains of the Neanderthal woman named Shanidar Z were uncovered, hope their findings will make the case for the cave to be made a world heritage site.
Two female students at the faculty of Islamic studies in the University of Zakho said on Sunday that they were barred from writing final exams because they wear the niqab, a traditional Islamic veil that completely covers the face and body. The university administration said that all students must be identified in order to prevent cheating.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has predicted a new wave of migration spurred on by climate change that will see people from the Middle East seeking out life in Europe.
An Iraqi-American transgender woman found guilty of running an extortion and prostitution ring died in a Baghdad prison on Sunday, minutes before a scheduled court hearing, a spokesperson for the Iraqi justice ministry told Rudaw.
The interior ministries of Iraq and Syria on Sunday signed a security agreement covering several areas including border control and combating drugs.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Sunday said that the rate of water wastage in drought-ridden Iraq stands at around 60 percent, as the country continues to be among the most vulnerable to climate change.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid arrived in Erbil on Saturday where he met Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani ahead of attending an environmental conference.
Security forces in Duhok announced on Saturday the arrest of three individuals charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of distribution.
Iraq aims to boost its oil reserves to over 160 billion barrels, the country’s oil minister announced on Saturday as it offered licenses for 29 new oil and gas projects.
Polling stations opened on Friday for a run-off election to determine the remaining members of the Iranian parliament in regions where candidates failed to secure enough votes in the first round.
The Iraqi parliament on Thursday extended its first legislative term for 2024 for 30 days, with top priorities being a vote on a new parliamentary speaker and extending the electoral commission’s term for another six months.
Iranian border guards on Thursday fatally shot a kolbar within the borders of the Kurdistan Region, a human rights watchdog reported.
Unknown assailants targeted a pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) office in the southeastern Urfa province, no casualties were reported.
The Darbandikhan dam in Sulaimani province has overflowed after years of drought and water shortage, the dam’s directorate announced on Wednesday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday said that the Region’s parliamentary elections was not a topic of discussion in his meetings with Iranian officials during his Tehran trip, reiterating that the vote is still scheduled to take place on June 10.
The Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, on Monday called on the Sunni blocs in the legislature to resolve the election of a new speaker within a week.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, continuing his series of high-level meetings in Tehran.
On Sunday night, fire again erupted in an Erbil bazaar, this time at the city’s famous Qaysari Bazaar. Firefighting teams are working to bring the blaze under control.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) education minister said on Sunday that they have requested Baghdad provide funding to offer permanent employment to non-contract educators, one of the demands of striking teachers.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday for a visit labeled “one of the most important” in the history of relations with Iran by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) representative in the Islamic republic.
Erbil and Duhok provinces received about twice as much rainfall this year as last year, while Sulaimani has been relatively drier with precipitation levels at about its annual average, the Kurdistan Region’s meteorological authority announced on Sunday.
The Syrian regime has recently sent troops and tanks into the southern province of Suwayda, which has been engulfed in anti-government protests for over eight months. A Suwayda-based analyst described the move as a “retaliatory step to end the protests.”
Iranian security forces on Friday arrested a Kurdish singer who performed a Kurdish revolutionary song during Newroz celebrations earlier this year, a human rights organization reported on Saturday.
A growing number of tourists visiting the Kurdistan Region are coming from beyond Iraq’s borders, an official from the tourism board said on Saturday.
Erbil, Basra, and Baghdad have some of the worst air quality in the country, exacerbated by their growing population density, according to Iraq’s deputy environment minister.
Dana Gas on Friday announced that production at the Kurdistan Region’s Khor Mor gas field has been fully restored, a week after a deadly drone strike that killed four Yemeni workers.
A suspected Israeli airstrike near Syria’s capital city of Damascus on Thursday night injured eight soldiers, state media reported.
Iraq’s electoral body instructed its branches in the Kurdistan Region to halt preparations for the Region’s long-overdue parliamentary elections, multiple sources told Rudaw on Wednesday.
