'Monopoly': A YouTube sensation knocks Saudi royalty

Young Saudi videographers are using YouTube to air a series of video reports that reveal the underside of life in the world's biggest oil producer. The Christian Science Monitor reports.

The narratives are compelling and the journalism impassioned as they guide their audience through slums in the major cities, satirize the severe national housing shortage and ridicule the government's failure to respond.

Since its posting, the Arabic version of "Poverty" has been viewed more than 1.5 million times. That would be equal to nearly one-tenth of Saudi Arabia's population of 18 million. (Version with English subtitles embeded above here.)

Read full article.

Saudis arrest YouTube activist challenging ban on women drivers

Saudi authorities have arrested an activist who launched a campaign to challenge a ban on women driving in the conservative kingdom and posted a video on the internet of her behind the wheel, activists said. The Guardian reports.

The YouTube video, posted on Thursday, has attracted more than 600,000 views and shows Manal Alsharif, who learned to drive in the US, driving her car in Khobar in the oil-producing Eastern Province.

"Police arrested her at 3am this morning," said Maha Taher, another activist who launched her own campaign for women driving four months ago to spread awareness of the issue.

... The campaign Alsharif launched is aimed at teaching women to drive and encouraging them to start driving from 17 June, using foreign-issued licences.

In 2008, CNN reported on a Saudi woman who posted a video of herself driving on YouTube in an effort to urge the Saudi government to expand the rights of women to drive in Saudi Arabia. YouTube with "Wajeha Al-Huwaider has a driver's license, but she is only allowed to drive in rural areas of Saudi Arabia. She said that restriction "paralyzes half the population." She wants authorities to let women drive in Saudi cities.

Saudi activists press release of reformers on YouTube

A group of Saudi activists launched a 10-minute YouTube video (in Arabic) protesting against the imprisonment without charge of some Saudi intellectuals which has attracted over 9,000 hits in less than 24 hours. The Straits Times reports.

The video, Saudis Missing, was posted late on Friday and shows interviews with a lawyer and family members of some of the prisoners who had called for reform in the absolute monarchy.

Saudi Arabia does not tolerate any form of dissent. It has no elected parliament or political parties and political life is dominated by the ruling Al Saud family.

Read full article.

Obama launches re-election bid

Barack Obama has formally launched his campaign to be re-elected US president in 2012, marshalling the voices of supporters in a YouTube video that was posted to his website.

[via The Financial Times]

Qaddafi YouTube Spoof by Israeli Gets Arab Fans

A YouTube clip mocking Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s megalomania is fast becoming a popular token of the Libya uprising across the Middle East. The New York Times reports.

By the early hours of Wednesday morning, Noy Alooshe, an Israeli journalist, had uploaded the electro hip-hop remix to YouTube, and he began promoting it on Twitter and Facebook, sending the link to the pages of young Arab revolutionaries. By Sunday night, the original clip had received nearly 500,000 hits and had gone viral (at the time of this post, 803,354 hits).

Read full article.

Obama answers viewers' questions in YouTube interview

The Washington Post on President Obama's live online broadcast on Thursday.

YouTube chose from more than 140,000 questions submitted from viewers about a range of subjects, from the recent unrest in Egypt and Tunisia to the future of American competitiveness. Obama repeated many of his marquee lines from the State of the Union address, responding to a question about what subjects students should be learning: The United States is "going to have to out-build, out-educate, out-innovate every other country.

Read full article.

YouTube removes Israeli media watchdog’s channel

YouTube removed from its servers Sunday a video channel operated by Israeli NGO Palestinian Media Watch for severe violations of YouTube’s community guidelines.

The channel, which featured videos of Palestinian incitement against Jews and Israelis, posted by the group in order to expose Arab media undercurrents, was removed for repeatedly airing hate speech.

[via The Jerusalem Post]

Related: - Israeli Defense Forces launches YouTube channel

North Korea propaganda now on YouTube

North Korea has opened an account with the global video-sharing website YouTube, uploading clips praising the isolated communist state and denying allegations that it sank a South Korean warship. The Straits Times reports.

Eleven clips were found Tuesday under the name of uriminzokkiri, a North Korean government website.

In one video, leader Kim Jong Il is called a "general sent by the heaven".

