Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Jalal Talabani said in a statement, "I congratulate my Christian brothers and sisters on Christmas Eve and wish you happiness and contentment."

Kurdistan region has a great history of unity and coexistence, and Christians as an indigenous community have played an influential role in deepening the spirit of reconciliation and tolerance, PUK President said.

Speaking of the significant role the Christians have played in bringing Iraqi communities together, President Talabani said, "it is why we celebrate this holiday with our Christian brothers and sisters, and we all hopefully move towards a more promising future."

Thousands of Christians across Iraq celebrate Christmas every year. Christians have lived in Iraq and the Kurdistan region for thousands of years. 

This Kurdish tradition is very similar to ancient Jewish traditions. According to the Jewish historian Josephus who lived in the first century, Israel had two New Years—the commercial New Year, which began in the fall of the seventh month, and the religious New Year, which started in the spring first month).

Newsal, Nusal or Nusar is translated into English as "new year." It comes from Nausardi or Nusardi ("new year") in Old Kurdish. In some regions, the festival also has local names, for example, Gaxn "Gakhan" in Dersim in northern Kurdistan, Cejna Xore "Feast of the Sun".

The earliest recorded date of Nusardi being celebrated by Kurds- along with Mehrakan, Tiriaski and Newroz, comes from the 3rd century CE. 

The festivities of Nûsal begin on December 21 and last until the first week of January. Some Xorkanî Reya Heqi/Kurdish Alevis, celebrate Gaxan on December 31. 

This festival is very similar to the Christian celebration of Christmas, and both are originally Mithraic traditions. This annual celebration on December 25 was the most crucial celebration of Mithraism, sun-worshipping; it was believed that Mithra was born on this day. 

Mithraism has been practiced in modern-day Kurdistan since the Mitannian period (1600 BCE). The non-Abrahamic Kurdish sects of Yarsanî, Yezidî/Ezidî, and Xorkanî/Rêya Heqî are regarded as the sole remnants of Mithraism in the region.

According to the beliefs of Kurdish religious sects, the world remains a permanent fixture of the cosmos, year in and year out. Each year, however, is ruled by a different "Padişa—King—of the turning time." Following summer solstice, as the days begin to grow shorter, the Padişa, likewise, becomes older. By the end of the year, they are ready to pass on their temporal kingdom to the next Padişa – which is a renewed, yet distinct, version of himself/herself, becoming younger as the days grow longer. 

On the last Thursday of December, just after the winter solstice, the festival of Newsal/Nûsal is held, ushering out the old year - and the old Padişa - and welcoming in the new Padişa.

Among northern Kurds, the festival's centerpiece is a procession called Khalkek, in which several people wear traditional costumes and parade around their town or village. One of the performers, representing the outgoing Padişa, wears a white beard and carries a cane or other accessories of old age. Another performer, representing the world itself, is made up as a beautiful woman. A third performer, representing the incoming Padişa, is dressed as a young person with a blackened face (dark cosmos) – it is said that their face is dark because their star has only just begun to rise in the inner, spiritual world. Its light cannot yet be cast into the outer world, which will have to wait until March when they claim his throne.

While musicians beat drums and play the zurnas (oboe-like wind instruments), these three characters, sometimes joined by others in traditional dress, go from door to door, house to house, shop to shop, collecting food and money.

Traditionally, all the food would be brought to the home of the poorest family in the village or neighbourhood, where a feast is prepared. A couple of hours before the party, right around sunset, prayer rituals are held at sacred places, such as hilltops and springs. Prayers are offered for the new year, and lokma – sacramental food, in this case, a buttery cake - is shared among the congregation. 

The idea behind the Newsal/Nûsal is to refresh oneself spiritually. According to this custom, "when the world was renewed, humans were renewed. As the world gets renewed humans too get renewed and rejuvenated. As the world gets old, humankind gets old. After we enter a new year, we are also becoming a new people."

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Jalal Talabani today met with Iraqi premier Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in Baghdad. The meeting discussed the latest political developments and economic, social and security issues and emphasized support for the government's efforts to implement its agenda constitutionally, a statement from PUK President Press office read. 

President Bafel Jalal Talabani stressed the importance of implementing the new government's plans and asked the prime minister to spend the Kurdistan region's budget share and financial needs. 

"The political parties national agreement on the management of the state was an important step towards overcoming the unwanted political situation in Iraq, but more important is carrying out the terms laid out in the agreement which conducive to the success of the political process," President Talabani said. 

The PUK leader reiterated the Kurdistan Region's desire to resolve the issues between the two sides and called for the negotiation committees to be more effective and be plaint to people's wishes and demands.

