Breaking Tweets » France

Brazil abandons search for Air France victims

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:46:05 +0000

Per Voice of America, the Brazilian military announced late Friday that it has ended its search for bodies from the Air France plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean. Only 51 bodies have been found of the 228 on board the May 31 flight bound from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

ABC News reports that France is continuing a search for the black box, which may provide answers on the cause of the crash. If it is not found soon, the box’s battery will likely run out.

Twitterers in Brazil expressed disappointment about the developments.

leopinheiro (Londrina, Brazil) “Buscas por vítimas do voo 447 da Air France são encerradas” – apenas 51 corpos encontrados (”Searches for the victims of Air France flight 447 are closed” – only 51 bodies found) 26 Jun 2009 from Tweetie

SILVIOCFONSECA (Ubatuba, Brazil) O que teria acontecido na queda do Avião da Air France no Atlântico,ainda não acharam a caixa preta e sem ela nada será esclarecido… (What happened in the fall of the Air France airplane in the Atlantic, they have not found the black box and without it nothing is clear …) 27 Jun 2009 from web

cembranel (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Coitadas das famílias do Airbus da Air France foram encerradas as buscas ! (Poor families of the Air France Airbus ended the search!) 27 Jun 2009 from TwitterFox

DeniseChiara (Sao Paolo, Brazil) Brazil ends search for Air France crash victims. http://bit.ly/qREvh So sad. 27 Jun 2009 from web

Many Brazilian Twitterers also criticized media coverage, upset that Michael Jackson’s death has overshadowed the latest on the Air France tragedy.

luizdias (Araraquara, Brazil) World is much more shocked about the death of MJ than the 228 that died on the Air France Airbus crash. Tsc, tsc. Human Beings. #MJ 27 Jun 2009 from twhirl

biabalestra (Brazil) é incrível a repercussão que a morte dele tá tendo no mundo…esqueceram até do air france 447 (it is incredible the impact of his death in the world … not taking up the neglected air france 447) 27 Jun 2009 from web

liquidmaki (Saol Paolo, Brazil) Tá, 1 cara morreu. E as centenas do Air France? Hein? Sua imprensa do caralho. (Ta, 1 man died. And the hundreds of Air France? Huh? Your the [expletive] press.) 27 Jun 2009 from Tweetie

jamircalili (Brazil) As buscas ao Air France se encerram… mas MJ ofuscou qq outra coisa e nem sequer nos demos conta… (The search for Air France is finished … MJ obscured this news and it’s not even taken into account …) 27 Jun 2009 from web

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Featured TwitPic: Isle de Madame, off the coast of France

Craig Kanalley — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:21:25 +0000

The following TwitPic was posted today by @pauljmcmahon with the caption “View to Isle de Madame from Port des Baroques, France.” The resident of Coolbawn, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, appears to be on holiday in France. He wrote in a recent tweet on June 22 “France is a great country! Nobody talking about recession here. Everything Avant Garde!”

Ile de Madame, off the coast of France

See a standout TwitPic? Breaking Tweets posts a TwitPic from somewhere in the world every day. Send recommendations for the daily TwitPic to @BreakingTweets on Twitter.

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Murder suspects found guilty of stabbing French students

John Niederkorn — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:49:45 +0000

Per Guardian UK, two men were found guilty in the brutal murder of two French students last year inside their London flat. The two slain foreign exchange students were tied up, tortured and left for dead having been stabbed over 243 times as a result of a robbery.

Dano Sonnex, 23 and Nigel Farmer, 34 were convicted earlier today for crimes one prosecutor described as “an orgy of bloodletting.” At the time of the murders, Sonnex had been paroled and under probational supervision after serving an eight-year sentence for violence and robbery.

