Latest update: 22/10/2012 

- China - Iran - Mali - Syria - Tunisia - USA


Currency protests in Iran, questions over video of US journalist held captive in Syria, and more...

This show is made up entirely of amateur images. We've seen time and time again how images captured by ordinary citizens then uploaded onto the Web can change history, or at least shift the balance of power. This week, we take a look back at some of those moments.

Story 1: Iran

We begin today in Iran’s capital Teheran at its Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is the heart of Iran's trading class. Its shopkeepers, traders and moneylenders were key supporters of the Islamic Revolution back in 1979. But today they're fed up with the government... with its handling of the economy, and its nuclear programmes that have attracted the wrath of the West. Sanctions have crippled the country's economy. Iran's currency lost about a third of its value in just 10 days this month, infuriating traders and making life very hard for ordinary Iranians, like our Observer Sheida.

Story 2: Syria

Now to Syria, and the fate of Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared while covering the conflict. A video showed up online earlier this month showing him in captivity. Bloggers who support the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, said Tice was in the hands of jihadist rebels fighting with the Free Syrian Army, an argument that's in line with the government's position that they're foreign-backed terrorists. But our observer Rami, an opposition activist who closely follows videos posted online, took a close look at this one - and he doesn't buy it.

Story 3: World

Now for our weekly roundup of stories and images sent in by our Observers.

First stop, the tourist island of Djerba, in Tunisia... a little town called Guellala, which is famous for its pottery. But there's a dispute going on over the reopening of a rubbish dump. The locals say it's bad for their health. When they took to the streets to say so, there were violent clashes with the police. The Interior Ministry blamed the protesters, saying they threw stones and petrol bombs that injured dozens of officers. But our Observer on the island says they're not telling the whole truth. He was there and says the police fired live rounds and that he saw one of his friends wounded in the arm. He's worried, he says, that the police are using the same kind of heavy-handed tactics they employed before Tunisia's revolution.

Now to Timbuktu, one of the cities in northern Mali that's under the control of Islamist rebels. For more than six months now the group Ansar Dine and its allies have been subjecting the population to their strict interpretation of sharia law - complete with stonings and amputations. On October 2, the group executed one of their own members, for murder. Our Observer, who witnessed the execution, believes it was an attempt to show that no one is above God's law.

Last stop China. Like everywhere else in the world, when the kids are out of school travel is a nightmare. Take a look at this photo taken on the Great Wall... at one of the most popular spots, near the capital Beijing - 80,000 visitors in one day. So if you're travelling to China, here's s tip - check the school holidays. If the kids are out, stay home.
 

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Derek Thompson presents a news show produced exclusively from content provided by amateurs: photos, videos and personal accounts from our network of Observers around the world - all checked by our staff in Paris. First run Saturdays at 8:10 am Paris time.
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Derek Thompson presents a news show produced exclusively from content provided by amateurs: photos, videos and personal accounts from our network of Observers around the world - all checked by our staff in Paris. First run Saturdays at 8:10 am Paris time.

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