Iraqi Kurdistan proposed on Wednesday to freeze the results of its independence referendum and start "an open dialogue" with the central government in Baghdad.
It also called for “an immediate ceasefire and cessation of military operations in Kurdistan”.
There was no immediate reaction from Baghdad – which said the referendum was unconstitutional – but the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Units, which played a major role in the operation against the Kurds, said a freeze did not go far enough and demanded the outright annulment of the independence referendum.
Iraqi forces captured the city of Kirkuk from Kurdish fighters on October 16 in response to Kurdistan’s vote on independence.
Two days later, the Iraqi military announced its troops had completed the operation to retake not just Kirkuk city and its lucrative oilfields, but also Kurdish-held areas in Nineveh and Diyala provinces.
The Kurds took control of Kirkuk city in 2014 after the Iraqi army fled a lightning advance by ISIL across north and west Iraq.
Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi met on Wednesday with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara as ties between their two countries have tightened in opposition to the Kurdish vote on independence.
Mr Abadi, who is heading a ministerial delegation, left Baghdad for a regional tour, which also includes Iran.
"There was a plan to dismantle the region and not just Iraq," he said in a statement published on his Facebook page on Wednesday. "They wanted to draw a border in blood and, despite all that, we did not fight our Kurdish people.
"Our orders stressed there be no confrontation and they responded, thank God, with non-aggression. But what is undeniable and unfortunate is the campaign of lies and false accusations that there are non-Iraqi forces in and around Kirkuk."
Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after ISIL seized a third of the country's territory, forming the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that Iranian-backed Iraqi militias and their Iranian advisers must "go home" now that fight against ISIL is almost over.
Mr Tillerson was in Riyadh for the launch of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, which aims to promote co-operation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism in the region and in the rebuilding of the Iraqi areas destroyed in the battle against ISIL.
Iraq is looking to Saudi Arabia for economic backing as both oil-dependent economies have suffered from a prolonged price slump.
Adel Al Jubeir, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister, pledged to boost relations with Iraq to a "higher, strategic level" to provide Baghdad with an alternative to pervasive Iranian efforts to exert control over the country.
Meanwhile, Mr Erdogan said that his country was ready and willing to support Baghdad as it seeks to reopen a crude oil pipeline from the Kirkuk oilfields to Turkey, through which Iraq stopped sending oil in 2014.
He added that the two discussed political, military and economic steps they could take after the "illegitimate" Iraqi Kurdish referendum.
Both Iran and Turkey have a sizeable Kurdish population and fear the September independence referendum will encourage their own Kurdish communities to do the same. They have expressed their willingness to work together and with the government of Baghdad, which deemed the vote “illegal”.
Mr Abadi said: “We tried to stop the referendum in Kurdistan but it happened from one side and with no deliberations.”
Mr Abadi’s visit to Ankara comes after relations between the neighbouring countries were strained last year over Turkey's presence at a military base in northern Iraq.
Mr Abadi also met with his Turkish counterpart, Binali Yıldırım, on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional development.
Ankara maintained an estimated 2,000 troops in Iraq, around 500 of them were in the northern Bashiqa camp training local fighters last year ahead of the successful bid to free Mosul from the grip of ISIL.
But since the non-binding independence vote and the countries' mutual vehement opposition to it, Turkey has given its support to Baghdad by threatening to close its border with the Kurdistan Regional Government and apply economic sanctions.
Ankara had particularly criticised the inclusion of Kirkuk in the independence vote, stressing the province's multi-ethnic character, where Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens live.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Company%20profile
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