Rachel Strobel is one of two students who had the chance to attend the Trust Women Conference after winning a contest that we ran at the Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conference. Here is her recap of the conference:

The cold crisp London air reminded me that I was really here; I was really in London. A little less than a month before, I never thought that I would get to visit London for a prestigious human rights conference with some of the most brilliant minds and icons in the field. I am only a simple graduate student and an aspiring activist. I could not believe that I was about to meet some of my heroes. When I opened the conference doors, I was expecting thousands of people but then I began to realize that the conference included a little over 300 people in attendance with 28 countries represented. It was an honor to be one of the few that could hear the words, stories, ideas, and experiences coming from the mouths of truly inspiring people that are changing the world.

The focus of the Trust Women Conference was to come up with tangible solutions for human trafficking, female genital mutilation, and women’s violence in the Arab Spring. I specifically research ways to counter human trafficking with technology so I was in my element at the conference and hanging on every word that was being spoken. My favorite panel focused on using business to counter human trafficking. I thought the ideas presented were excellent and I was able to hear from my heroes in the field like Lydia Cacho, Kevin Bales, and David Batstone. In addition to what I learned during the panels, I walked away from the conference with more questions than I came with.

The questions that have stayed in my mind drive me and have set the stage for this upcoming spring semester in graduate school. I am currently trying to build mobile applications for counter human trafficking specifically geared towards a foundation called Reintegra that works with survivors of human trafficking in Mexico City, Mexico. Attending this conference was a great encouragement to me in knowing that I am on the right track towards following my dreams and using my talents towards this issue. Thank you Thomson Reuters for all you do and especially for your Trust Law initiative; it is truly changing lives around the world.

By Andrew Torchia, Economics Correspondent, Middle East and North Africa

A year after the Arab Spring uprisings, investment in the Middle East is reviving even though solutions to big political and economic problems have not yet been found, senior government officials and business executives told the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit.  For a summary recap report of the Summit, click here for the English version, and here for the Arabic version. (more…)

As Libyans prepare for the first free elections in 42 years, fear that the elections will be marred by violence is running through the voting populace.  Of the 3,700 candidates, many are strongly Islamic-leaning, while others align with the different warring factions that have flourished in the lawlessness.  The vote takes place tomorrow, July 7th.

See our Reuters Pictures, and more photos from the year anniversary of Libya’s Arab Spring, and upcoming elections..

Also, follow @ReutersPictures on Twitter and Reuters on Facebook.

Each day Reuters reaches over 1 billion people, delivering news and insight that powers the world’s media and markets. More than 2900 Reuters journalists span the globe to give you unparalleled access to newsmakers and news events. From the Arab Spring to the Euro Zone crisis, to the U.S. Presidential Elections and the London Olympics, Reuters tells the world’s stories like no one else.

Check out our latest video showcasing Reuters coverage of the stories that shaped our world over the past year.

 

By Adam Cohen, Thomson Reuters

The session that kicked off the Washington Ideas Forum was titled, “What Role is Media Playing in the Arab Spring.” It featured a panel with Stephen Adler, our own editor in chief of Reuters News, Marwan Muasher and Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter and was moderated by Patty Culhane.

The panelists jumped right into the impact that social media had on the Arab Spring. In fact, the impact of social media was essentially the main topic of the entire session. The panelists had no problem recognizing the important role that social media played, but made it clear that freedom movements had been brewing for years. The panel emphasized social media more predominantly as a facilitator of change, rather that the main element. Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter suggested that, “the real drivers are the people in the street, willing to face the bullets.”

Stephen Adler talked about Reuters’ changing relationship with social media. As a mainstream news organization, he talked about “becoming partners with social media and citizen journalism.” Marwan Muasher, however, was quick to dispel the notion that, since the movement spread so quickly across the web, the same would be true of democracy. He made sure to emphasize the fact that this process will be measured in decades, not days, months or even years.

Culhane then took the conversation in a different direction, asking the panelists to grade how President Obama and the U.S. handled the situations in the Middle East. All three panelists were reluctant to give a concrete answer, for a variety of different reasons. Stephen Adler stressed the global perspective of Reuters as a news organization. He said that the correspondents on the ground in the Middle East were more concerned with reporting the facts as well as ensuring their own safety. Dr. Slaughter said that she’s “not going to grade the US, [she] will save her grades for her Princeton students.”

The session was a great start to the Forum, especially because it spent so much time on a topic (social media) that was featured throughout the day. What role do YOU think the media played in the Arab Spring?

The Washington Ideas Forum will continue through tomorrow. You can follow the conversation on Twitter at hashtag #IdeasForum.