Online reactions to the riots in Tottenham

Riots in Tottenham

Gutted buildings, in danger of collapsing, burnt out shells of cars in the middle of the streets and shop windows smashed in … residents of Tottenham in North London awoke to these civil war like scenes on Sunday morning. Violent riots erupted in this multi-ethnic area late on Saturday and in the early hours of Sunday morning following a protest over the shooting earlier on in the week, in which a man was killed by police. The situation has been widely commented upon online.

A great deal of amateur footage has been posted online, illustrating the scale of the violence. We see vehicles, buildings and street furniture on fire, some rioters took out their anger on the police officers on duty in the neighbourhood, as we can see in this video which shows a burning police car which had been hit with a Molotov cocktail.

There have been strong reactions to the events which unfolded between Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and on social networks in particular where web users have been sharing their thoughts via #Tottenham and #Tottenham riot. Most condemn the violence, stating that rioting is not the best way to seek justice or pay tribute to the man shot dead by police officers.

Twitter users have also been expressing their frustration with the police force; criticizing their inaction and their notable absence, saying that some incidents could have been avoided if the authorities had taken more immediate action.

Humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa

Hordes of men and women crowding around, jostling each other, hoping to get some food …. These images were filmed in a refugee camp in Somalia and uploaded onto the UNICEF web site, to help illustrate the current humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa where severe drought has led to a serious food crisis. Around 11 million people are in danger and web users are trying to do what they can to help.

Near to 120 000 web users have signed this online petition launched by One, the organization co-founded by Bono, telling the world’s most powerful leaders they must not ignore the situation and urging them to bring immediate aid to those in need. 

Seven young Canadian-Somalis have come up with a rather original way of raising awareness on the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. They have decided to walk the 300 kilometer journey between Calgary and Edmonton. Their trek which has been named “Step up for Somalia” will take place over 4 days, and they are aiming to raise 10 000 dollars for a Somalia based NGO.

NGOs have been making great use of the web; the World Food Program has uploaded a number of videos like this one which was filmed in a camp in Dadaab in Kenya. Refugees arrive daily from Somalia and here we see what happens when they get to the camp, painting a clearer picture of the situation at the scene.
 

United Kingdom: phone hacking scandal explained

The News of the World phone hacking scandal continues to make headlines. And British Daily “The Guardian” has posted this interactive timeline on the web, detailing all the events surrounding the scandal and the people involved. So you should be able to work your way through the jungle of information available in just a few clicks.

Funniest signs supporting gay marriage

These American gay rights activists have decided to use humour to get their message across, and have made funny signs and jokey banners to use when campaigning for the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States. These photos are available to view on the site Happy Place. 

Video of the day

Hit a ball directly into a barrel of gunpowder that has been placed on a miniature boat moored out at sea … in this video which is currently circulating online, 4 pro golfers take on this unlikely challenge … after numerous attempts, the Frenchman Gregory Bourdy manages to pull it off, to the great delight of his fellow golfers.