A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
Confucius Institute Masterstroke of Soft Power
The first overseas Confucius Institute (CI) was set up in South Korea in 2004. It is a non-profit educational organisation dedicated to the promotion of the Chinese language (Mandarin) and culture. And because their modus operandi is to operate within learning institutions, there are continued criticisms from encroaching on academic freedom to even espionage.
2020 Olympics to Showcase Japanese Innovation
Former teacher and professional wrestler Hiroshi Hase, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, discusses the impact the 2020 Olympics is having on the country’s infrastructure, attitude to sport, education sector, and spirit of innovation.
DiCaprio Visits Indonesian Jungle to Support Environmentalists
Leonardo DiCaprio has visited the Indonesian jungle to help protect a biodiverse area from deforestation. [...] DiCaprio spent the weekend in the Leuser ecosystem, on Indonesia's main western island of Sumatra. The actor, an ardent supporter of environmental causes, was pictured accompanied by local environmentalists and flanked by two critically endangered Sumatran elephants.
Australia Wants to Scare Away Migrants with a Movie
Australia, which has accepted thousands of migrants from Afghanistan in recent years, [plans] to use a movie to persuade others from seeking refuge. Australia’s Immigration Department has commissioned a television movie that shows the hardships of Afghans attempting to reach Australia. The film aims to deter potential migrants by showing them difficulties they may experience during the journey.
Anti-Trump Street Art Reminds Us There Is Still Some Good in this World
Street artists are fighting back against Donald Trump. Various murals, stencils and posters depicting the GOP front-runner in assorted unflattering ways — comparing him to Adolf Hitler, Donald Duck and a piece of poop, among other things — have appeared on walls and sidewalks across the world in recent weeks.
How to Create ‘Wikiplomacy’
According to Matthew Barzun, U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, diplomats in the digital age have a lot to learn from the story of Encarta, Microsoft’s ill-fated digital encyclopedia. […] Instead, he suggested, managing relationships between countries in the 21st century will be most successful when it focuses on “analog diplomacy in a networked world”—what Mr. Barzun jokingly called “Wikiplomacy.”
USC to Provide Scholarships to Syrian Students
The Provost accepted the Graduate Student Government Senate’s request for USC to become a member of the Institute of International Education’s Syria Consortium for Higher Education in Crisis. […] Among USC’s other efforts in providing educational opportunities to endangered scholars, as mentioned in the statement, are its membership in Scholars at Risk and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund.
The State of Palmyra's Ruins
The loss of Palmyra, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, was one of ISIS’s biggest setbacks since the group declared itself a caliphate in 2014. […] [Maamoun] Abdulkarim said he and other historians and archaeologists would travel to Palmyra to more deeply assess the damage, and to plan how they’ll restore the ancient ruins and sites.
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