The Observers

Fort Hood shoot-out: "I knew the killer"

Team Observers — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:16:00 +0100

On Wednesday a Muslim army psychiatrist shot and killed 13 soldiers in a Military Base in Fort Hood, Texas. Our Observer Ernesto Haibi knew the shooter: he worked as a medic in the same base.

Haibi was not on the premises when Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on rampage in the huge Texas base of Fort Hood, gunning down and killing 13 fellow soldiers and wounding 30 others. The killer himself was seriously injured, and is in intensive care at the base's hospital unit.

Hasan dealt with troops returning from combat and faced his own imminent deployment to Afghanistan. The shooter's cousin, who expressed shock and grief at the tragic attack, told the New York Times that his cousin was "mortified by the idea of having to deploy" and had been harassed by other soldiers for being a Muslim, particularly since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Ernesto Haibi, an army medic based at Fort Hood, regularly met Nidal Malik Hasan when he escorted wounded soldiers returning from combat to be examined at the psychiatric ward. He tell us his story.

Georgian government "trying to gain favour with Orthodox Church"

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:57:38 +0100

When a prank video clip of Patriarch Ilia II (an important high Orthodox priest in Georgia) sounding off about President Mikheil Saakashvili emerged on YouTube on October 13, the nation was outraged. But so to was the government. As one of our Observers in Tbilisi explains, their strong reaction only highlights their weakness alongside the Orthodox Church.

On the same day that it was posted on YouTube, the video was picked up by Tea Tutberidze, an anarchist analyst from liberal think-tank Liberty, and posted on her Facebook page . Brought to the attention of the national media, the reaction was explosive. Many believed it to be a sneaky message from the authorities in response to comments made by Patriarch Ilia II a week earlier, when he criticised President Saakashvili for going to war with Russia in 2008.

However, the government immediately condemned the prank, and within just eight days had orchestrated the set up of an NGO called ‘Movement in Defence of our Honour'. Its sole purpose: "to defend the Patriarch's reputation". They also called in a number of people for questioning, including Ms Tutberidze, although she claimed to have posted the video as a way of denouncing it.

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.

Egypt vs. Algeria – the “hate match” has already kicked off online

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:29:18 +0100

Illustration from the Lounis blog

The Algerian Fennecs take on the Egyptian Pharaohs for a place in the 2010 World Cup on November 14. With a week still to go before the game, things have already turned nasty, both countries accusing the other of corruption.

The qualifier is crucial. For the moment, Algeria have the higher ground - a draw or even a 1-0 defeat would still leave them on their way to South Africa. Egypt, who need to win by a margin of at least two goals to qualify, are hoping the home advantage will give them a helping hand.

For the fans, the battle has already begun. Insults, aggro and accusations of corruption abound on the Net. Several Facebook groups have urged FIFA, the football governing body, to choose an impartial, European, referee for the match, after the Egyptians were accused of wanting to buy their choice of a suitable candidate.

Buy back your virginity for just ten euros

Team Observers — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:50:51 +0100

Photo taken by Mohamed Al-Rahhal.

Question: What are these thin strips of plastic encapsulating a reddish liquid, and why have they prompted such outrage in Egypt? Answer: an artificial hymen, made in China and complete with fake blood.

Women who wish to hide the fact that they have lost their virginity before getting married can slip it in on their wedding night, "add a few moans", and relax, Chinese manufacturer Gigimo advertises on its website.

The scandal broke out in Egypt on September 13, when a major Egyptian newspaper, citing Syrian website Day Press and Radio Netherlands Worldwide, revealed that Egyptian investors plan to import the Chinese artificial hymen and sell it in Egypt after Ramadan. The article will soon be available in stores for only 10 euros.

For Islamic conservatives, this is the final straw - an instrument of depravity that would allow women to sleep around before marriage without losing their honour! A Facebook group has been set up to denounce the product. Conservative lawmakers are pushing to bar its import, others are calling for all those who dare retail the item in Egypt to be prosecuted. islamist group's webiste.