Read more

TerrorTube: Internet video has become a nest of jihadi propaganda

Radical Islamist fanatics are turning YouTube into their personal broadcast platform with disturbingly accelerating frequency. Their videos illustrate how jihadists are exploiting the Internet to inspire violence, and they demand increased vigilance by the Google-owned company. The Daily News reports.

The Middle East Media Research Institute this week flagged postings by, among others, America's Jihad Jane and Anwar Al-Awlaki, the Yemen-based cleric whose involvement in terror plots prompted the U.S. to target him for assassination.

Read full article.

Related:

-- The Taliban open YouTube channel

-- YouTube bans terrorism training videos

-- Al Qaida boost online video offensive

Labour launches YouTube manifesto

As the 6 May race for Downing Street began in earnest with the dissolution of parliament and the first full week of campaigning, Labour launches the document it hopes will take the party into a historic fourth term in office. The BBC reports.

... Instead of the usual door-stop heavy manifesto which people aren't all that inclined to read, the party has opted to place the document on a memory stick which can be uploaded to any computer, (although it should be pointed out a few hard copies were produced).

It has also produced an animated film to illustrate the pledges which will be available on video-sharing site YouTube , produced by advertising firm Ridley Scott Associates, set up by the the famous film director.

Read full article.

Anonymous Citizen Journalists Receive Polk Award for YouTube Video

The anonymous Iranian citizens who captured and distributed the shooting by a government sniper of Neda Agha Soltan, 27, during last year’s Iranian re-election protests have received one of journalism’s highest honors — the Polk Award.

The announcement marks the first time that the award was given to an anonymous news source.

[via NewTeeVee]

Obama's personalized holiday wishes

Organizing For America, has launched a viral video campaign that sends out personalized holiday wishes and thanks to Obama supporters.

On OFA you fill out the name of the person you want the video to go out to, as well as their e-mail address, and they will receive a video with the recipient’s name appearing in various places of the clip. The last frame is President Barack Obama himself signing a personalized holiday card, where the same name appears.

According to NewTeeVee, the video has seen 5 million visitors in the first seven days since it's launch.

Website for USSR nostalgics and Good Bye Lenin Fans

The image above, released by Russian media company Uravo, shows a Soviet video of the May Day parade on Red Square in Moscow. It can be viewed on CCCP-TV.ru, a newly launched nostalgic-for-the-USSR website.

Iraq government launches its own channel on YouTube

The Iraq government has set up its own YouTube channel, reports the BBC.

The channel has been set up to promote transparency and allows people to watch speeches and behind-the-scenes footage.

The country's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, said it was aimed at "people both at home and abroad".

Justice Denied Video: Voices from Guantanamo

The ACLU produced this video about men who were held at Guantánamo for years without charge then, after being tasered, suffocated, raped, punched, blinded, and spat upon, were released without charge. (Via boingboing and The Agitator)

Offshore tax dodgers are being warned by UK taxman

The (UK) taxman is making his first appearance on YouTube today in an attempt to increase pressure on savers who have not declared their offshore accounts.

According to the Times Online, this is the first time that HMRC has used social media to communicate with the public. Previously it has run television campaigns to encourage people to file their tax returns on time and to collect their tax credits.

NYC Election Documentary released on YouTube

Award-winning filmmaker Raul Barcelona is releasing his critically acclaimed film, The Promise of New York, on YouTube in hopes of inspiring New York City voters to participate in the upcoming general election on November 3rd.

The film can be seen in its entirety on the YouTube channel The Promise of New York beginning Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, exactly one week before Election Day. The film is also currently available on DVD from the film's website.

Press release.

Make your (video) case for passing the health insurance reform

President Obama's Organizing for America has just announced a powerful new way for Americans to help: Organizing for America's Health Reform Video Challenge.

In their own words:

This is your chance -- you ingenious, insightful, funny people out there -- to make a 30-second ad telling the story about why the status quo has got to go, or explaining how the Obama plan will ensure we get the secure, quality care we need without breaking the budget.

The top submissions will be voted on by the public and a panel of experts, with the winning ad aired on national television. This is your opportunity to add your voice and creativity to the debate, get some great exposure for your work, and make a huge difference.

No experience is needed -- if you have an idea, we want you to give it a shot. And if you know someone who is especially handy with a camera, please forward this note along right away. Just make sure you submit your ad by October 18th.

