Radio Netherlands
Twitter’s activist roots: How Twitter’s past shapes its use as a protest tool
Surprised when demonstrators from all over the world took to Twitter as a protest tool? Evan “Rabble” Henshaw-Plath, member of Twitter’s founding team, was not. Rather, he sees it as a return to its roots: Inspired by protest coordination tools like TXTMob, and shaped by the values and backgrounds of… »
In response to NSA revelations, the internet’s engineers set out to PRISM-proof the net
By Julie Blussé (CC) for Radio Netherlands Greatly disturbed by the recent revelations of mass internet surveillance, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have announced plans to ramp up online security. You may never have heard of them, but the IETF are the creators and engineers of the… »
Twitter’s activist roots: How Twitter’s past shapes its use as a protest tool
Surprised when demonstrators from all over the world took to Twitter as a protest tool? Evan “Rabble” Henshaw-Plath, member of Twitter’s founding team, was not. Rather, he sees it as a return to its roots: Inspired by protest coordination tools like TXTMob, and shaped by the values and… »
Peace Prize winner calls for release of kidnapped “lovers of Yemen
[divide] [clear] “If not for the sake of Judith, do it for the sake of Yemen’s reputation which is getting worse each day the kidnap lasts.” Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman has added her voice to the growing number of Yemenis demanding the release of kidnapped Dutch couple Judith… »
360 Degrees – Employment is a human right
“Is employment a human right?” was the question posted on social media for the latest round of our 360 Degrees project. The joint project by RNW’s Arabic Department, Cartoon Movement and media partners in the Arab region aims to encourage people to look at the world from different… »
Obama vows action after online guns petitions
US President Barack Obama on Friday vowed to take action to stop gun violence in response to online petitions signed by more than 400,000 people after last week’s elementary school massacre. “In the days since the heart-breaking tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, hundreds of thousands of you, from all 50 states,… »
Record vote against death penalty at UN
A record 111 countries voted Thursday for a moratorium on capital punishment at a keynote UN General Assembly human rights meeting. Although not legally binding, campaigners say the vote held every two years sends a strong signal to the slowly shrinking number of nations — including China, Iran and the… »
Britain to pull nearly 4,000 troops from Afghanistan
Britain will slash its military force in Afghanistan next year, withdrawing nearly 4,000 troops as local security forces become increasingly capable, Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday. Cameron told parliament that the current force of 9,000 British troops would be reduced to 5,200 by the end of 2013 and that… »
Abbas seeks historic state backing at UN
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will head to the General Assembly on Thursday with huge backing for his bid for UN recognition of statehood despite strong US and Israeli opposition. Abbas will make the case for Palestine to become a UN “non-member observer state” and indicate his conditions for talks with… »
Clinton takes blame for handling of Libya attack
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CNN that she will take the blame for any shortcomings in the handling of an attack last month on the US mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi. “I take responsibility,” she said, according to the news network, which interviewed her during a visit… »