Iraq’s water reserves are in “good condition”, the country's water resources minister stated on Wednesday, noting that the amount of water flowing into the dams is greater than that used for agricultural consumption.
Iran on Wednesday carried out the death sentence of a Kurdish prisoner over suspected drug-related charges, a human rights watchdog announced.
Joint brigades of Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces, tasked with securing disputed areas where Islamic State (ISIS) militants take advantage of a security vacuum, is expected to begin operations next week, a security official said on Tuesday.
Officials from the Kurdistan Region and the US-led coalition against the Islamic State on Tuesday met in Erbil to discuss the unification of the Region's Peshmerga forces, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
Gas production at the Khor Mor gas field is set to resume later on Tuesday night, an official source told Rudaw on Tuesday, days after the gas field was the target of a drone strike that killed four Yemeni nationals at the site. The operating company said new measures have been taken to boost the defense of the site.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani continued with high-level meetings on his second day in Baghdad, stressing the need for cooperation as he discussed outstanding issues between the federal and regional governments.
Veteran Iraqi politician Nouri al-Maliki said Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani’s latest trip to Baghdad has left him feeling “optimistic” as the regional and federal governments tackle issues that have been sources of tensions for years.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday visited Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and the ruling State Administration Coalition. This is his second trip to the Iraqi capital this month and comes on the heels of Sudani’s trip to Washington and a drone strike on key oil and gas infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region.
Nearly 20 people were injured after a truck caused a chain collision with several other cars near Sulaimani’s Dukan district after losing control, a traffic police spokesperson told Rudaw on Friday.
Iraq signed a multi-billion dollar strategic water agreement with Turkey on Monday, following the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in Baghdad. The deal could put an end to the country’s water crisis according to the Iraqi government’s spokesperson.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday for meetings with top officials and discussions regarding a variety of subjects, before heading towards Erbil in what will mark the first visit of a Turkish president to the Kurdistan Region while in office.
Several rockets were fired from Iraqi territory at a base housing United States troops in northeast Syria on Sunday, an informed source told Rudaw.
Water is a priority for Iraq when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits on Monday, an official from the Iraqi ministry of water resources told Rudaw on Sunday.
The Iranian judiciary sentenced a Kurdish language teacher and civil activist to 11 years in jail, a human rights monitor reported on Sunday.
Iraq’s defense ministry signed several army aviation and air defense deals during a trip to Washington this week headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, the defense minister told Rudaw.
Reforms of the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces continue, though they have slowed due to political disputes, an official from the Peshmerga ministry told Rudaw.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday announced the capture of 38 suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) accused of planning acts of terror in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Iraq has included in the federal budget funding for nearly a dozen dams to be built in the Kurdistan Region, according to the water resources minister.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday that he will visit the Kurdistan Region during his one-day visit to Iraq next week.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Wednesday presided over the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in several sectors, between the Iraqi government and American companies, as well as between the American and Iraqi private sector.
The economy, not security, is top priority for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in his visit to the United States that includes a meeting with US President Joe Biden, a government spokesperson said on Sunday.
Background checks on candidates in the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming parliamentary election general election will begin on Monday, Iraq’s electoral commission spokesperson said on Sunday.
Over 30,000 tourists from central and southern Iraq spent their Eid holidays in the Kurdistan Region to enjoy the spring weather and a change in scenery.
One person was killed overnight in an unidentified strike in the mountains of eastern Sulaimani province, a district mayor said on Sunday. A conflict monitor blamed Turkey.
Several Iranian drones and missiles were spotted in the skies of the Kurdistan Region on early Sunday with some collapsing or being shot down, hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a massive attack into Israel.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) late on Saturday launched dozens of drones and missiles towards Israeli territory in response to the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus earlier in April.
Returning to Baghdad for the first time nine months after he quit the capital amid a dispute with the government, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, on Friday called on Iraq’s Christian community to have patience and to be politically active.
