Everyday life in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region

Life in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, an autonomous region of northern Iraq, goes on just as in any other city. The population of a million and a half citizens is seeing a residential and commercial boom with newly constructed buildings and even new or expanding suburbs. Shops and businesses are opening to cater for its residents as well as the boom in tourism and foreign investment. The number of hotels is increasing, and so are shopping malls, and entertainment parks. The city is undergoing beautification with the installation of fountains, statues, park benches, city gardens, and ornamental flower beds.

And so, traffic police monitor vehicles with speed cameras; people take their cart to the market; hotel personnel roll out the red carpet; the young cycle in the rain; marketers sell their fruit and vegetables; everyone checks their mobile phones, children go to school, young girls make public speeches, and I attend school presentations.

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Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

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Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...

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