Iraqi Prime Minister assured President Bafel that the rights and financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Region would be guaranteed and the 400bn Iraqi Dinars (IQD) would be sent to the Kurdistan Region as soon as possible. The 400bn IQD refers to the monthly budget of the Kurdistan region that is usually withheld in Baghdad, leaving the region in severe financial distress; according to an Erbil-Baghdad agreement, Baghdad would send the region 200bn IQD each month to cover the employee salaries. 

The premier added that although the PUK has been a major partner in the formation of the government, it is one of the primary participants in the government and with the support of the PUK, it will serve the whole of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The PUK's continuous efforts have helped to serve the Kurds better and the Iraqi people, as President Bafel's shuttle diplomacy helps to resolve irregularities soon and address them early. 

In celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Iraqi First Lady wishes Iraq and all Christians a happy holiday and a prosperous new year.

"I visited the Church of St. Joseph in Baghdad today and congratulated Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean and Catholic Churches in the world and Iraq, and the Christian brothers and sisters in Baghdad on the occasion of Christman," the first lady said in a statement. 

"Christians have always had a special place in our hearts. "Coexistence between different nationalities, religions, beliefs, and communities is one of the beautiful characteristics of our country." The first lady also gifted the children at the church and wished them all the best. 

Cardinal Louis Sako expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi First Lady for her continued support for Christians, saying, "the Iraqi First Lady's visit to their cathedral had made them extremely happy."

Christians make up the many minority groups living in Iraq; however, in recent years, their number has decreased to war and instability, and many are migrating to Europe. 

Iraqi President Dr. Latif Rashid tweeted today, "We deplore and condemn in the strongest terms the criminal attack that targeted a Kurdish cultural center in Paris, which resulted in the fall of a number of innocent victims."

He added, "We call on the French government to expedite the arrest of the perpetrators and bring them to justice," stressing "the importance of combating racism in France to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents."

A gunman opened fire at Ahmet Kaya Kurdish Cultural Centre in Paris, killing three people and injuring three others. Many Kurdish activists reside in France and have survived or died in numerous assassination attempts.

In 2013, a gunman shot three Kurdish women activists, including a co-founder of the militant nationalist PKK, in a Kurdish information center in Paris.

Two people lost their lives in a flood in Basra and Nasiriyah as power was cut across the two provinces and declared tomorrow a holiday.

A child lost his liver, and four others were injured when a house collapsed in Basra yesterday evening as heavy rains, floods, and thunderstorms hit most southern and central Iraqi provinces. In Nasiriyah, a house collapsed, killing an Iraqi army soldier.

In Baghdad, Karbala, Babylon, Wasit, Diyala and Salahaddin provinces, heavy rains and floods caused power outages, blocking some main roads.
The Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education postponed the final exam of the first semester in Babylon province.

The Iraqi Meteorological Agency predicted that the heavy rains and floods would subside in the afternoon, but the rains will continue.

Natural disasters have increased in the past two years as the crisis-hit country faces many environmental challenges, chief among them water scarcity.

In a rare visit, Italian prime minister Giorgia Merloni arrived at the Salam Presidential Palace in Baghdad. Iraqi President Dr. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid greeted the Italian premier.

The leaders discussed ways to improve their mutual interests, strengthen the already established cooperation.

President Rashid highlighted the importance of existing ties between Iraq and Italy, the necessity for effort and collaboration to strengthen them, and the fact that Italy is a partner to Iraq on many critical challenges.

He also discussed the security and political stability that the nation is currently experiencing following the formation of the new government, which set forth an ambitious ministerial program based on moving forward with significant infrastructure projects, improving the living and service conditions that directly affect citizens, working to support the private sector by creating the necessary infrastructure and legislation, and opening the door to investment.

President Rashid praised the international coalition, especially Italy, for helping Iraq in its fight against terrorism. He also emphasized the defeat of terrorist groups at the hands of the Iraqi security forces.

He continued that many areas of coordination and cooperation between Iraq and Italy can be improved, such as the fields of economics, culture, and tourism, citing the Pope of the Vatican's visit to Iraq and how well it won the hearts of Iraqis while also painting an accurate picture of the country's stable conditions.

The effects of terrorism must be addressed by resettling those displaced, cultural cooperation must be fostered through sharing experiences, and concerted efforts must be made to counter the dangers of climate change and its resulting crises of water scarcity and desertification.

The Italian Prime Minister praised the improvements Iraq is undergoing in terms of security and politics, reiterating her nation's desire to deepen relations with Iraq at all levels and pledging support for the country's security and stability as well as its sovereignty and the safety of its citizens. She also emphasized the significance of an Iraq that is strong and effective in promoting regional stability.

