Iraqi Kurdish seamstress Sanaa, like many voters, will boycott an upcoming election in the autonomous region due to disillusionment with the dominant political class. The Kurdistan parliament election, postponed four times, is contested between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), leading to concerns about corruption, repression, and cronyism. Disenchantment with politics, deteriorating living conditions, unemployment, and tensions with the Iraqi government are driving voter dissatisfaction, potentially benefiting opposition parties in the region.
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Iran carried out implosion tests for nuclear weapons development
The IAEA report details the presence of significant equipment and materials at Varamin, indicating that it was equipped for uranium conversion. Key items include heavily contaminated UF6 cylinders, uranium extractants like tributyl phosphate (TBP), extraction and conversion hardware, fluorine-based chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) and potassium difluoride (KHF2), and radiation monitoring equipment. This information raises concerns regarding the potential capabilities of the facility in relation to nuclear material processing. Full Article
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