China: group sex photos involving officials spark public outrage

China: group sex photos involving officials spark public outrage

These compromising photos featuring three couples have been doing the rounds online in recent days and have received widespread coverage in China. Soon after the shots were posted to social networks, web users started saying they recognized some of the participants, claiming they were top government officials from Anhui province in eastern China.

Group sex is a criminal offence in China, punishable by up to five years in prison. According to local media, two of the people involved, the deputy secretary of a local university and his wife, a school teacher, confessed, and they have since been dismissed from their jobs.

Another local Communist Party official claims the photos have been doctored, and suggests what he claims are false allegations could be related to a corruption case he is handling.

But most web users find this difficult to believe; social networks have been inundated with jokes and parodies, condemning the moral decadence of highly placed communist party officials.

And whether the photos are real or fake, for many web users they highlight the secret lives of luxury and debauchery led by the corrupt of Chinese bureaucracy. The affair reflects the frustrations and wariness felt by sections of the country towards their politicians.

Despite end of Games, Olympians are still online stars

The London Olympic Games may be over, but some of the athletes that hit the headlines during the competition are not about to step out of the limelight any time soon. With the help of the endless creativity of web users the world over, many Olympians have become veritable online sensations…

American gymnast McKayla Maroney is a case in point; her look of extreme disappointment upon winning silver in the women’s vault final has been widely circulated online. Her facial expression has inspired a great many online artists who have depicted the scowling young woman in all manner of unlikely scenarios. A Tumblr blog entitled “McKayla Maroney not impressed” has even been set up, compiling all these creations and illustrating the extent of her online popularity.

Another athlete who has grabbed the attention of online comedians: British long distance runner Mo Farah who took home gold in the 5 000 and 10 000 meters. Numerous highly amusing photomontages have been posted to the "Mo Farah Running Away From Things" web site, showing the sportsman running away from all sorts of dangerous situations.

And finally, photographer Nicholas Longtin has combined his passion for cats with his love for the Olympic Games, by replacing athletes’ faces with feline ones. You can check out all the artist’s creations on his Flickr page.

Preteen cancer patient offers makeup tutorials on YouTube

12 year old cancer fighter Talia has neuroblastoma and leukemia and doctors say she has just several months to live. But the young American refuses to give in to her illness and continues to post make-up tutorials online, something she started doing a year ago. The teen says she does not like wearing wigs and making herself look pretty is her way of boosting her confidence. She also talks about her daily fight against cancer in the videos that have touched the hearts of thousands of web users the world over.

Now trending on social networks

Fans of American actor Charlie Sheen have something to celebrate. When he left Twitter mid-July he left near to 8 million followers disappointed, but he’s now back on the micro blogging site. His account was reactivated on Tuesday, with just two posts so far talking about his new TV show. His tweets are of a professional nature and far removed from the salacious comments and other theatricals that largely contributed to Sheen’s immense popularity on the social network.

Video of the day

CDZA is a group that creates video musical experiments, and in this video we see them set up a human jukebox in the streets of New York City. Onlookers could choose the tracks they perform by making a donation into the corresponding pot. An amazingly novel idea, that went down a treat with the many lucky passersby.