Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) meets with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino in Tehran, Iran, May 23, 2012.
Eyes on Iran – As talks between Tehran and six world powers got underway in Baghdad on Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post provides coverage of the reaction in Israel. “Israel watched the meeting in Baghdad that began on Wednesday between Iran and six world powers carefully, but refrained from commenting on the content because it was not immediately clear where the talks were headed,” it writes.
Ballot Box – Boston-based Global Post launches a special report on Egypt’s presidential election – which began Wednesday – aiming “to shed light on how the country will move forward under its first-ever civilian head of state and how the soon-to-be-drafted constitution will protect civil rights in a new Egypt.” The package looks at five key elements of Egyptian society: the military; women; Coptic Christians; Islamists and organized labor.
Law of the Sea – Amid reports that nearly 100 Chinese vessels have entered a disputed region of the South China Sea, the Philippine Star says that the country’s Foreign Affairs Secretary has told the U.N. General Assembly that the country will continue to pursue peaceful means, such as mediation, to resolve the territorial dispute with China. Meanwhile, the New York Times writes that Capitol Hill has begun debating the long-stalled Law of the Sea treaty again.
Social Immobility – The Guardian argues in an op-ed that Britain is “less socially mobile than most developed countries,” with people locked into the same class patterns of the 1970s. But the paper is skeptical about the whole concept of social mobility itself, saying the idea does not exist and can only be achieved if you “buy it via education or you just get the right parents.”
Greek Exit? – As Greece approaches elections in June and the country’s exit from the euro becomes increasingly likely, CNN argues that the Greek people “would pick Europe over their own politicians” and that the recent election results – in which fringe parties reigned supreme – were a manifestation of their fatigue with the “political duopoly that has monopolized power” since 1974, rather than a rejection of the euro.
Human Rights Hard-line – Following Amnesty International’s criticism of India being stuck in a “a Cold War” way of thinking on human rights, The Hindu suggests that the country “still has a long way to go” before achieving influence on the international stage. It also says that Amnesty International’s leader has argued the country “needs to feel strong enough to say no” to the U.S., the E.U., Russia and China.