10Syrian citizens killed by security forces in the city of Hama source
» “Implacable armed repression”: Those were the words France used to describe the onslaught on the Syrian citizenry by security forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, as they lobbied the U.N. to adopt a firmer stance on the issue. The realities within Syria are dire right now — as we’ve mentioned before, human rights groups estimate over a thousand people have been killed, and over ten-thousand detained, so in an extremely depressing way, this number isn’t surprising. French MP Gerard Bapt doesn’t see much will for international involvement, either: “With the Arab League not moving and with a nation like Saudi Arabia saying nothing publicly to condemn the killings by the Syrian regime it is difficult to see international pressure rising beyond the economic.”
Crackdown at a Syrian college: The Syrian government’s security forces launched a series of violent raids into dormitories at Damascus University, where strongman Bashar al-Assad gave a speech earlier this week. Opposition members and witnesses claim that the violence, which reportedly injured 21 and killed 3, was in response to the students at Damascus failing to participate in pro-regime rallies. Also not to be forgotten — 130 students arrested by security forces, now under the harrowing care of Bashar al-Assad’s government. source
Tim Hetherington, dead at 40: Here’s Hetherington with Sebastian Junger. The two war journalists co-directed “Restrepo,” the Oscar-nominated documentary for which both men braved being embedded with the U.S. military in the Korengal Valley, the most dangerous battlefield in all of Afghanistan. This tells you all you need to know about Hetherington, and what a serious, dedicated and courageous man he was. It’s intensely sad to report, then, of Hetherington’s death by mortar fire today in Misrata, Libya. Hetherington’s last post on Twitter: “In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.” His tragic death underlines the dangers embedded journalists face.
Three more photographers hurt Chris Hondros, a U.S. photographer and Pulitzer-prize winner, is in critical condition with a severe brain injury; Guy Martin, a British photographer, is also critical after the attack; Michael Christopher Brown was reportedly a third victim, though his status is reportedly not life-threatening.
Journalism and danger in Libya International journalism advocacy groups have decried a dangerous state of affairs facing journalists covering the Arab Spring uprisings — with at least 10 killed so far. International Criminal Court prosecutor José Luis Moreno Ocampo says that about 16 journalists are missing within Libya. source
issue As we mentioned yesterday, there have been reports that members of the Syrian army have been shot and killed by the government’s own security forces, because the soldiers had refused to open fire on protesting civilians.
example Witnesses have told Al Jazeera and the BBC that Mourad Hejjo was one such soldier; his family and a human rights monitors say he refused to fire as the army moved into Banias, and was thus killed by security force snipers. source
This bear attacked an old guy at Yellowstone, so authorities took to a helicopter and shot it to death. It was the first bear mauling around the park in 25 years.
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In their defense, it was never technically announced as a real product. Last year, the Internet went aflutter over the idea of the Microsoft Courier, which turned the tablet concept into a book which focused less on consuming media but acting more like a journal where once could save scraps of content, take notes using a stylus and turn nerds into puddles of awe. Instead, the company killed it yesterday, choosing to focus their energy on the coming-soon Windows Phone 7 Series. Hopefully its memory endures, if not the product itself. source
Protip: Black bears are not pets. Kelly Ann Walz was killed last night when attempting to feed her pet black bear. Walz, a 37-year-old Pennsylvania resident, had a 15-foot-by-15-foot enclosure for the bear. And it wasn’t the only bizarre animal chilling in Walz’ personal zoo: She also had a Bengal tiger and an African lion. While she routinely passed safety tests for the animals, giant bears are probably not the kind of thing one should have as a personal pet. source
