“Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate,” Twitter said in a post on a corporate blog. Twitter had already said in September that “newsworthiness” and whether a tweet is “of public interest” are among the factors it considers before removing an account or a tweet. The debate over Trump’s tweeting, though, raged anew after Trump said from his @realDonaldTrump account on Tuesday that he had a “much bigger” and “more powerful” nuclear button than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Critics said that tweet and Trump’s continued presence on the network endanger the world and violate Twitter’s ban on threats of violence. Some users protested at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters on Wednesday. Twitter responded in its blog post that even if it did block a world leader, doing so would not silence that leader. The company said that it does review tweets by world leaders and enforces its rules accordingly, leaving open the possibility that it could take down some material posted by them. “No one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions,” the company added. “We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Twitter’s statement. Some Twitter users expressed support for the company’s decision, while others complained of a double standard. “If I tweeted half of what Trump has since he entered office, I’d… [Read full story]
Twitter announced Friday it would not block the accounts of world leaders even if their statements are "controversial," citing a need to promote a "public conversation" on political issues. The announcement came just days after a tweet from President Donald Trump hinting at the use of U.S. nuclear weapons sparked criticism that the social network was allowing threats of violence. "Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society," the California-based company said in a blog post. "Blocking a…... [read more]
World leaders shared the spotlight with a 12-year-old Pacific islander on Wednesday to drive home a plea for urgent climate action despite the Trump administration's rejection of a planet rescue plan. UN chief Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the diplomatic push in Bonn, but it was a small boy with a big smile who got the message across. "My home, my school, my source of food, water, money was totally destroyed. My life was in chaos," Timoci Naulusala, whose village in Fiji's Tailevu province was hit by a devastating cyclone last year, told…... [read more]
General view of the dinner table of the G20 summit at Peterhof Palace in Saint Petersburg. (AFP PHOTO/G20 RUSSIA) SAINT-PETERSBURG: World powers on Thursday discussed the Syria crisis over dinner at the G20 summit but failed to bridge their deeply entrenched divisions over a US push for military action against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. As tensions over the Syrian conflict threatened to torpedo the working schedule of the G20 summit outside Saint Petersburg, host Vladimir Putin made a last-minute announcement for participants to air their views over dinner. But rather than seeking a genuine breakthrough, the leaders took turns over…... [read more]
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday (Sep 13) he is hoping for a constructive message from US President Donald Trump when he makes his first address to world leaders at the United Nations next week.Trump will address the UN General Assembly, taking to the podium of the global institution that he once disparaged as a "club" for "people to have a good time."Guterres told a news conference ahead of the annual UN gathering that he had spared no effort to develop strong ties with the new US administration over the past eight months."All the efforts I have…... [read more]
Hillary Clinton on Thursday took a swipe at Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, who further crippled his longshot bid for the White House by failing to name a single foreign leader he likes. Johnson, who has virtually no chance of making it to the White House, could still prove a thorn in the Democratic nominee's side by siphoning off votes in Colorado and other battleground states. In a cringe-inducing minute-long segment during a MSNBC town hall-style event, Johnson sat speechless after host Chris Matthews asked him, "Who's your favorite foreign leader? Any one of the continents, any country, name one…... [read more]
