The Youth Art Cinema Club has announced on their Instagram page an upcoming special screening in which young and independent filmmakers from Duhok and nearby areas now have a chance to screen their films for free in a weekly event. 

The voluntary club, consisting of avid filmmakers and film critics, signified that a core principle of making art is the acknowledgment of independent initiatives by local artists as a form of ‘rebellious’ cinema that breaks the stigma of high-end production. Instead of hoping for funding and support, if a young artist finds filmmaking as a constructive medium to share his message, the best anyone can do is to present his work for support. Particularly, when it is done so with little to no budget at all. 

The event comes as the film club, founded by renowned artist Walid Siti, celebrates its first anniversary since its establishment. Encouraging a broader message to signify an open and inclusive social space for communication, discourse, and entertainment.

The Collapse of Two American Banks  A couple of banks collapsed in the US spreading fear in the public. Both Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failed as the SVB, which is a bank seen as a main lender to tech firms, and its assets were seized by the regulators. Also Signature Bank, which had a lot of clients in the crypto field, was shut down by authorities in New York. The assets of both banks were pressured by the increase of interest rates.

Seemingly, President Biden and his government have taken the collapse seriously based on his speech in which he assured the Americans that their money is protected. The speech was attention-catching not only to Americans but to the world too. 

The failure of these two US banks caused worry among investors as  they may think that it will influence other firms as well. Although, small lenders would have to ensure that they are in the safe zone while they have access to adequate cash, the fear still remains. 

This crisis has also left its impact on some industries such as climate tech and medical research industries as SVB plays a crucial role for early-bird businesses besides its partnership to form half venture-backed technology and healthcare firms in the States. The Signature Bank has its own important fingermark in the US economy as well as its collapse.

The agricultural industry has always required much human effort and supervision to accomplish the most basic tasks. However, using AI technology in the agriculture industry has the potential to transform and enhance the way farmers manage their operations, which eventually leads to more productivity and efficiency.

Precision farming, crop management, agricultural robotics, and other areas of agriculture can all benefit from AI.

Precision farming involves using AI and other technologies to manage crop production precisely. Based on data, farmers can make informed decisions about how to grow their crops. For example, farmers can decide when and how much water and fertilizer to apply using data analysis of soil moisture, temperature, and plant health data sensors. This can help farmers optimize crop yields, reduce waste, and save money.

Crop management is another area where we can improve using AI. By using machine learning algorithms to analyze data from sensors installed in the farm and satellite imagery, farmers can analyze the data and have great insights about crop growth, identify potential diseases and take the right actions in advance to reduce the risks.

Integrating AI into agricultural robotics can bring various benefits to agricultural industries. Robots can perform tasks more precisely and safely than humans, such as planting, harvesting, and crop monitoring. This greatly enhances the efficiency of farming and production. For instance, Agrobot, a strawberry-picking robot, can quickly and accurately harvest strawberry farms without damaging the crop. It can identify when and how to harvest grown strawberry.

As the world's population grows, food production needs to increase, and AI and robotics become increasingly essential. We need to produce more efficiently to meet the demand for food while preserving our land. This is where AI-powered robots can assist in developing smart farms that increase food production while minimizing environmental damage.

We can expect advanced AI-powered technologies for agriculture to be available in many countries, leading farmers to focus on creative and strategic aspects of farming rather than being consumed by labor-intensive work.

Empathy is emotionally understanding what people around you feel—the ability to position yourself in others' mental state. Empathics reflect emotions from surroundings, feeling sad when they are sad, grieving with them, and feeling stressed when they are. Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that respond equally when we perform an action and when we witness someone else perform the same action, Essentially, they respond to actions that we observe in others. The fascinating part is that mirror neurons fire in the same way when we actually recreate that action ourselves. Being able to experience empathy has many benefits including:

- Building good social connections with others: Understanding what others feel allows you to respond appropriately in social situations.

- Empathizing with your surroundings teaches you to regulate your own emotions: emotional regulation allows you to manage negative feelings such as anxiety without feeling overwhelmed. 

