On its account on "Twitter", Pentagon said, " [it] continues to fulfill priority requests for military assistance to Ukraine."

"We are facilitating the delivery of arms to Ukraine by allies and partners," the US defense ministry added.

Earlier, the Pentagon spokesman explained in a press briefing that his country had given Ukraine military aid through presidential decrees, roughly equivalent to its defense budget for 2021, stressing that the United States continues to support the war-torn country.

And he said last Monday that Washington wants to use the rest of the aid carefully to provide what the Ukrainians need in the current battles.
He also expected the aid package approved by Congress to be exhausted by the end of the third week of this month, demanding that the second package requested by the administration be passed quickly.

Since the start of the Russian military operation on Ukrainian soil, it is noteworthy that the United States has been providing Ukraine with military and intelligence support.

In the latest US statements, the permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations said that Washington would continue to provide Kyiv with intelligence, but how this information is used depends on the Ukrainian army.

"We provide them with intelligence so that they can defend themselves against Russia, as well as take a better position at the negotiating table with Russia," said delegate Linda Thomas Greenfield in an interview with CNN.

She added that her country would continue to provide the support they need, stressing that Russia felt the consequences of US support for Ukraine.

The General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism Group (GDCTG) announced that the CTG forces, jointly with the Peshmerga forces, emergency police and the Iraqi army launched a large-scale operation to destroy ISIS terrorists.

A statement issued by the GTCTG said that the operation aims to eradicate ISIL terrorists from the region and end their activities.

"The operations have started from two front, the first front in Kufri, Sulaiman Beg, Khurmatu, and the second front covers the area of Dawe and villages of Binari Ghara, to eradicate the bases of ISIS in the border."

IS terrorists have regrouped in the security vacuum made by the standoff between Kurdish and Iraqi security forces in northern and central Iraq since the 2017 independence referendum. 

Recently, Iraqi and Kurdish security officials have reached an understanding and have begun to clear the area from IS terrorists and the need for cooperation between the two parties to secure the area and deny the terrorists any safe haven.

On his official Facebook page regarding the formation of government in Baghdad, Bafel Talabani said, "the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the (PUK) has been in favor of political understanding and consensus from the beginning."

The PUK chief said that today the situation in Iraq requires that no force or party should be marginalized.

"The country [Iraq] cannot be led in the wrong direction in the name of the majority and any attempt outside this national will, will be fruitless," he said.

Talabani continued that "there is still time for dialogue. We must resolve the issues as per the constitution and genuine partnership and form a service government that will guide the country towards political, economic and social stability.'

Russia has cultivated closer ties with the Kurdistan region since the early 2010s. Moscow has stakes in the Kurdistan region's vast hydrocarbon reserves, and many Russian energy giants operate there. 

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, tweeted that they would add 24 new languages to the platform. The new languages are spoken by 300 million people worldwide, said Google’s senior software engineer, Isaac Caswell.

Google language was taught Sorani Kurdish language by a Kurdish teacher, Bokan Jaff, from Halabja, Kurdistan region, who has contributed more than one million words, phrases, and sentences to the platform in the last seven years.

Jaff volunteered for the past seven years to help google learn the new language. Jaff was pleased to announce Google’s decision to add Sorani Kurdish to their platform and said on Facebook, ‘ I ask every Kurd to celebrate tomorrow, Kurdish language will be officially added to Google Translate tomorrow.’

Kurdish speakers are usually limited to information available in Kurdish, which is less comparatively. Many Sorani speakers have restricted access to the internet due to a lack of language on the platform. Now Kurds can have access to texts written in the 130 languages that google translate understands. 

Kurdish is a family of dialects whose main ones are Sorani, Kurmanji, and Gorani. Kurmanji was added to the platform in 2016. Sorani and Kurmanji have their difference, and respective speakers of the languages usually cannot comprehend one another without prior contact. 

Iranian artillery on the Iran-Kurdistan region borders shelled the Bradost region with drones surveilling the area.
 
KurdSat News field correspondent Wlat Bradosti said, 'Artillery of the Islamic Republic of Iran opened fire on Kateena, Nawrubar, Bnpareza, Gorasaya, Barbzyn, and Kanishilan villages of the Bradost mountainous region.'

The attack was preceded by another attack on the Choman area near the Iranian border. 'Earlier this morning, on Wednesday, Iranian drones struck Degah village in Smeelan county near Erbil. It was a precision strike, away from inhabited areas,' said KurdSat News correspondent Peshawa Chomani. 

