The Youth Olympic Games are underway in Singapore, with only a minor bit of drama so far.
The diving medals were locked in today: Bo Qiu from China, Olexsandr Bondar from the Ukraine, and Michael Hixon from the USA (Amherst, Massachusetts) took gold, silver, and bronze respectively (check out more medal results here).

However, not all competitions went off so smoothly.

The taekwondo event came down to two finalists: Mohammad Soleimani from Iran and Gili Haimovitz from Israel. But, the gold medal round never happened. A post by Jacqueline Magnay on the UK's Daily Telegraph website gave more details. “Mohammad Soleimani withdrew from the gold medal bout against his Israeli opponent Gili Haimovitz ostensibly because of an ankle injury.” However, there is speculation that he was forced to withdraw because Iran does not recognize the state of Israel.

Some of the organizers of the Olympics are worried that youth are being used as political tools, despite the fact that this competition is designed to be anchored in healthy sportsmanship. Magnay writes, “IOC president Jacques Rogge, who thought up the youth Olympic Games concept, has every right to feel insulted, even if his diplomatic skills are so developed he will only give the most measured response. Soleimani is just 16.”

Is this culture of tension an omen of things to come? Magnay thinks so. “This persistent standoff between Iran and Israel - another first round bout between the two countries at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games judo competition resulted in a similar Iranian no-show - has to be resolved. Quickly. No one wants to see a repeat of this embarrassment at the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

Being young in today’s society, means finding any way possible to communicate with your peers. Be it blogging, Facebook, texting, twittering... youth get inspired by what other youth have to say. And in many parts of the world, youth have important things to say. The role of new forms of media is growing.

Camera Phones in Kashmir
A documentary was created by Suvojit Bagchi, a correspondent with BBC World Service based in India, called, “New Media in Kashmir.” It tells the story of cyber activists - young people in Kashmir who use their camera phones to film violent protests, and then post them on YouTube to spread the images beyond their borders.

According to an article in the New York Times, there were three landmark moments in Kashmiri cyber-activism:
- A YouTube video of protest images set to the song, “Revolution,” by Chris de Burgh in 2008.
- A YouTube video posted by a 15-year-old boy of the shooting of a salesman.
- A YouTube video of protest footage set to Everlast’s song, “Stone in My Hand” (see below). The creator was sought after by the police.

Who are these cyber-activists? According to the article, Indian police try to make them out to be: “illiterate pawns of jihadist forces across the Pakistan border and have suggested that economic development and jobs are the key to getting young people off the streets.”

Thursday marks the 31st anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Iranians gathered in Tehran to hear President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announce the expansion of Iran’s nuclear program while others showed their disapproval of Ahmadinejad's regime in violent clashes with police.

Once again the breaking news is reaching the mainstream through social networking sites like Facebook. Iranians have posted updates on their pages saying that militia members beat the wife of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi with batons. Opposition leaders have been prevented from getting near Azadi Square in Tehran where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is addressing his supporters.

CNN reports that in the chaos members of the Basij, the paramilitary force loyal to Iran's hard-line leadership, have been attacked by militia members. CNN quotes Mohammad-Taghi Karrubi son of one the leaders of the Basij about the attack his father faced from militia members.

"The guards attacked and the crowds came to him. When the crowds started to come, and surrounded him, again the guards attacked with tear gas, tear as well as the batons and different kinds of weapons against the people. And unfortunately my father received very bad gas tears and his face is burned,"
 

One of the most popular social networking sites, Twitter, was hacked on Friday by “Iranian Cyber Army.” The site was black with bold red letters and with an Iranian flag. People were being redirected to a site with the following message:

THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMY
iRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COM
U.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But THey Don't, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To....
NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN? USA?
WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LIST
Take Care.

There isn’t any evidence that the hackers are linked to Iran. So far Twitter says they were "temporarily compromised but have now been fixed” and they will have more details when they have investigated more fully.
 

By Hamid Yazdanpanah (Sacramento, CA)

When my parents left Iran for the U.S. after the revolution in 1979, they brought with them a gift. It was a bevy of stories that would sustain them in their newly adopted home. As I grew up in the States, they would recount legendary tales of the iconic figures of Iranian history. People like Mirza Kuchik Khan and Sattar Khan, both of whom fought for Iranian independence and democracy from 1914 to 1921. And Mohammad Mossadegh, who moved to nationalize oil, as well as countless others who fought against oppression and tyranny. 

The stories I grew up with were never as poignant or relevant as they are today. Now, on the streets of Tehran, the same chants and slogans that brought down the Shah in the 70s are being hurled at the Supreme Leader. The resemblance to the 1979 revolution is uncanny, from the hands dipped in martyr’s blood to the rooftop chants of "Allah-o-akbar" (God is great). As past and present merge, I see once again that Iran and its people are on the forefront of making change.

This time, however, past traditions and modern technologies have fused together to form a dynamic and vibrant foundation for change. The movement in Iran has been dubbed the “Twitter Revolution,” the first movement in the 21st century to so readily utilize technology and the internet to mobilize itself and get its message out to the world. With 70% of its population under the age of 30 and the highest number of blogs per capita in the developing world, Iran has perhaps unwittingly offered its youth a chance to express themselves and connect with one another.

By Hamid Yazdanpanah

By: Arash Afghahi

Growing up, I didn’t feel a strong connection to Iran. I wasn’t born there and I’ve only visited once in my life.

As a kid, I remember tuning my dad out every time he talked about Iranian politics. And they were definitely conversations to avoid around the dinner table, because they usually ended with him dropping the f-word -- fascist. My dad seemed addicted to conspiracy theories involving the government. I always figured that it couldn’t be as bad as he said it was. But now I sympathize with my dad a lot more.

By Layla Maryam

On Friday 19th June, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, spoke during Friday prayer and elucidated a stark line that had remained blurry thus far. By threatening Mousavi, protest leaders, and participants, Khamenei's speech was an attempt to make clear the line that has existed since the Islamic Revolution 30 years ago – if you’re not with us, you’re against us.

June 20-21, 2009: Youth Radio received more messages from Bani in Iran as she continues to particpate in protests and marches.

The tension is mounting as dawn approaches in Tehran and a "Sea of Green" demonstration that has been banned by the government is expected to take place despite threats of a major crackdown.

For round the clock coverage of the events as they unfold we recommend Nico Pitney's live blog at the Huffington Post.

For pictures feeds from Iran, check out Demotix.