Iraqi Kurds demonstrate for autonomy

In Sulaimaniya, in northeastern Iraq, organisers said between 60,000 and 70,000 people converged on Saturday on the local government headquarters, many carrying banners declaring that Kirkuk, a contested city outside of the Kurdish region, should be theirs.

Banners also called for the two main Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which have been rivals over decades, to unite and present a stronger Kurdish challenge for independence.