One person was killed and several others injured when a cable car collapsed in Turkey’s southern city of Antalya, authorities announced on Friday.
A Kurdish official said on Thursday that over 92,000 Arabs were relocated to Kirkuk since 2017, urging Kurdish political leaders to work to stop what he labeled as “new Arabization.”
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) cabinet secretary on Monday told Rudaw that if Erbil wants Baghdad to continue financing salaries, it must fulfill its obligations towards the federal government, as stated in the ruling of the Iraqi top court, adding that negotiations between the two sides will resume after the Eid al-Fitr holidays.
Four environmentalists convicted of espionage are among more than 2,000 prisoners being granted amnesty by Iran’s Supreme Leader on the occasion of the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The new head of the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq said ongoing efforts to digitalize the health information system in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region were “essential” to modernizing healthcare in the country.
A Rudaw documentary has been nominated for a Webby Award. This is the first time a production from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq has been nominated for the award and is competing with the best and most captivating documentaries.
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Sunday protested the investiture of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate as mayor of Sirnak and accused the ruling party of committing election fraud.
The future of Baghdad-Erbil relations took centre stage when Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Saturday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in Baghdad on Saturday, as Erbil is worried that recent federal court decisions are trying to weaken the Kurdistan Region’s autonomy.
At least seven children were killed after an explosive device detonated in southern Syria. Separately, explosions were heard in the capital Damascus.
Iraq’s oil ministry has begun testing a repaired pipeline that will carry oil from Kirkuk to Turkey’s Ceyhan port, a source within the ministry told Rudaw on Friday.
Abdullah Zeydan on Friday officially received the mandate to take up his role as mayor of Van, days after his electoral win was temporarily nullified.
Iraq’s transport ministry announced that it will begin operating water taxis on the Tigris River to alleviate traffic deadlock in the capital city of Baghdad, state media reported on Thursday.
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday voted to extend the mandate of two bodies monitoring and investigating human rights in Iran, including in connection with the Jin Jiyan Azadi protests.
A senior Iraqi jihadist and co-founder of an al-Qaeda affiliate was killed by a suicide bomber in northwest Syria on Thursday, according to a conflict monitor.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is set to arrive in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss a range of issues with the Iraqi authorities, including salary dispute and the resumption of the Region’s oil exports, the Kurdistan Region Presidency spokesperson said on Thursday.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday slammed Iran’s “decades-long” persecution of members of the Bahai religious minority, saying its acts constitute crimes against humanity.
Preliminary results for Turkey's local elections are reporting victory for opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), marking the first time a party has bested the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in over two decades.
A massive fire swept through central Duhok’s Chale bazaar on early Monday, burning over 100 shops. The blaze was controlled several hours later.
Turkey's local elections kicked off on Sunday morning with over 61 million people eligible to vote, including more than one million first-time voters. 34 parties will compete for local administrators across 81 provinces of the country.
The Shiite Great Husayniyya Mosque and the Sunni Great Khanaqin Mosque are located next to one another in the central Iraqi city, but perform the Adhan nearly 14 minutes apart during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
On the fifth anniversary of their military victory over the Islamic State (ISIS), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday called for international engagement in the Kurdish-administered enclave of northeast Syria (Rojava), including putting thousands of suspected militants on trial.
An Iraqi court sentenced, in absentia, an advisor to a former prime minister to one year in prison for refusing to disclose his wealth, the anti-corruption body announced on Saturday.
Hundreds of thousands of people on Thursday gathered in Newroz Square at the center of Turkey’s Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) to celebrate Newroz, and the Kurdish New Year, as key political figures called for a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
The inscription of Newroz on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) cultural heritage list does not imply exclusivity or ownership by a single nation, the UN organization said on Wednesday.
Iraq’s migration ministry will stop all aid for displaced persons in the Kurdistan Region on July 30, an official from the ministry told Rudaw on Sunday.