Since 2019 Iran has employed drones and ballistic missiles to attack the Kurdistan region. 

Though Iran shelled the regions in close proximity to the Islamic republic in the past, the recent shelling is the first in 2022.
 
The shelling is to targets members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) Peshmerga that operate in the Kurdistan region's border areas. The rebel group gradually moved to the Kurdistan region after the Iran-Iraq agreement in 1988.
 
The region's people ask the KDPI to relocate their bases from their area as they threaten the region and its people.
 
The artillery fire damaged the orchard and property in Bradost, and the lives of villagers in Darhol village were in danger,  Bradosti reported.

The KDPI headquarter is based in Koysinjaq, 60 kilometers west of the Iranian border. The group has commenced an armed insurgency against the Islamic republic since 1979 and aims for Kurdish self-determination in Iran. 
 
 

Former HDP co-chair, Selahettin Demirtas, told his followers that big changes will face Turkey and asked them to cast their ballots.

Demirtas published an opinion from prison and says, 'embrace for changes, work hand in hand, and keep each other's back. What develops a country is not a single person but the work of millions. Turkey is an inclusive state, and you need to agree on the fundamental democratic principles and eschew bickering on the personality of the political candidates.'

He concludes his opinion by stressing the importance of mass participation in the coming elections. One needs to curiously and peacefully work to change the government. 

Turkish general elections are scheduled to be held on June 18, 2023. Voters from 87 electoral districts will elect 600 Members of Parliament to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for a five-year term, forming the country's 28th Parliament.

Turkey's six main opposition parties, excluding the HDP, have allied to partake in the elections. The HDP has announced it will participate alone.

People's Democratic Party (HDP) is a leftist, Kurdish-dominated party with broad support in Turkey's Kurdish inhabited Eastern governorates. 

According to most statistics, more than 15 million Kurds live in Turkey, giving the HDP a vast popular base. 

Demirtas is one of the most popular Kurdish leaders in Turkey and the world. Its words bear heavy influence on Kurds in Turkey. 

Consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahdi Shoushtari, visited KurdSat in Sulaimani, met with Kurdsat’s director-general Derin Rashid Latif, and discussed strengthening media and cultural cooperation between Iran and the Kurdistan region.

In a Facebook post, Iran’s consulate general in Sulaimani wrote, ‘This morning, Monday, May 9, 2022, Mahdi Shoushtari, General consul of the Islamic Republic of Iran, visited the different departments of KurdSAT Broadcasting Corporation and met with its chairman, Derin Latif.’

The consulate general was walked through the different departments of KurdSat, and he presented a book to Derin Latif. 

‘After congratulating Mr. Derin Rasheed on his new position, they discussed strengthening relations, media exchange, cultural, and intellectual cooperation between Kurdish and Iranian media outlets,’ the Consulate general announced.

KurdSat has dubbed many Iranian-made movies and series since the early 2000s. They are popular among the people of Sulaimani, and Kurds across the Middle East and Europe. 

The Kurdistan region and the Islamic republic share extensive cultural and linguistic ties and a 560-kilometer-long border. 

Today, Tuesday, the Russian army continues its 'special military operation' in Ukraine for the 76th day, while the West continues its pressure campaigns in the form of sanctions, military, and material supplies to Ukraine.

On the ground, several large explosions were heard that shook buildings in the Ukrainian city of Odesa. The Ukrainian armed forces announced on Facebook that one person was killed and five others were injured when seven missiles fell on a shopping center and warehouse.

In footage from the scene, firefighters and rescue workers were combing through piles of still-smoky rubble.

In the latest developments, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Kyiv forces, under the orders of Zelensky and the instructions of American and British advisers, have been trying for days to recover the strategic island of Zmyni in the Black Sea.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Ukrainian forces tried to land their troops on the island. Still, they incurred heavy losses and failed in their endeavors, as the Russian troops on the island thwarted these plans.

"Over the past two days, the Kyiv regime has made several desperate attempts to carry out air and sea landings on the island of Zmyni, which is important to ensure control of the northwestern part of the Black Sea," Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

The Ukrainian military has warned that Russia may target the country's chemical industry. The Ukrainian General Staff did not explain the report on Tuesday. Still, it comes after Russia targeted oil depots and other industrial sites during the war.