A French user commented on the killings:

Wikio_LaUne Laurent et Gabriel : leurs tueurs condamnés (M6): Emotion et soulagement pour les familles de Laurent Bonomo et Gabriel Ferez. (Laurent and Gabriel: their killers condemned (M6): Emotion and relief for families of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez.) 04 Jun 2009 from twitterfeed

Twitter users all over the UK expressed outrage and empathy surrounding the savage stabbings:

rognbrow (London, England) Guilty verdicts at the Old Bailey for the killers of those two poor french students. Now we must wait for the sentencing 04 Jun 2009 from web

Graftacus (Leeds, England, U.K) is wondering if there’s any point in keeping Dano Sonnex alive! He’s caught, bang to rights, what’s the point of keeping this animal caged?? 04 Jun 2009 from web

Kapuskasing (Cambridge, England) the guys have gone down for the murder of those two french students in south london last year…horrible 04 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

sue_ward (UK) the story of the murderers of the 2 french students is making me feel sick. It makes me feel that capital punishment isn’t such a bad thing. 04 Jun 2009 from TweetDeck

misha_khan (Bristol, England, UK) Probably not the most appropriate place to be saying this but RIP Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo. The most heart-renching tragedy. RIP. 04 Jun 2009 from web

GillianP ( UK) Gasping at court report in judgment of murder of French students in London. Horrendous systemic failure. Students normally welcome, safe. 04 Jun 2009 from web

VideoNasty (London) Jack Straw blaming the murders of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez on a probation service he’s repeatedly cut funding to is pissing me off. 04 Jun 2009 from web

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Brazil confirms debris from Air France plane

Dorothy Jagonase — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:28:46 +0000

Per the Associated Press, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim confirmed Tuesday that the missing Air France jet crashed in the Atlantic Ocean. Brazilian military pilots found debris in the waters off of the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha early Tuesday morning. “There isn’t the slightest doubt that the debris is from the Air France plane,” the article quoted Jobim saying.

Among the debris were white metallic objects, an airplane seat, an orange buoy and jet fuel stains , per The Guardian. The article further reports that no bodies have yet been found.

Many Twitter users in Brazil and elsewhere expressed sadness but also relief that the news of the debris would lead to closure for the passengers’ relatives and friends:

gisella1818 (Brazil) Nunca vi tanta falata de esperança…no tocante ao encontros dos destroços do Air France!!! (Never seen such fall of hope … in regard to meetings of the wreckage of Air France!) 02 Jun 2009 from web

Cowiemanna (Sao Paolo, Brazil) Não perca a oportunidade de orar abençoando os familiares e amigos das vítimas do vôo 447 da Air France (Do not miss the opportunity to pray blessing the family and friends of the victims of the Air France flight 447) 02 Jun 2009 from web

cariocadabahia (Brazil) O tempo está frio e triste como a situação em que vivemos pela tragedia com o voo da air France…força aos familiares! (The weather is cold and sad as the situation in which we live with the tragedy of Air France flight to the family … strength!) 02 Jun 2009 from web

SOULNUTS (Norfolk, Va.) Figured officals would find debris at some point, now there can be somekind of closure for the families. Sad and unusal air disaster. R.I.P. 02 Jun 2009 from web

myfwendy (Undisclosed) Heart just sank. My deepest sypathy to fams. RT @andersoncooper: Ships head for area where airplane debris spotted http://tinyurl.com/ryystm 02 Jun 2009 from web

road_fun (Dallas, Texas) From BBC, plane seats & other debris sighted off Brazil. http://bit.ly/BSIdd Sure hope so so families can get closure. http://ff.im/3uYr5 02 Jun 2009 from web

funnylilworld (Atlanta, Ga.) Having accepted that the AF jet crashed in the Atlantic, it’s a miracle they found debris. Hopefully that’ll give the families some closure 02 Jun 2009 from web

Other Twitterers worldwide, however, still hoped for a chance that there are survivors:

25nicky (Sao Paolo, Brazil) Am I the only one still waiting for good news about Air France crash? I know this is kinda impossible but… People in some island maybe =/ 02 Jun 2009 from web

lararipe (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Chances for survivors from the Air France crash are slim, but they exist.
If that pilot could land at the hudson river… 02 Jun 2009 from web

LaToyaChenelle (San Antonio, Texas) They spotted debris that they think is Air France 447… but you can always hold out hope…. 02 Jun 2009 from web

Evangeline_ci (Taipei, Taiwan) the debris was found…no miracles…but still hope? 02 Jun 2009 from web

LindseyNaj (Michigan) They found seat cushions and debris… I always hope for the best… a.k.a LOST scenario… – http://bit.ly/kc8H1 02 Jun 2009 from web

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Featured TwitPic: Eiffel Tower and clouds

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 23 May 2009 21:21:36 +0000

“Pretty clouds by the Eiffel tower. Yet another picnic – third I’ve had this week!” (Posted by @_sarahholmes_, Paris, France)

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Featured TwitPic: Clouds in France

Nicole Russo — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:11:00 +0000

TwitPic posted by @redta:

Clouds in France

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May Day protests spark violence across Europe

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 02 May 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Per the Financial Times, demonstrations turned violent in city streets across Europe yesterday, as thousands of protesters voiced their discontent with the current state of the economy. Some of the worst incidents occurred in Germany, Greece and Turkey, where clashes between demonstrators and police occurred.