Following his visit to Baghdad, the Meloni flew to the Kurdistan region where she met with Kurdish leaders and discussed many shared issues. 

Sulaimani Census Department release the number of newborn babies in Sulaimani Governorate. The figures were collected from Sulaimani private and public hospitals from January 1, 2022, to December 22, 2022. 

According to the census department, more boys were born than girls, numbering 13,762, while 12,421 girls were born in the same period.

Most of the newborn boys were first named Mohammed and second Ahmed, while the most common girl names were Mina and Ella, respectively. Mina is a Iranian name flower type. Ella is a Kurdish name, meaning moon light. 

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani sent a congratulatory message to Christians worldwide on the birthday of Jesus Christ. 

Religious events are an important opportunity to continue and strengthen brotherhood and the spirit of peaceful coexistence between all communities in Kurdistan and Iraq, the DPM said. 

Talabani congratulated all Christians in Kurdistan, Iraq and the world on the birthday of Jesus Christ. Religious festivals are essential to continue and strengthen brotherhood and the spirit of peaceful coexistence between all communities in Kurdistan and Iraq, the DPM noted. 

Kurdistan is proud to have been a prime example of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence throughout history, Talabani concluded his congratulatory message.

The residents of Erbil and Duhok say, Shafafiat Project can give them right to know how much revenue their provinces are making.

Earlier this month, Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region launched a project titled "Shafafiat," meaning "transparency." 

The project is considered the first of its kind in over 30 years of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) rule, it provides information and the amount of income from every administration department in Sulaimani.

Shafafiat Project is consisted of an online website through which, the general public and the media can view sources of non-oil income and revenues.

The Shafafiat Project will radically change governance, eradicate corruption, and enable citizens and parliamentarians to monitor revenues.

The project has been warmly welcomed by the public opinion, and consideredas the most crucial step to bring transparency in the non-oil income of the provinces of Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, as well as the two administrations of Garmian and Raparin.

Journalists are also supporting the project and say that it makes it simple for them to access crucial information since it reveals everything related to citizens' lives that they have a right to know.

The migrants and refugee monitoring group spokesperson Bahoz Barzan told reporters in Sulaimani that people continue to leave Iraq in large numbers.

"People continue to migrant in the world, Iraq and the Kurdistan region due to political, economic and social instability that has confronted the region for years," the spokesperson said. Millions of Iraqis have left the crisis-hit country in the past seven years, per Barzan.

We continue to serve migrants and refugees despite the lack of sufficient funds, according to the speaker. The Summit Foundation is an NGO funded by international organizations that have helped many refugees and migrants leaving Iraq in their ways in search of a better life; or track trapped or drowned migrants overseas to return their coffins.

Barzan also spoke about special assistance it has offered migrants, saying, "[we] have offered assistance to migrants losing their ways in route to Europe as they were headed to Libya or Egypt and helped them return home to the Kurdistan region." Migration smuggles misled Kurdish migrants and took them to Libya or Egypt instead of Europe. 

The Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister's Office has helped migrants return home or covered deceased migrant body repatriation fees. "We do cooperate with the Kurdistan Regional Government and they have been helpful," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson noted a similar number of migrants had left the Kurdistan region and Iraq in 2021 and 2022. "2021 saw 73,325 people migrating while 71,225 have left Iraq 2022," the spokesperson answered a reporter. According to the Summit Foundation, over 650 thousand people have left Iraq since 2015.

Many Iraqis continue to leave Iraq and the Kurdistan region for Europe in search of a better life as unemployment and inflation continue to rise in Iraq.

KurdSat reporter in Baghdad said that the gates of the Green Zone had been closed with security increased in the Green Zone perimeters. Lecturers have taken to the streets for the past few days demanding permanent employment, prompting the authorities to take strict measures and prevent another storming of the Zone, our reporter said. The lecturers have worked previously in contracts that lasted a year or two.

Also, in Baghdad today, Iraqi Airways temporary employees gathered in front of the Ministry of Transportation building and demanded permanent employment.

Mirroring Baghdad, Basra contract employees with Zubair municipality held a rally demanding their permanent appointment.

Najaf and Diwaniya farmers protested and blocked the main road between Najaf and Diwaniya, demanding payment for grains that the government had recently acquired but failed to pay for.

