Latest news with #Sherwani
Shafaq News
17-07-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Drone escalation: Is the Kurdistan Region's economy at risk?
Shafaq News A recent wave of drone attacks has dealt a serious blow to the Kurdistan Region's oil sector, triggering shutdowns and placing vital infrastructure under growing strain. The most recent incident occurred early Thursday, when an explosive-laden drone struck the Bahrka subdistrict in Erbil province. No casualties were reported. The night before, another drone targeted the Baadre oil field in Sheikhan district, sparking a large fire and forcing a halt in operations. That strike followed a series of earlier attacks in Duhok province, where the Tawke and Bishkabour oil fields—both operated by Norwegian firm DNO—were hit, along with a US-managed site in Malperkeh. While no injuries have been reported across the incidents, damage to equipment and facilities has been confirmed, raising concerns about operational safety and infrastructure resilience. These attacks were preceded by repeated strikes on the Khurmala and Sarsang fields on Monday, bringing the total number of drone incidents to at least nine in less than a week. On Tuesday morning, three additional sites—Peshkabir, Tawke, and a Hunt Oil installation—came under fire within a 90-minute window, deepening the disruption to production. Output in Freefall In the aftermath of the strikes, operators including DNO ASA and Gulf Keystone Petroleum moved swiftly to suspend operations. Tawke, Peshkabir, and Shaikan—the Kurdistan Region's most productive oilfields—remain offline. Acknowledging the gravity of the threat, the Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources called on all operators to conduct urgent safety assessments, as fears over infrastructure vulnerability continue to mount. Before the attacks, oil production in the Kurdistan Region hovered between 285,000 and 300,000 barrels per day in 2024. The strikes have cut output by an estimated 140,000 to 150,000 barrels daily—nearly half of the total volume. Peshkabir, producing roughly 49,500 barrels per day, alongside Tawke at about 29,150 and Sarsang at approximately 30,000, collectively contribute over 108,000 barrels daily. These three fields alone represent close to 6% of Kurdistan's projected 1.8 million barrels per day output this year. Oil revenues remain the cornerstone of the Region's economy, generating more than $4 billion last year, with nearly $2 billion retained after deductions. Based on current Brent prices, a daily loss of 150,000 barrels equates to roughly $3.8 million in missed income—amounting to over $1.1 billion per month. Even a more cautious estimate of 140,000 barrels per day results in a weekly shortfall of around $70 million, intensifying pressure on Erbil's budget. 'This is a direct hit to Kurdistan's economy,' oil expert Dr. Kovend Sherwani told Shafaq News, emphasizing that some fields have ceased production entirely and the full extent of damage remains under assessment. Sherwani also interpreted the timing of the attacks as a calculated message, stressing that 'They come just days after Baghdad signed a deal with an American company to develop Iraq's Hamrin field. It's a hostile signal against foreign, especially US, investment in Iraqi oil.' Voices of Outrage The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) warned that the attacks endanger both Iraqi and expatriate workers, stressing that the authorities in Baghdad and Erbil to enhance protection for personnel and critical infrastructure. On the political front, the Kurdistan Region Presidency described the strikes as a serious threat to sovereignty and investment. 'This is a dangerous escalation that targets the Region's stability and its partnerships,' the presidency noted, urging Baghdad to take decisive steps. Iraq's presidency echoed that position, cautioning that repeated violations put national security and the public interest at risk. Moreover, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered an immediate investigation, directing the reinforcement of air defense and radar systems. Despite mounting international and regional pressure, no official accusations have been issued. The Iraqi military dismissed claims involving the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), noting no irregular activity had been detected. The PMF-aligned Coordination Framework also condemned the strikes as destabilizing acts carried out by rogue groups. 'None of the factions affiliated with us were involved in these operations,' affirmed senior Framework figure Amer al-Fayez in comments to Shafaq News, emphasizing the need to avoid further regional escalation. Across the Kurdistan Region, unease is mounting among local communities and workers' unions. Growing concerns over oil-sector staff safety have prompted renewed calls for authorities to prioritize the protection of strategic energy facilities. Pipeline on Pause These attacks deepen an ongoing political stalemate over oil exports. The Iraq–Turkiye pipeline, capable of transporting 300,000 barrels per day, has remained idle since March 2023 following an arbitration ruling. Talks between Baghdad and Erbil continue to stall amid disagreements over pricing, operational control, and contract terms. Tensions have been further strained by Baghdad's decision to cap recoverable production costs at $16 per barrel. International companies operating in the Kurdistan Region argue that actual expenses range between $24 and $26 per barrel, making a compromise essential for any restart in exports. Dr. Sherwani warned that the drone campaign appears designed to disrupt any fragile momentum in Iraqi-Kurdish dialogue. 'These strikes don't just damage infrastructure—they complicate already difficult negotiations and weaken the prospect of reaching a unified oil policy.' He also pointed out that continued production halts could prevent the Region from meeting its crude supply obligations to Iraq's Oil Ministry and SOMO, a failure that may deepen the rift with Baghdad.
