2 May 2013

Stories from 2 May 2013

President Barack Obama visits Mexico and Costa Rica

U.S. President Barack Obama began his trip through Mexico and Costa Rica with the intention of addressing vitally important themes for the region that include the expansion of commerce and economic and energy cooperation, as well as issues of security, immigration, government and control of illegal drug trafficking.

2 May 2013

The Kremlin Defeated the Russian Opposition?

RuNet Echo

“Do you really have the feeling that the old system collapsed after the December 2011 protests? The system defeated the opposition. It’s a fact.” Vladislav Surkov delivered this line earlier today to a crowd of reporters and students in London. Russian netizens were not happy.

2 May 2013

Saudi Authorities Continue Crackdown on Human Rights Activists

Saudi Arabian authorities detained yet another member of the country's defiant leading human rights organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA). Umar Al-Saeed is the seventh ACPRA member to be detained since the kingdom initiated a crackdown on human rights activists in 2012.

2 May 2013

Bermuda: Bag Tax or Bad Tax?

Local charities are lobbying the Bermudian Government to institute a bag tax to encourage people to shop with reusable bags and reduce waste – but Vexed Bermoothes insists that “it’s...

2 May 2013

Teargas and Water Cannons for Istanbul's Labor Day Protesters

After three years of peaceful Labor Day celebrations at Taksim square, Turkey's largest city Istanbul was visited by the ghosts of its violent past with the events of May 1st, 2013. Limited by the ongoing construction on site and overzealous measures by the local authorities, protesters and police turned the 15 million strong metropolis into a war zone leaving behind destroyed property and many injured people.

2 May 2013

No Taxis for the Blind in Singapore?

A visually impaired lady from Singapore wrote about the lack of public awareness on the helpfulness of guide dogs as a taxi driver refused to let in her guide dog saying “Dogs...

2 May 2013

Blaming the Blind Dog: Hungarian Politician's Domestic Violence Case

József Balogh, a Hungarian ruling party politician, has allegedly beaten his partner so badly that she had to be treated at a hospital. He claimed she had tripped over the family's blind dog, while she said the politician had hit her. Marietta Le reviews the memes and serious discussions that this incident has produced.

2 May 2013