IRBIL: All foreign flights to and from the Iraqi Kurdish capital Irbil will be suspended from Friday, officials said, as Baghdad increases pressure on the Kurds over this week’s independence referendum.
The move by the Iraqi central government marks the first major step taken in retaliation for Monday’s vote, which delivered a resounding 92.7 percent “yes.”
An extended suspension of flights would have significant consequences for the Kurds, who have turned Irbil into a regional transport hub that is home to a large international community.
The non-binding referendum in the three provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan and some disputed areas was held in defiance of Baghdad, which declared it illegal, and despite international objections.
Turkey, also home to a large Kurdish minority, is especially concerned and has threatened a series of measures to isolate the Iraqi Kurds.
Talar Faiq Salih, Irbil airport director, told AFP that all international flights to and from the city would stop from 6:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday following a decision by the Iraqi cabinet.
Qatar Airways was the latest airline to announce all flights to and from the Kurdish region would be canceled starting Saturday. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir and Royal Jordanian announced on Wednesday that flights would be suspended beginning Friday evening.
Low-cost carrier FlyDubai said it is halting flights from Saturday. And Sharjah-based Air Arabia said it will “temporarily suspend its flights” from Saturday.
A civil aviation official in Baghdad said the measure applied to the airports in Irbil and the region’s second-largest city Sulaimaniyah. Baghdad has demanded the airports be handed over to central authorities.
A decision on whether to also suspend domestic flights would be made after Friday, the official said.
Salih said she deeply regretted the decision, which she said would hamper the campaign against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, as well as the delivery of aid to those displaced by it.
“We have consulates, international staff, international companies, so it’s going to affect everyone,” Salih said. “We have a big international community here, so this is not only against Kurdish people.”
Kurdish forces have been key allies in US-backed offensives against Daesh in both Syria and Iraq, and Washington had urged Irbil to postpone the referendum in the interests of that battle.
Longtime Iraqi Kurd chief Masoud Barzani went ahead anyway, and more than 3.3 million people— 72.6 percent of the electorate — flocked to polling stations to pursue a decades-old dream of statehood.
Barzani said the vote would not lead to an immediate declaration of independence, instead opening the door to negotiations, but Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has rejected any talks on the basis on the referendum.
On Wednesday, Al-Abadi demanded the results of the vote be “annulled” and talks take place “in the framework of the constitution.”
Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a resolution calling on Al-Abadi to “take all necessary measures to maintain Iraq’s unity” including by deploying security forces to disputed areas. A similar demand had been made on Monday but there have been no signs of any deployment.
Wednesday’s resolution also called for the closure of border posts with Turkey and Iran that are outside central government control.
Analysts have said it is unlikely Baghdad will take military action in response to the vote, especially as the top priority for its forces remains the battle against Daesh.
It could coordinate efforts with Turkey however to tighten the screws on the Kurds by cutting off trade routes, including for vital oil exports.
Al-Abadi’s office said in a statement on Thursday that Ankara had told Baghdad it would deal only with the Iraqi government on oil exports.
In a phone call with Al-Abadi, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim offered support for “all Iraqi decisions to protect the country’s unity” including those “linked to limiting oil export (operations) to the Iraqi government,” the statement said.
Turkey fears the vote will inflame separatist feelings among its own Kurdish population and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier threatened to block oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast.
Erdogan has also warned Ankara could close its land border with Iraqi Kurdistan and even suggested the possibility of a cross-border incursion similar to one Turkey carried out against Daesh and Kurdish fighters in Syria.
A senior Iraqi government official said that there were no ongoing talks with the Kurds.
“There will be no negotiations with Kurdish leaders, neither officially nor in secret, as long as they do not declare that the results of the referendum are void and do not hand over to authorities in Baghdad the border posts, airports and disputed regions where they deployed their forces,” the official said.
Baghdad cranks up pressure on Kurds with flight ban
Baghdad cranks up pressure on Kurds with flight ban
Hundreds of events set to wow audiences at Jazan’s winter festival
- Al-Ghazwani said this year’s winter season would last for 90 days
- The calendar includes the international book fair, craft bus, Saudi international coffee festival and Jazan international festival
RIYADH: Audiences will be spoilt for choice at the Jazan Winter Festival, with 300 fantastic events on the program, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
General supervisor Yahya bin Jaber Al-Ghazwani told a press conference that the festival, under the patronage of Jazan Governor Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, included 200 diverse events implemented by the region’s secretariat and 100 by other government agencies and departments.
Al-Ghazwani said this year’s winter season would last for 90 days with events taking place at 42 sites across Jazan city and the region’s governorates.
The calendar includes the international book fair, craft bus, Saudi international coffee festival and Jazan international festival for performing arts, along with concerts, cultural events, forums, poetry evenings, sports events, waterfront events, and park and heritage events.
