Kirkuk - IRQ
Kirkuk, Iraq, May 4, 2018 (AFP) - In the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk it is hard to find posters of Kurdish candidates for Iraq's upcoming elections, but the campaigns of other hopefuls are in full swing.
The past seven months have seen a dramatic turn of events in Kirkuk, the "Jerusalem of Kurdistan" where hopes of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan were dashed after Baghdad retaliated against a referendum held in September.
The May 12 national elections have been welcomed by the city's Arab and Turkmen politicians, who are busy organising campaign meetings and whose election posters hang proudly in place.
In the Kurdish neighbourhood of Rahim Awa, home to the polling station that received the largest number of votes in the referendum, passers-by prefer not to discuss the return to the polls.
Only Freidoun Rahim, a 41-year-old Kurdish labourer, was willing to express his view.
"I voted yes in the referendum but today we have to live together -- Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen -- and so I will vote on May 12," he told AFP, without indicating which list he supported.
Rahim is one of around 940,000 registered voters in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, who will decide between 291 candidates -- 80 percent of which are new faces -- divided into 31 lists.
The hopefuls are vying for just 13 seats, one of which is already reserved for a Christian politician.
In the 2014 elections Kurds took eight of the available seats, with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) winning six seats and their rivals the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) securing the other two. Kirkuk's Arab and Turkmen communities each saw two lawmakers voted into parliament.
The outcome of this month's vote remains uncertain, with the KDP -- which initiated the referendum -- calling for a boycott and declaring the province an "occupied territory".
Other Kurdish groups have refused to present a unified list of candidates, while the PUK is urging its supporters to go to the polls.
But the party is facing allegations of betrayal after it facilitated the federal army's takeover of the province six months ago.
Federal troops pushed Kurdish forces out of Kirkuk and its oilfields in October, part of Baghdad's response to the "illegal" referendum that also saw the central government impose economic sanctions.
"My presence in Kirkuk during these difficult times is proof of my loyalty to the city," declares a slogan on the election poster of lawmaker Rebwar Taha Mustafa, head of the PUK list.
Speaking to AFP in his office, Mustafa alluded to the Arab and Turkmen groups: "Today we are witnessing the revenge of certain people."
He said the PUK had no choice but to allow federal troops into Kirkuk in October.
"The referendum changed the equation, but it's very temporary," the 40-year-old politician said, while admitting it is unlikely the PUK will do as well in this year's election.
"Kirkuk is Iraqi, yes, but with a Kurdish identity. The Kurds will still win but not with eight seats as in the last poll."
When Kirkuk residents went out to vote in September, they were met with the green, white and red Kurdish flag, a sun in the centre, flying in the streets.
It has since been replaced by the blue Turkmen flag, adorned with a crescent moon and one star, along with slogans for Arab candidates declaring "Kirkuk belongs to its residents".
"The next elections will show the real weight of different communities," said Turkmen politician Hassan Tauran.
"We warned the Kurds that the cost of the referendum would be very high and those that imagine a return (to the situation before) are dreaming," he told AFP.
His view was echoed by Amer al-Juburi, a candidate from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's list, who said: "Kirkuk is Iraqi, those who don't like the new situation can go elsewhere."
The political change can be seen in the office of governor Rakan al-Juburi, the Arab replacement of a pro-independence Kurd, who removed a photo of PUK founder Jalal Talabani from the wall.
The image has been replaced by one of Fuad Masum, a Kurd who is also Iraq's sitting president.
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Dispirited Kurds shy away from Iraqi elections in Kirkuk
Dispirited Kurds shy away from Iraqi elections in Kirkuk
‘Everybody is tired’ of war in Ukraine, UN migration chief says
- Russia’s invasion has triggered Europe’s biggest refugee crisis this century, with 5.6 million Ukrainian refugees globally and 3.8 million uprooted in their country
ROME: Fatigue over the war in Ukraine and US-led foreign aid cuts are jeopardizing efforts to support people fleeing hardship, the head of the UN migration agency warned in an interview on Friday. International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope was speaking a day after a Ukraine recovery conference in Rome mobilized over €10 billion ($11.69 billion) for the country.
“It’s three-and-a-half years into the conflict. I think it’s fair to say that everybody is tired, and we hear that even from Ukrainians who’ve been experiencing the ongoing attacks in their cities and often have been displaced multiple times,” she said.
“The response to it, though, has to be peace, because ultimately, without peace, there won’t be an end, not only to the funding request, but also to the support for the Ukrainian people.”
Russia’s invasion has triggered Europe’s biggest refugee this century, with 5.6 million Ukrainian refugees globally and 3.8 million uprooted in their country, according to UN data. The IOM and other UN agencies are hampered by major funding shortages as US President Donald Trump slashes foreign aid and European donors like Britain shift funds from development to defense.
