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The Director of the World Health Organization in Iraq visited Sulaimani and met with the Director of Health of Sulaimani, the Governor of Sulaimani, the Kurdistan region deputy minister of health and the director of water resources of Sulaimani, discussed the causes, treatments and measures to prevent cholera.
Ahmad Ziurti and Wael Hatahit, head of the Emergency Team in Iraq and representative of the World Health Organization, expressed their support for the efforts of Sulaimani health to control the cholera epidemic. "You are the best," representatives of WHO told the Sulaimani health directory officials.
In a press conference, the Sulaimani governor said that the number of cholera cases is decreasing and the epidemic is under control and citizens should continue to take precautions to prevent it from resurfacing in the coming months.
The meeting was attended by the Peshmerga Minister, the head of the Kurdistan region Parastin and Zanyari-Zanyari agency, and a number of senior military and security commanders.
President Bafel Jalal Talabani thanked the American and international coalition forces for their assistance to the Kurdistan region in the fight against ISIS terrorists and for their support to the Peshmerga forces in terms of training, arming and improving military capabilities.
Talabani explained that the efforts to unite and reform the Peshmerga Ministry is praiseworthy and grateful and said that any plan to unite the Peshmerga forces are welcome, but the step should take into account the regional circumstances and today's reality, every step taken must be in the service of protecting the security of the region.
In the meeting, Kurdistan region president Nechirvan Barzani expressed the Kurdistan Region's gratitude to the United States and its allies for the support and assistance they are providing to the Peshmerga during the fight against ISIS, and their help in the reform process in the Ministry of Peshmerga and reunification of the Peshmerga forces.
For his part, General Brennan reiterated that the United States will continue to support and assist the Peshmerga to be brought together under the umbrella of the Ministry of Peshmerga and a single command and become a professional national force, strong and capable of fulfilling its mission.
The latest developments in the fight against terrorism, the need for cooperation between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army and the continued support of the international coalition for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region were also discussed at the meeting.
On Tuesday, June 28, at 08:15 local time, an armed student broke into Erbil's Salahaddin University college of law dean's office, shooting the dean dead and injuring a security guard, he later broke into the house of an engineering professor and killed him, a statement issued by Salahaddin University explained.
A video published by KurdSat English shows the lecturer being shot point-blank after the lecturer tries to run and the student with a pistol corners him.
The student had a transfer issue two years ago that ultimately led to the homicide. Today, the same student raided the office of Professor Dr. Kawan Ismail, Dean of the College of Law and the house of Prof. Idris Hama Khan, a lecturer in the College of Engineering. As a result, he killed both of them and wounded a security guard at the law college, a statement from Salahaddin University explained.
According to the murderer's brother, a while ago, his brother had an issue with Dris's wife, Dr. Nishtiman, who filed a complaint against the killer, and it led to his expulsion from the Koya University, the killer was eager to study and demanded to be transferred to Salahaddin University.
"He tried for three years to no avail, and the problem severely damaged my brother's mental health," the killer's brother added.
"The prime minister and all security agencies are investigating this tragic incident to bring the perpetrators to justice," Salahaddin University said.
The incident brought a united reaction from the people of the Kurdistan region, condemning such an act and demanding swift justice. Many people on social media asked for the return of execution.
In a statement, Dana Gas said that the missile attacks on the field caused no casualties. However, "after the June 22 incident, two more missiles landed on Friday and Saturday in the Kormor field in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
Production at the Kormor field continues normally, and security in the field is tightened, only work on the Kormor KM250 expansion project has been temporarily suspended, Dana Gas said in a statement.
"The Kurdistan Regional Government has taken all measures to increase security measures in Kormor, including bringing more troops to protect the fields and facilities," the company said.
The Kormor gas field was hit by a missile on November 22, followed by two more missiles on Friday and Saturday.
After the incident, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, along with the acting ministers of Peshmerga and Natural Resources and other security officials, visited the Kormori gas field on June 15 and met with officials of Dana Gas Company.
Qubad Talabani assured them that they would work to protect the workers' lives in the field, and would talk with relevant Iraqi authorities to prevent such attacks in the future.
Khor Mor natural gas field is located in Sulaimani in the Kurdistan region. UAE Dana Gas company operates in the field. An estimated 5.7 trillion cubic meters is in the Kurdistan region, with most of it in the Khor Mor gas field. Khor Mor holds over 80 per cent of the Kurdistan region's natural gas reserves.
Independent MP Ali Saadi said that due to the continued conflict between the political parties, the lack of clarity, the deadlock in negotiations to form the next cabinet, and the lack of any forward, all independent MPs agree to resign to solve.
Meanwhile, Hassan Bahadli, leader of the Nasr coalition, said the rumours that the Shiite coordination framework had nominated Qusai Suhail and Baha al-Araaji for the position of the prime minister are untrue and unfounded.
