Iraq’s Kurdistan Region to Hold Election on June 10 

President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani pays his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, during her lying in state at Westminster Hall, in Westminster Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP) 
President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani pays his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, during her lying in state at Westminster Hall, in Westminster Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP) 
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Iraq’s Kurdistan Region to Hold Election on June 10 

President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani pays his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, during her lying in state at Westminster Hall, in Westminster Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP) 
President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani pays his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, during her lying in state at Westminster Hall, in Westminster Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP) 

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq will hold parliamentary elections on June 10, the regional presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani issued a decree on Sunday and approved the date, said the statement.

The vote should elect both a parliament and a president for Kurdish regions which have gained self-rule in 1991.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.