US decisions will give the IOM a $1 billion shortfall this year, Pope said, saying budget reductions should be phased gradually or else Trump and others risk stoking even worse migration crises.
“It doesn’t work to have provided assistance and then just walk away and leave nothing. And what we see happening when support falls is that people move again … So (the cuts) can ultimately have a backlash,” she said.
Warning for US, praise for Italy
Pope, 51, is the first woman to lead the IOM and a former adviser to the Obama and Biden administrations who is now working with Trump’s White House on so-called “self-deportations.”
She said the IOM has decades of experience of such programs in Europe and they take time to implement, especially to prepare returnees and check they are going voluntarily.
“That doesn’t always move as quickly as governments would like,” Pope said.
Asked whether the IOM would stop working with the US if the returns turned out to be forced, she said: “We’ve made clear to them what our standards are, and as with every member state, we outline what we can do and what we can’t do, and they understand that, and it is part of the deal.”
After Rome, Pope was on her way to Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and US lawmakers. Turning to Europe, she praised Italy’s decision to increase migrant work permits to nearly 500,000 for 2026-2028, coming from a right-wing government otherwise pursuing tough border policies.
“What Italy is doing is taking a realistic look at what labor they need, what skills they need, what talent they need. And then they’re designing a system to allow people to come in through a safe and legal channel,” Pope said.
Australia’s Aboriginals ask UNESCO to protect ancient carvings site
- Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia, houses around one million petroglyphs
- These carvings, located on the Burrup peninsula, that could date back 50,000 years
PARIS: A delegation of Australia’s Aboriginal people has traveled to Paris to win UN backing for the protection of a heritage site back home they say is threatened by harmful mining.
The World Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, has been deliberating since the start of the week on what sites to include in the latest edition of the body’s world heritage list.
Among the dozens of sites under consideration is Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia that according to estimates houses around one million petroglyphs – carvings that could date back 50,000 years.
“It’s possibly the most important rock art site in the world,” said Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia.
“We should be looking after it.”
The site is located on the Burrup peninsula, home to the Mardudunera people, and under threat from nearby mining developments.
Making the UNESCO’s heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites.
It does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action.
“It’s absolutely crucial that the Australian government takes it more seriously and regulates industrial pollution in that area more carefully,” Smith said.
Giant mining corporations have been active in the resource-rich Pilbara region for decades.
Australian company Woodside Energy operates the North West Shelf, an industrial complex that includes offshore platforms, undersea pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing facilities.
The project consistently ranks among Australia’s five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country’s Clean Energy Regulator.
“These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,” said Mark Clifton, a member of the three-person delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives.
“This is why I am here.”
Environmental and indigenous organizations argue the presence of mining groups has already caused damage with industrial emissions.
They are “creating hundreds of holes in the surface. And that is causing the surfaces with the rock art to break down,” Smith said.
In an emailed statement to AFP, Woodside Energy said it recognizes Murujuga as “one of Australia’s most culturally significant landscapes.”
It added that, according to independent peer-reviewed studies, “responsible operations” could help protect the heritage.
Woodside had taken “proactive steps,” it said, “to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly.”
In May, the Australian government extended the operating license for the liquefied gas plant by 40 years, with conditions.
Australia insists that extending the plant – which each year emits millions of tons of greenhouse gas – does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050.
But activists, saying the government is not taking their concerns seriously enough, demand that UNESCO make any decision to put the site on the world heritage list contingent on the government offering adequate protection.
Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said she wanted guarantees.
“There needs to be, at the highest level, safeguards and measures of protection,” she said.
The Australian government has sent a separate delegation to Paris, also comprising members of the region’s Aboriginal population, to push for the site’s recognition.
Australia’s strong presence at the heritage committee meeting “is a meaningful opportunity to support the protection and conservation of some of the world’s most important cultural and natural sites,” Environment Minister Murray Watt said.
Icomos, a non-governmental organization partnering with UNESCO, said it was urgent for the Australian government to oversee “the complete elimination of harmful acidic emissions that currently affect the petroglyphs.”
UNESCO is expected to announce its update to the list by Sunday.
‘Adopt a Coral’ community restoration initiative unveiled
- SHAMS has developed the program using proven scientific methods for identifying damaged reef areas
- The project represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s marine conservation efforts
RIYADH: A new environmental initiative aimed at directly involving local communities in coral reef rehabilitation will be launched on Saturday.
The innovative “Adopt a Coral” scheme, by the General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea (SHAMS), will also promote awareness of marine ecosystem preservation.