Created in Kyoto, Japan in 1993, the item was first sold locally then exported to Thailand in 1995, before reaching mass production in China.It reportedly reached the Syrian market recently and will soon be available in Morocco.

Chinese manufacturer Gigimo says this artificial membrane, which is made of natural albumin, dissolves in water and has no side effects on its user. However, Asian media have reported several cases of vaginal infection following use of the artificial hymen.

Photo published on the Gigimo website.

Is snorting coke an art form?

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:06:07 +0100

Renowned Cuban artist Tania Bruguera surprised a Bogota audience in September when she lined up three people directly involved in the Colombian conflict for a chat. The real performance however, started when a waitress emerged with a tray of neatly organised lines of cocaine, and began offering them to members of the audience.

The guests on stage are a former guerrilla, a former paramilitary, and a victim of displacement.

Extract of a video posted on YouTube by "jepenuala".

A dangerous desire to have fairer skin

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:05:41 +0100

Baking yourself in a tanning booth remains a popular activity among the vain and pasty of Caucasian descent, despite increasing health warnings. But at the other end of the spectrum, skin tempering practices are just as risky, and ever growing in popularity.

Since it emerged in the US in the 1960s, the practice of skin-whitening has worked its way across the world. If certain African, Asian and Latino societies consider fair skin a symbol of beauty and higher social standing, then the success of lighter skinned stars in the media has only confirmed their beliefs.

Skin-whitening involves the application of products made with strong toxins, which rarely carry a health warning. Increasingly popular, the hazardous "beauty solution" is posing a serious problem in many countries in Africa and elsewhere. On Tuesday (Nov. 3), a French MP launched a nationwide awareness campaign about the dangers of skin whitening.

First images of Tehran clashes

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:36:46 +0100

The opposition movement born in the wake of Iran’s disputed presidential election in June is back on the streets of Tehran today, marring the anti-American celebrations organised to mark the 30th anniversary of the storming of the US embassy in 1979.

These are the first images to come from the capital. We’re updating this post as we get more footage. Please be aware that the time indicated is the time we publish the document, not the time it happened.

Send us your images.

No Halloween for “stupid foreigners”

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:27:49 +0100

Photo posted here.

For some years now expats and travellers in Tokyo have been piling into metro carriages on October 31 to celebrate Halloween. This year however, the masked partygoers were stopped in their tracks by groups of exasperated locals.

As has become the tradition, the event was advertised on an online forum, GaijinPot (gaijin means foreigner in Japanese). The open invitation asked participants to board the 21:06 train on the Yamanote line at Shinjuku station. The instructions are simple: "Wear a costume, sing, share booze, talk to strangers, dance and take photos".

When they arrived on Saturday night however, a group of nationalist activists were waiting to greet the "gaijin". Their message was clear. One board reads "Get out stupid foreigners". Others were even less polite and even more politically incorrect (see photos below). Their efforts seem to have worked. According to Japan Probe, no more than 15 dressed-up foreigners got on the train.

The cinema that turned into a church

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:55:54 +0100

In an attempt to do away with religion, Soviet Russia turned its churches into swimming pools, warehouses and sobering-up clinics. Now, the trend is being reversed - schools, cinemas and hotels are being transformed into churches by Orthodox parishioners.

This is, or was, the Shakhter cinema in the city of Safonovo, Smolensk region (east).

When the buidling was still functioning as a cinema in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of Russia Today.

During the building's transformation (2001/ 2002). Image posted on the Smolensk Council website.

And in 2008, as the "Nativity Church". Photo posted by "yardkeeper" on Livejournal.

A far from Catholic calendar

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:21:15 +0100

A Madrilenian LGBT group has just published what it describes as a "non-religious" calendar. Quite. The images enclosed have caused something of a controversy in Spain, where 79% of the population consider themselves Catholic.

The church and its whimpering disciples have labelled the pictures "christophobic" and a direct attack on the institution. Mission accomplished for Cogam, the group behind the calendar, who knowingly brought attention to themselves by calling the calendar non-religious - a dirty word for some in Spain. It's not surprising that an image of the Virgin Mary posed by a transsexual didn't go down too well either.