"We do not rule out the possibility of sabotage at the sites of chemical industries in Ukraine, with the continuing accusations of units of the Ukrainian armed forces," the military said.

Yesterday, US President Joe Biden signed a decree to speed up sending military aid to Ukraine, signed the Defense Lease Act to help Ukraine, and called on European countries to unite in supporting Ukraine militarily in the face of Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, described the signing of the US law as a "historic step." He added that his army would defend democracy in Ukraine and Europe.

The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Yuri Borisov, announced that Russia has sufficient high-precision missiles and ammunition to carry out all the tasks before the Russian forces.

He noted that all types of high-precision Russian weapons confirmed their combat advantages during the conflict in Ukraine.

"The military-industrial complex supplies our army with all the necessary missiles in the required quantities," he told Interfax.

On May 7, over a hundred immigrants, mainly from the Kurdistan region, were trapped on a Greek Island near Kos when their overloaded yacht capsized. They were rescued today, May 8, by the Greek coastal guards.

Ranj Pshdari, a Kurdish journalist based in Greece, told KurdSat News, '106 immigrants mostly from Rania, Qaladze, Hawler, and Sulaimani, whose boat capsized and did not reach their destination. ' They were trapped without food and shelter on an Island near Kos, 30 kilometers from the Turkish shores.”

Pshdari publicized the story, and teams came to rescue the immigrants. Now they are safe, and the United Nations provides them on the Island.

'A number of the immigrants were family. Of the 106 immigrants, 73 were adults, 14 women and 20 children,' Pshdary added.

'Legally speaking, the immigrants may seek asylum on the Island for 18 months or register for deportation.' The journalist continued.

Immigration from the Kurdistan region has been ongoing for the last decade due to financial and social issues. According to one estimate, more than 633,000 people from the Kurdistan region, mainly from the Sulaymaniyah governorate, have immigrated to Europe.

Bryar Rasheed, a member of the Iraqi council of representatives, told KurdSat News, “ They are continuously working to supply medicine and medical necessities to Hospitals in Sulaimani. The Iraqi government has planned to send Sulaimani with a large amount of medicine.”

“The supplies have been prepared before Eid al-Fitr but holidays delayed their sending, and the supplies will arrive in Sulaimani soon,” Rasheed added.

Public hospitals in Sulaimani have been facing a shortage of medical supplies for more than a year as hospitals don’t have enough funds to purchase medicine.

According to Rojava local media, Turkish backed groups bombarded the villages “ Samoqa, Tel Unab, and Zewan, in Shabhayan canton, located in East and Northern Syria. The bombardment has caused fear and anxiety among the region’s inhabitants.  

Though the villagers expressed their concerns about becoming targets, Rojava media did not report casualties.  

Turkey calls Rojava a “corridor of terror”, referring to the strip of land on the Turkish border governed by Kurds of Syria. On the pretext of harboring terrorists, Ankara frequently targets villages, communities, cities, and individuals in Rojava. 

Several explosions were heard this morning, Saturday, in the city of Deir Ezzor and its surroundings. The Syrian regime and Iran backed militia control the town. Iranian militia sites in the "Hawija Kati'" area and the "new dirt bridge" became the target of a drone strike without information about human and material losses.

While the identity of the planes that targeted the area was not announced, which is the second targeting in less than a week, "My Channel and Al-Hadath" sources in Syria reported that American drones carried out the raid on Iranian militia sites in Deir ez-Zor.

The Syrian Observatory indicated at the beginning of the new month that unidentified warplanes launched raids targeting military points of the Iranian militias in the Al-Ashara desert in Deir ez-Zor countryside. On January 6, "unidentified" drones targeted a military site in the Al-Tabani area and Badiyat Al-Masr in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor.

On January 4, explosions were heard in regions where Iranian-backed militias in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor are present. The explosions were caused by unidentified drones, which targeted sites of pro-Iranian militias in the vicinity of the farms "Mazar Ain Ali", located on The outskirts of the city of Al-Quriah within the Al-Ashara desert in the eastern desert of Deir Ezzor.

A Donetsk People's Republic forces leader announced the first meeting between representatives of the Russian army and the besieged Ukrainian forces inside the Azovstal factory in Mariupol since the start of the conflict.

The commander of the "Vostok" battalion of Donetsk Republic forces, Alexander Khodakovsky, said on his channel on "Telegram" today, Saturday, "A group of troops carrying a white flag went out to a road leading from the bridge where the evacuees have received civilians into the Azovstal complex."

