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.
A Google Executive Shares How to Defeat ISIS on the Digital Front
Cohen suggested that despite the terrorist group’s comprehensive social media presence, it’s realistic for the U.S.to destroy it digitally. Specifically, he argued that the objective should be to marginalize the terrorists and push them to the periphery of the Internet.
Refugees Sew Lips Together in Border Protest
Refugees stranded at the Greece-Macedonia border have stripped down and sewn their lips together to protest against the restrictions placed on their movement. A group of Moroccans, Iranians and Pakistanis, stranded by a policy employed by Balkan states to filter the flow of people passing through the region, blocked rail traffic and demanded passage to Western Europe on Monday.
Take the Power Back
Ordinary people are joining forces to create a global grassroots movement, geared towards taking on some of the biggest organizations and encouraging them to divest: take their money out of the fossil fuels, and [...] invest it in climate solutions. In the past three years, more than 400 institutions worth $2.6 trillion have pledged to divest, including the Rockefeller Foundation, an institution that made its fortunes from oil.
In Algeria, Heavy Metal Bangs Up Against Tradition
They came from all over conservative Algeria, clad in black leather, studded bracelets and even the traditional Muslim veil to revel in a rare heavy metal concert. Organized earlier this month in the eastern city of Constantine -- designated this year's Capital of Arab Culture by the Arab League and UN cultural agency UNESCO -- the two-day Fest 213 brought together metal fans from across this North African country.
South Africa: Marikana Documentary Wins Emmy Award
The South African documentary, Miners Shot Down, on Monday night walked away with the International Emmy award for best documentary. The film covers the 2012 Marikana massacre when mineworkers in one of South Africa's biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more.
Social Media Helps Drive Historic Cuban Exodus to US
Elio Alvarez and Lideisy Hernandez [...] joined the largest migration from their homeland in decades. Buying two smartphones for $160 apiece […] they plugged themselves into a highly organized, well-funded […] effort to make human traffickers obsolete by using smartphones and messaging apps on much of the 3,400-mile (5,500-kilometer) overland journey [...] to the U.S.
UK Government Invests £85m in BBC World Service in Soft Power U-turn
The Government has acknowledged the importance of “soft power” in global politics with an unprecedented £85m investment in the BBC World Service to support initiatives in Russia, North Korea, the Middle East and Africa. Lord Hall, the BBC Director-General, welcomed what he described as “the single biggest increase in the World Service budget ever committed by any government.”
Nation Branding: Indonesia
Jakarta is already running a promotional campaign, ‘Enjoy Jakarta,’ which the city launched in 2005. But Alistair Speirs, a Jakarta-based brand consultant who worked on the campaign, told the Jakarta Globe in 2012 that Jakarta had, “Failed to deliver the values promised.” Speirs said that the city’s problems had “overshadowed” the campaign’s message.
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