As this year’s Newroz coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Duhok has urged people to keep their celebrations of the Kurdish new year small.
A member of the Turkish parliament said on Sunday that he believes a new constitution will be on the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following municipal elections later this month, but noted that Erdogan will need Kurdish support for any changes and this may open the door to a resumption of peace talks to end decades of conflict in the country.
A leader of a pro-Kurdish party on Saturday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of running an anti-Kurdish election campaign and equating Kurds with terrorists.
The British Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen paid tribute to the victims of the 1988 chemical attack on Halabja on the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, saying the massacre should serve as a reminder of the many atrocities committed by the Baathist regime.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Friday that Baghdad has sent less than half of its share of the 2023 federal budget.
Despite losing their minority quota seats in the Kurdistan Region parliament, Turkmens will compete in the upcoming election, a Turkmen leader said on Saturday.
Turkish intelligence and anti-terror teams detained seven people accused of selling information to Israeli intelligence (Mossad), the country’s interior minister announced on Tuesday.
Direct flights between Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil and Turkey’s Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) will resume this month, a Turkish minister said on Tuesday.
An Iraqi counterterrorism official was killed while attempting to resolve a tribal dispute in southern Dhi Qar province, the interior ministry announced late Sunday.
The bodies of eight fighters affiliated with the Syrian government who disappeared 11 days ago were found on Sunday in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, a war monitor reported, blaming the Islamic State (ISIS) for their killings.
A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped during the Islamic State’s (ISIS) reign of terror in Shingal (Sinjar) in 2014, returned home to Iraq and was reunited with her family on Saturday, a month after she was rescued during an operation in northeast Syria’s al-Hol camp.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Saturday highlighted the global need for stability in the energy sector, saying energy shortages are as much of a threat as climate change, while attending a gas summit in the Algerian capital.
Iraq’s public sector manufacturing output reached an estimated one billion dollars in 2023, the country’s industry minister told Rudaw on Friday, but added that the number should be tens of times higher.
The Iraqi government is assessing 14,000 applications for compensation from Yazidis who fled Shingal during the Islamic State’s (ISIS) reign of terror, a government advisor said on Saturday.
Iranian authorities executed at least ten prisoners in February, a large decrease from the previous month, a human rights watchdog reported on Saturday.
Polling stations in Iran closed late Friday night and despite multiple extensions to the voting period preliminary results indicate that the turnout was an all-time low for the Islamic Republic, state media reported.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington, discussing US-KRG relations, recent attacks on the Region, as well as Erbil-Baghdad budget talks.
Polling stations across Iran opened their doors to citizens coming to vote for a new parliament and the clerical body entrusted with electing the country's top cleric on Friday. This marks the first time the country goes to the polls since the 2022 nationwide protests, with the vote set to take place amid concerns of a low turnout.
The Danish government and a local NGO in the Kurdistan Region on Monday signed a contract to facilitate the return of asylum seekers whose applications to stay in Denmark have been rejected.
Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Sunday they arrested 16 people accused of being members or affiliates of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Iraq’s finance ministry must fund the civil servant salaries of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) just as it does those employed by the federal government as per a court ruling earlier this week, the head of the Iraqi parliament’s finance committee told Rudaw on Saturday.
Iraq’s Federal Court ruling to abolish the minority quota seats from the Kurdistan Region parliament is “oppressive,” a Christian leader told Rudaw on Friday, adding that there was a political motivation behind the decision.
At least five people were killed in a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) ambush while truffle hunting in Syria’s central Homs province on Friday, state media reported.
Exiled Iranian Kurdish parties are protesting a decision to build a wall around a camp in Koya housing Kurds who crossed the border seeking refuge. The wall is part of a security pact signed last year between Iraq and Iran.
A Kurdish designer went viral after pictures of her wearing traditional Kurdish clothes on the streets of Istanbul in Turkey were shared on social media.
