The 'war on welfare' (WOW) petition initiative launched earlier this month needs 100,000 people to sign up to help trigger a Westminster debate on the issue.

A petition by disabled people calling for an independent inquiry into the impact of the government's welfare changes has produced a huge surge of support.

Digital democracy and the huge expansion of social media is transforming political action and diplomacy, says Dr Harry Hagopian, who has been expanding his own involvement in that arena, not least due to his regular podcasts on developments in the Middle East and North Africa. He looks especially at social media's impact in that region.

Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry and political activist and media personality Sally Bercow are backing a major social media disability campaign.