Many Europeans also found time to tweet about their May Day experiences, posting observations and TwitPics to put a personal touch on the news.

In Germany:

IrinaEs (Berlin, Germany) today in berlin, the police arrested a man who hail-hitlered the anti-nazi demo outside his house. old berlin-made may day tradition. 01 May 2009 from web

alexanderljung (Berlin, Germany) uh oh, now bottles, stones and fire crackers are being thrown at the police (& random other targets) 01 May 2009 from TwitterFon

TB09 (Berlin, Germany) Survived Berlin-Kreuzberg today!First it was fun all along,then it just went mad – stones and bottles and panic and I was right there, crazy 01 May 2009 from web

In France:

holychic (Paris, France) All the peepl in Paris are on the street today to demonstrate at May Day protest. TU @maopapa for the pics http://twitpic.com/4c2un #paris 01 May 2009 from TweetDeck

ineshorneij (Paris, France) went to the protest at the bastille today. it was [expletive]. a bunch of people wearing sandals and playing drums. france sucks. 01 May 2009 from web

In England:

martinrsmith (London, U.K.) It must be May Day // Student protest ambles past // Nice weather for it
#twaiku 01 May 2009 from web

RWC1 (London, U.K.) May day protest trotting by the office 01 May 2009 from web

stefan171 (London, U.K.) Oh go on, here’s a picture from the bank of enlgnad may day protest http://twitpic.com/4cdk7 01 May 2009 from TwitterFon

In the Netherlands:

pndsimpson (Den Haag, Netherlands) Working on this fine Mayday. Can someone riot on my behalf? I’m against everything. so take you pick. Much appreciated. 01 May 2009 from TweetDeck

SmokeRH (Rotterdam, Netherlands) Everythin going easy at 1 may demo in Rdam – some police, some on horses, no presence yet of riot cops 01 May 2009 from mobile web

In Greece:

tsimitakis (Athens, Greece) Το μπλόκ των αναρχικών με πολιτικά χαρακτηριστικά, χωρίς βίαια στοιχεία (όπως δείχνει), χωρίς κουκούλες, ακολουθείται απο μεγάλη αστυνομική (The bloc of anarchists with political characteristics, without violent elements (as shown) without hoods, followed by large police) 01 May 2009 from web

kapsali (Athens, Greece) Greek police fire tear gas in May Day protest clash http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5402ZZ20090501 01 May 2009 from EventBox

In Turkey:

fgeerdink (Istanbul, Turkey) authorities finally gave permission for unions to gather at taksim square for may 1 celebrations, thousands of people gather now, #istanbul 01 May 2009 from web

ldbster (Istanbul, Turkey) watching 1st May riots from my balcony in cihangir. Cihangir Cad. is kind of trashed. 01 May 2009 from web

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Downed balloon in Egypt injures 13 tourists

Craig Kanalley — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Per BBC, 13 foreign tourists were injured after their hot air balloon crashed into a cell phone tower while touring the Ancient Egyptian city of Luxor. The tourists are from France, England, Canada, Denmark and Korea.

Ballooning in Luxor has become popular among tourists, according to BBC. Twitterers in the last few weeks have written about their balloon excursions, and one Twitterer posted this TwitPic from Luxor less than two weeks ago:

TwitPic by @bodza of balloons in Luxor, April 12, 2009

This is not the first incident involving Luxor balloons, as three went down in separate incidents in late February, according to BBC. Twitterers quickly offered opinions of this latest incident.

ottaross (Ottawa, Canada) If you gotta get injured in a balloon accident it may as well be over Egypt’s Valley of the Kings at sunrise rather than in Gatineau. 25 Apr 2009 from TwitterFon