A suspected Israeli airstrike targeted a residential area in the southern part of Damascus, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani continued his high-profile meetings during the second day of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, discussing the peace and stability of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East with regional and international leaders and officials.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Saturday met with numerous regional and international leaders and officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, underscoring Baghdad’s desire to boost ties and forge economic partnerships.
Baghdad International Airport experienced a brief power cut on Friday, caused by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that engulfed the country.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday held a series of meetings with officials from several countries on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany, which this year is taking place under the motto “lose-lose” and with a warning against a trend of nations moving away from the spirit of global cooperation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday announced firing a long-range ballistic missile from a warship for the first time, amid growing tensions between Iranian proxies and international powers in the Middle East.
A joint United States and Iraq military commission met again on Sunday to continue discussions about winding down the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) mission in Iraq. Talks will continue as long as “nothing disrupts” them, Iraq’s top military spokesperson said.
A leading Kurdish scientist is doing groundbreaking work on regenerating and engineering tissue for the human heart at the University of Cologne.
Teachers in the Raparin administration of Sulaimani province who went out on strike are concerned they may lose their jobs after a statement from the education directorate called on them to “answer their phones.”
Iraq’s Minister of Water Resources Aoun Diab said on Thursday that Syria has joined neighbouring Turkey and Iran in obstructing the flow of water into Iraq. He also accused Ankara of failing to comply with its agreement with Baghdad.
The US State Department on Friday said it had not announced any changes to its staffing or security posture in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. This comes amid an escalation between Washington and pro-Iran militia groups in the country.
Kurds in Sweden have started an online petition asking the public broadcaster to revoke the decision to cancel its Kurdish service.
Iraq’s governing coalition on Sunday, reacting to United States airstrikes that killed at least 16 Iraqis, threw its support behind Baghdad’s efforts to prevent being dragged into a regional conflict and said the country’s national interests must take precedence.
An Iraqi militia group on Saturday said it carried out a drone strike on Harir airbase in Erbil province, but two senior sources denied the claim as “false,” the morning after the United States struck multiple militia targets in Iraq and Syria in a retaliation campaign.
Unidentified aircraft on Friday hit several locations in eastern Syria, according to a conflict watchdog. ABC News reported American strikes in the Middle East in response to a deadly attack on United States troops in Jordan.
Iraq will pay the Kurdistan Region’s share of the budget even if the finance minister does not approve it, an Iraqi parliament member told Rudaw on Tuesday.
The United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Monday said that Washington seeks to “respond appropriately” to the deadly attack on American troops in Jordan the previous day.
The United States and the United Kingdom on Monday sanctioned an Iranian network for carrying out “transnational assassinations,” accusing the group of attempting to repress its dissidents abroad.
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).
The Iraqi government on Monday condemned a deadly attack on a military base housing United States troops in Jordan the day before and expressed concern about the recent regional escalation against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Monday condemned an attack on a military base housing United States troops on the Syria-Jordan border the day before.
The Zakho Off-Road Group has invited off-road enthusiasts from across the Kurdistan Region to a rally early next month that they hope will grow into an international event.
At least nine Pakistani nationals were killed by unidentified armed men in southeast Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, days after the two countries agreed to de-escalate tensions following an exchange of deadly cross-border strikes.
A vote on a new speaker for the Iraqi parliament has not been included in the published agenda for Monday’s session after the item was removed from Saturday’s schedule, as the legislature nears three months without a speaker.
On Friday, thousands of people gathered in Saqqez to pay their final respects to Fariyar Aminipour, a young kolbar whose journey from humble beginnings to Muay Thai stardom was tragically cut short at the age of 23.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Saturday presided over the first meeting between Iraq and the United States to discuss the future of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq.
Electricity generation should be fully restored Saturday morning as gas deliveries return to normal after an attack on the Khor Mor field, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) natural resources ministry said late on Friday.