Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Sulaymaniyah, also spelled Slemani, is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, not far from the Iran–Iraq border. It is surrounded by the Azmar (Ezmer), Goizha (Goyje) and Qaiwan (Qeywan) Mountains in the northeast, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluja Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with very hot dry summers and cold wet winters.
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, and northwestern Iran. Much of the geographical and cultural region of Iraqi Kurdistan is part of the Kurdistan Region (KRI), an autonomous region recognized by the Constitution of Iraq. As with the rest of Kurdistan, and unlike most of the rest of Iraq, the region is inland and mountainous.
Mah Sharaf Khanom Mastoureh Ardalan or Mastura Ardalan was a Kurdish poet, historian, and writer.
Kurdistan Region is an autonomous administrative entity within the Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurdish-majority divisions of Arab-majority Iraq: the Erbil Governorate, the Sulaymaniyah Governorate, the Duhok Governorate, and Halabja Governorate. The KRI is bordered by Iran to the east, by Turkey to the north, and by Syria to the west. It does not govern all of Iraqi Kurdistan, and lays claim to the disputed territories of northern Iraq; these territories have a predominantly non-Arab population and were subject to the Ba'athist Arabization campaigns throughout the late 20th century. Though the KRI's autonomy was realized in 1992, one year after Iraq's defeat in the Gulf War, these northern territories remain contested between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq to the present day. In light of the dispute, the KRI's constitution declares the city of Kirkuk as the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. However, the KRI does not control Kirkuk, and the Kurdistan Region Parliament is based in Erbil. In 2014, when the Syria-based Islamic State began their Northern Iraq offensive and invaded the country, the Iraqi Armed Forces retreated from most of the disputed territories. The KRI's Peshmerga then entered and took control of them for the duration of the War in Iraq (2013–2017). In October 2017, following the defeat of the Islamic State, the Iraqi Armed Forces attacked the Peshmerga and reasserted control over the disputed territories.
Qasr-e Shirin is a city in the Central District of Qasr-e Shirin County, Kermanshah province, Iran, and serves as both capital of the county and of the district. Its population in 2016 was 18,473. It is a Free-trade zone (FTZ) and is populated by Kurds.
The Miss Universe Malaysia is an annual national beauty pageant and an organization that selects Malaysia's representative to the annual Miss Universe contest. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify, a runner-up is sent.
The Iraqi vehicle registration plate is a license plate used for official identification purposes for motor vehicles in Iraq.
The Sulaymaniyah Museum, or Slemani Museum, is an archeological museum located in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is the second largest museum in Iraq, after the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad. It houses artifacts dating from the prehistoric period to the late Islamic and Ottoman periods. Several halls of the museum have undergone renovation work and the museum was closed to the public for refurbishment from October 1, 2018, to October 2019.
There are a number of Iraqi beauty pageants. Miss Iraq is one of the national beauty pageants in Iraq. Others include miss World Iraq and Miss Earth Iraq.
Vian Sulaimani is an Iraqi beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Iraq 2017 but she was dethroned for being married.
Sarah Abdali Idan is an Iraqi-American model, television host, musician and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned as Miss Universe Iraq 2017 and represented Iraq at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. She defines herself as a secular Muslim, a supporter of Israel and an ardent Zionist. In May 2023, Idan declared her candidacy for California's 30th congressional district in 2024.
A series of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and civil disobedience took place in Iraq from 2019 until 2021. It started on 1 October 2019, a date which was set by civil activists on social media, spreading mainly over the central and southern provinces of Iraq, to protest corruption, high unemployment, political sectarianism, inefficient public services and foreign interventionism. Protests spread quickly, coordinated over social media, to other provinces in Iraq. As the intensity of the demonstrations peaked in late October, protesters’ anger focused not only on the desire for a complete overhaul of the Iraqi government but also on driving out Iranian influence, including Iranian-aligned Shia militias. The government, with the help of Iranian-backed militias responded brutally, using live bullets, marksmen, hot water, hot pepper gas and tear gas against protesters, leading to many deaths and injuries.
Noor Matti is an Iraqi-American radio and television host. He is most prominently known for creating Babylon FM in Erbil, the first all-English radio station in Iraq. After the radio station's establishment in 2012, Noor began to host morning shows that reached Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Mosul, totaling an audience as much as 15,000 daily. In 2015, he received death threats from the Islamic State, after continuously mocking the terror group from nearby Erbil. In 2018, Noor began to host the weekly Arabic TV show "'Bene w Benak'" on Babylon TV, where he interviews young professionals from Iraq and the region.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Iraq was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. During the pandemic, Iraq reported its first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections on 22 February 2020 in Najaf. By April, the number of confirmed cases had exceeded the hundred mark in Baghdad, Basra, Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Najaf.
The 2020 Kurdish protests were a series of demonstrations and riots against the Kurdistan Regional Government in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan. The demonstrations started on 2 December 2020. Demonstrators have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the political leadership, high unemployment rate, lack of public services and employs was not get salary from few months. Demonstrators set fire to several government buildings and headquarters of political parties. The PUK security forces killed and arrested many protesters.
Pope Francis's visit to Iraq took place between 5 March and 8 March 2021. The visit was accorded on following an invitation of the Government of Iraq and the local Catholic Church. The visit was remembered as an attempt to mend bridges between the different faiths in Iraq. During this first ever journey to Iraq by a Pontifex, Pope Francis visited the cities of Ur, Baghdad, Najaf, Qaraqosh, Erbil and Mosul.
Maria Farhad is a beauty pageant titleholder who was named Miss Iraq 2021. She represented Iraq at the Miss World 2021 pageant in Puerto Rico in 2022.
Venus Faiq is an Iraqi-Kurdish and Dutch writer, poet, translator, editor, and journalist. Her works includes poetry, articles, in both Kurdish and Arabic languages, as well as working as a volunteer translator for the refugee organization in the Dutch city of Rijswijk.