4pixels (Surrey, U.K.) Is really glad he did his balloon ride over Luxor last year! Would not have the balls now. http://tinyurl.com/co72gm 25 Apr 2009 from web

paulcox (South America) Be wary of hot air balloon rides in Egypt: http://tinyurl.com/crrqbc (via @bbcnews) 25 Apr 2009 from web

richstep51 (California) Odd conjunction of old and new – cell phone tower hit near ancient Luxor: 16 tourists injured in Egypt balloon crash: http://ow.ly/3VY 25 Apr 2009 from web

Here’s a collection of other Luxor tweets in recent days:

BellaLibre (Las Vegas/Brussels) Chillin’ on the Nile in Luxor…life ain’t half bad,nope – not at all! Tomorrow a hot air balloon ride to the Valley of Kings! 20 Apr 2009 from txt

Sandwagon (Undisclosed) Awesome day in Luxor inc sunrise hot air balloon and 3 tombs at the Valley of the Kings. Summer has arrived here and heat is seriously on 22 Apr 2009 from web

katiea48 (Undisclosed) We just got back from a hot air balloon ride over the valley of the kings in luxor egypt 24 Apr 2009 from twitterrific

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French hostage held by Somalian pirates killed

Cicely Teal — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Per the Guardian, Florent Lemacon, a hostage on a yacht hijacked by Somalian pirates, was killed as a French military operation to free the yacht backfired. Four other hostages were freed including Lemacon’s wife and three-year-old son.

Radio France Internationale is reporting that French fire may have actually killed the hostage by mistake. An autopsy should be able to tell for sure, according to RFI.

Twitterers express their feelings and frustrations with the way this situation is being handled.

SmokeRH (Netherlands) US almost has no crew on non-military ships. Commercial ships are being attacked and crew killed/taken hostage often.

WadeHM63 (Michigan) What is with the libtards? They say sending in SEALS is too violent, why kill the hostage? NOT THE HOSTAGE DUMMIES, THE PIRATES IF NEEDED!

angusbatey @ToureX (Hertfordshire, UK) board and overpower pirates before they kill hostage. When retaking an occupied building at least there’s a nextdoor to start from. in reply to ToureX

kerimcinerney (Hervey Bay, QLD, Australia) Pirate hostage killed in front of son http://tinyurl.com/c3qpbc

somaliapirates (Undisclosed) Did Bush Allow Pirate Attacks?: My friend responds to the previous post….. How do you stop the pirates. Bush c.. http://bit.ly/16n1p3

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International news outlets are reporting on this tragedy.

WSJEurope (Europe) French Hostage Killed in Pirate Rescue Attempt: A hostage was killed when French navy commandos stormed a sailbo.. http://tinyurl.com/dkx7zv

sphasiaone (Singapore) French yacht hostage killed http://tinyurl.com/d2hdln

guardian (UK) [world] Hostage killed as French storm yacht held by pirates: • Four freed as two Somali pirates are kill.. http://tinyurl.com/dbrcyp

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Obama supports Turkey’s quest to join EU amid protests

Katie Vernoski — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Per BBC, U.S. President Barack Obama landed in Turkey earlier today to re-engage relations with the country as well as to show support for Turkey’s bid to join the EU. Yet, Obama faces opposition from France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy who maintained that it was the EU’s decision alone to allow Turkey into the EU.

Facing protests upon his visit, Obama stressed that Europe must be open to its Muslim neighbors. However, the EU counter-argued that EU is still open to discussion with Turkey albeit its little progress in democratic reforms for the country.

Twitterers were quick to join the discussion.

weaselzippers (Undisclosed) Obama: We Should be Nicer to the Islamic World and let Turkey Into the EU….. http://tinyurl.com/cotq3j 06 Apr 2009 from twitterfeed

don1one (North Carolina) Cumhurbaşkanı Obama Turkiye gitti. Turkey has has been a faithful partner thru Cold and ME Wars, good to see Obama treating them well. 05 Apr 2009 from web

Robert_Banghart (Federal Way, Wash.) “President Barack Obama will visit Turkey today and tomorrow… should be applauded for his vision” – WSJ.com http://bit.ly/Tq4B0 05 Apr 2009 from web

dda (Hong Kong) The one thing I appreciated in Sarkozy’s interview today was the bit about Obama and Turkey’s EU membership. Better summed up as: No. Never. 05 Apr 2009 from web

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