Inside Iranian narco trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan

Inside Iranian narco trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has always been a major node for regional and international trade, heading both east and west. But, in recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for…

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Wild Cherry Is Ready for Its Closeup

Wild Cherry Is Ready for Its Closeup

This could have easily been chaos, but it reads as mere idiosyncrasy, thanks to the sheer force of Wild Cherry’s appeal as a place to while away a few stylish hours. The music is hopping (when was the last time you heard “Ca’-Ba’-Dab,” by the Soul Swingers, and why isn’t every restaurant playing it on…

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Over 20,000 demonstrate in Germany for Kurds in Syria

Over 20,000 demonstrate in Germany for Kurds in Syria

More than 20,000 people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday in solidarity with the Kurds in Syria. According to police reports, 4,300 people participated in Berlin, 4,500 in Frankfurt and 6,000 in the south-western city of Mannheim. Protests also took place in Cologne, Munich, Bremen and other cities. Organizers in Munich called on…

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13 Reasons to Skip Tokyo for These Asian Cities Instead

13 Reasons to Skip Tokyo for These Asian Cities Instead

Tokyo is a powerhouse, but it can feel like you are sprinting through a neon maze with a reservation timer ticking in your pocket. When crowds peak, even simple plans turn into lines, transfers, and “maybe later.” A different stop in the region can deliver the same wow factor with a smoother rhythm. Each slide…

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The Cruelty and Theatre of the Trump Press Conference

The Cruelty and Theatre of the Trump Press Conference

Playacting for journalists standing in an unruly huddle just off camera, Trump asked questions of the oilmen, wondering how soon they could suck the ground under Venezuela dry. “And you’re very much set up for the heavy oil, right?” he asked at one point. There was an implicit cruelty behind the exercise. He wanted the…

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William Eggleston’s Lonely South

William Eggleston’s Lonely South

Eggleston, however, used color in a different way: he employed the bright shock effect of advertising—Drink Coca-Cola! Drive this Buick!—but separated it from capitalism. There’s so much junk in Eggleston’s pictures. Junked cars, used cars, dusty parked cars, cars going nowhere or maybe about to go somewhere. In one of his most famous images, “Memphis”—it’s…

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Suicide bombing at wedding in northwest Pakistan kills seven

Suicide bombing at wedding in northwest Pakistan kills seven

A suicide bombing attack at a wedding in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least seven people, according to the police. The bombing tore through a building housing members of a peace committee during a wedding ceremony on Friday in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police official Muhammad Adnan said on Saturday. The…

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Tragic chapter on the trains sends rail superpower Spain into crisis

Tragic chapter on the trains sends rail superpower Spain into crisis

“Since the high-speed line was built, 30-something years ago, we never had any problems, it worked perfectly and was fantastic,” says Alberto Montavez Montes, a shop-owner opposite Córdoba city hall, where the Spanish and Andalusian flags have been hanging at half-mast. Now, though things feel different: “It’s not that there’s psychosis, but it does make…

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