18-year-old woman becomes a symbol for Syria’s revolution

18-year-old woman becomes a symbol for Syria’s revolution

According to Amnesty International, she is the first woman to have died in custody during Syria’s recent unrest. Zainab Al-Hosni came from the city of Homs and was just 18 years old. Her family discovered her mutilated body on the 13th of September when they were at the hospital. They had been asked to go there to identify the body of her brother Mohammed, who had also been arrested and then tortured to death.

In this online video we see their brother Youssef. He says that his sister was abducted on the 27th of July in a bid to pressure Mohammed to stop his anti-regime activities and turn himself in. He goes on to describe the injuries inflicted on his siblings, and says Zainab was found decapitated, her arms cut off and skin removed.

Her death is another example of how the authorities have been targeting activists’ families; they will do anything from issuing telephone threats to beating them up, to murdering them…

Syrian cyber activists have been strongly affected by the story of Zainab Al-Hosni, and shocked by the pictures of her body that have been circulating on the web. A Facebook page has been set up in tribute to the young woman who is now known as “the flower of Syria”. She has become a symbol of the regime’s brutal and bloody repression, just like 13 year old Hamza Al Khatib, he was also tortured to death by security forces.

Shortly after her funeral last week, hundreds of women gathered in Homs to salute her memory and condemn the violence used by the Syrian government against its own people.

USA: Republican candidates attack frontrunner Rick Perry

Rick Perry is the frontrunner in the Republican primaries for the 2012 Presidential election, thus making the current Governor of Texas a popular target for attack. His republican competitors have been dealing some heavy blows, and most of them via the web.

And the first attack from within the Republican camp came from Ron Paul. The Texas congressman has posted this video online in which he describes Rick Perry as Al Gore’s cheerleader. It’s a reference to the fact that the current frontrunner had supported the former vice-President of the United States when he was running in the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is one of the leading figures of America’s ultra conservative Tea Party movement, has also taken to condemning Rick Perry as part of her campaign strategy. In this clip she criticizes the Texas governor’s position on social security, and even goes as far as comparing his proposals to those of President Obama.

Rick Perry does not appear overly concerned by these attacks from his fellow Republicans. He is as motivated as ever, and continues his campaign to win over American voters. He is currently broadcasting this campaign clip online, and its worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. It begins with an attack on Obama’s time in power, it is depicted as catastrophic. Rick Perry is then portrayed as the only person capable of bringing the country out of crisis and getting America back on its feet.

Foldit: solve puzzles for science

Playing computer games in the name of science; by playing this online game, web users managed to solve a problem that had been puzzling scientists for over 10 years. With “Foldit” players have to follow basic rules of chemistry and move around and ‘fold’ a 3D chain of amino acids which make up a protein, and try and find its proper shape… and this was how gamers deciphered the enzyme that helps spread AIDS like viruses. This discovery could represent a huge HIV/AIDS prevention breakthrough.

Now trending on social networks

Tributes to Wangari Maathai have been pouring onto social networks since Sunday. The Kenyan activist has died of cancer at the age of 71. Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, a first for an African woman, for setting up the environmental “Greenbelt Movement” to combat deforestation and create job opportunities for women. Many web users have been paying their last respects online, with tributes to her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.

Video of the day

Jesse Coombs is a thrill seeker! And the extreme sportsman’s most recent exploit was kayaking the Abiqua 30 meter waterfall in Oregon, in the US. And he attached a camera to his helmet so that we could all come along for the spectacular ride!