The project represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s marine conservation efforts, supporting Vision 2030 sustainability goals and the Saudi Green Initiative’s mission to prevent ecosystem decline and protect biodiversity.
SHAMS has developed the program using proven scientific methods for identifying damaged reef areas and implementing cutting-edge rehabilitation techniques. The organization’s track record includes successful long-term monitoring systems that measure ecosystem recovery over extended periods.
The initiative offers a range of opportunities for those taking part, from hands-on coral seedling planting to educational workshops addressing major reef threats, including climate change and marine pollution. It particularly targets Saudi Arabia’s diving community as active contributors to reef monitoring and public education efforts.
Central to the program is a symbolic adoption concept, where participants take responsibility for specific coral sections.
Initial implementation will focus on selected Red Sea coastal sites, with gradual expansion planned to maximize both long-term environmental impact and sustainable community involvement.
As environmental pressures mount, “Adopt a Coral” initiative offers a practical model for community-based conservation of the fragile underwater habitats and reflects SHAMS’s broader mission to transform environmental protection into tangible community action.
Greece to adopt legislation against migrant ‘invasion’ from Libya
- Conservative lawmakers are expected to approve emergency legislation enforcing the temporary ban
- Proposed law to allow authorities to detain asylum seekers in camps for up to 18 months
ATHENS: Greece on Friday was to enforce a three-month freeze on asylum claims from migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, to stem a surge from Libya that the government has called an “invasion.”
Conservative lawmakers, who hold a parliamentary majority, are expected to approve emergency legislation enforcing the temporary ban, allowing authorities to detain asylum seekers in camps for up to 18 months.
“We have made the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the examination process of asylum applications for those arriving by sea from North African countries,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement to German tabloid Bild on Friday.
“This decision sends a clear message, leaving no room for misinterpretation, to human trafficking networks: Greece is not an open transit route. The journey is dangerous, the outcome uncertain, and the money paid to smugglers ultimately wasted,” he said.
Greece’s migration ministry says over 14,000 migrants have reached the country this year, including over 2,000 in recent days from Libya.
“Greece cannot have boats totaling 1,000 people a day,” Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told Skai TV, adding that the country will undertake a “draconian revision” of how it deals with migrants.
Plevris – formerly a member of the far-right LAOS party and now part of Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party – has called the recent influx an “invasion from North Africa.”
The move has been criticized by rights groups as a violation of international and EU law, and opposition parties have called it unconstitutional.
Noting an “exceptional” situation, European Commission migration spokesperson Markus Lammert said on Thursday: “We are in close contact with the Greek authorities to obtain necessary information on these measures.”
Greece took similar steps in 2020 during a migration surge at its land border with Turkiye.
To manage the influx, the government could reopen camps built after the 2015 migration crisis, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said this week.
Mitsotakis also told parliament that it would build up to two additional camps on the island of Crete.
Islamabad, Moscow sign protocol to restore and modernize Pakistan Steel Mills
- The Pakistan Steel Mills has been non-operational since 2015 due to years of financial mismanagement, political interference and mounting losses
- Both sides discussed plans to modernize the major steel complex on the sidelines of the recent INNOPROM Annual Industrial Forum in Yekaterinburg
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have signed a protocol to restore and modernize the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Karachi, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
The development comes days after the two sides discussed plans to modernize the major steel complex and expand industrial cooperation on the sidelines of the INNOPROM Annual Industrial Forum in Yekaterinburg.
INNOPROM, Russia’s largest annual industrial trade fair, brings together government delegations, business leaders and technology firms from over 30 countries to explore partnerships in manufacturing, engineering and high-tech industries.
The protocol was signed at the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow by Pakistan’s Secretary of Industries and Production Saif Anjum and Russian General Director of Industrial Engineering LLC Vadim Velichko, reaffirming the long-standing industrial partnership.
“The project aims to restart and expand steel production [in Pakistan], marking a new chapter in bilateral cooperation,” read a report on Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
The PSM, once Pakistan’s flagship industrial complex, was built in the 1970s with Soviet assistance. While it symbolized national self-sufficiency, the mill has been non-operational since 2015 due to years of financial mismanagement, political interference and mounting losses.
Moscow is also expected to finalize an agreement with Islamabad this summer to construct a new steel mill in Karachi, Russian Consul-General Andrey B. Fedorov told Arab News this month.
Technical experts from Russia have already inspected the proposed site for the new facility, and another delegation is expected soon to draft a detailed roadmap.
Russia has a long history of industrial cooperation with Pakistan, having previously built key infrastructure projects such as the Guddu Power Station in Sindh in the 1980s, one of the country’s major electricity producers.
Moscow and Islamabad have expanded cooperation in recent years despite global tensions over the war in Ukraine.