Since 2019, protests have become a norm, usually resulting in property damage and the closure of businesses and roads, yet they fail to yield tangible results.a

Samir Hawrami, the spokesperson for Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister, told KurdSat English today that the transparency initiative will leave nothing in the shadows in Sulaimani and Halabja financial records and hopes for other provinces follow suit. Hawrami refers to the transparency project that made Sulaimani and Halabja provinces' financial revenues public as the first province in Iraq.

The DPM spokesperson notes that Qubad Talabani had placed transparency in revenue and reforms in governance in various sectors before other tasks and also digitized many lengthy administrative processes to serve citizens of the Kurdistan region. Sulaimani and Halabja's transparency initiative and the ongoing digitization of the government in the Kurdistan region is the brainchild of the Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani. 

Registration of employees in the biometric system, the Service Project—a step to help people in their administrative processing—and digitization of citizens' affairs in some departments and a number of other implemented similar improvements have been among Talabani's works in the recent years, per the DPM spokesperson.

Hawrami explained that shafafiat.com is not only a website to make information public but a way to reorganize economic infrastructure, financial and banking infrastructure and at the same time be open in the financial revenues of Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, and Garmian and Raperin administrations.

Last week, Qubad Talabani launched a project that made financial records, taxes, and tariffs in Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, a democratic move that could help reduce corruption and mismanagement dramatically, analysts say. All financial records of the KRG's southern regions are listed on the website with live updates.

Today, Saturday, thousands of mourners greeted the return of the coffin of Kurdistan Commando Forces Commander Martyr Akam Omar at the Sulaimani International Airport, who became a martyr on December 12, 2022. Iraqi and Kurdish military commanders, government officials, and foreign military and diplomatic delegations attended Martyr Akam's funeral in Sulaimani.

Sulaimani streets are covered in black flags to sympathize with the fallen commander who spearheaded the fight against ISIS for years and came to build a formidable Peshmergas special forces that kept the Kurdistan region and Iraq safe from terror.

In the procession, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani said, "we are saddened here to farewell our dear brother Akam Omar… Martyr Akam was a Kurd, a religious man who fought for Kurdistan for his people and his party, and Kak Akam [Kak is a respectful addressing of somebody] did not want anything other than defending Kurdistan and improving the Peshmerga forces."

"Martyr Akam had a fundamental role in reorganizing the Peshmerga and played a significant role in forming the special ties we have with the International Coalition," the PUK president added. The International Coalition against ISIS provided critical assistance to the Peshmerga forces to win the war against global terrorism. 

The PUK chief then spoke in English to the International Community and thanked them for assisting the Kurds. "I want to especially thank the Americans, and especially the Germans for helping Kak Akam for his treatment, and at the same time, I want to thank the Iranians for taking our wounded to Tehran," President Talabani told the foreign delegations present at the funeral process.

At the ceremony, the Kurdish and Iraqi leaders laid wreaths before the fallen commander's coffin put the Sulaimani International Airport.
His coffin was later transferred to the Peshmerga General Command Headquarters in Sulaimani for a final funeral procession before leaving for Martyr Akam's home city of Erbil, where his tomb is prepared for his burial in Erbil's Sheikh Ahmed graveyard.

Thousands of civilian and peshmerga mourners lined the blackened streets of Sulaimani dotted with black flaglets, and thousands of Peshmerga with Kurdistan flags waited on the streets as his coffin was carried to the Peshmerga headquarters in the city.

On October 19, the Kurdistan Commando Forces (KCF) led by Martyr Akam Omar launched a search operation for IS remnants in the town of Zenana in Sulaimani's Garmian district; several land mines went off on the KFC convoy, killing KCF explosives specialist Mohammed Zuhair, and the force's top commander Akam Omar. Omar was hospitalized in Sulaimani but was later moved to a hospital in Germany for better care; he became a martyr 54 days after his injuries.

Born to a patriotic Erbil Kurdish family in 1989, the father of the commander of Kurdistan Commando Forces, Akam Omar, is a veteran Peshmerga Omar Osman, who served as a Peshmerga between 1978 and 2007. Martyr Akam was born to a revolutionary Peshmerga family, and a fighting spirit ran throughout his family. Martyr Gurun, the commander of the PUK artillery, was Martyr Omar's uncle.

Martyr Akam left two sisters, and a brother behind was the third child of his family and was unwed. He finished his primary and secondary education in Erbil. Akam had an excellent command of English, and Americans offered him a job. Between 2006 and 2010, he worked with the American forces as an interpreter. In 2011, he moved to the United States with the help of Americans and enrolled at an American military college.

As the war against ISIS begins, he moves back to the Kurdistan region and starts working for Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, the then commander-in-chief of the Peshmerga 70th Corps and the overseer of the Peshmerga frontlines against ISIS.