On Thursday, the skies above Jazan’s North Corniche witnessed the launch of more than 3,000 balloons in various colors to celebrate the Jazan Winter Festival 2025.
Hundreds of residents, visitors and volunteers marveled at the spectacle, which included artistic formations of illuminated balloons.
The event marks the start of a busy winter season aimed at promoting local tourism in an atmosphere of joy and entertainment.
Germany brushes off Musk calling Scholz a ‘fool’
- Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann took a playful dig at the US tycoon, saying that “on X, you have Narrenfreiheit,” which translates to the freedom to act like a fool
- A tight-lipped Scholz simply called it “not very friendly“
BERLIN: German officials on Friday brushed off tech billionaire Elon Musk labelling Olaf Scholz a “fool” on his social media platform X after the dramatic collapse of the chancellor’s coalition government.
In a comment Thursday above a post about the implosion of Scholz’s long-troubled coalition, the world’s richest man tweeted in German: “Olaf ist ein Narr” — “Olaf is a fool.”
Asked about Musk’s comment, government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann took a playful dig at the US tycoon, saying that “on X, you have Narrenfreiheit,” which translates to the freedom to act like a fool.
The word refers to revellers during Germany’s traditional carnival season, which starts next week, having the freedom to act without inhibitions.
Historically, the term echoes the notion of the “jester’s privilege” — the right of a court jester to mock those in power without being punished by the king.
Asked later about the comment, a tight-lipped Scholz simply called it “not very friendly,” adding that Internet companies are “not organs of state so I did not even pay it any attention.”
Musk strongly supported US election winner Donald Trump, and is now positioned to take up a role in his administration as a deputy tasked with restructuring government operations.
It is not the first time the Tesla boss has had run-ins with German officials online.
Last year he said Berlin-funded migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean could be seen as an “invasion” of Italy, sparking a terse response from the German foreign ministry.
He has also expressed sympathy for some of the positions of Germany’s far-right AfD party, which has notched up a string of recent electoral successes and is riding high in the opinion polls.
Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in
- Aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month.
The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.
The letter, which was posted to the Internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.
Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days
- The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya
PORT SUDAN: The Sudanese foreign ministry accused paramilitaries late Thursday of causing at least 120 civilian deaths over two days in Al-Jazira state, reportedly in attacks involving gunfire, food poisoning and lack of medical care.
“The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya in Al-Jazira state over the past two days, resulting in 120 martyrs so far, killed either by gunfire or due to food poisoning and lack of medical care affecting hundreds of civilians,” the ministry of the army-backed government said in a statement obtained by AFP.
Northern Borders region experiences unusual start to winter
- National Center for Meteorology forecasts more rain, hailstorm
RIYADH: Heavy rain, snow and giant hailstones mean the Northern Borders region in Saudi Arabia is experiencing an unusual start to winter.
Video clips shared on social media show hail and snow blanketing areas in Al-Jouf, Hail and Tabuk with the mountains now covered, according to local residents.
Posting a video on X, a user called Sarahh wrote: “Hail suffered heavy hail on 2 November, the desert road between Rafha and Hail turned white. Heavy hail also occurred in Turaif and north of Madinah region.”
Saudi Arabia.
— Sarahh (@Sarahhuniverse) November 7, 2024
November 2, 2024
Hail suffered heavy hail on 2 November, The desert road between Rafhaa and Hail turned white. Heavy hail also occurred in Turaif and north of Medina. pic.twitter.com/LBFVYOjIZ3
While snowfall is not unusual in the region each year, the early onset of winter has taken people by surprise as it is usually experienced in December and January.
“The heavy rainfall, hailstorm, with record-breaking sub-zero temperatures at this time and snowfall as a result … are a pleasant surprise and also an indicator that climate change is real. For those who say climate change is not real, take a peek at the cold weather conditions that Saudi Arabia is currently going through in the Northern Borders region at the onset of winter,” said Riyadh resident Mohammed Al-Harbi.
The weather has also caused flash floods in some areas, while on Friday the National Center for Meteorology forecast: “Dust-stirring winds will blow and moderate to heavy rain accompanied by hail, leading to flash floods in parts of Hail, Al-Jouf, the Northern Borders, Jazan, Aseer, and Al-Baha.”
Light to moderate rain is expected in parts of the Makkah and Madinah regions, it said, adding that there may also be fog in those areas and in southern parts of the Eastern region.
Meanwhile, winds over the Red Sea will be westerly to north westerly at speeds of 10-30 km per hour in northern and central parts, and southwesterly to westerly at speeds of 10-30 km per hour in the southern part. Waves may reach from 1-1.5 meters with thunder clouds forming in the latter, with calm to choppy waters.
In the Arabian Gulf, winds will be northerly to northwesterly, reaching 10-40 km per hour. Waves may range from 1-2 meters and the sea will be relatively calm.
