Protests in Oman, Mauritania and Iraq

Protests in Oman, Mauritania and Iraq

The Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions continue to inspire. Until now, certain countries have been relatively spared the unrest that has affected other parts of the region, but in recent days theses states have also been the scene of mass demonstrations demanding political reform. News of these protest movements is being relayed on the web.

Many protesters joined rallies in Oman on Friday and Saturday, notably in Salalah and Sohar, as we can see in these images. Omani blogger, Nadia, says citizens are asking the authorities to do more to combat unemployment and corruption. On Sunday, the rallies saw clashes between police and protesters.

In Mauritania, several thousand protesters took to the streets of the capital Nouakchott, demanding economic and social reforms as well as end to Mauritania’s military rule. Information on these rallies was relayed on the Internet and in particular Facebook pages like this one.

And citizens in Iraq also demonstrated on Friday in Bagdad, Fallujah and also Mosul demanding immediate political reform. The police used stun grenades to ward off demonstrators. But despite this, some, like the creators of this Facebook group set up to campaign for a revolution in the country, are calling for the movement to continue and intensify.

Tensions in Ivory Coast

Residents are leaving the Abobo district in Abidjan and fleeing the bloody clashes that have broken out over the past week between forces loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and militias allied to his political rival in this stronghold of Alassane Ouattara, who is recognized by the international community as head of state.

This exodus is documented in this amateur video which shows hundreds of people leaving the zone as gun fire suddenly rings out. According to the person who made the film, defense and security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo opened fire to disperse the crowds whilst soldiers beat up a suspected insurgent.

The violence broke out last week, notably after demonstrations organized by Ouattara’s camp. In Abobo, the rally was violently repressed as we can see in this video where we see the crowd broken up by live ammunition.

The Ivorian capital has since sunk into violence and heavy weapon fire has broken out forcing UN forces to take up position in certain districts to try and put an end to this conflict.

And without much success it would appear as the clashes continue. There are many images available online, often very shocking footage, showing the victims of this deadly violence, like here in the Koumassi neighbourhood.

Local web users are concerned about the situation and are sharing their fears on social networks. Twitter user Sanders is worried this is the start of another civil war.

JFK’s Oval Office

It’s possible to take a virtual seat in John Kennedy’s office. The John F Kennedy Library and Museum is currently digitizing all of its archives and has recently launched this page to present the different aspects of the working life of America’s 35th President, in an interactive way. Web users will be able to look at his diary, share his war memories, and listen to recordings of his telephone conversation discussing confidential dossiers on the Cuban missiles crisis, the war in Vietnam and also space exploration.

Typoschnauz

The latest online trend, and on Facebook in particular, is adding a false moustache to your social network profile picture and a special site has been set up to help anyone who wants to do this. You just have to go to the site “Typoschnauz" typo for typography and schnauz for the Swiss German name for moustache, upload a photo of yourself and the site takes care of the rest.

Video of the day

These images take web users through the city of Valparaiso in Chili in just a few seconds. They were filmed by attaching a camera to the helmet worn by mountain bike champion Philip Polc, who was taking part in this year’s downhill competition in the Chilean city. This video is packed with adrenaline.