Rudaw Net
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Badinan journalist held since 2020 to be released next week: Lawyer
Also in Kurdistan Erbil stops receiving stray dogs from Bardarash after abuse video About 23,000 families remain in Kurdistan Region IDP camps: Ministry Earthquake measuring 4.8 felt in Erbil, surrounding areas Horseshoeing craft in Kurdistan Region on the rise A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sherwan Sherwani, one of the journalists arrested during the 2020 anti-government protests in Duhok, is set to be released next week after serving over four years in prison, according to one of his lawyers. Sherwani was arrested alongside a group of other journalists and activists in October 2020 for his involvement in protests over unpaid wages by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). They were called the Badinan detainees because they came from Badini areas in Duhok province. He and four others were sentenced to six years behind bars in February 2021 on charges of 'endangering national security.' His sentence was reduced by 50 percent in February 2022 by a decree from Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani but he was given four more years in prison by an Erbil court in July 2023 on charges of faking a legal document. The new term was handed just two months before his scheduled release. Another decree from Barzani reduced the sentence to two years. 'My client was supposed to be released on the 9th of this month, but today at 12:00 pm we completed the procedures. When I went to court, the judge had already left, and he has taken leave tomorrow, so his release will be next week,' lawyer Mohammed Abdullah told Rudaw on Wednesday. The trials and prison sentences of the Badinan prisoners drew outcry from diplomats, media watchdogs, and human rights groups who highlighted flaws in the legal system and accused Kurdish authorities of cracking down on dissent - charges the KRG has denied. Amnesty International has slammed the KRG for Sherwani's imprisonment, saying he was detained on 'bogus charges of espionage and sharing information with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).' 'The trial was marred by serious violations of the right to a fair trial, including allegations of torture and other ill-treatment that were not investigated, the reliance on torture-tainted confessions, and a refusal to allow defence lawyers timely access to the case files,' Amnesty lamented. Kurdish authorities have repeatedly faced harsh criticism for their treatment of journalists as well as imposing restrictive measures on the press. A total of 182 violations were committed against journalists and media outlets in 2024, according to figures from Metro Center for Journalists Right and Advocacy, a decline compared to the 231 violations recorded the year before. Solin Hamadamin contributed to this report.
The National
12-02-2025
- Business
- The National
Leap 2025: Saudi Arabia unveils plans to boost local chip manufacturing and quantum computing
Saudi Arabia has announced several initiatives focused on boosting its domestic chip manufacturing and quantum computing sectors, as the kingdom continues to position itself as a major technology hub regionally and globally. The National Semiconductor Hub will be welcoming 10 companies, 'mostly based in Silicon Valley', who will begin their operations in Riyadh in the next two to three months, Naveed Sherwani, who leads the NSH, said on Wednesday. These companies will design 'state of the art' chips 'using Saudi engineers,' he told delegates at the Leap technology summit in Riyadh. The NSH, formed last year, aims to bring at least 50 semiconductor companies into the Arab world's biggest economy. The hub is also setting up a design and manufacturing centre with California-based UltraSense in Riyadh to develop human interface chips for contactless interactions in collaboration with the kingdom's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. The NSH is also teaming up with ACT, a Saudi credit cards producer, to establish a company for manufacturing payment chips for use in the kingdom. 'By next year, all such chips will be made in Saudi Arabia,' Mr Sherwani said. Saudi Arabia also announced three 'moonshot missions', including the establishment of five cognitive cities across the kingdom by 2040, the development of a 'scalable, fault-tolerant' quantum computer by 2045 and the creation of an aligned artificial general intelligence by 2050. In technology terms, a moonshot programme is an exploratory and ambitious undertaking without the guarantee of near-term benefit or profitability. The quantum computer initiative is expected to be complemented by the formation of the National Alliance for Quantum Computing. The kingdom also announced a programme to build Saudi Arabia's first autonomous logistics vehicle under the Future of Mobility Committee and set up a centre of excellence in artificial intelligence and data analytics for healthcare research and development, with an initial investment of 100 million Saudi riyals ($26.7 million). The latest round of announcements at the Leap summit reinforce efforts of the kingdom, which continues to tap into technology as part of its overarching Vision 2030 programme aimed at diversifying its economy away from oil. The kingdom, like its peers in the Gulf region, is boosting its technology sector as the world increasingly moves into a digital era, with home-grown technologies and manufacturing especially, in AI and chips, seen as essential to helping in this transition and economic development. On Tuesday, US company Equinix announced plans to build a $1 billion data centre in the kingdom, while Saudi start-ups received $494 million in new investment commitments. Pledges of more than $7.4 billion from local and global entities were also made to boost Saudi Arabia's AI and data centre capabilities, and the $14.9 billion commitments, mostly centre on AI, announced on Sunday. Separately on Wednesday, Ceer, Saudi Arabia's first electric vehicle manufacturer, signed 11 partnerships agreements worth 5.5 billion riyals to help boost its operations. About 80 per cent of the suppliers for the company's vehicle components and charging equipment are Saudi-based, Ceer announced on the sidelines of the PIF Public Sector Forum in Riyadh. The move aims to achieve 45 per cent localisation targets and further expand the Saudi car sector, it said. The company has already established partnerships with 263 local companies that have been awarded deals worth 6.6 billion riyals. Its global partners include Foxconn, BMW and Siemens, among others. 'These partnerships are crucial not only for a thriving automotive industry, but also for creating future jobs and driving economic growth in the kingdom,' Ceer chief executive Jim DeLuca said. Ceer had previously said it plans to roll out its first EVs in 2025. The company aims to attract more than $150 million of foreign direct investment and create up to 30,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to contributing $8 billion to the kingdom's economy by 2034, according to its website.
