Author: Buban Pendi

The official representative of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ignat, is confident that Russia did not involve most of its aircraft in the special operation. According to him, Moscow uses only 300 aircraft. “Out of its one and a half thousand combat aircraft and helicopters, Russia uses <…> about 300 units,” said Yuri Ignat in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon (included by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the register of individuals-foreign agents and the register of terrorists and extremists). He concluded that the Russian Federation did not use most of its aviation equipment. In Ukraine, they…

The Kurdistan Region’s tourism board is seeking to attract more tourists for the upcoming snow season by holding various activities in areas that experience significant snowfall, a board official told Rudaw on Wednesday.   “Our plan is to develop the tourism sector. The Kurdistan Region has now passed the tourism season,” Ibrahim Abdulmajid, media head of the Kurdistan Region’s tourism board, told Rudaw, adding that “a lot of tourists” have in recent years visited hotspots in autumn and winter. Abdulmajid added that they are preparing to hold several festivals and tourist activities in the snow season this year. “The places where…

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is released this week – and reviews have called it a return to the series’ roots. But there’s also been one major change. For this edition, set in 9th Century Baghdad, developers Ubisoft have recorded the game’s performances in Arabic. Previous games in the long-running stealth franchise have taken place in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, but the heroes have always been voiced by English-speaking actors by default. Players can still choose to play the game with English dialogue, but its makers hope they’ll choose the more “authentic” Arabic. It was what fans heard when the…

President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani on Monday received the top students from this year’s graduating class and their families, handing them certificates of appreciation.  The University of Kurdistan Hewler announced on Thursday that President Barzani was offering scholarships to 18 of the Region’s top students, covering full tuition fees for all their years of study, as well as accommodation for students who reside outside of the capital. “You can study at any university you want in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Higher Education,” Education Minister Alan Hama Saeed, who was also in attendance, told the…

Rwanga Foundation, a non-governmental organization, on Thursday awarded dozens of youths from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for their skills in various fields in Duhok province.  The Rwanga Foundation on Thursday held its annual award ceremony in Duhok province’s Semel district. Thirty-six young applicants were awarded for their skills in 12 fields: short story (Kurdish), short story (Arabic), short film, recycled art, scientific innovation, entrepreneurship, solo musician, photography, drawing, poetry (Kurdish), poetry (Arabic), and software development. Over a thousand youths had submitted projects. Abdulsalam Madani, CEO of the organization, told Rudaw that Rwanga Foundation has implemented 296 submitted projects since…

Kurdistan Region’s general directorate of anti-narcotics said on Monday that it has arrested five people for drug-related charges, as well as having seized a hefty amount of different drugs. In a statement, the anti-narcotics directorate said that it has arrested five “dangerous” suspects who were dealing drugs, and seized one kilogram of methamphetamine and marijuana. Besides depicting the confiscated drug, the picture shared by the anti-narcotics directorate also shows several guns, rifles, knives, a rocket-propelled grenade, as well as fake banknotes. A source in the Erbil security forces told Rudaw English that the five individuals are currently under investigation and…

The resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline must resume “as soon as possible” as the halt in exports has cost the Region billions of dollars in losses, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Sunday.  Barzani said that “the halt of oil exports has caused billions of dollars in losses to the public treasury and must be resumed as soon as possible” in a meeting with Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani in Erbil, according to a statement by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). “The prime minister reiterated the Region’s readiness to resume…

Rice farmers in Sulaimani province’s Piramagrun are hard at work picking this year’s crop, which after a rainy winter, yielded a bumper harvest forcing farmers to use both traditional sickles and combine harvesters in the process. Rice is planted between April and May. The harvest season usually begins in mid-October every year. When there is enough rainwater, farmers in the village of Chalakh turn about 200 dunams of land into paddy fields. “In April, we begin plowing our paddy fields, and around the 20th of the same month, we start sowing the seeds. Then we maintain the crops until October…

Erbil security forces (Asayish) on Saturday said they arrested two people in connection with a woman who was thrown from an apartment the day before and seriously injured.  The suspects had been drinking alcohol and at 7 am on Friday morning, they had an argument with the woman and threw her off a building at Iskan Apartments in central Erbil, the Asayish said in a statement. The woman is receiving medical care and interrogation of the suspects continues. The Kurdistan Region suffers from high rates of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, child marriages, and female genital mutilation. Femicides…

Erbil-based Kurdistan counterterrorism forces on Friday reported that suicide drones targeted Harir airbase, which houses United States-led coalition troops, in the morning.According to the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), also known as Kurdistan CT, at around 10:25 am on Friday “Harir airport in Erbil province was attacked by suicide drones,” with no mention of casualties.A security source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Rudaw that following the attack smoke rose from the airport for about 10 minutes, however no information regarding casualties or damages resulting from the attack is available. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network…