- Empathy prompts helping behaviors: feeling empathy for others helps create helpful behaviors.

- Becoming Creative: absorbing so much from your environment, provides you with a creative outlet to express these emotions.

People with empathy have the tendency to be really good listeners, easily understand what others feel, be overwhelmed by tragic events, deeply care about other people, and be drained in social situations.

There are three types of empathy:

- Affective empathy: is the ability to understand another person’s emotions and respond appropriately. This means you know and understand another’s problem on an intellectual level without taking on their emotions as your own. It allows you to respond to another person’s emotions in terms of logic more than feelings.

- Somatic empathy: Having a physical reaction as a response to what someone else experiences. For example, when you see someone feeling embarrassed you might start to blush or have an upset stomach.

- Cognitive empathy: This is being able to understand another person’s mental state and what they might be thinking in response to their situation. “With this kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed.” – Daniel Goleman

There are two main factors that contribute to the ability to experience empathy: genetics and socialism. Parents pass down genes that contribute to overall personality, including the propensity toward empathy, and compassion. Furthermore, people are also socialized by their parents, peers, communities, and society. How people treat others, as well as how they feel about others, is often a reflection of the beliefs and values that were instilled at a very young age.

Since November, there have been reports of approximately 1000 schoolgirls in Iran being exposed to toxic gas, with many suspecting it was done deliberately to force the closure of their schools. Although only one  fatality has been reported, numerous girls have suffered from symptoms such as respiratory issues, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue.

Last Sunday, the deputy health minister, Younes Panahi, suggested that some individuals may have wanted to close all schools, particularly girls’ schools. However, he later clarified that his comments were misinterpreted. Following these incidents, the prosecutor general has launched a criminal investigation, although currently, the available evidence only suggests the possibility of premeditated and criminal acts.

The timing of the toxic gas exposure incidents is also particularly significant for Iran's political and social situation , as it coincides with a period of widespread protests that were taken place following the death of a young woman who was detained by police for violating the country's mandatory headscarf laws.

According to state media reports, toxic gas attacks have occurred at over 30 schools in at least four different cities in Iran, beginning in November in the city of Qom, which is considered a holy site for Shi'ite Muslims. As a result of these attacks, some parents have taken their children out of the schools. The deputy health minister adds that investigations have revealed that there may be individuals who are intentionally targeting schools, particularly those for girls, with the aim of forcing them to close down, as reported by the state news agency, IRNA.

By: S.R

International Women’s Day began as a march which echoes a slogan: liberation for one gender and equality for all. A slogan that perhaps at a time was unconventional, became a historic stance against elements of traditional gender roles, discrimination by patriarchal institutions, and exploitation of working women.

By the late 19th century, it became clear to women’s organizations from multiple regions that century-old hegemonic dominance over the affairs and business of all women around the globe, had to be confronted. Even now, as many women demand basic rights, the struggle continues to demonstrate. In regions that are less developed, women face multiple issues such as decrease of rights such as in Afghanistan or Africa, and in developed countries such as the US, women confront various laws that threaten multiple issues such as abortion.

The Kurdistan region is also mainly affected by a lack of representation for women. Anything from social problems such as domestic abuse and honor killings, to economic frustration such as lack of employment and opportunities, the region’s women have experienced various forms of suppression by patriarchal institutions dominated by gender roles.

First, from Germany, members of the second international established various organizations in many European countries discussing and merging various social and economic issues such as class struggle and labor rights alongside feminism and equal rights for all. Voices such as those of Rosa Luxemburg, issued a call for women to take to the streets for their rights.

Later, during the national suffrage movement in the early 19th century, many issues were given to the public, from women’s rights to vote, to freeing them from the control of male-dominated laws.

International Women’s Day, which began from the origins of a historic struggle, should mainly be a celebration, but also, a reminder that the road to achieving equality for women is a long one and to this day, it's being taken by women from all around the world, clashing for rights and their own determination.