An independent platform for Kurdish news and opinion.

Forcefully or peacefully, the Kurds will achieve liberation after 90 years of State Terrorism in Turkey

Written on May 23, 2013 by Editor in Kurdistan, Turkey

By Dr. M. Koohzad:

Turkey PM Erdogan; PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan

Prime Minister Erdogan and his friends in the AKP have proven to be successful survivors after a decade of conflict with the Kemalists and their powerful guardian the military, ultra-nationalists-Islamists, and the Kurds. They have faced challenges, dilemmas, and national and religious demands. They even have reduced their own expectations and become more moderate and acceptable to the majority of the people in Turkey, including the Kurds. The leadership has shown tolerance, become more assertive in compromising and it has arrived at possible solutions.

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Hip-Hopistan: Inside Greater Kurdistan’s nascent hip-hop scene

Written on May 22, 2013 by Editor in Culture, Kurdistan

By Joshua Levkowitz: The bass pounded from the speakers, but the crowd sat idly by. Amir, an amateur Kurdish rapper, struggled to beat out his raps, completely failing to move the crowd. He left the stage in Azadi Park frustrated. Amir saw many challenges facing the hip-hop scene in Sleimani, quoting Tupac, his foremost hip-hop…

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PUK leaders back opposition on ‘no third term for Barzani’

Written on May 21, 2013 by Editor in Barzani, KRG, Kurd news, PUK

KT News and Comment: A meeting of the PUK’s (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) Central Council in Erbil today potentially put it on a collision course with the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and President Barzani – in the run up to presidential and parliamentary elections – and aligned the party closer to the opposition. In a…

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What is happening in and to Syria?

Written on May 20, 2013 by Editor in Kurdistan, Syria

By Dr Kamal Mirawdeli: Unravelling the New Western Doctrine in the Middle East The Times newspaper persistently criticizes Obama for his ‘failure’ to support the Syrian Opposition and passionately calls for the supply of lethal weapons to the Syrian Free Army to end the despotic dictatorship of the Ba’thist regime of Bashar Assad. I wrote…

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Iranian presidential election is puppetry

Written on May 20, 2013 by Editor in Iran, Kurdistan

By Aziz Sheikhani: Before analysing the upcoming Iranian election, it is better to highlight some issues that have affected the whole situation in Iran. The history of the country, people, social structure, political system, economics and the undemocratic situation of the country, religion, and both internal and external factors – all are elements that cannot…

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Kurds and the presidential elections in Iran

Written on May 19, 2013 by Editor in Iran, Kurd news, Kurdistan

By Momen Zellmi: The eleventh election of the President of Iran is scheduled to be held on Friday, 14 June 2013. If no presidential candidate polls 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a runoff will be held on 21 June. This will elect the seventh President of the Islamic Republic of Iran….

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The White House of Erbil – a symbol of corruption

Written on May 19, 2013 by Editor in Corruption, KDP, KRG, Kurdistan, PUK

KT Comment: Known as the White House of Erbil, this is the headquarters of the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) and special residence of its leader, Jalal Talabani. It is also a symbol of corruption and despotism. The White House was built for Talabani by the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) to compensate him for the…

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Hospital bed photos of Talabani won’t heal PUK divisions

Written on May 18, 2013 by Editor in KRG, Kurd news, PUK, Talabani

By Mufid Abdulla: Six months after Jalal Talabani’s collapse in Baghdad with a stroke, the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) TV channel has shown photos of him in a German hospital bed (without any independent verification).There are rumours that he might be making a speech on TV but I don’t think that’s likely at this…

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Mem û Zîn Analytical Study*: IV – 1: The dramatic structure of the tragedy (as a play)

Written on May 17, 2013 by Editor in Culture, Kurdistan, Mem û Zîn Study

By Dr Kamal Mirawdeli: ‘Love and Existence: Analytical Study of Ahmadi Khani’s Tragedy of Mem û Zîn’ Part IV, Chapter 1: The dramatic structure of the tragedy (as a play) The Mem û Zîn drama is divided in terms of content and dramatic progression into three parts: Part 1: Starts with the introduction of the main…

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Karzan Karim kept in jail after serving his sentence

Written on May 16, 2013 by Editor in Corruption, Journalism, KRG, Kurd news

KT News and Comment: Karzan Karim, an independent journalist who was working as a security officer at Erbil airport, was charged last year with divulging sensitive information to a third party and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Karim was jailed after the Kurdistan Post published articles in which he accused security agency authorities of corruption….

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Is it a trap? Playing political football with fuel subsidies in the Kurdistan Region

Written on May 16, 2013 by Editor in KRG, Kurdistan, Oil

By Shwan Zulal: First published on Niqash High fuel prices and long gas station queues in Iraqi Kurdistan have led to calls for a government subsidy on fuel. But one industry analyst thinks that’s a terrible idea: And it seems as though not a day goes by when oil in the semi-autonomous state of Iraqi…

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Erdoğan to brief Obama on Exxon’s latest play!

Written on May 15, 2013 by Editor in Erdogan, KRG, Oil, Turkey, USA

By Shwan Zulal: At the airport moment before boarding the plane bound to the US, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced that Turkey has agreed a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Exxonmobil for oil and gas exploration in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The PM only made a brief statement…

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Mem û Zîn Analytical Study*: IV – Analytical reading of Mem û Zîn as a Tragedy

Written on May 15, 2013 by Editor in Culture, Kurdistan, Mem û Zîn Study

By Dr Kamal Mirawdeli: ‘Love and Existence: Analytical Study of Ahmadi Khani’s Tragedy of Mem û Zîn’ PART IV: Introduction As already mentioned, the drama of Mem û Zîn starts with a prologue in which Khani critically depicts his consciously-constructed literary-national-philosophical enterprise. He is aware of his project, asserts its innovative character, being first a text…

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First PKK group completes withdrawal, everyone excited

Written on May 14, 2013 by Editor in Kurd news, Kurdistan, PKK, Turkey

By Çiçek TAHAOĞLU, bianet: The first group of PKK guerrillas – 7 men and 6 women – arrived at South Kurdistan Media Defense Area along with journalists Hasan Cemal and Erdal Er. 13 PKK guerrillas who headed from Turkey’s Beytüşşebap district arrived at Heror in Metina region, South Kurdistan at 6:25 am local time. The…

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8th London Kurdish Film Festival: Call for submissions

Written on May 13, 2013 by Editor in Culture, Kurdistan, UK

By LKFF: We are happy to announce that the 8th London Kurdish Film Festival will be held this year from 15th-24th November. The main venue for the festival will be the state-of-the-art PictureHouse Hackney.

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