Kurdistan's Zakho, Minnesota's Moorhead forge friendship pact
UN nuclear watchdog inspectors leave Iran
Swedish gang leader arrested in Turkey
US sanctions Iraqi network over Iranian oil smuggling
US renews call on Baghdad to 'rein in' pro-Iran militia groups
A+ A-
In a significant step toward international cooperation, the Zakho Independent Administration and the city of Moorhead in Minnesota officially signed a friendship proclamation, pledging deeper cultural, educational, and economic ties.
Alongside the friendship agreement, an academic partnership was announced between Minnesota State University Moorhead and the University of Zakho. The goal is to enhance education through student and faculty exchanges, creating what is being called a 'global educational bridge.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
6 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Baghdad rejects military movements near Kurdistan borders
Shafaq News – Garmian On Friday, the Iraqi Security Media Cell denied reports claiming there were military movements by Iraqi army units, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Peshmerga forces in the border areas between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region. In a statement posted on X, the Security Media Cell affirmed that the disputed territories are managed under a unified command and joint coordination between Baghdad and Erbil, noting that communication between federal and Kurdish forces is being maintained through joint coordination centers and high-level military leadership. خلية الإعلام الامني تنفي اخبارا مزعومة متداولة إعلاميا عن تحركات عسكرية غير اعتيادية في مناطق الاهتمام المشترك =====================تداولت بعض وسائل الإعلام ومنصات التواصل الاجتماعي خبرا مزعوما مفاده "تحركات لقطعات من الجيش العراقي وهيئة الحشد الشعبي او البيشمركة في مناطق… — خلية الإعلام الأمني🇮🇶 (@SecMedCell) July 4, 2025 Earlier, a security source told Shafaq News that Peshmerga forces under the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) declared a state of emergency in Garmian, which lies within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as Iraqi troops mobilized nearby. Garmiyan is a region in southern Iraqi Kurdistan. Once a rural agricultural area, it gained strategic importance due to its proximity to Kirkuk and the Iranian border. During the 1980s, it was a key base for Kurdish resistance and suffered heavily during Saddam Hussein's Anfal campaign.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Yemen's government and Houthis strike rare water deal
Shafaq News – Sanaa Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi (Ansarallah) movement have reached a rare agreement to jointly manage water infrastructure in Taiz, marking the first such cooperation between the two sides in nearly a decade. The technical deal was signed between the Water and Sanitation Corporation in government-held Taiz city and Houthi authorities in the al-Hawban district, which controls key water sources. The arrangement will allow for the reactivation of wells and water fields inside Houthi territory that once supplied most of the city's needs prior to the conflict. The United Nations welcomed the agreement as a 'major step' toward restoring essential services in a region heavily affected by water scarcity, adding that the pact would reconnect disrupted water and sewage systems that have been inactive since the war began and institutional divisions deepened. UN officials confirmed the agreement followed years of dialogue facilitated by donor countries and humanitarian organizations. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund will contribute $2M to reconnect an estimated 90,000 people, including internally displaced families, to the public water grid. The UN also urged donors and private sector partners to scale up investment in water infrastructure, warning that over 600,000 people in Taiz remain in urgent need of safe water access and reliable sanitation. Water shortages in Taiz have worsened since Houthi forces seized control of major supply points and cut off flow to government-held areas. The crisis has deepened amid rising water tanker prices and limited availability. Yemen ranks among the world's most water-scarce nations, with roughly 40% of its population lacking access to clean water, particularly in remote and rural areas.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
PM al-Sudani navigates Syria relations despite domestic tensions
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani is pursuing a cautious diplomatic strategy following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last winter, engaging with Syria's transitional leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, despite tensions within Iraq's ruling Shiite Coordination Framework. According to the British website Amwaj, several Iran-backed Shiite factions in Baghdad have voiced concerns about the growing influence of Sunni Islamist parties under al-Sharaa. Still, al-Sudani is pressing ahead, aligning with Gulf and Turkish initiatives to foster regional reconciliation. Analysts interpret al-Sudani's outreach as an attempt to elevate Iraq's diplomatic profile by balancing Gulf, Iranian, and Turkish interests. Meanwhile, Tehran appears willing to maintain a pragmatic relationship with al-Sharaa to preserve its regional foothold, indirectly giving al-Sudani more flexibility at home and abroad in a shifting and unpredictable landscape.
