Egypt: activists try to identify eye-hunter policemen

Egypt: activists try to identify eye-hunter policemen

Egyptians wearing eye patches gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, to pay tribute to those who have been wounded in the eye during the recent clashes in the Egyptian capital, often victims of the rubber bullets fired by security forces.

One police officer, accused of firing at protesters faces, turned himself in to the authorities on Wednesday. Lieutenant Mahmoud Sobhi El Shinawi was tracked down and identified by protesters after this video was posted online and circulated all over the net. His face has appeared on wanted posters which were distributed across Tahrir Square and his personal information was released online.

And it’s not just protesters accusing riot police of deliberately aiming at faces when trying to suppress the unrest. One local NGO says it knows of at least 60 cases of demonstrators suffering wounds to the face, and this in just one Cairo hospital alone.

Some have been blinded. 31 year old dentist Ahmad Harara has become the latest symbol of the struggle for freedom in Egypt. He lost one of his eyes during the revolution that led to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, at the beginning of the year and on the 19th November, as he was taking part in recent demonstrations a rubber bullet penetrated his other eye, leaving him totally blind.

Cyber activists are seeking justice meanwhile, and appear to be going to great lengths to do so. They are currently looking for a second “eye-hunter” policeman who has apparently been boasting of aiming at protesters via social media platforms.

Hungary: solidarity with the homeless

The grassroots campaign for the homeless in Hungary has stepped up a notch in recent weeks, with the people of Hungary protesting against a new legal regulation which has come into force in the country making homelessness punishable by a fine of 530 euros or even prison.

« The City is for all » citizen group has posted a message on its website urging Hungarians to support the homeless and join the campaign against this law which is perceived by many as a liberty killer. Web users can voice their opposition to the law by signing this online petition.

There has been a proliferation of rallies and demonstrations in solidarity with the homeless over the past few weeks. As we can see in this footage from mid-November, dozens took part in a “sit-in” in a Hungarian ministerial building, before being taken away by police ; they were demanding the law be repealed and asking for social housing to be built.. One week later, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of parliament in Budapest, to protest against the authorities’ treatment of the poor.

This Hungarian NGO has also taken up the cause, and is running an online solidarity campaign urging people to send letters to the Interior Ministry, voicing their opposition to this law. In the campaign video, which we see here, the cost of two nights in a luxury hotel is compared to what it costs the city to have someone spend two nights on a public bench, and the results are startling, as it shows it would be less expensive for the city of Budapest to put up the homeless in luxury hotels than it does to leave them sleeping on the streets.

The quest for every beard type

For the past few years, every spring and every winter, Jon Dyer grows a beard or moustache. And each time he goes for a different look. He’s decided to share his experiments with web users via this site which displays the dozens of different styles he has created over the years, with or without a razor. It’s all in the name of fun and might just inspire all those looking for a bit of a change.

Lego sollicite l’avis des internautes

Lego has launched an online contest to determine the next Lego architecture set. Web users are asked to choose from 10 well known landmarks including Paris’ Eiffel Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Rome’s Coliseum. The current front runner is the Habitat 67 complex in Montreal, Canada…

Vidéo du jour

In this video Canadian ski freestyle champion, JP Auclair, gives us an impressive display of skiing within an urban environment; and as you can see the extreme sportsman only needs a tiny bit of snow to get around his home town of Rossland in British Colombia…