Author: Hawnaz Siyawis

Prince Rahim Aga Khan, representing the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), recently engaged in asignificant dialogue with Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, underlining their shared commitment toadvancing sustainable development in the country. The meeting, held at the Ala Archa State Residencein Bishkek on March 1, highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing critical issues such asclimate change, education, economic opportunity, and cultural preservation.President Japarov welcomed Prince Rahim’s visit, acknowledging the AKDN’s longstanding contributionsto Kyrgyzstan’s socio-economic progress. He expressed gratitude for the AKDN’s efforts in improvingliving conditions, particularly in mountainous regions, and invited further partnership in combatingclimate change, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing…

Moscow (28/2). Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that non-governmental organizations in Central Asia have stepped up their anti-Russian activities amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. Shoigu said this at the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense on February 27. According to him, there are more than 100 “large pro-Western non-governmental organisations” operating in Central Asia, which have more than 16,000 representative offices and branches. “Against the backdrop of the special military operation, these NGOs have significantly increased their anti-Russian activities in order to reduce military-technical, economic and cultural cooperation between the Central Asian states and Russia.…

All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin’s website showed on Sunday (31 March). All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18. In July Russia’s lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30…

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is ready to supervise the Kurdistan Region’s delayed parliamentary election on time even if unexpected developments occur, an official from the commission said on Thursday.  A lawsuit submitted to the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court and unknown fate of money the IHEC needs to supervise the Kurdistan Region’s February 25 vote have made many speculate that the already-delayed poll might not be held on time. Al-Hassan Qabas, a member of the IHEC’s media team, told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih on Thursday that they have already begun preparations for the Kurdish region’s election, adding that unexpected development…

A drone attack on a Syrian military academy in the western city of Homs has killed at least 89 people, Syria’s health ministry says. The explosive-laden drones targeted a graduation ceremony attended by cadets’ families, and women and children were among the dead. A UK-based monitoring group said 116 people had been killed. The Syrian army blamed the attack on “terrorist groups backed by known international forces”. There was no immediate claim from the rebels and jihadists battling the government in the country’s civil war. The drone attack is believed to have been launched from opposition-held areas north-west of Homs.…

With two power stations undergoing repairs, electricity generation in the Kurdistan Region has dropped just as demand has increased with the arrival of colder weather. The electricity ministry said in a statement on Friday that two stations in Erbil province’s Khabat district are undergoing repairs, taking 300 megawatts of electricity out of the system since November 15. The stations will be back in operation late in the month. The drop in power generation comes as temperatures have fallen as low as four degrees Celsius in recent days. Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir said in a statement on Friday that the national…

Halabja on Saturday wrapped up its ninth annual Pomegranate Festival. The four-day event is growing in popularity and draws tourists from near and far. Varsin Ezzat has been a vendor at the festival in Halabja for three years. Together with her parents, she sells pomegranates harvested from their garden. “For the past three years, my parents and I have been actively involved in the pomegranate festival,” said Ezzat. “I manage our stall with their support.” Wearing red Kurdish clothing to match the pomegranates, Ezzat says though there are difficulties growing, harvesting, and then marketing their pomegranates, they are proud of…

Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army soldiers clashed near Erbil province’s Makhmour refugee camp on Sunday afternoon, resulting in casualties on both sides. There is now a ceasefire in place, according to the Peshmerga. Ghazi Faisal, head of a unit of Peshmerga volunteers in Makhmour district, told Rudaw that the clash was over “three military posts east of the camp that have been previously evacuated and the Iraqi army wants to control.” Makhmour camp houses Kurdish refugees from Turkey. It is located in an area disputed between Baghdad and Erbil and therefore characterized by a security vacuum. It has been hit…

A Turkish soldier was killed in battle with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region, the defense ministry announced on Friday.  The ministry said in a statement that a sergeant was killed by “harassment fire” by the PKK. The armed wing of the PKK on Friday claimed that its forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in Kurdistan Region’s Zap area, Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported. Ankara has intensified its attacks on alleged positions of the PKK over the past two weeks after the group carried out an attack on a government building in the capital Ankara.  The PKK…

The Ukrainian military, with the help of a domestic kamikaze drone, destroyed a Russian T-72 tank worth $3 million in the Zaporozhye direction. He said that the destruction of the tank was a joint effort of the UAV strike company of the 110th Troops Brigade and the 10th TVZ of the State Special Communications Agency. Our military found the target and with a precise shot turned it into a pile of charred metal. Fedorov emphasized that the estimated price of the Russian T-72 is about $3 million. Let us remind you that recently Ukrainian fighters used drones to destroy the Russian…