Syrian women demand release of detainees

Syrian women demand release of detainees

These women and children are chanting “we want our men back”. They gathered on a coastal highway near to Bayda, in northern Syria on Wednesday, to denounce the mass arrests made in their village.

These photos, which have been posted on Facebook, are thought to show dozens of people being arrested in this village. According to web users, residents are being punished for supporting protesters in the neighbouring city of Baniyas, which has been the scene of mass anti-government protests in recent days.

So the women of Bayda are campaigning for the release of their loved ones. They notably blocked one of the region’s highways for several hours, brandishing olive branches; as we can see in this amateur video which cyber activists are relaying on social networks.

One of the protesters is sharing her story here; she says her 14 year old son was killed during the repression in Baniyas, where numerous people were killed in gun fire last weekend.

This other video appears to have been filmed a little further down the road and appears to show men lying on the tarmac to stop tanks from passing. Soldiers surrounded Baniyas for several days until the authorities and residents finally came to an agreement, to allow the army back into the city to restore order. One of the terms of the agreement is the authorities’ release the hundreds of people recently arrested in the region.

Japan's government faces growing criticism over nuclear crisis

In Japan, the government is facing growing criticism of its handling of the nuclear crisis generated by the accident at the Fukushima power plant. And people are expressing their feelings of discontent more and more openly.

Numerous rallies took place across the country last weekend to protest against the dangers posed by the nuclear industry and also to denounce the authorities’ inaction and lack of reliable information. As we can see in these images which have been widely relayed on line, the demonstrations drew thousands in Tokyo and also in Kamakura, a city located 50 kilometers south-west of Tokyo.

And there has also been online campaigning. This artist has composed a song criticizing the lies and false information given by the authorities ever since the accident at Fukushima. The track is proving to be highly successful on sharing sites and has been viewed over 500 000 times in less than one week.

This Twitter user says the protest movement is quite surprising as it is particularly unusual to see demonstrations in Japan where people do not really tend to question the authorities. Arugha Satoru expresses a similar sentiment and says there have only been few rallies so far because most Japanese people do not think it will help change anything.

Web user Ken Okabe however believes that public demonstrations are an essential factor in surviving the current crisis. He says that by clearly expressing their opinion, in the street if need be, the people of Japan will be able to move things forward and obtain real changes in the way in which the country’s affairs are handled.

History of conflicts

The site « History of Conflicts » leaves you with the impression the story of mankind is full of wars. Web users can use the interactive map to travel through space and time, and learn, via Wikipedia articles, all about the conflicts that have littered our history, from ancient times to present day.

YouTube direct

The Indian cricket championship broadcast live on … You Tube. The video sharing platform, which belongs to American giant Google, has recently launched a new live broadcasting service. Concerts, sporting events, interviews, conferences … There are already numerous partnerships in place and the service will soon be available to individual members of the YouTube community. This new offer could well entice television viewers over from one small screen to another.

Video of the day

Stuntman and BMX expert Greg Powell recently performed an amazing and unusual trick, which we can see for ourselves in this online video. This extreme sportsman left his saddle, completed a mid-air backflip, and then landed back on his bike, as if nothing had happened. The move is now known as the “special Greg” in honour of its creator.