|
Kurdistan Region-Iraq News in brief
25.10.2006
Update 2
|
|
|
|
Sulaimaniyah,
Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, Kurdistan Region (Iraq), October
25,
2006
Heavy rains lash Iraqi Kurdistan
Sulaimaniyah, -– Rains have been lashing Iraqi
Kurdistan for two days, the head of weather forecast
office in Sulaymaniyah city said on Wednesday.
“The wave of rain is coming from the Mediterranean
and the Red Sea, it is affecting all parts of the
region and could last several days,” Dara Hussein
said
Visibility was cut down and wind speed reached 20-30
km per hour, Hussein said.
KRG delegation to visit Baghdad
KRG delegation will meet the Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and
other officials in the Baghdad government.
A Kurdistan Regional Government delegation, headed
by Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, is to visit
Baghdad to discuss and attempt to solve pending
problems between the Baghdad government and the KRG,
particularly issues concerning the budget, natural
resources, electricity, and fuel, A Kurdish paper
reported last week.
The delegation will meet the Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and
other officials in the Baghdad government.
According to the information leaked to local media,
the Iraqi Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
agreed to send $485 million as a 2006 budget, which
is 17% for Kurdistan.
However, both sides are still
in disagreement with regard to the signing of
contracts of oil production by the KRG. The KRG
believes that they have the right according to the
national constitution to sign the contracts with
foreign companies.
But Iraqi oil ministry says all the contracts
unilaterally signed by the KRG are invalid.
It is believed that the KRG may bring its case to
the International Court to solve these problems. In
2005, $500 million were deducted from the budget of
the Kurdistan Region, but Kurdistan politicians in
Baghdad were able to have the full budget
reinstalled.
Implementation of Halabja public service projects
gaining speed
Projects include rainwater and sewage systems,
repaving the city, and ensuring clean drinking
water, one project that is already in progress.
KRG's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani met with
officials in Halabja to discuss the completion of
important projects there. He also sent a delegation
to Sulaimaniya to look into important projects
needed there, local media reported.
Projects include rainwater and sewage systems,
repaving the city, and ensuring clean drinking
water, one project that is already in progress.
Mrs. Kwestan Akram Faraj, deputy head of the Halabja
municipality council, said, "We have now begun three
projects in Halabja town. The first project is a
digging project for fresh drinking water, the length
of which is 2,900 meters. The Roko Company has
estimated that it will take a period of 228 days,
with a budget of 2,114,247 dinars."
The second project is repaving 9 kilometers, and the
last public service project involves rainwater and
the sewage systems on many streets. The length of
the project is 11 kilometers, and will be performed
by the Kurdish NWE company. It will take 145 days.
NWE began the project on September 23 at the council
office, and will continue to the Martyr's Graves in
the town.
The Engineers Union and the East Company in Erbil
signed an agreement on Saturday to build 2,000
accommodations east of Erbil at Kasnazan way for
engineers and contractors.
Abdul Rahman Ali, the
secretary of the Engineers Union, said, "The project
will take up 348 acres of land and the initial steps
will cost $133 million. It will include all the
other facilities." Twenty percent of the
accommodations will be paid for by the engineers in
advance, and they can pay the rest by installments
over a period of 10 years.
Akre needs a university
EDUCATION- The rapid growth and increasing of the
population which Akre, a market town about 100 km
east of the northern town of Duhok, has witnessed in
recent years , has resulted in a massive increase in
numbers of school leavers from the town, many from
poorer backgrounds.
This has lead to complaints on the part of many
school graduates and their families about the lack
of local higher education facilities. Students from
Akre wanting to continue their studies are obliged
to go to Colleges in other cities. However, many
face serious financial restrictions, resulting from
moving away from home.
"For me it's so difficult to study at a university
far away from my home" said Bakhtiyar Fariq, an 18
high school graduator student. Fariq's main
difficulty with study outside of his town is the
high cost of living in the other cities, brought on
by rapid inflation.
Another student, Hozan Ahmed Qadir, 18, a female
student accepted at Dohuk University last year is
also facing problems in continuing her studies. "My
father is a farmer and is not able to afford all of
my required expenses to study in another city."
Qadir wishes that there was a university or at least
a higher education facility in Akre which she could
study at. According to her, her problem is not
unique.
There are 64 high schools in Akre, both inside the
town and in its surrounding neighbourhoods. About
430 students graduated this year from the both
scientific and literary branches of these schools.
According to Rashad Kamal Mustafa, Head of Akre
Education Directorate, "This number is on increase
year by year." Like the young Akre graduates, Mr.
Mustafa also thinks that a university is needed to
assimilate this rather high number of school
leavers.......
KurdishGlobe net | Agencies
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 