Martyr Akam greatly assisted in forging closer ties between the Peshmerga forces and the International Coalition against ISIS. He knew both sides well and had experience working for both, which helped him bring them closer to a better fight against ISIS. In 2015, he was transferred to the Kirkuk front, and Sheikh Jafar formed a task force of 38 Peshmerga with Martyr Akam as the force's commander. 

Creating a Peshmerga special forces was a turning point in the war against ISIS as it denied the enemy the advantage of surprise attacks using its small terrorist groups. The special troops counter-acted the ISIS tactics. Commander Akam also reorganized the foreign volunteers fighting against ISIS and brought them under a single command, making it an effective force against ISIS. 

Commander Akam's force provided critical assistance to peshmerga forces fighting against ISIS as the force served as a rescue unit for Peshmerga trapped fighting the terrorist groups.

His small unit grew and came to be known as Kurdistan Commando Forces. US, Germany, and France trained the Kurdish special forces and equipped it with necessary weapons. Martyr Akam turned the small unit into a formidable force, numbering over three thousand by the end of 2020, from only 38 Peshmerga. The commando was a determining factor in battles against ISIS, as it broke the morale of ISIS and fought with a warrior spirit. In a video, Martyr Akam talks to new recruits, telling them that they are the first line of defense in their fight against terrorism, and only 13 percent of his force are not injured in battle.

Akam Omar was wounded twice in the fight to liberate Mosul in October 2016. In 2017 an explosive-laden vehicle drove towards his unit, and Commander Akam blew the car up using an AT4 before reaching the Peshmerga battlefront, saving many lives but leaving himself severely injured from the explosion. For nine times, Commander Akam stood to car bombs and stopped them before breaching Peshmerga fronts. 

Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa praised Martyr Akam's bravery in an interview, saying, "whenever a bullet was shot in the long frontlines [against ISIS] he was always there to defend the Peshmerga."

In 2017, ISIS launched an attack on a US military base in Kirkuk's K1 military base; the commando forces went to the rescue of the Americans, a suicide bomber blew up Martyr Akam's unit, injuring Commander Akam and five other Peshmergas, and the Americans later took him to the United States for treatment.

Commander Akam believed in fighting for freedom and ignored party politics. In 2016, ISIS sieged six Peshmergas in the KDP-led fifth front, KDP politburo member Kamal Karkuki commanded the front, but Commander Akam rescued the Peshmerga, even though the Peshmerga were controlled by the KDP and fell under a separate command chain of KDP-led Peshmerga.

Akam Omar was the first Peshmerga to reach the rank of brigadier at 33, approved by a presidential decree as he was a skilled Peshmerga and talented commander. Commander Akam never wore his military rank to create a friendly sphere with his fellow Peshmerga and avoid looking down on his friends. 

Commander Akam was a philanthropist giving away a large portion of his income to hospitals and the needy and always attended to the needs of cancer hospitals. He always placed excellence and skills over nepotism and recruited based on CV and experience.

Commander Akam Omar continued serving the Kurdistan region and the fight against terrorism until October 19, 2022, when a network of land mines went off his convoy in Sulaimani's Garmian region during a search operation for ISIS remnants. The blast killed a commando explosion specialist and left commander Akam severely injured. He was initially moved to a Sulaimani hospital but later moved to a hospital in Germany; he remained under intensive care until he became a martyr on December 12, 2022.

His body was returned to Sulaimani in the Kurdistan region on December 17, 2022, for a funeral procession at the Sulaimani International Airport; hundreds of Iraqi and Kurdish military leaders, government officials, and foreign diplomats greeted the fallen commander's coffin and laid their wreath. Thousands of mourners in Sulaimani lined the streets with flowers and the Kurdistan flag.

Kamran Osman, a member of the Iraqi Kurdistan's US-based Community Peacemakers Teams (CPT), told KurdSat English, according to their figures, Turkish and Iranian shillings have left claimed lives 150 people from the Kurdistan region and injured 250 others since august 2015.

The CPT member noted that they had met Baghdad officials to compensate the wounded and relatives of the martyrs; on the Iraqi Justice Minister Khalid Shuani and Council of Minister's recommendations, they have gathered data on the number of Kurdistan region bombing victims.

We have begun the process of collecting the data of bombing victims and would conclude our findings in four months, Osman explained.

Turkey maintains over 150 military outposts, checkpoints, and airbases in the Kurdistan region, while it frequently bombs the region using drones and military aircraft that often claim civilian lives. Also, Iran has recently mounted attacks on the Kurdistan region, deploying Kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles that have killed dozens and displaced hundreds.