On June 19, the National Wisdom Movement, led by Ammar al-Hakim, announced that although after Sadrists withdrew from the Parliament, their seats in the assembly had increased from 4 to 16, making them active members of the Coordination Framework, they would not participate in the next government.
On June 12, the Sadrist bloc in the Iraqi council of representatives resigned to pave the way for the other parties to form the next government, the bloc claimed.
It has sparked a chain reaction, with many others parties revealing their intention that they might resign from the assembly as well.
On Monday, Iran said that reviving its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers depends on Washington, amid expectations that talks to salvage the deal will resume after a top European Union diplomat’s visit Tehran.
"The ball is now in Washington's court," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a weekly televised press conference.
The Iranian news agency ISNA, quoting an adviser with the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, reported that Qatar will host indirect talks between Washington and Tehran on the nuclear agreement.
"Iran chose Qatar because it is a friendly country," Mohammad Marandi told the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency.
And the spokesman for the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby, said yesterday that he could not talk about the status of the Iranian nuclear negotiations.
Kirby told reporters, that nothing has changed about Washington's position, which sees the nuclear deal as the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
On Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell suggested resuming nuclear negotiations with Iran in the coming days, and expressed his happiness with the decision taken by Tehran and Washington.
Borrell added, "We agreed today that this visit will be followed by a resumption of negotiations between Iran and the United States, facilitated by my team to try to resolve the outstanding issues."
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian announced that his country will seek to resolve problems and differences through negotiations that will resume soon.
Washington withdrew from the nuclear agreement during the presidency of Donald Trump in 2018, and then imposed severe sanctions on Tehran. The sanctions have brought ordinary Iranians to their knees, the recent protests that revolved around food and salary clearly show the effects of the sanctions.
The War in Ukraine is also another factor that motivates the Europeans to convince the Americans to revive the nuclear deal. EU wants to replaced part of Russian energy with Iranian imports.
Over 35 HDP officials have been arrested in an operation by Turkish security forces in Adana. The Adana Court Presidency has issued arrest warrants for a number of others.
According to witnesses, some of the detainees were tortured during their arrest.
On June 21, the Constitutional Court approved the closure of the HDP prepared by the prosecutor general. In July, the court officially gave the HDP three months to file its defense. The 843-page case calls for the ban on political activities of 451 HDP members and the closure of the party.
The party’s closure will be accepted if 10 out of 15 members of the Constitutional Court vote in favor of shutting down the party.
Since the failed 2016 coup, Turkish authorities have jailed hundreds of thousands of activists, journalists, politicians and civilians. The HDP has seen many of its members and offices in Turkey detained and closed, a move that has severely weakened the party.
The Turkish army and its mercenaries bombed the village of Arab Hassan in the north of the city of Manbij with artillery, and heavy and medium weapons, the press center of the Manbij Military Council said. The council did not report any casualties.
One June 1, Recep Teyyip Erdogan announced a military operation against two Kurdish cities of Tal Rifaat, and Manbij. The cities are ruled by the YPJ, a Kurdish dominated party that Turkey labels terrorist.
According to a statement issued by the Sulaimani Court, the court's president discussed the issue in a meeting with the Sulaimani Arrest and Transportation Police Department, emphasizing that a special place should be allocated for the purpose as soon as possible.
The Sulaimani Court of Appeal will be the first court in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to implement this system.
The remote system will provide more peace of mind for the accused and criminals and also greater convenience for the police, and it reduces the cost of transporting the criminals from prison to the courts.
The field is also a substantial source of revenue for the Kurdistan regional government to pay its employees, which are close to 1.2 million in a region of 6.5 million people. The KRG's budget share from Baghdad has been withheld or sent from time to time since 2014, making the field more critical to the region's finance.
The 800-dinar petrol is key to the region's stability, as petrol prices have increased two-fold since 2020. When in early June petrol prices increased. People accuse energy retailers of rocket and feather pricing, with many taking to the streets and unprecedented long queues of taxis and buses waiting to refill their tanks.
UAE energy firm Dana Gas runs the field and is located within the borders of the Kurdistan region, which is far from the chaos and insecurity that haunts the rest of Iraq, which makes the recent attacks suspicious as terrorists have never got their hands on assets and people within the Kurdistan region.
Although in just 4 days, multiple rockets were fired at the gas field. The assault follows the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to strip the Kurdistan region from Kormor.
On June 26, the Peshmerga forces stopped the Iraqi army from taking over the field. Later the Deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan region, accompanied by the senior military commanders, visited the Kormor and assured them of the region's insistence on keeping the field safe.
After the Iraqi supreme court's ruling to take over the Kurdish field, Iraqi executive agencies wanted to carry out the decision, a politically motivated decision. Yet, the region would not easily give up as the gas field is key to the region's stability, finance and a key card in Erbil talks with Baghdad.
