29/04/2011 / SYRIA
Student risks his life to defy Syrian government on YouTube
A university student from the coastal city of Banias has captured media attention with his on-camera challenge to the Syrian government. Risking his life by revealing his identity, the video posted on YouTube shows the young student addressing the international community in English. Unlike other videos circulated by the Arab world’s “Generation Y” that simply show images of mass crowds at demonstrations, here a student goes a step further by personally demanding an explanation for the violent crackdown on protesters. Read more...
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29/04/2011 / SYRIA
Amateur videos of Syria’s 'Friday of Rage'
As the popular revolt enters its sixth week in Syria, tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets for a “day of rage” after Friday prayers. Protests have taken place in most major cities as well as surrounding villages defying warnings by President Bashar al-Assad to crackdown on demonstrators. Read more...
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28/04/2011 / TIBET - CHINA
Amateur footage shows tensions still running high in Tibet
More than a month ago, Tibetans commemorated the bloody revolt against Chinese rule that took place in 2008. But due to the censorship imposed by the authorities in Beijing, not a single image of this event was released from Tibet…until now. Read more and watch the videos.
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28/04/2011 / IRAN
Painful Iranian subsidy cuts spark mad rushes on banks and food stands
Food, fuel and electricity prices have soared to record levels in Iran after the government cut subsidies on key products in December 2010, making it increasingly difficult for average Iranians to cover basic living costs. As a result, amateur videos show huge crowds rushing to grab the little remaining subsidized goods and government handouts left. Read more…
26/04/2011 / USA
Memo to police officers: If you beat up a cameraman, make sure you erase his film
When the policeman in the video below noticed he was being filmed while conducting an arrest, he threw the camera to the ground, beat up its owner, and dragged him off to the police station. This act of police brutality would likely have gone unnoticed… had the officer thought of deleting the film. Read more and watch the video...
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26/04/2011 / SYRIA
Syrian government employs ‘secret militias’ to quash protesters
After more than a month of continuous demonstrations across Syria, government-sponsored violent underground militias clamping down on protesters signal a new brutal phase in President Bashar al-Assad’s efforts to hold on to his family’s four-decade rule. Media reports confirm that the Syrian army and police forces have stormed cities and shot civilians, and our Observers claim the government is reportedly paying thugs from mafia groups to terrorise protesters. Read more...
25/04/2011 / SYRIA
Shocking amateur video shows police opening fire on a peaceful sit-in
Syrian opposition activists have posted a particularly grizzly video on the Internet showing screaming protesters fleeing live fire in the Syrian city of Homs. They say it is proof that troops are opening fire on unarmed anti-government demonstrators. Read our Observer's account of the event...
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22/04/2011 / CHINA
The mystery of Tiananmen Square’s disappearing Confucius statue
The giant 10-metre-high statue of Confucius that stood in front of the National Museum of China on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square was discreetly removed from its pedestal on Wednesday, March 15, causing a buzz of speculation on the Chinese web. Read more…
21/04/2011 / USA
Texas wildfires: 'The wall of flames came right up to the city limits'
Texas firefighters battled several massive blazes across the state on Wednesday, March 21, for the seventh consecutive day. Over one million acres of land have burned in the draught-ridden state, forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes. Read more…
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21/04/2011 / UKRAINE
Chernobyl: radioactive jungle...and new tourist hot spot
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. The ill-fated power plant lies abandoned in a jungle of overgrown weeds and forest, like an apocalyptic sci-fi movie set. Yet the site of the world’s biggest nuclear catastrophe is attracting a growing number of tourists. Read more…
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