video

Far from the spotlight at the Cannes Film Festival

Sophie — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:03:59 +0200

The beach at Cannes yesterday. Photo: "G-Rome" on Flickr

From our Observers on the scene, we're following the international film festival in Cannes. Not the stars, but young actors, directors and film addicts who are taking part in the prestigious event for the first time. Here, a young filmmaker who has come to promote his short film and a student who spends all day attending projections and all night in quest of a party invite.

"Smile! You're on CCTV" - naked

Sophie — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:54:04 +0200

A Chinese journalist managed to get access to a stream of images delivered by a surveillance camera located on the roof of a building. Although the camera was supposed to be keeping an eye on a set of crossroads, the journalist noticed that during the night, the policeman in charge was lingering on the windows of a building across the street.

It was a hack from the Southern Metropolis Daily who unveiled the scandal (which was then passed on by blogger NorthEastSouthWest). He had been scanning the real time broadcast of the monitoring camera in the town of Yayuan (southeast) since April 26. He started to notice that, once night had fallen, the devise did not merely fix its attention on the crossroads below, but scanned the building across the road at length. It also stopped, with no apparent reason, on windows where the curtains were open. The reporter published an extract (below) illustrating this strange method of observation, as the camera spent 59 minutes and 41 seconds "surveying" the same window frame, which happened to expose a young woman naked in her bathroom. Local authorities reacted to the affair by promising serious punishment for the person responsible. They also suggested the camera was being operated by a "temporary" staff member.

The incident serves as a reminder that security cameras operating inner-city - and not only those in China - are a serious cause for concern in terms of respect for private life.

The newspaper ready to take on the traffickers

Sophie — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:14:08 +0200

One of our Observers in Colombia reacts to the return of El Espectador, an independent newspaper which, according to him, is capable of criticising Colombia's political and social elites and is not afraid of exposing their links to the drugs trade. The paper's return is a welcome relief for the daily Colombian press, which until now has bowed under pressure from the nation's powerful narco industry.

War in Iraq: "Mission Russian roulette"

Julien — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:14:34 +0200

This video was filmed from the inside of an American tank that finds itself in the middle of a rocket attack in Adhamiyah, Baghdad. Disturbingly, the reaction of the marines in the vehicle seems to be one of despair and disorder. An American soldier who served in Iraq tells us that this is just a glimpse into an increasingly chaotic situation.

Update: pro-Palestinian march ends in violence

Julien — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:58:10 +0200

Yesterday one of our Observers, Amal Ziada, told us she was on her way to a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration by Arab Israelis in northern Israel. The event went along as planned, with speeches and a symbolic release of black balloons. But as they were leaving, Amal says, the Arabs were confronted by a group of right-wing Israelis with banners. Tension escalated and Israeli police intervened - firing tear gas and "voice bombs," according to the demonstrators. Our Observers sent photos and video footage.

Sixty years of Israel – Happy Birthday?

Julien — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:46:46 +0200

Photo: David A McKee

The state of Israel was created 60 years ago this week. While Israel celebrates the anniversary of its creation, the Arab world mourns the displacement of the Palestinians - referred to as the "Nakba," or catastrophe. Our Observers, Israeli and Palestinian, tell us how they are commemorating the event.

Vote Clinton, not "Barack the Magic Negro"

Julien — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:27:33 +0200

In an attempt to stop Barack Obama from getting into the White House, a rightwing radio presenter has been encouraging Republican supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries in the hope of getting the supposedly weaker candidate nominated to face John McCain.

Despite a landslide 56% to 42% win in North Carolina for Barack Obama yesterday, Clinton managed to clinch the Indiana primary by 51% to his 49%. The Obama camp is blaming the results on a radio campaign, called "Operation Chaos" by talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who asked his Republican listeners to stop "Barack the Magic Negro" getting into office by voting for the supposedly weaker candidate, Clinton, in the primaries. Because Indiana was an open primary, registered Republicans were able to walk into a Democratic polling booth and vote, and according to the media, they did. The scale of this operation and the real impact, however, is impossible to estimate.

Exclusive eyewitness account from Burma

Julien — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:41:00 +0200

The Observers publishes an unreleased eyewitness account from a survivor of the cyclone that wrecked havoc in Burma during the weekend. The authorities have so far confirmed 22,000 dead and 41,000 missing people, but the National League for Democracy - the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi - says that the total is probably much higher.

This account was filed with the help of one of our Observer in Burma, Than Win Htut.

Ultra violent video clip set in the Parisian suburbs

Julien — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:03:01 +0200

A video clip released by the French electro group Justice has caused controversy in the country for its aesthetic depiction of street violence. Attacking women, beating up old ladies and glassing bar-owners is all part of the glamorous storyline. If they were looking for attention – they got it.

The video clip for "Stress" was directed by Romain Gavras, son of the famous director with the same name. Artistically speaking there’s no dispute – it’s a success. The brutal and realistic atmosphere of the clip however leaves the viewer feeling perturbed. Do these images offer a candid view of the troubled Parisian suburbs, or merely add fuel to an already raging fire in the name of selling albums? The group’s record label, Ed Bangers Records, says that the artists, who are not products of the suburbs themselves and certainly not socially sympathetic, don’t want to explain their reasons behind the choice and claim to have no “communication strategy”. So we showed the clip to young people from the suburbs themselves. Here are their reactions.

McCain, Obama, and their equally offensive pastors

Julien — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:33:21 +0200

Posted on Flickr by "corn1971"

While Barack Obama was in danger of being forced out of the democratic race for supporting his "anti-America" pastor Jeremiah Wright, John McCain seems to have escaped scrutiny even though he endorses a pastor who refers to the Catholic Church as the "great whore" and the New Orleans catastrophe as God’s punishment for homosexuals.

Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, chose McCain over Republican candidate Mike Huckabee and declared his endorsement on stage with McCain on February 27. Questions have been raised about statements made by Hagee such as "what happened in New Orleans looked like the curse of God", linking the event with a "homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came". But the biggest criticism has come from members of the Catholic community, who said he has compared the church’s methods with those of Hitler. Despite criticism, McCain accepted the endorsement and said that Hagee “supports what I stand for and believe in”. But when questioned about this later, he replied that "It’s simply not accurate to say that because someone endorses me that I therefore embrace their views".