Turkish war planes have launched air strikes on Kurdish fighters in Afrin in northern Syria in a move likely to raise tensions with the US. The US-backed YPG says at least nine people were killed in the air strikes. Turkey had been shelling the area for two days, ahead of the start of its military operation on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani is heading to Tehran today to meet with Iranian officials, the first official meeting since the referendum. The Kurdish delegation also finally met with Iraqi prime minister Haider al Abadi over the weekend. The Iraqi central government however continues to call for federal authority to be restored over all of the Kurdistan region so little progress was made.
Lastly, congratulations to Ed Sheeran, who at 26, announced that he and his longtime girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn, are engaged. The couple met in school but only got together in 2015, spending most of 2016 travelling the world during his year off from music. Sheeran also said he was ready to start a family.
