Rudaw

Iraqi Kurds abroad began casting their ballots Saturday in a referendum on independence of the autonomous region of Kurdistan amid international opposition.

Kurdish expatriates in China were the first to vote, Karwan Jalal, an electoral official, told?Kurdish news portal Rudaw.

Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has rejected an initiative sponsored by the United Nations regarding a planned independence referendum in northern Iraq, saying that it contains several elements that are against the country's constitution. 

These days there is a single item on the agenda of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq: The Sept. 25 independence referendum. KRG President Masoud Barzani has started a public relations campaign. On the one hand, he is making visits, and on the other, he is frequently giving interviews, cultivating the "no retreat from the referendum" perception.