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Rebel Kurd, Karayilan, Defiant in Turkish TalksThe New York Times – In a safe house made of cinder blocks and surrounded by grazing goats and sheep, nestled high in the remote mountains of northern Iraq, a Kurdish fighter who has waged a guerrilla war against Turkey for nearly three decades remains defiant in the face of peace…

Iraq deadly bombings hit Nasariyah, Kirkuk and Baghdad –  BBC – At least 31 people have been killed and more than 200 others wounded in a series of early-morning explosions in cities across Iraq, officials say. Attacks were reported in Baghdad, as well as Tuz Khurmatu and Kirkuk in the north and Nasariyah in the south. The co-ordinated attacks occurred during the morning rush hour and mainly involved car bombs. The violence comes ahead of Iraq’s provincial elections on 20 April, the first in the country since 2010.