Last Wednesday, for the first time Kurdistan region's Kormor gas field, which produces close to half of the region's gas production, was targeted with Katyusha rockets. It was followed by another attack on Friday that caused chaos within the field.
The attack comes amid tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad regarding controlling energy fields in Kirkuk. The attacked field, Kormor, produces almost half of the energy of the Kurdistan region, and the region depends on it financially as Baghdad has cut the region's budget share since 2014.
A recent decision by the Iraqi supreme court requires the KRG to hand over its oil sector to Baghdad, and the Iraqi oil ministry has expressed its willingness to carry out the decision.
Two border couriers from Ravansar and Saqqez cities in Kurdistan province were injured by Iranian security forces while working as couriers in the border of Nawsood and Bana cities, Hangaw Human Rights Organization reported.
According to a report by the organization, some people in East Kurdistan who go to the borders to work as couriers are attacked by the border guard every day. They climb high and steep mountains to put food on the table of their families as Iranian riyals is devalued due to the US-led sanctions on Iran.
Border couriers move goods across the Iran-Kurdistan region border over the dangerously high mountains. They are usually shot by Iranian border guards.
The United Nations' food agency said the decline in water levels in Qurna in the Fawi district of Basra province had destroyed 60,000 acres of agricultural land and 30,000 trees, reducing date production in Iraq.
According to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, Iraq was previously the world's largest exporter of date but now ranks seventh worldwide.
Since 2021, frequent dust storms have been covering Iraq's skies for days, and scientists warn of the desertification of more lands in Iraq. The recent storms have also stalled the Green Belt Project, and the belt is Iraq's last hope to stop desertification.
A United Nations report suggests that the 2020-2021 rainfall season was the second driest in the last 40 years, causing a reduction of water flow in Tigris and Euphrates by 29% and 73%, respectively.
Dams created by Turkey on the Euphrates and Tigers river that provide most water to Iraq have drastically reduced the mount of water reaching Iraqi lands.
The Director-General of the Technical Department of the Iraqi Ministry of Environment warned of the increase in sandstorms, especially after the number of dusty days increased to "272 days per year for a period of two decades." He predicted, "It will reach 300 dusty days a year in 2050."
"We are obligated to guarantee the state of the Union (between Russia and Belarus) and other countries from the Collective Security Organization," he said, noting that in the coming months, we will transfer the "Iskander-M" systems to Minsk.
He also indicated that the Su-25 could be re-equipped in the Russian war factories, put into service with the Armed Forces of Belarus, and start training on the airframe.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told his Russian counterpart that Lithuania's isolation of the Russian province of Kaliningrad was a declaration of war.
The meeting was after a missile strikes launched from Belarus today and landed in the border areas northeast of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian army announced earlier today that 20 missiles were launched by air from Belarusian territory, targeting a border village northeast of the capital.
The Ministry of Defense considered that the Kremlin seeks to drag Minsk into the conflict by carrying out a massive attack from its territory.
It is noteworthy that Belarus is a strategic ally of Moscow. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, is closely aligned with the Kremlin and has declared since the beginning of the conflict that he stands by Russia, but at the same time, he called for de-escalation by stopping the West's supply of weapons to Kyiv.
He also intended to conduct joint military exercises with the Russian forces before May. Putin's armament of Minsk increases the risk of expanding the war, further destabilizing the world economy.
After replacing the resigned Sadrist MPs, the door is open for the Coordination Framework to form a new government as soon as possible as they command the majority in the Iraqi council of representatives.
The Coordination framework has announced that it will hold talks with the political parties to form a new government in Iraq. Negotiations with the sunnies will not be complex, as the Sunnis have already won their share of power as the speaker of the Iraqi parliament is chaired by Muhammed Halbusi, but negotiations with the Kurds may be exhausting because of the differences between the KDP and the PUK.
Iraq has been facing a political stalemate for eight months, and there is a prospect of forming a government. Both Ammar Hakim and Haider al-Abadi say the formation of the government is not a challenge, but the real challenge is that a government without Sard would not be possible.
Sadr is closely monitoring the moves of the coordination framework and warned the coordination framework in the event of the formation of the government wants to attract figures from his movement to participate in the government.
According to a statement issued by Dana Gas, there were no casualties in yesterday's missile attack on the Kormor field in Kirkuk, and production continues normally. Only two employees were slightly injured, later treated, and have returned to work.
The statement added that security forces had launched an intensive investigation into the attack, and additional security measures had been taken.
The attack comes amid tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad regarding controlling energy fields in Kirkuk. The attacked field, Kormor, produces almost half of the energy of the Kurdistan region, and the region depends on it financially as Baghdad has cut the region's budget share since 2014.
A recent decision by the Iraqi supreme court requires the KRG to hand over its oil sector to Baghdad, and the Iraqi oil ministry has expressed its willingness to carry out the decision.