The story: A building apparently belonging to the Sunni Takaddum Front in the Iraqi capital has been reportedly rocked by a blast, hours after another attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone. The Sunni bloc has been under pressure since the parliament’s contentious Jan. 9 renewal of the speakership of its leader, Mohammed Al-Halbousi. Parties affiliated with the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) did not attend the vote. This comes as the federal supreme court has suspended the re-election of Halbousi.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Barham Salih has officially registered to run for a second term. A day earlier, former finance minister Hoshyar Zebari announced his candidacy for the same position. The men are affiliated with the two ruling parties in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI). Salih belongs to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) while Zebari is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). PUK members have customarily held the Iraqi presidency since the US-led invasion in 2003, while the KRI presidency has been in the hands of the KDP. Zebari’s candidacy thus signals a potential major shift within the Kurdish share of power in Baghdad.

The coverage: KDP-affiliated outlet Rudaw has highlighted the KDP’s endorsement of Zebari to..