Books, pt.2
A seven-ish month update.
Alannah Travers
I'm a British-German journalist based in Iraq, interested in politics, personal stories and the human impact of a heating climate.
Kurdistan Regional Government likely to miss flaring phase-out deadline, satellite data suggests
Eight hundred metres away from one of the largest oil wells in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ali Hassan can’t sleep - the oil flares lighting up the sky outside his window keep him bed bound. A nasty smell is spreading through Khabat, on the road to Mosul, as the flaring intensifies, and some residents are struggling to breathe.
Success of Kurdistan Region's long-distance Zagros Mountain Trail lies with local communities
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After five years of scouting, planning, and collaborating, the final leg of the two-week Zagros Mountain Trail (ZMT) thru-hike was completed earlier this month by an intrepid team including the legendary co-founders of the path Leon McCarron, an Irish explorer and writer, and Lawin Mohammad, a Kurd from northeast Syria (Rojava) with an equal thirst for adventure. The success of the route, which its advocates hope could one day be on-par with world-class hikes such as the Camino de Santiago, Appalachian and Jordan trails, rests with the local community. Constructed through conversations and built on partnerships, the trail is for them and through them, and a treat for visitors to the Region fortunate enough to set foot on the cross-cultural journey.
'Divisions have deepened' in Kurdistan Region: UNAMI chief
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) chief on Tuesday raised a series of recent developments in Iraq to the UN Security Council in New York, including the internal politics of the Kurdistan Region, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and the security situation of the country including Iran’s recent missile attack on Erbil.
Zagros Mountain Trail ~ May 2022
A few shots from the final leg of the thru-hike of the groundbreaking 220 km long-distance hiking trail in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq...
Coalition responded to attempted drone attack on Harir airbase: spox
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US-led coalition defense personnel at Erbil province's Harir airbase responded to an attempted drone attack on Monday, a military spokesperson for the coalition told Rudaw English on Wednesday, adding that the US-led global coalition is investigating the incident which damaged adjacent homes and vehicles.
Lowest global US military strikes since 2006: annual monitoring report
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Combat-related civilian harm decreased across major conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa last year, according to the annual report of UK-based monitoring body Airwars published on Tuesday, reporting the lowest numbers of declared US military strikes globally since 2006 but finding the poor quality of US military assessments to be a key concern.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi
Eid, Umm Kulthum, Sheikh Zayed
Local Kurdistan Region media doc of a day out on the Zagros Mountain Trail 🌄
گەشتوان 5/5/2022
Soho Radio: Drought in Iraq
I'm on from 50 mins, dialling in from Iraq to shed some light on the drought, linked to the heating climate, dams in other countries + general poor water management. I also discuss what local environmental activists are up to, and why British investors are looking at getting gas from Iraq to the UK, while scientists say we should be moving away from fossil fuels.
Integration of Syrian refugees into Kurdistan Region’s schools a ‘major achievement’: UNHCR official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Jean-Nicolas Beuze, the UNHCR Representative in Iraq since November 2021, spoke to Rudaw last week about the situation of Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region, praising the recent move to integrate children into the Region’s public schools, and warning of both the agency’s limited humanitarian funding, and the fraud schemes targeting some of the most vulnerable.
Former officials urge US, Iran to see nuclear talks through to ‘successful outcome’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Over 40 former senior foreign and defence officials from countries including Turkey, Germany and the UK on Tuesday issued an open letter to US and Iranian leadership expressing their concern at the six week “period of stasis” in talks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, urging the US and Iranian leadership to “see the negotiations through to a successful outcome.”
Ankara appeals court sends Demirtas case back to high court
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Ankara Regional Court of Justice on Monday overturned the prison sentence of Selahattin Demirtas, the jailed Kurdish politician who has been imprisoned for his alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) since November 2016, although he remains incarcerated while his case is sent back to Turkey’s high criminal court.
Iraq's water reserves 'down 50 percent': official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior adviser at the Iraqi water resources ministry warned on Thursday that the country’s water reserves have decreased by half since last year, due to a combination of drought, lack of rainfall and declining river levels, as officials continue to caution a deeply concerning environmental and humanitarian situation in Iraq.
Easter, Kurdistan Region 🐣
Wonderful to have my amazing mother visit over the Easter weekend, to see the Kurdistan Region through her eyes, and to introduce her to the people and places I love.
US welcomes release of two Badinan prisoners
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US Consulate General in Erbil on Thursday welcomed the decision of a Kurdistan Region court to release two Badinan detainees, after their respective sentences were reduced to two years last month, in a week which saw the publication of a damning US State Department report into human rights issues in the Region including criticism regarding restrictions on expression, and the arbitrary detentions of journalists, protesters, and activists.
KRG responds to US State Department report on rights violations
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday responded to a critical US State Department report into human rights abuses in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, which highlighted the “impunity” that Iraqi security forces and certain units of the KRG’s internal security forces (Asayish) operate under, among other rights violations.
EU extends security sector reform mission in Iraq until 2024
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The European Council adopted a decision on Wednesday to prolong its advisory mission to support security sector reform (SSR) in Iraq for the next two years, promising to continue providing strategic advice regarding the implementation of civilian aspects of Iraq's security.
Kyiv’s mayor speaks to Rudaw about city’s siege
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The mayor of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, spoke to Rudaw's Sangar Abdulrahman on Monday about conditions in his city under siege and the lies he says Russia is spreading about the Russia-Ukraine war, nearing its seventh week.
Women facing stark health challenges in northwest Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eleven years of conflict in Syria has taken a profound toll on women’s health, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Wednesday, with thousands living in precarious conditions, suffering from food insecurity, and struggling to access healthcare in northwest Syria at a time when health facilities and projects are reducing their activities in the country.
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