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.
China’s Soft-Power Push
As China’s global power grows, Beijing is learning that its image matters. For all its economic and military might, the country suffers from a severe shortage of soft power. According to global public opinion surveys, it enjoys a decidedly mixed international image. While China’s economic prowess impresses much of the world, its repressive political system and mercantilist business practices tarnish its reputation.
Sorbonne on Virtues of being French
The French have a reputation for their enviable lifestyle and smug confidence in their superiority. Books on why French women don’t get fat and the beautiful behaviour of French children have reinforced the image. Now the Sorbonne, one of the world’s most elite universities, is inviting Britons to France to be lectured about the virtues of being French. Aimed at expats, students and retired couples, the summer course will be taught in English and French, to appeal to Francophiles across the Channel.
Israel gets 'Animated' about Gaza War Coverage
The Foreign Ministry took a stab at the international media's coverage of Gaza in a satirical, animated video posted on the Internet on Sunday. Ahead of a UN Human Rights Council report due to be published this week on last summer's war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the ministry issued the clip intended to urge the world to become more aware of the realities of oppression and terrorism in the coastal Palestinian territory.
Michelle Obama to Visit East London School and Drink Tea with Prince Harry
When the strains of raising two teenage girls while serving as First Lady get too much, Michelle Obama knows she has a place she can go to find support. In a modest suite on the third floor of the White House lives Marian Robinson, Mrs Obama’s 77-year-old mother and a bedrock of stability for America’s most famous family.
Narendra Modi's Surprisingly Successful Selfie Diplomacy
New Delhi -- Last month, in front of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang posed for Modi's smartphone and snapped a photo. "It's selfie time! Thanks Premier Li," Modi tweeted to his 13 million Twitter followers. The photo of the two men--together representing nearly 40 percent of the world's population--led the Wall Street Journal to wonder, "Did Modi Just Take the Most Powerful Selfie in History?"
Art of Diplomacy: How French Schools Abroad Cope With Censorship
It is one of the great allegorical paintings celebrating the French revolution: Liberty Leading the People, by Eugène Delacroix, shows a barefoot, bare-breasted woman – representing Marianne, the female symbol of the republic – brandishing a tricolour in one hand and a bayonetted musket in the other, leading the people over the bodies of the fallen.
Thousands of Indians prepare for Yoga Day
India is preparing for the first ever International Yoga Day which will be celebrated on Sunday. India has taken the lead among the 192 countries that are participating.
Thousands have been preparing for Sunday's main event, where 35,000 people will practise yoga at Rajpath (King's Avenue), in the capital Delhi. The Indian government believes it will be the largest yoga gathering in history and expects the event to find a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Using Culture to Hegemonize People
Foraying into Myanmar and snuffing out militants to avenge the death of Army men killed on Indian soil is one aspect of the Narendra Modi government which has its clutch of takers. While special forces of the Army fight the nation’s battle, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, Culture Ministry, Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Health Ministry are waging a different battle for the minds, leading to what some historians say is a situation where an entire population could be lulled into thinking and acting on similar lines.
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