The UN mission to Iraq has expressed concern over political infighting between the major rival parties in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have been at odds over many issues since late last year, mainly elections to the regional parliament now scheduled for November 18.
Tensions over key election-related laws led to a fist-fight in the parliament on Monday between representatives of the two parties, raising fears of a further delay to the vote.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Secretary General's special representative for Iraq, voiced concern over the situation late on Wednesday.
“Ongoing political infighting in KRI [the Kurdistan Region of Iraq] is very disturbing,” Ms Hennis-Plasschaert said.
“Once again, we call on all parties to work in the interest of all peoples and find common ground on outstanding electoral issues soonest.
“Timely, credible elections are a democratic essential.”
The last election for the region’s 111-seat parliament and president was held in 2018. The next election was to be held last year, but it was postponed because of deep differences between the KDP and PUK.
The PUK wants to amend the parliamentary elections law to divide the Kurdish region into four constituencies instead of one and to review the voters’ roll, alleging it contains false names.
The scuffle between KDP and PUK politicians in parliament on Monday began after the KDP forced a vote on reactivating the electoral commission.
The PUK wanted to put the amended election law and the reactivation of the election commission in one package.
On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Region’s official gazette published the controversial decree.
The two sides have since entered a legal battle as to whether the parliamentary session was legal or not, deepening disagreements and threatening to delay the elections.
Attention has now turned to the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court to rule on whether last year’s decision by the Kurdistan Region’s parliament to extend its term was constitutional.
The final ruling was scheduled for Wednesday, but has been postponed until May 30.
To prevent the Kurdistan Region from entering a legal vacuum, the majority of the legislators voted in October last year to extend the four-year term of the legislative body by one year.
The KDP currently holds 45 seats in parliament to the PUK's 21.
Further disagreements between the KDP and PUK are over power-sharing, assassinations of PUK-linked officials and sharing oil and gas revenue.
The Kurdish region won self-rule in 1991, when the US imposed a no-fly zone over it in response to Saddam Hussein’s brutal repression of Kurdish uprisings.
The PUK and KDP fought a civil war in the mid-1990s that killed thousands. Many more Kurds sought refuge abroad. In 1998, the two sides stopped the fighting after signing a US-brokered deal.
After the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam and paved the way to recognise the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in the 2005 constitution, the two parties entered a power-sharing deal.
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The view from The National
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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