France

WOMEN’S DAY

Women are being celebrated on the web today Monday the 8th of March to mark International Women’s day. This year sees the 100th anniversary of the event and web users the world over have mobilised for the occasion.

Web activists have organized a virtual campaign via social networks. They are hoping to denounce sexual inequality as well as violence against women throughout the world.

In this mini report, the NGO Action Aid is looking at women in Haiti where sexual attacks have increased since the earthquake on January the 12th. The organization explains that women on their own, living in the overcrowded camps are particularly vulnerable.

And in this video from UNICEF, several generations of women all over the world from China, to Jordan, to the United States, talk about sexual equality in their counties. For this Congolese woman, the female sex should have the right to more senior positions in the workplace, notably in politics.

"The time has come for women to assume responsibility; parity should no longer just be a slogan. Parity is not just about voting rights, parity should be part of everyday life.”

Sexual equality is also a popular cause amongst Iranian feminists. One web user has paid tribute to them with this poem, hailing the bravery of the many women who have dared to defy the Islamic regime over these past few months, by taking to the streets.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Last week the US foreign affairs committee voted in favour of a resolution calling the world war one era killing of Armenians genocide. The vote which has angered Turkey has been widely commented upon online.

Armenian web users at home and abroad have hailed the adoption of this resolution. Messages have flooded in on Twitter. This net user talks of the firework displays in Beirut, where there is a large Armenian community.

Several web users have congratulated ANCA, the Armenian National Committee of America for their active campaigning, notably on the web, for the Congress to recognize the genocide. The president of the association posted a message on Youtube several days before the vote.

But others were quick to express concern over the repercussions on diplomatic relations between the United States and Turkey. This web user says ironically that we can now expect the Turkish parliament to condemn the US for the atrocities inflicted on American Indians.

In this video, made before the vote, member of Congress Mike Pence expresses his opposition to the resolution, and this republican feels it was a diplomatic risk which should not have been taken in a time of war.

This Turkish editorial writer also expresses his concern. He thinks the resolution could reinforce the influence of Turkish nationalists and block the reconciliation process with Armenia.

KEY 56

Key 56 opens all the doors in the Louis H Lafontaine Psychiatric Hospital in Montreal. For an eight week period, the establishment entrusted it to Alexandre Hamel, a young film school graduate, so that he could make an open documentary. His objective was to dispel any illusions on psychiatric hospitals and mental health. Over 6 episodes, web users can get to know the patients, most of whom were not born with a mental deficiency, but had at some point in their life been affected by depression…

NOT STARRING

Will Smith as Neo in The Matrix, or Emma Thompson playing Sharon Stone’s role in Basic Instinct. It seems unlikely. But as the web site notstarring.com has revealed, they were approached to act in these films. This site lists all the roles which have been refused by American film stars, as well as those they didn’t get or were fired from.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

This Russian prison guard appears to have problems with his computer, and it’s really annoying him. He is going to take radical measures to sort out this technical problem … Nothing beats a good old typewriter, which is much less temperamental. But could this have been stage managed for a viral campaign? At the moment it’s difficult to tell.

Source: France24 – TOP STORIES