Handren Hiwa, director of Sulaimani International Airport, told KurdSat that Turkish Airlines has suspended all flights to Sulaimani International Airport until April 11, without giving the reason for the suspension.

He added that they have officially requested an explanation from the Turkish Airlines through the Ministry of Transportation and Iraqi Airways to find out the reason for suspension of the flights.

Director of Sulaimani International Airport said, that they have no technical, security, financial and administrative issue to suspend flights.

This is the second time that Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to Sulaimani airport, in 2017, Turkish Airlines suspended flights to Sulaimani Airport for a long time due to the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum.

The outcome, thrashed out in talks between federal and regional officials, spells the end of independent oil exports by the Kurdish regional government and marks a clear limit to its autonomy.

Ankara had stopped handling Kurdish oil last month after an international tribunal ruled in a nine-year-old dispute that Baghdad was right to insist on overseeing all Iraqi oil exports.

"Sales of Kurdistan crude will be managed from now on by the State Oil Marketing Organization," a federal government official told AFP on Saturday.

A "joint committee" formed by the federal and regional governments will supervise the export process, the official added.

Revenues will be paid into an account "overseen by Baghdad", a Kurdish official said.

The halt to exports through a pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan had left foreign oil firms with nowhere to pump Kurdish oil.

Norway's DNO, one of the main firms operating in Kurdistan, announced it was halting production at its wells.

Prior to Ankara's action on March 25, the autonomous region was exporting roughly 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude.

Oil exports are the key revenue source for both the federal and regional governments and their management has long been a sensitive topic in relations.

The Kurdistan government sees Baghdad as trying to profit from the region's resources, while the Iraqi government argues it should enjoy sovereign control over all of the country's oil production.

Iraq, the second largest producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), exports an average of 3.3 million bpd.

The victims, one aged 13 and the other aged 16, were shepherds, said reporter of Kurdsat News.

The children played with the mortar shell which reportedly was an un-detonated, old military-grade.

Security forces rushed to the scene and launched an investigation, but have not commented on the incident as the investigation is still incomplete.

Ziad Jabar, the head of the PUK faction told Kurdsat News on Monday, that the elections should be held on time and the electoral law should be amended and the differences should be solved.

The head of the PUK faction said, the other communities and minorities should have their own genuine representatives, adding that the representation of cities and towns is not balanced and must be resolved.

The Kurdistan Region Presidency has set November 18, 2023 as the date for the parliamentary elections to be held.

Meanwhile, the parties and factions in parliament have not yet reached a final decision on the amendment of some articles of the electoral law and the seats of communities are yet to be determined.

The killing has rekindled tensions between Turkish-backed armed groups controlling the area and Kurdish residents and fed into a power struggle between rival armed factions that control different parts of northwest Syria.

At the request of Kurdish residents, fighters from the armed opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham deployed en masse around Jinderis Tuesday, while an opposition war monitor reported that the group had taken over the headquarters of Ahrar Sharqiya group, a Turkish-backed armed opposition group, in the area.

A HTS spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, but there was a heavy presence of the group’s fighters in and around Jinderis Tuesday crowds of Kurds attended the funerals of the victims.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces deployed on the road linking the town of Atmeh, controlled by HTS, with Jinderis.

The assailants who shot the Kurdish men as they were lighting a fire in celebration of the Nowruz holiday allegedly belonged to the Jaish al-Sharqiya, a splinter group of Ahrar Sharqiya.

The Syrian National Army, an alliance of the various Turkish-backed factions in the area, issued a statement condemning the killing of the Kurdish men in “the strongest possible terms” and promising to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Jinderis was controlled by Kurdish fighters until 2018 when it was taken by Turkey-backed opposition fighters who still hold it. The capture of the town displaced many Kurds, while those who remained complain that they are often mistreated and subjected to discrimination.

“We call for an end to these violations and an end to the demographic change [in the area]," said Zakaria Ali, one of the Kurdish protesters. "All the Syrian people are our brothers, but criminals are not our brothers."

Ahmad Hassan, a member of the Kurdish National Council party, called for "just punishment" for the killers and for international protection for the Kurds and "removal of all factions from villages and cities in the region."

In the hours after the shooting, some Kurds from Jinderis traveled in a convoy to the town of Atmeh, about nine miles away, where they called on HTS to seize control of Jinderis from the Turkish-backed militias.

While HTS is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and other western countries due to its historic ties with al-Qaida, many Kurdish residents of the area said they see it as preferable to the Turkish-backed groups.

HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani met with a group of the victims’ families late Monday evening and promised revenge.

“The ones who harmed you will be killed, God willing,” Jolani told a group.

Clashes between Turkey-backed opposition gunmen and Kurdish fighters have left scores of people dead on both sides in Syria.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched three major operations inside Syria, targeting Syria’s main Kurdish group— the People’s Protection Units or YPG.

The YPG, however, forms the backbone of U.S.-led forces in the fight against Islamic State militants and has been a proven top U.S. ally in Syria.

The law consists of 15 articles that define the procedures for conducting both elections of the provincial councils and parliament.

During the parliament session, 70 independent MPs and members of some factions protested against the law and tried to stop the session during the vote on the amendment to the electoral law, so the speaker of the House of Representatives tried to take them out of the session.

Srwa Mohammed, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction, told Kurdsat News that his faction did not agree with the provisions set for the electoral process in Kirkuk, which is why they didn't vote in favor of the amendment.

According to the amendment, the elections in Kirkuk will be held on the same day as in other Iraqi provinces, but the voter registration must be reviewed based on the 1957 census and several other changes will be made in Kirkuk.

The session, which was attended by 189 MPs, approved all the amendments to the parliamentary and provincial council elections law.

According to Articles 2, 6 and 7 of the law, the provincial council elections must be held before 20/12/2023, while the next sessions must be held 45 days before the expiration of the term of the provincial councils.

The law also sets the conditions for running for parliamentary and provincial elections, candidates must be at least 30 years old, hold a bachelor's degree and have no criminal convictions.

The law clarified that the house of representatives consists of 329 seats, including nine for minorities.

Abdullah Ihsan, director of Duhok emergency hospital told KurdSat News that 19 people were injured in fireworks explosions in Duhok province yesterday, 17 of them were slightly injured and returned home after treatment.

Two of the injured were seriously injured and remained in hospital for treatment, director of Duhok emergency hospital said.

Millions of Kurdish people celebrate Newroz on March 21, on the first day of spring, lighting torches and fireworks.

Men and women in Sulaimani and the town of Akre welcome their new year lighting torches and fires, climbing up a mountain where large Kurdish flags had been put on display under colorful explosions of fireworks.

Millions of Kurdish people celebrate Newroz on March 21, on the first day of spring. It symbolizes the passing of the dark season, and the arrival of the season of light.

The festivity is celebrated by Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.

For many Kurds, this year's Newroz is saddened by the news coming from Rojava, Bakur and Rojhelat, where a 7.8 magnitude quake killed tens of thousands of people.

The festival has political importance as it symbolizes the Kurdish culture, and the struggle of the Kurds to have their own autonomous nation.

More than 20 million Kurds live in Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey.

On March 16, 1988, the Baath regime’s forces unleashed a cocktail of deadly gases on Halabja. Iraqi aircrafts attacked the city with chemical weapons killing some 5,000 people and injuring thousands more.

The genocide was one of many horrific crimes committed by the Baath regime under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship against the Kurdistan Region’s people.

The Halabja victims were among some 180,000 people killed during the regime’s “Anfal campaign” against the Kurds.

The attack still haunts Halabja as its residents, now estimated at around 200,000, still fight for justice, care for the ill and hunt for missing relatives.

In a statement on the anniversary of the chemical attack on Halabja, Bafel Jalal Talabani, the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said that the government has been irresponsible, but this negligence towards the people of Halabja must not continue.

“It is time to move beyond catchphrases and into deeds in serving Halabja and its people, and we must provide these services in appreciation for the valued citizens' sacrifice and sovereignty,” Bafel Jalal Talabani said.

On March 13, 2018, a total of 5,500 relatives of victims sued 25 European companies and individuals, including Iraqis, who they say aided Saddam’s regime in developing its chemical weapons stockpile.

On day two of the Sulaimani Forum 2023, KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said the council of ministers [of KRG] had passed the budget law, a crucial step. However, there are observations on the law, but it has passed.

“We are a quarter of the way there,” Talabani added. According to KRG law, the budget shall be approved in the national assembly divided along multiple lines in the past few years.

The DPM noted that half of the budget law is implemented, and the country has a lot of money; if shared equitably, it would be a significant step forward. Talabani also questions the fair distribution of previous KRG budgets. For the past few years, Sulaimani and Halabja provinces have needed more funds from Erbil.

Talabani said, “ We need to finalize, once and for all the oil policy in this country, and we have fallen short of addressing the oil issue.” The Erbil-Baghdad dispute has now boiled down the oil law that remains to be addressed.

“We will never address the financial problems between Kurdistan and the rest of the country until we have an oil law, an oil law that is very explicit, in terms of roles and responsibilities of everyone involved. We are in charge of extracting the oil, who’s in charge of exporting the oil, and who’s in charge of selling the oil, and then who’s in charge of receiving the money, and who’s in charge of distributing that money, hopefully equitably.” Talabani said in answering a question about the Erbil-Baghdad disputes.

The Kurdistan region has been barred from getting its budget share since 2014. The reasons are essentially the KRG’s handling of its oil sector, which Baghdad strongly disagrees with.

In the meeting, which was also attended by Qubad Talabani, the Supervisor of President Mam Jalal's Secretariat Office, and Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, a member of the Executive Board of the Political Bureau, they emphasized their commitment to working together, sincere partnership, and resolving disagreements in accordance with the Constitution.

"We must come to a resolution, and there is no justification for not doing so. Wasting time serves no one's interests, and the conflicts must be resolved," said President Bafel.

Dohuk's main bazaar on Tuesday was buzzing with shoppers who came to buy traditional Kurdish costumes.

"Indeed, all Kurds love the Kurdish costume. We like to wear it and that’s why we came to the bazaar today," said Biaf Saeed, a shopper.

Newroz in Kurdish, or Nowruz in Farsi, means "New Day" and marks the beginning of spring and a new year.

The festival holds political importance for the Kurds, as it symbolizes Kurdish culture.

The holiday, dating back to at least 1700 B.C. and incorporating ancient Zoroastrian traditions, is the most important event in the Iranian calendar and for Kurds in the region.

It symbolizes the passing of the dark season and the arrival of the season of light.

This year however, Newroz coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Ramadan needs its own shopping budget as households prepare for family gatherings and festive get-togethers with friends.

"This creates some (financial) burden on people, but it's necessary. Even if I don't shop for myself or for my wife, I have to come to the bazaar and shop for the kids," said shopper Dilgesh Ihsan.

Newroz is also celebrated in Turkey and Syria, among other countries.

On March 21, the Kurds head to the mountains and valleys, wearing their colorful costumes to mark the event.

Sudani said Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have reached an agreement regarding 2023 budget law and that “the strength of the Kurdistan Region is the strength of Iraq.”

The 2023 budget law project will help in resolving all outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, he added.

Sudani stated a government program has been drafted to promote and develop Iraq and a three-year draft budget law has been prepared. 

The Iraqi PM also spoke about the decision to formally recognize Halabja as a province, stating the decision was made two days ago. He added the government would continue to serve Halabja along with other provinces in Iraq.

Several young people in Zakho are working on technology projects and are seeking support from the city administration and the government to continue and develop their talents.

Handren is a young man from Zakho who has been working on a big project for three months. He developed an airport surveillance radar that can be used to protect the airports.

“If an international airport is opened in Duhok, we can use this equipment,” he said.

Besides the project developed by Handren, another 40 projects were displayed during Zakho’ Technology Festival.

More than 50 boys aged 11-17, some with parents hailing from Britain, France, Germany or the United States, live at the heavily guarded Orkesh rehabilitation center near the city of Qamishli, close to the Turkish border.

Opened six months ago, it is the first facility seeking to rehabilitate foreign boys in the Kurdish administered northeast, where prisons and camps are packed with thousands of IS group relatives from more than 60 countries.

Another center opened its doors in 2017 to rehabilitate young former ISIS militants.

The success of the centers are crucial to "saving the region from the emergence of a new generation of extremists," said Khaled Remo, co-chair of the Kurdish administration's office of justice and reform affairs.

Some of the boys wearing tracksuits played table football in one of the rooms, while others kicked around a ball outside in the sun, talking to one another in broken Arabic.

Once the boys turn 18, they will need a new rehabilitation programm or for their home countries to take them back.

"We don't want the kids to stay permanently in these centers, but diplomatic efforts are slow, and many children need rehabilitation," Remo said.

Kurdish-led forces, supported by a US-led coalition, spearheaded the fight against IS in Syria, driving the group from its last redoubt in the country in 2019.

Tens of thousands of people, including relatives of suspected militants, have been detained ever since in the Kurdish-controlled Al-Hol and Roj camps, including around 10,000 foreigners in Al-Hol alone.

While girls are also in the camps, this rehabilitation center focuses on boys because they would be who IS remnants -- now in hideouts in the desert -- would recruit to fight if they could, Remo said.

Talabani stated that the project is part of the efforts to virtualize the institutions and provide better services. Initially it will be operated at five governmental institutions.

After the implementation of the Single-Window project, citizens can fulfil their transactions in the easiest way and with the least routine, and it prevents corruption.

“I am pleased to launch this important project that is part of our duty to better serve citizens,” Talabani said during a visit to the building of Sulaimani province.

In the future, other offices in the provinces and autonomous administrations must implement the same project, he added.

“Through this system, the employee submits the transaction from a single window and receives the results, the employee executes the whole transaction and does not need the employee to go to several rooms, reducing routine and preventing corruption,” Talabani said.

Places that are operating with a Single-Window system from today will include; Sulaimani Province, Income Tax Directorate, Social Security Directorate, Missing Persons Police Directorate, Corporate Tax Directorate.