Egypt protests continue
President Mohammed Morsy’s recent decrees granting him absolute power have continued to garner disapproval from Egypt’s populous, according to CNN.com. Cairo’s Tahrir Square flooded with roughly 200,000 protesters on Tuesday chanting phrases such as “leave, leave” and “the people want to bring down the regime.”
The protests are the largest since last year’s upheaval of Egyptian government, which saw autocrat Hosni Mubarak ousted as president.
Powerball jackpot reaches $500 million
Wednesday’s Powerball drawing could possibly declare the largest winner in the lottery’s history, according to abcnews.com. The Iowa-based lottery company has announced that the jackpot is the biggest ever with potential to grow even larger.
Ticket prices were raised from $1 to $2 in January — a raise which helped boost the overall jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are listed as 1 in 175 million.
Wal-Mart distances itself from Bangladesh factory following fire
In the aftermath of a factory fire that claimed the lives of 112 workers over the weekend, Wal-Mart has announced that it unknowingly received products from Tazreen Fashions Ltd., and that a main supplier sub-contracted work to the entity, according to cbsnews.com.
The fire alarm that was triggered was ignored by bosses, while exit doors were locked and fire extinguishers didn’t work. Many victims chose to leap from the eight-story building instead. Protests erupted across the Asian country on Monday. Over 200 factories were forced to close, while nearly 15,000 gathered at a single location to protest poor working conditions. Wal-Mart said it had terminated contracts with 49 Bangaleshi factories after they failed safety inspections in 2011.
Far-right Hungarian politician calls for list of Jews
Marton Gyongyosi, a leader of Hungary’s third-strongest political party, urged government leaders to draw up a list of Jews who pose “national security threats,” according to nbcnews.com. Between half a million and 600,000 Hungarian Jews died in the Holocaust, a national group which suffered one of the worst death tolls.
Response to Gyongyosi’s demand was severe, with Jewish organizations and opposition parties publicly denouncing the request.
Jobbik, the group which Gyongyosi heads, was registered as an official political party in 2003. It gained increasing influence as it became progressively more radical, denouncing Jews and Roma living in Hungary. Jobbik currently holds 44 of 386 Parliamentary seats.