Author: Bejne Gelavej

Rustam Emomali is increasingly the face of his country on the international stage On January 29, China signed off on an agreement to hand Tajikistan the gift of $2 million to fund the construction of a conference room in a government building. As grants go, it is not a lot, but the real significance of the development lies elsewhere. As an official press release asserts, that the money was disbursed at all was the result of a visit paid to Beijing by the 36-year-old chair of the Senate, Rustam Emomali, better known to the public for being the son of President Emomali Rahmon. Common…

The number of displaced Yazidis languishing in the Kurdistan Region’s camps for internally displaced persons numbers at over 280,000, an advisor to the Region’s president told Rudaw on Wednesday, nearly a decade after the Islamic State (ISIS) brutally displaced the ethnoreligious community from its homeland.  “The number of Yazidis living in the camps of the Kurdistan Region is over 280,000, and the number of displaced persons living outside the camps is unknown,” Khayri Bozani, advisor to President Nechirvan Barzani and former head of Yazidi affairs at the Kurdistan Region’s endowment ministry, told Rudaw. Bozani added that over 5,000 Yazidis were…

The Kurdistan Region’s general directorate of anti-narcotics on Thursday announced arresting five suspected drug dealers and seizing over 2.5 kilograms of narcotics over the past two days. The suspects were arrested across three different operations between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a statement from the directorate, describing one of the suspects as “internationally wanted.” Around 2.6 kilograms of crystal were also seized in the operations. “Investigation files for the suspects have been opened and they will be treated in accordance with the Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law,” the statement added. Over 1,000 suspects have been arrested across the Region…

Heavy rainfall accompanied by strong windstorms and floods caused significant material damage in Diyarbakir, in the southeast of Turkey. Bismil, a district of Diyarbakir province is one of the areas hardest hit by the floodwater, where dozens of houses and shops were damaged, yet locals express happiness at the fact that no lives were lost. Haji Nuri Demircan 90, a local resident affected by the flood, says he has never seen such heavy rainfall all his life. “I am turning 90 and I have never seen such torrential rain that I witnessed last night [November 20]. Yes, there is nothing…

Kurdistan Region’s city of culture played host to Iraq’s first-ever heavy metal fest on Friday, with the participation of international and local bands.  Titled the “Peacecore Fest,” it was under the slogans of reconciliation, peace, and friendship. This is the second Peacecore Fest. The first was held in Germany in September. In Sulaimani, three groups from Iraq, Turkey, and Iran performed, as well as a solo heavy metal project from the Kurdistan Region. “This is the first time happening in great Iraq and great Kurdistan. The first time, there was a Peacecore Fest in Germany, which we played as Dark…

A first of its kind festival was held in Sulaimani on Tuesday to introduce Kurdish horses, coinciding with the anniversary of the province.  The Introduction of the Native Kurdish Horses Festival was held under the auspices of Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani on Tuesday as part of activities to celebrate the 239th anniversary of Sulaimani province. The organizers said they aim to introduce Kurdish horses to the world. This is the first time such a festival was held in the Kurdistan Region. Three main types of Kurdish horses were displayed in the festival which was held at the…

Ukraine “in all respects” is not ready to begin negotiations on its membership in the European Union, says Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He shared this opinion in an interview on Radio Kossuth, speaking about the political difficulties facing Hungary. “Ukraine in all respects is not ready to talk about its aspirations to join the EU. Ukraine is as far from EU membership as Mako is from Jerusalem ,” HVG quoted the prime minister as saying. According to Orbán, Hungary’s “clear position” is that negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU should not even begin. At the same time, he noted that the European Union “owes Hungary…

During the entire war in Ukraine, 20 thousand mercenaries of the Wagner PMC died, half of them were recruited prisoners, PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview with media technologist Konstantin Dolgov. “During the operation [in Bakhmut], I selected 50 thousand prisoners, of whom approximately 20 percent died. Exactly as many of them died as those who came to us under contract. Approximately another 20 percent were wounded who had wounds, which do not provide the opportunity for three months or more to carry out combat missions,” Prigozhin said. According to the founder of the PMC, at the time of the…

An Iranian-backed Iraqi militia on Wednesday said it targeted the Harir airbase in Erbil province which houses US personnel with a drone strike, marking the second reported attack in a day on US troops in Iraq as a retaliatory measure to Washington’s support for Israel.  The attacks came after pro-Iran Iraqi militias warned the US that its bases and troops in Iraq would become “legitimate targets” if it decided to directly intervene in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.  “We announce the targeting by a drone of the Harir American occupation base in northern Iraq at exactly twelve o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday,”…

A high-level Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation is set to visit the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Tuesday and discuss budget issues with the Iraqi parliament’s finance committee the following day. The KRG delegation will consist of Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab, Head of the Diwan of the Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers Omed Sabah, cabinet Secretary Amanj Rahim, and several other officials and advisors, according to a statement from the government’s media and information department. KRG Spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani said that the Kurdish delegation’s visit is a testament to Erbil’s “serious intention” to resolve all budget issues with Baghdad,…