OFA National Health Care Forum with President Obama

Here's the full video from yesterday's event, in which over 280,000 people tuned in online to watch the President discuss the ongoing fight for health insurance reform. [via Organizing for America]

IRS Features Recovery Tax Credits on YouTube, iTunes

The Internal Revenue Service Friday announced the availability of video and audio products to help taxpayers take full advantage of the 2009 tax provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [via NBC13 News]

The IRS has launched a YouTube video site and an iTunes podcast site to better serve taxpayers.

People can visit the video site at http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos to view information about the Recovery, tax tips and how-to videos. These videos will be in English, Spanish, American Sign Language and other languages.

Statue of Liberty replica decapitated on YouTube

A disturbing YouTube video dated July Fourth showing a gloved hand sawing off the head of the statue of Liberty with slogans "We don't want your freedom" and "Death to America" flashing on the screen, was anonymously e-mailed to the Daily News and Ryan earlier this week. CNN reports.

Sarah Palin's Resignation speech

[via boingboing. And read great coverage and commentaries on The Huffington Post]

Iran bans prayers for 'Angel of Freedom' Neda Agha Soltan

This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube's user community.

Iran's regime has issued a ban on memorials for a young woman whose death has become the focal point of protests against the clerical regime. The Telegraph reports.

Neda Agha Soltan, 27, was dubbed the Angel of Freedom after a video which appeared to show her being shot by a government sniper was posted on the internet.

Graphic scenes show Neda – her name means "the call" – walking with her father among demonstrators, then separately when she was shot as well as attempts to save her life.

Some online posts speculated the image would rank alongside that of the unnamed man standing in front of a tank in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the summary execution of a Vietnamese Communist prisoner by Colonel Nugyen Ngoc Loan in 1968.

Footage was posted on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and was viewed by tens of thousands. Messages of sympathy and outrage flooded the internet following the posting of the videos.

The Iranian authorities have now sent out a circular to mosques banning collective prayers for the woman.

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos

Thousands of Iran-related videos are being uploaded to YouTube every day, revealing first-hand accounts of the crisis to the world. Some are incredible, some are eye-opening, and other shock you to your very core. Mashable has included ten of these incredible videos, in a chronological order that helps provide context to the crisis in Iran. Be prepared, for these videos can evoke some very strong emotions.

Watch here.

President Obama's speech at Buchenwald

President Obama delivered a powerful speech today when he visited Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. [via The Huffington Post]

Obama's Cairo Speech

President Obama talks about tensions between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

[via The Huffington Post]

Out to lunch with Obama

The president was joined by NBC anchor Brian Williams and a crew that was filming a behind-the-scenes "Inside The White House" special.

[via The Huffington Post]

A tour of the White House's East Wing with Michelle Obama

As part of his NBC special "Inside The Obama White House," Brian Williams got a tour of the White House's East Wing from first lady Michelle Obama.

[via The Huffington Post]

Iran: YouTube, Broadway music and the Election

Global Voices has posted several YouTube videos showing how campaigners in the Iranian elections have used the video sharing website in different ways to promote their favorite candidate - or discredit their opponents.

The above video - in a surprising American touch - compares former Prime Minister, Mir Hussein Mousavi to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the tune of the old Broadway song, ‘Anything You Can Do'. The text at the end of the film concludes that Mousavi is more rational than Ahmadinejad whose policies have damaged Iran's economy.

Filibuster-buster!

Republicans want to stop the global warming bill - 900 pages with thousands of amendments - and want everything to be read aloud on the floor of the house. Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee hired a speed reader and tried him out. [via The Rachel Maddow Show]

U.S. Government Channel Launches on YouTube

The State Department, NASA, the FBI, the White House, and the CDC are among launch partners for a new Government YouTube Channel.

"We've seen a lot of interaction between citizens and the federal government on YouTube, and we're proud to launch this new channel with the GSA to make it even easier," said Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics at YouTube. "This is a great development towards making our government more open, transparent, and accessible to the people."

Press release.

Potential Supreme Court Nominees Targeted in YouTube Attack Ads

According to ABA Journal, some conservative groups aren’t waiting for President Obama to announce his choice to fill the seat of retiring Justice David H. Souter. They are taking aim at three potential Supreme Court nominees in attack ads posted on YouTube.

The Judicial Confirmation Network has posted the videos on a website called Obama’s Frontrunners, the DC Dicta blog reports.

