Tensions in Egypt

Tensions in Egypt

There was a renewal of tensions in Egypt this weekend, after violent clashes broke out on Friday between demonstrators who had gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and security forces. Several people are thought to have been killed and dozens of others wounded. The rallies had been organized to denounce the army’s attitude; protesters are notably accusing the military of not doing enough to ensure the rapid introduction of the promised political reforms.

Numerous amateur videos filmed in the early hours of Saturday morning appear to show soldiers trying to evacuate the hundreds of demonstrators who had gathered in Tahrir Square, despite the curfew in place in the capital. In this footage we see protesters initially resist as the army surrounds them … and then flee to nearby streets. As we can hear, the soldiers used their weapons to disperse the crowd…

But as these Twitter users explain the tense situation did not stop protesters returning to Tahrir Square on Saturday and Sunday where barricades had been erected to stop the army entering. And protesters are now chanting slogans attacking Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council, demonstrating the people’s frustration with the army.

Violence also broke out at these rallies, as we can see in these images filmed on Saturday and uploaded to the web site of Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram.

India: popular movement against corruption

Anna Hazare has become the new hero in India’s fight against corruption. Last week, this 73 year old activist ended a 98 hour hunger strike in a park in New Delhi, after ministers agreed to meet his demands on tougher anti-corruption laws. His was a peaceful demonstration, clearly inspired by the nation’s father Gandhi, and has won him the support of an entire population.

Thousands of Indians have taken to the streets in recent days to express their frustration with the never ending scandals involving politicians over the past few months. Others also stopped eating to show their solidarity with Anna Hazare.

The movement is being widely relayed on social networks. This Facebook page called “India against Corruption” now has near to 200 000 members, many of whom are Indians living abroad.

And the subject is monopolizing conversations between Indian Twitter users. Hundreds of messages are sharing the link to this online petition, hosted on the website of NGO Avaaz. It has already been signed by over 600 000 people.

So the anti-corruption crusade is gaining ground on the web. Numerous online initiatives have been set up in recent months to fight this scourge which is ravaging the country. One local NGO Janaagraha launched an Internet platform in September so that citizens could share personal experiences and denounce corruption cases at all levels of society.

Illustrating Alice's adventures in Wonderland

Online artists are being asked to send in their drawings via this Facebook group to illustrate the Lewis Carroll novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The idea is that each drawing represents one paragraph of the book, in order to recount Alice’s adventures through a series of assorted artworks. A hundred or so web users have already taken part in the collaborative project.

Rediscovering the history of Paris

« Paris, désordres publics », meaning « Paris, public disorders » is a street art meets web documentary project on the history of Paris. The “Raspouteam” collective stuck ceramics with QR codes around the French capital. When a passerby scans the bar code with his or her smart phone, a web page will open on their phone, giving them information on the history of the street in which they are standing. From the Paris Commune repression of 1871 to the May ‘68 riots, the project offers an original way of learning about the history of the French capital.

Video of the day

Tetsuo Jimbo, a Japanese journalist and founder of the site Videonews, went to visit the 20 kilometers evacuation zone around the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant and has posted this 12 minute video online, documenting his trip to this part of the country which has been totally deserted. This video provides a unique look at the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident…