As we have repeatedly and correctly predicted for months, no breakthrough is likely between Erbil and Baghdad over oil. What is striking, however, is how the media continues to manufacture drama at the expense of salaried employees whose livelihoods depend on such agreements.

Mental health is almost entirely disregarded in the Kurdistan Region. Yet what the media is doing with its rollercoaster coverage of salaries is highly likely to have a direct impact on people’s well-being, especially those whose livelihoods depend on salaries, as well as the

There are reports that the Iraqi Council of Ministers has accepted a new proposal regarding KRG oil exports. However, this remains at the proposal stage since key technical details are still unresolved. The outline is as follows: About 60% of KRG oil produced by APIKUR belongs

Most of the points in this proposal, or, as some frame it, an “agreement”, are not new. As usual, there are enough minefields that could cause it to get stuck in the same technical detail loop. Otherwise, if such “agreements” were truly a signal, oil exports would have resumed

Some revealing details about the irregular migrant route from Libya, as described by the father of one of the 61 Kurdish migrants currently detained there: He explains that the journey is arranged through a local broker and that families are told it is the easiest and safest

This is getting wilder: the APIKUR spokesperson told Rudaw that the KRG’s net share is actually 40%. The example given is that if 10 barrels are produced, the KRG’s share is 4 barrels, leaving the companies with 6 barrels. This would mean that if 250,000 barrels are produced

The KRG statement just now confirms the conclusions of this below report: the 'oil agreement' is a political cover for another round of KRG salary payments, likely under pressure from the US and other foreign actors, while allowing the Iraqi PM to save face. The KRG statement

As the November elections approach, an interesting competition has emerged between the KDP and PUK on social media, where both showcase fleets of road equipment working to fix or build roads: This trend began earlier, with KDP-aligned outlets highlighting new and expanded roads

On irregular migration: over the past three years, the Kurdistan Region has witnessed a wave of campaigns portraying life in Europe as marked by hardship, unhappiness, and moral decline, aimed at discouraging young people from migrating. These campaigns have had a tangible

Noteworthy: The Chinese government is set to establish a joint research center with the Kurdistan Communist Party. The center, to be based in Erbil, will focus on Middle Eastern affairs. The Kurdistan Communist Party's deputy president, Hiwa Omar, told local media that "China

Council of State, which was expected to issue its legal opinion on the Baghdad–Erbil dispute over the KRG’s non-oil revenues, has postponed its decision until next week. The delay was justified on the grounds that no KRG representative attended its sessions on the matter. The

There is a complete blackout in Sulaimani following the violent clashes of August 22, which led to the arrest of Lahur Sheikh Jangi. For example, there was a highly suspicious “suicide” of a manager at Shari Jwan Tower named Zanyar Hiwa Mustafa who worked closely with Zarya

There’s an interesting situation: while there are talks of PKK disarmament in Turkey and SDF integration in Syria, PJAK has been further entrenching its positions in Sulaimani along the Iran border, building new tunnel networks and recruiting more fighters. More on this soon.

Bafel and Qubad Talabani are in Washington, reportedly meeting with officials from the State Department’s Iraq and Near East bureau. Following last month’s assault on Lahur Sheikh Jangi in Sulaimani, where U.S.-trained counterterrorism forces and American weapons were involved,

KRG Education (per the Minister of Education): • Teachers: 148,000 • Education employees (admin/support): 33,000 • Textbooks printed (2025): 22,134,000 • Students in public schools: 1,800,000 • Students in private schools: 154,000 • Total students: 1,954,000 (30% of the

A senior PUK source told media that the PUK aims to apply the “UAE model” to Sulaimani, presenting it as an autonomous center and establish direct international ties under its name. As the Talabani brothers have moved to further consolidate power, the party has opened an office

The director of Iraq’s North Oil Company announced that they “expect Kurdistan Region oil exports to resume within the next 48 hours.” Amer Khalil, the company’s director, told Rudaw TV: “The Iraqi government has softened its stance on the demands of the Kurdistan Region’s oil