Right-wing online forum "Forum Libertas" asked "Would this happen to Buddha or Mohammed? With this supposedly non-religious calendar, Cogam is aiming straight for the Catholic Church, its only goal to ridicule the most practised religion in Spain." Another conservative blog, Religión en Libertad, went even further by demanding an immediate cut to state funding for the homosexual community in Madrid.

Contribute to the France 24 Observers

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:10:22 +0100

Hi everyone,

Quick refresher on how this participative site works. The France 24 Observers only publishes amateur content - that means photos, videos and comments from people who are involved in an event, but who are not professional journalists.

You can't post contributions directly on the site. Content has to be verified and validated by France 24 journalists before being published. All posts on the site are a result of a collaboration between our "Observers" and our journalists.

How do you take part?

By alerting us to content that either you've produced yourself or that you've come across on the internet. We sometimes publish personal accounts or comments on the site, but we're mainly interested in images that can then go on to be featured on TV.

Who can take part?

Anybody, as long as you're registered on the site and have completed your profile page (example here). It's important to fill in your personal details properly, and include your email address and telephone number. These details won't be visible to the public; only to our journalists so that they can get in touch with you.

How can you contact us?

Once registered on the site, you can contact us by using the "Send us a tip" link on the right hand menu. You can either link to the content you want to highlight or attach an image/ video file to your message. Always specify when and where the images were taken if possible, and by who if necessary. We read all the messages that come in. If we're interested in what you've sent us, we'll contact you in order to put the post together with you.

You can also follow and contact The Observers on Twitter and Facebook.

Julien Pain, editor of the France 24 Observers.

Dressing up as an "immigrant alien" for Halloween?

Julien — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:29:03 +0100

The costume sold on Amazon.

Political satire and Halloween often come hand in hand. Last year, one of the trendiest October 31 looks was undoubtedly that of Sarah Palin. As the US braces gears up for a new Halloween season, one particular disguise has sparked an uproar: the “illegal alien” costume.

The controversial outfit – sold by most retail chains like Target and Walgreens - comes complete with a Guantanamo-style orange jumpsuit, a space alien mask and a wooden “green” card. The words "illegal alien" appear stamped on the chest.

Is it an innocent pun using space creatures and the legal term "alien", which refers to non-citizens of the US?

Many in the country don’t see it that way. A number of immigrant rights groups and Hispanic organisations protested loudly, even calling for a boycott of stores that have the costume on sale. Meanwhile, several conservative TV commentators like Lou Dobbs (CNN) sought to make light of the affair and invoked freedom of speech.

The costumes, priced at between 18 and 27 euros, were soon pulled off the shelves by cautious retail chains like Target and Walgreens, and websites like Amazon.com. “It is never our intent to offend consumers with the products we offer,” Target said in a statement, adding that they had started selling the disguise after a “data entry error”.

Better than Superman: Super Bassiji

Team Observers — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:14:05 +0100

Our Observer Omid Habibinia sent us this South Park-style cartoon, which parodies the "superpowers" of Iran's Bassiji paramilitary forces, and the "help" they bring to the population.

According to him, it has spread like wildfire on Iranian blogs and Facebook over the past week, after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially merged the Bassiji with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, giving them an even greater role in the monitoring and repression of the population's "un-Islamic" behaviour.

Naples police release chilling footage of murder in bid to break law of silence

Team Observers — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:15:35 +0100

CCTV footage of this killing carried out in the street in broad daylight was posted on the Internet by Naples police in the hope that someone would step forward and help identify the murderer.

Warning: These images may be found disturbing.

The scene occurred on May 11 in the neighbourhood of Sanità, in central Naples. The images were filmed by a surveillance camera and made public by Naples’ public prosecutor. The victim, Mariano Bacio Terracino,53, was listed as a known thief in police files. His murder may have been ordered by the notorious Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra.