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 set for global audience
Last December the Beijing-based China Heaven Creation International Performing Arts Company purchased the White House Theater in Branson, a small town in the US Midwest and a popular destination for American vacationers.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders to be invited to U.S. for peace talks
World leaders are planning to invite Israeli and Palestinian officials to Washington in September to begin direct Middle East peace talks, a U.S. official confirmed Thursday.
Pakistani Women Cope with Flood’s Aftermath
Catholic Relief Services teams are navigating landslides and flood-destroyed roads to get aid to Pakistan's most needy families, including widows like Hajraiba. Included in the emergency kits are plastic sheeting to create temporary shelters, sleeping mats, cookware and a covered bucket for water storage.
Pakistan accepts flood aid money from rival India
Pakistan has accepted an offer of $5 million of flood aid from neighbor and longtime rival India, in a move that could spark a political backlash at home. In an interview with Indian news channel NDTV, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi described the offer of aid, made last week, as a “very welcome initiative."
Is Ground Zero mosque part of culture war or symbol of tolerance?
Most of the opponents of the so-called Ground Zero mosque, scheduled for construction two blocks from the old World Trade Center in Manhattan, say their objections are largely out respect for the dead and concern for the families who have spent the past nine years trying to rebuild their lives.
South begins blocking North Korean Twitter account
South Korea has begun blocking access to a Twitter account operated by a North Korean Web site.The site, Uriminzokkiri, launched the Twitter feed @uriminzok last week and has been providing Korean-language headlines and links to propaganda-heavy news items on its home page. It's launch was widely reported and the publicity has brought it more than 9,000 followers in the week since it launched.
When The Right Thing To Do Isn’t The Right Public Diplomacy Thing To Do
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently pledged that the U.S. would provide long-term support to Pakistanis affected by historic, devastating floods...My own view, in a nutshell, is that this is not a public diplomacy issue. It’s a humanitarian issue. We in the West should find every way to relieve the immense suffering in that unstable but crucial nation, simply because it’s the right thing to do, not because we can expect to score points or to keep the Pakistani Taliban from scoring points.
Switzerland Summer Camp Becomes Basketball Melting Pot
Coaches and players often travel the globe -- Asia, Africa, Europe -- this time of year to spread the NBA gospel, promoting basketball camps that attract adoring youngsters eager to learn the game. Rarely do they find anything as diverse and far-reaching as they do in the little hamlet of Zofingen, Switzerland, which becomes a very popular basketball melting pot for two weeks every summer.
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