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Iraqi PM: KRG Must Hand Over Airports by Friday or Face International Air Embargo

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Iraqi PM: KRG Must Hand Over Airports by Friday or Face International Air Embargo

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Iraqi forces watching border from Turkish territory          

Reacting to Masoud Barzani, the head of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s defiant attitude sticking for “ending ties with Baghdad,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has, on Tuesday, threatened to impose international air embargo if he does not hand over control of its airports in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah within three days.

Iraqi Prime Minister, while addressing his weekly press conference in Baghdad, said international flights to and from the Kurdish region would be suspended in three days. Precisely, KRG has until 3:00 pm local time (12:00 GMT) on Friday to transfer control of the airports to the Iraqi government.

Abadi reiterated that Baghdad would not negotiate with Kurdish authorities about the results of the provocative and “unconstitutional” referendum saying that whole nation would suffer from its repercussions.

Iraqi prime minister alleged corruption among the Kurdish leaders saying that the revenues collected from exporting the region’s oil had been transferred to personal bank accounts abroad. He also criticized the Kurdish authorities for not paying salaries to  the employees and workers in the region despite taking some 25 percent of country’s oil revenues.

Iraq’s central government called on all countries to stop direct flights to the international airports of Erbil, the capital of KRG and Sulaymaniyah last week. However only Iran has complied with Baghdad’s suggestion by halting direct flights to the region and also closing its air space for the flights originating from or destined to the Kurdish region. Iran had also threatened to stop trading through its borders with Iraqi Kurdish region.

Meanwhile, Masoud Barzani, in a televised address on Tuesday, urged Baghdad to engage in “serious dialogue instead of threatening.”  He said, “I call on Mr. Haider al-Abadi and the others not to close the door to dialogue, because it is dialogue that will solve problems.” He further said, “We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad.”

He was quoted saying, “We may face hardship, but we will overcome.” Barzani urged the world powers “to respect the will of millions of people” who voted in the referendum and adding that the “Yes” vote had won in the plebiscite.

According to Kurdish authorities, the turnout in the independence referendum was 76 percent, with 3.3 million of the total 4.58 million registered voters having participated in the exercise.

Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) was groomed during 12 years of UN sanctions imposed against Saddam Hussein regime after Gulf war-one triggered after Baghdad chose to invade and occupy Kuwait in 1990. Iraqi Kurds were getting 16 percent of country’s oil revenue directly through UN agencies till 2003, the fall of Saddam regime.

The Peshmarga military force, the official army of Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is also headed by the President of Iraqi Kurdisan. It is responsible for the security of the region through its subsidiaries: official intelligence agency, assisting intelligence agency, anti terror agency and military force.

The Iraqi Kurdish border with Turkey is manned by Peshmarga. Therefore Baghdad chose to participate in joint military drill with Turkish forces on the other side of the border. This is peculiar situation where official army of the central government is forced to guard its border from the territories of neighbouring country.

The independence referendum was held on Monday in open defiance of Baghdad and much to the consternation of the international community warning it could most likely create more trouble in the country engaged in fight against Daesh terrorists.

On Monday, Iraqi Defence Minister had announced that its armed forces had begun large scale military drills with Turkish army along the common border.

On Monday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would seal the Turkish border with the Iraqi Kurdish region over the controversial referendum and threatened for blocking their key oil exports.

On Tuesday, Erdogan said that Ankara would consider all options, including economic sanctions and military measures and warned that Iraqi Kurds would go hungry if Turkey decided to stop flow of trucks and oil across its border with northern Iraq.

On September 18, one week before the referendum, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had urged Iraq’s Kurdish leaders to scrap the vote saying it would undermine the ongoing battle against IS(Daesh).

Meanwhile, J. Michaeal Springmann, former US diplomat in Saudi Arabia, has told Tehran based Press TV on Tuesday that US and Israel have vast influence in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and have great interest in the secession of Kurdistan from Iraq.

He said that “US encourages the Kurds to rebel against the government of Iraq”. He was quoted saying, “The United States and Israel have been doing their best for quite some time now to divide Iraq.”

“What they’ve got now is a holy partnership between the United States of America, the Kurds and Israel,” he said. The US diplomat further said, “Israel has great investment, great control and great influence in northern Iraq. They are looking at it as part of Greater Israel.”

Springmann was the head of American visa bureau in Jeddah from 1987 to 1989. Information available at Wikipedia says that he was “ordered by high level State Department officials to issue visas to unqualified applicants”. He states that these applicants were terrorist recruits of Osama Bin laden, who were being sent to the US in order to obtain training from CIA.

Kurdish people are ethnic group spread in the Middle East spanning in the south-eastern Turkey, north-western Iran, northern Iraq and northern Syria. Their total population is approximately 30 million. The governments of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria have been opposing establishment of an independent Kurdistan in Iraq, apprehending it would encourage Kurds in other countries for similar demand.

Common perception among the people in the Middle East is that creation of a separate independent Kurdistan would in fact be the “creation of another Israel” in the region.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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