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YouTube assault video worsens Somali reputation

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:31:19 +0100

A group of Minneapolis teenagers have found themselves making headlines after publishing a video of themselves pushing people over in the street. Identified as of Somali origin, the pranksters will, our observer explains, only add fuel to the fire for the local anti-Somali press.

The six-minute-video was posted on YouTube by "madbi001" on 17 November. Despite a jovial introduction and upbeat soundtrack, the cruel scenes that follow were found far from funny by most YouTubers and soon came to the attention of the local police, leading to the immediate arrest of two members of the group. The incident soon found its way into the local headlines - many of them quick to report that the boys are Somali (when in fact they are American of Somali origin).

Immigration from Somalia into the US began in the early 1990s when the civil war started. Since then, tens of thousands of Somalis have arrived in the country, and Minnesota has received the largest numbers. The city estimates that 60-70,000 residents are of Somali origin.

Spray cans in Tehran – risky but increasingly popular

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:03:41 +0100

The most famous piece of Iranian graffiti is probably the deathly Statue of Liberty painted on the wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran. There's far more to street art than anti-American paintings however, and in the past two years, it's become more popular than ever.

Here are a few examples, sent to us by one of our Observers in Tehran, Alireza.

Spot the difference

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:52:46 +0100

On the left, the US poster for Hollywood comedy romance "Couples Retreat". On the left, the same ad, but redesigned for a UK audience.

Black actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk have been removed from the scene, along with their names. Filmmakers Universal said the decision was made "To simplify the poster to actors who are most recognisable in international markets".

South African shack dwellers: “The police are attacking us”

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:39 +0100

Image by posted by MrUmhlangarocks on YouTube.

A group of Durban shack dwellers say that local police attacked, abused, and intimidated residents on Friday night. It's the third alleged police-related attack in two months. But why would authorities target a group of shack dwellers?

Our Observer says that the November 13 attack is part of a mission to get rid of an increasingly powerful shack dwellers' rights group which is critical of ruling party ANC. Just two months ago the police failed to react to fatal clashes (see video below) in the neighbouring shantytown of Kennedy Road - which is also home to the movement. Activists condemned the violence as "coordinated" and the police as "complicit", in an open letter to President Jacob Zuma, which received over 1,250 signatures.

Since then, 32 "Abahlali baseMjondolo" movement members have been arrested, including 13 on Friday night (released on Monday). The group says it is "under attack" from the police. FRANCE 24 contacted the South African Police Service; they are yet to reply.

Chavez or no Chavez, they're crossing the border

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:01:34 +0100

Worsening relations between Colombia and Venezuela led to a decision on November 3 by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to close the border between the two countries. Instead of giving in to the obstacle however, residents from either side are finding every way round it.

On November 9 President Chavez told Venezuelans to prepare for war with Colombia, after it emerged the US army had been granted access to seven of the country's military bases. Chavez had already closed the border with Colombia a week earlier, following the murder of two border guards. Caracas suspected the Colombian paramilitary of carrying out the attack. This was followed by the killing of nine Venezuelans from the border town of Tachira. And to top things off, Chavez believed that the government in Bogota was planning to assassinate him.

Chavez deployed 15,000 Bolivian National Guards (GNB) along a 2,000-metre stretch of the frontier. The border towns of Mara, Páez and Almirante Padilla soon found themselves home to tanks and armoured vehicles.

Despite the tensions, however, residents from both sides of the border remain on good terms, and even manage, in various ways, to reach their neighbour's side.

Images from state run media Globovision.

A very controversial job at McDonald’s

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:18:03 +0100

This is a recruitment ad for a position at the Cuba branch of McDonald's. Strangely enough, they seem to have forgotten to mention, that the only McDonald's on the island, is in the Guantanamo Bay prison...

Six thousand hungry staff work at the controversial prison, seen below in 1994. Photo taken by a Navy Officer and published in Joint Task Force Guantanamo's in-house magazine.

War drawn by those who wage it

Julien — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:56:39 +0100

At first sight they seem to be children's drawings of jungles, mountains and rivers. But on closer inspection the details come into focus: people pleading for mercy before being executed, women being raped, hostages tied up, giant cemeteries...

Former Colombian combatants have painted some 90 canvasses as part of an exhibition called "The war we have not seen", currently on display in Bogota's Modern Art Museum. The large-format paintings were made by former members of the guerrilla, the paramilitary and the national army. The 35 men and women - who have deserted, demobilized or been wounded in combat - took up artist Juan Manuel Echavarría's invitation to capture their wartime experiences with paint and brushes.

Photo: Ernesto Monsalve Pino / Bogota Museum of Modern Art

China scaring kids out of fast food chains

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:59:44 +0100

Look carefully at this picture. If you weren't scared of feeding a burger to your six-year-old, you might be now. The ad is part of an awareness campaign launched by the Chinese authorities, who are dealing with an ever-widening population. At the same time however, Beijing city centre is just about to open its first ever Burger King.

While the city of Shanghai is abuzz with preparations for the 2010 World Expo, Beijingers have another thing on their minds: Burger King. Although other fast-food chains exist in the capital, aside from the one rather inconvenient station at the airport, Beijing proper is currently not home to Burger King's whopper. A much-anticipated first outlet of the fast food chain however, is supposed to debut soon in the commercial area of Xidan. Major restaurant review website Dianpin has already devoted an entire page to the new Burger King, on which eager meat-eating minions are readily expressing their enthusiasm for its huangbao, or "emperor burger".

Although true to its name, this Chinese version of the whopper may be fit for a modern day emperor, but after eating the huangbao, will the emperor still fit into his clothes? Before Burger King even opens, the Chinese are already facing an obesity problem, with one in six, or 215 million people, overweight or obese. This still remains relatively low compared with Western countries however - even in France, almost one in three people are classed as overweight.

The revolt of the banknotes

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:50:27 +0100

When they're not out on the streets demonstrating, anti-government activists spend their time finding other ways to inconvenience the authorities. Their most recent offensive involves banknotes and green pens.

Kosovars celebrate local hero, Bill Clinton

Julien — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:44:05 +0100

Photo posted by Rexhep Myftari on Flickr.

On November 1 the streets of the Kosovan capital Pristina were crowded with people waiting to see one of their favourite icons, former US president Bill Clinton. During his visit, a three-metre-tall bronze statue was unveiled on a corner of the same street that carries his name. The bronze Clinton clutches documents with the date 24 March 1999 stamped on them, marking the day NATO began its bombing of Serbian posts in Kosovo.

Photo posted by Rexhep Myftari on Flickr.

Photo posted by “BesnikS” on Flickr.