Sitting in comfortable and air conditioned homes during this heatwave, we may often forget that there are lots of places in the region where even turning on a fan is a luxury.

For residents of Amuda, a city in the self-declared autonomous state of Rojava located in the north of war-torn Syria, the electricity is about to go out. Having turned to generators for their power supply, many of these have now stopped working or will breakdown soon.

The city needs $23,000 to repair the generator. So, a crowdfunding campaign has been created on Indiegogo.

Under the motto of "23k in 23 days" the campaign aims to do just that, raise the necessary funds in only 23 days. Launched in Sweden, the necessary parts for the repairs will be purchased there and then shipped to Amuda for the repairs to take place.

The campaign says that fixing the generators will provide power to some 800 homes for at least 10 hours per day. If you're sitting in a comfortably air-conditioned home or office right now, that may still not sound like a lot, but considering the alternative is sitting without any power in 45 degree temperatures, the residents will be glad to maintain the 10 hours.

The campaign has garnered about $7,000 in just six days.

Rojava is a unique region within the Syrian conflict. Early on in the ongoing Syrian civil war, the predominantly Kurdish residents of the region pushed out Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and set-up an autonomous government of their own.

With the rise and encroachment of ISIS, the democratic state has managed to maintain control of its region while also promoting inclusive values, ensuring that representatives from different ethnicities and religious sects are part of the local government. Additionally, the constitution of Rojava states that one in three elected officials must be women.

In conclusion of its plea for funds to keep the power going in Amuda, the campaign says, "We therefore call on everyone striving for a society of solidarity, in which each, regardless of sex, religion or ethnicity has a right to democratic participation and self-determination, to support THE ROJAVA ELECTRICITY PROJECT!"

Such a call seems difficult to refuse.

The International Monetary Fund has issued a new set of recommendations to the UAE to make up for oil revenue losses, estimated to be at $42 billion dollars, Arabian Business reported Monday. The IMF recommended that the Gulf country increase its corporate income tax, introduce a tax on consumer goods and implement a 15 percent special excise on cars.

The UAE's economy, which relies majorly on oil revenues, has taken a hit since oil prices have plummeted over the last year, forcing the government to change tactics.

The organization hinted that if the implementation of its recommendation went as planned, the UAE would be able to generate an extra 7.4 percent of non-hydrocarbon domestic product, which would alleviate the oil losses the country has registered for this year.

Although the UAE already has a 10 percent corporate income tax in place, the IMF pushed the country to extend it to more firms while the government said it would consider this option after launching an impact study.

As for implementing a VAT, local officials told the organization that they were in conversation with the rest of the GCC countries to introduce a coordinated plan, but didn't elaborate on when this plan could be executed. This will be a different track to the country, which has attracted expatriates for being mostly tax-free. Raising consumer taxes could jeopardize the country's attractive image, but citizens will not be as affected due to the different benefits that would outweigh increasing costs.

But the Gulf country remains hopeful that it can pick itself up, as it has already started to implement certain taxes, including a tourism tax on hotel bookings, another on Sheikh Zayed Road, and a recent fee to help fund innovation in the country. In an IMF report published this month, the economic outlook was still positive, especially with Expo 2020 around the corner, which economists have predicted will generate 4.6 percent non-oil growth.