Khodakovsky indicated that a group of Russian military personnel went as negotiators to meet with them, stressing it was "the first personal contact since the start of the Mariupol siege" between the two parties in the conflict.

On the ground, the Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia targeted the port city of Odesa in the south. In contrast, the Ukrainian governor of Sumy reported that the two sites in the city were subjected to Russian missile attacks.

Before that, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of American and European weapons and equipment by bombing in the Kharkiv region, while 18 Ukrainian military sites were targeted last night, including three ammunition depots near Odesa.

The British Ministry of Defense stated that the conflict in Ukraine is taking a heavy toll on some of Russia's most advanced and capable units. It added that at least one T-90M tank, the most advanced in Russia, was destroyed during the fighting.

About 100 T-90M tanks are in service among the best-equipped Russian units, including those fighting in Ukraine.

Forces loyal to the Russian army continue their operations in the vicinity of the Azovstal factory, where the Ukrainian forces are holed up in the city of Mariupol. Tanks and heavy artillery are deployed to penetrate the defenses of the Ukrainian forces inside the besieged factory.

Russian Defense Ministry announced that "Nazi formations" and Kyiv forces are preparing provocations in an area where chemical industries are concentrated in Donbas, southeast of Ukraine, "at the direction of their sponsors in the United States and Britain."

Head of the Russian National Defense Control Center Lieutenant-General Mikhail Mezintsev said, "At the sites of the "Azot" company in Severodonetsk, Luhansk People's Republic, they have deployed heavy weapons, where they are holding more than a thousand factory workers and civilians as human shields, and at the same time the "Nazis" are systematically bombing the towns of Pervomaisk Stakhanov, and Kalinov, to provoke the Russian forces to respond, aiming to accuse the Russian army of killing civilians and causing a disaster."

On the ground, the President of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced that the Kyiv forces had thwarted an attempt to launch a counterattack in the village of Voivodovka in Lugansk, inflicting heavy human and material losses on the attackers and destroying their command center.

The spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, announced that Russian defenses had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 plane and intercepted two Ukrainian "Smerch" missiles targeting the city of Izum in the Kharkiv province.

In humanitarian terms, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the evacuation of hundreds of civilians from the city of Mariupol in the Donbas region and its surrounding areas during a humanitarian operation carried out in coordination between Russia and Ukraine.

Guterres said on his Twitter account yesterday, Friday, that two convoys evacuated about 500 people from Mariupol, especially the Azovstal steel plant, which is still the last stronghold of the Ukrainian forces, and the areas surrounding this city, within the framework of a successful operation carried out by the United Nations in cooperation with the Committee.

"I hope that continued coordination between Moscow and Kyiv will lead to more humanitarian pauses to provide a safe passage for civilians," he added.

Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Mariupol, the largest city overlooking the Sea of Azov, has witnessed fierce battles during which the forces of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic managed to control the entire city, except for the Azovstal plant.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of violating a ceasefire today aimed at evacuating dozens of civilians trapped underground in the bombed steel plant after fighting thwarted efforts to rescue them the day before.

More than 5,000 cases of suffocation were recorded due to the dust storm, which is the seventh in just a month.

As for Najaf, it recorded "more than 100 cases of suffocation as a result of the dust storm," announced the Health Department in the governorate located in southern Iraq and 332 cases in Salah al-Din in central Iraq, and 100 cases in Diwaniyah in the south.

The health authorities in Anbar and Kirkuk provinces in the north called on residents not to leave their homes, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

The dust storm is expected to gradually recede on Thursday, according to the director of media for the Iraqi Meteorological Authority, Amer Al-Jabri. In an interview with the Iraqi News Agency, dust storms will likely continue during May.

In the past two months, dust storms have recurred unprecedentedly in Iraq. Experts attribute them to climate change, lack of rain, and desertification. The latest of which led to the closure of Baghdad and Najaf international airports due to lack of visibility.

Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change and desertification globally, especially the increasing drought with high temperatures that exceed 50 degrees Celsius for days in the summer.
The World Bank warned last November of a 20% decrease in Iraq's water resources by 2050 due to climate change.

In an interview with the Iraqi News Agency, 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."

According to the ministry, increasing vegetation cover and planting forests with dense trees that serve as windbreaks are the most critical solutions needed to reduce the rate of sandstorms.