... Supreme Court practitioner Thomas Goldstein, who created SCOTUSblog, told the Tribune that the Internet and blogs have helped distribute information about the possible nominees. "The downside is that there is an equal leveling effect in which totally idiotic wing nuts can go off—that's true on both the far left and far right."img alt="quotesmarksleft.jpg" src="http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/images/set3/quotesmarksleft.jpg" width="20" height="15" />

President Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

President Obama gave humorous remarks about current events and the political climate in Washington.

[via NewTeeVee]

Mia Farrow nine days into three week hunger strike for Darfur

Mia Farrow is on a hunger strike to support Darfur refugees and has been posting videos on her YouTube channel.

[via boingboing]

Larry King: Michelle Mania!

Larry King and his panel rate Michelle Obama's performance as first lady and discuss her fashion sense on CNN via Mrs.O.

Obama's 100 Days Press Conference

[via The Huffington Post]

More rudeness from Berlusconi at Nato summit

More Berlusconi misbehaviour with world leaders reported by The Telegraph.

Climbing out of his limousine, the Italian leader took a mobile phone call instead of walking to greet Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor.

Left standing alone on the red carpet, Miss Merkel smiled weakly before turning away to greet other leaders, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as they arrived in their motorcades.

Seven or eight minutes later, all the other 27 Nato leaders had arrived - except Mr Berlusconi, who was still speaking on his phone. He missed being in the group photo with 27 Nato leaders.

Berlusconi and the queen

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was apparently not amused by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's loudness. The clip has become a YouTube hit.

[via CNN]

The Obamas head to Europe

[Reuters video via The Huffington Post]

Anti-Brown speech gets 1.1m views

More than a million people have watched internet footage of a South East England MEP verbally attacking the Prime Minister over the economy, reports the BBC.

Tory politician Daniel Hannan told Gordon Brown he was the "devalued prime minister of a devalued government" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

In the clip of Tuesday's speech, footage shows Mr Brown smiling and making notes during the verbal attack.

Writing on his blog for the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Conservative politician said: "The internet has changed politics - changed it utterly and forever.

"What caught their attention? To be honest, I'm slightly perplexed. I have been making similar speeches every week and posting them on YouTube for the past seven months."

More than 7,500 people have commented on the clip, including many from the US.

Obama to Answer Online Questions

The President introduces a new tool on WhiteHouse.gov, "Open for Questions," which will allow you to submit your questions on the economy and vote on those submitted by others.

A video of Mr. Obama (above) was posted at the site to solicit questions, which he said should focus on the economy. The categories listed alongside the questions section range from jobs to financial stability to health care reform.

At the time of publishing this post, 66,301 people have submitted 71,496 questions and cast 2,719,498 votes

It’s unclear how often President Obama will answer questions posed to him at the new site. It’s also unclear for now what will happen to all of those he can’t answer in an hour. (An awful lot of people will probably be disappointed.)

[via The New York Times Caucus Blog]

Obama launches 'YouTube diplomacy'

In recording a video message to the Iranian people marking the Iranian New Year Nowruz and distributing it online, US President Barack Obama seized one of the Web tools he used so effectively during his presidential campaign. The AFP reports.

The 3min 35sec video entitled "A New Year, A New Beginning" was posted on the White House website at whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/ with captions in Farsi and also on the White House YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/whitehouse.

It had rung up nearly 150,000 views on YouTube some 18 hours after its release and generated a stream of more than 1,300 mostly favorable comments.

Military Blocks Its Own 'YouTube' Knockoff

The Defense Department banned YouTube from its networks, and built a military-friendly video-sharing site to take its place. But in an odd twist, many military bases are now blocking that new site, Troop Tube, as well.

... "You know, it's bad enough they don't trust us with the 'real' internet and social media sites," one frustrated Air Force civilian tells Danger Room. "Why don't they they trust us with the sites they invent?"

[via Wired Danger Room]

Related:

-- US Miltary launches TroopTube for Veterans Day

-- The Military and Iraq. Images and Issues

Highlights from President Obama's 2009 Address to a Joint Session of Congress

On Tuesday, President Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress to call for a new era of responsibility and a renewed commitment to investing in energy, health care, and education.

Above are key moments from the speech and President Obama's plan to return our country to prosperity.

Click here for full address.

Where to Watch Obama’s “State of the Union” Online

Where to Watch Obama’s “State of the Union” Online listed on NewTeeVee.