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Barham Salih: Favorite Candidate for Iraqi Presidency

Barham Salih, Former Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government with his wife Sarbagh Salih show their ink-stained fingers after casting their votes at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Sulaymaniah. May 2018. Reuters
Barham Salih, Former Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government with his wife Sarbagh Salih show their ink-stained fingers after casting their votes at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Sulaymaniah. May 2018. Reuters
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Barham Salih: Favorite Candidate for Iraqi Presidency

Barham Salih, Former Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government with his wife Sarbagh Salih show their ink-stained fingers after casting their votes at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Sulaymaniah. May 2018. Reuters
Barham Salih, Former Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government with his wife Sarbagh Salih show their ink-stained fingers after casting their votes at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Sulaymaniah. May 2018. Reuters

Iraq’s Shiites and Kurds have been discussing their choice for the premiership and the presidency after Sunnis picked on Saturday Mohammed al-Halbousi to become parliament speaker.

In Iraq, the speaker is a Sunni Arab while the prime minister is Shiite and the president is a Kurd.

Observers expect that Kurds would present more than one candidate for the presidential post next Tuesday, amid speculations that Barham Salih is likely to secure the highest votes, particularly after returning to the ranks of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Reports emerged this week that Bafel and Kibad Talabani, the sons of late Iraqi president and PUK leader Jalal Talabani, made an offer to convince Salih dissolve his Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) party and return to the ranks of the PUK in exchange for nominating him for the presidency.

On Wednesday, PUK leaders held a meeting in Sulaymaniah and selected Salih to take over from current President Fuad Masum.

“Barham is the sole nominee for the post of president,” Sa’adi Berah, the PUK spokesman said on Wednesday. “PUK leaders have voted today on this decision after he (Barham) accepted all the conditions of the PUK.

During the meeting, Salih defeated Latif Rashid and Moahmmed Sabir, winning the internal party election by 26 votes. Sabir won 15 votes while Rashid received only one.

Separately, Fadel Mirani, secretary of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo, announced that his party, headed by Masoud Barzani, the former Kurdistan Region President, would also have a candidate for the presidential post.

However, an informed Iraqi source asserted that the KDP’s candidate would not affect the chances of Salih to win the elections.

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Arab World

Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Arab World

UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
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UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)

The UN migration agency on Monday said 53 people were dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.

The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday.

"Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities," the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said "she lost her two babies in the tragedy.”

According to AFP, the IOM said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation.

"According to survivor accounts, the boat -- carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 pm on February 5. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water," the agency said.

"IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route."

The Geneva-based agency said trafficking and smuggling networks were exploiting migrants along the route from north Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to "severe abuse.”

It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.