Protests continue in Tunisia

Protests continue in Tunisia

Four months on from the fall of Ben Ali’s regime, protesting continues in Tunisia. Since Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators have been gathering daily in the capital Tunis where a night-time curfew had been ordered, demanding the transitional government step down. The rallies were violently dispersed by security forces, as we can see in this amateur footage.

The new wave of unrest was sparked by recent declarations made by former interior minister Farhat Rajhi. In a video posted on Facebook, he claims that a military coup is being planned should the islamist Ennahda party win the legislative elections on the 23rd July. He says that supporters of former president Ben Ali still control part of the country and would not be prepared to cede power should they lose the elections.

His comments have triggered mixed reactions on the web. The blogger Nadia remains wary, she thinks that even if the coup d’état theory is plausible; it is down to concerns over the transitional process more than anything else.

Others are criticizing the former Minister. Amna, a web user from the site Espace Manager accuses him of only thinking of his political career, and says his statements will only end up destabilizing the country even further.

But many are being supportive of Farhat Rajhi, who was briefly appointed Interior Minister after the Tunisian revolution. More than 9 000 web users have joined this group backing the man who is a magistrate by profession, and who Tunisians have nicknamed “Mister Clean”.

Mexico: citizens protest to stop the violence

A lot of Mexicans have now had enough of the barbarity of drug traffickers and also the violence generated by the “war on drugs” initiated by President Felipe Calderon, and they are making their frustration with the now unbearable situation known.

A march for peace and justice began in Cuernavaca on Thursday, drawing hundreds of citizens who ended their 80 km journey in the capital Mexico City on Sunday. Objective: urge the government to end the drug war, which protesters believe is partly responsible for the rising tide of violence in the country. The four day demonstration has been widely relayed on the web and on Twitter in particular, as we can see in these images which have been shared by users of the micro blogging site.

The rally was organized following this appeal made on YouTube by Javier Sicilia, whose son was assassinated by a gang in March. In the video, the Mexican poet and journalist addresses both drug traffickers and the authorities. He talks of senseless atrocities and implores his fellow citizens to take action against this absurd situation.

And the campaign appears to have elicited a great response in the country and also within Mexican communities abroad. As we can see on this online map, rallies calling on the authorities to end the war on drugs were organized this weekend in over 30 Mexican cities as well as in Frankfurt, Bologna and also Paris.

Panoramic view of Saint-Raphaël

It’s now possible to visit Saint Raphael, in the South of France, from the comfort of your own home, with this huge 41 gigapixel panoramic shot. Over 5300 photos were taken and assembled for this project, so web users can take a virtual tour of the town.

Simulate a kiss over the Internet

It will soon be possible to simulate a kiss with your other half over the Internet. A team of Japanese researchers have developed an online device capable of conveying the “feeling" of a kiss. The box has a straw which the user moves with their tongue and it can then translate that movement via a PC to a similar unit, anywhere in the world.

Video of the day

35 years’ work and over 100 000 tooth picks … this is what Scott Weaver needed to build this giant sculpture which incorporates all the well-known monuments in San Francisco, in the US. This is an amazing creation right down to the very last detail.