17/05/2013 / SYRIA
Do-it-yourself weaponry: How Syrian rebels wage war
The vast majority of the Syrian rebels’ weapons come from the regular army’s stocks. The rebels use everything they can get their hands on — ranging from ammunition and weapons to vehicles — and modify the equipment to fit their needs. Read more...
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17/05/2013 / SYRIA
Video: "Heart-eating" Syrian rebel defends act
Abu Sakkar became infamous last week when a video surfaced online showing him apparently tearing the heart out of a Syrian soldier’s corpse and biting into it. Now, the rebel fighter explains his act in a new video. Read more...
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16/05/2013 / CHINA
Beijing cracks down on barbecues as it battles record pollution
The Chinese capital Beijing keeps beating its own air pollution records. To combat this, the authorities have come up with a number of measures, including, to many people's surprise, combatting smoke from street vendor barbecues. Read more...
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15/05/2013 / LIBYA
Benghazi protesters turn on militias after deadly explosion
The cause of the explosion in Benghazi Monday that killed three people, including a child, remains murky. After suspecting a car bomb detonated by terrorists, authorities are now leaning toward the theory that it was an accident. Whatever the case may be, protesters who marched through the city on Tuesday blamed local militias for letting Benghazi’s security deteriorate to the point that such a tragedy could occur. Read more...
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14/05/2013 / SYRIA-TURKEY
As violence spills into Turkey, Syrian refugees once again draw the short straw
A video has emerged showing Turks lashing out at Syrian refugees just minutes after deadly bombings hit the Turkish border town of Reyhanli. A Syrian woman who witnessed the attack describes the turmoil her community now faces, explaining that Syrian refugees feel abandoned by Turkey. Read more...
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13/05/2013 / LIBYA
Libya's few forests are rapidly shrinking
The Libyan city of Benghazi has been making headlines lately due to violence in the region, but its ecological balance is also worrying one of our Observers. If things continue as they are, there will soon be no trees left in the Jira forest. Read more...
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13/05/2013 / ISRAEL
Tel Aviv inspectors destroy food with bleach in raid on African restaurants
A patron of a Sudanese restaurant in southern Tel Aviv snapped photos of municipal inspectors destroying food by pouring bleach on it, as part of a raid on about 10 businesses run by African migrants on Sunday night. Our Observer, who owns the restaurant, believes the authorities are cracking down in an effort to pressure African migrants into leaving Israel. Read more…
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10/05/2013 / SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa township riots for electricity access
Residents in Johannesburg’s Kliptown area were outraged to find their electricity supplies abruptly cut off on Tuesday, May 7th. A team of police officers and representatives from local rail and electricity companies removed power cables residents had illegally installed to redirect electricity to their community. Not prepared to go through the winter without electric lights and heating, they hit the streets to chase the unwelcome guests out of their neighbourhood. Read more...
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09/05/2013 / TUNISIA
Preachers take over public spaces in Tunisia
In front of schools, on buses or in public squares, and for several months now, a new phenomenon has been spreading across Tunisia: religious preachers. Whether they are originally from Tunisia or come from the Gulf States, more and more of them are using public spaces to promote their vision of religion. Read more...
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08/05/2013 / CHINA
Making employees crawl in public, a strange management technique in China
A cosmetics firm in the central Chinese city of Chongqing has found a unique approach to teaching its employees stress management: forcing them to crawl on all fours around a public monument. Read more…
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