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.
What Can India Learn from Bose, Raman & Saha?
When I was referred to a documentary film on India’s scientific greats by its maker Raja Choudhury this week, I was wondering if there’d be anything beyond what I already know about them in the hour-long film. To find this out, it also meant dedicating an hour to watch the film on YouTube with its infamous buffering time. But I was ready to endure that, partly because the title of the film was inviting — The Quantum Indians — and partly because I had not been able to take up Raja’s earlier offer to feature in this film as an ‘expert’ on India’s science.
The Coming of Al Qaeda 3.0
In case anyone needed reminding, the recent global terror alert illustrates that, 15 years after its first attacks on America, Al Qaeda is thriving. The coup in Egypt and the chaotic aftermath of the Arab awakening is only going to add more militants to this army of radicals. Failed revolutions and failing states are like incubators for the jihadists, a sort of Pandora’s Box of hostility and alienation.
Searching Big Data for ‘Digital Smoke Signals’
The office has the look and feel of an Internet start-up. The workers are young, the dress is casual and the computer of choice is an Apple notebook. They inhabit a single open room. The walls have whiteboards for scribbling ideas when inspiration strikes. But the office in Manhattan is not dedicated to the latest app. It is the base camp of the United Nations Global Pulse team — a tiny unit inside an institution known for its sprawling bureaucracy, not its entrepreneurial hustle.
What Happens When K-Pop Comes to Mexico?
It was only a matter of time. In the span of a decade, Korean pop music has gone from relative obscurity to sweep the entire Asian continent. Now, with a little help from Psy, K-pop has cast its eye on the potentially lucrative markets in the Americas and Europe. First came the United States, then Mexico. MBLAQ, a popular Korean boy band, arrived in Mexico this week for their first concert in Central and South America.
US, Britain Must Show Moral Leadership on Internet Privacy
Allegations of mass, indiscriminate government surveillance have sparked a global spat about its proper limits. In defending their programs, the United States and Britain have exposed a troubling, two-tiered approach to the right to privacy in the digital age. Neither government seems willing to recognize the privacy interests of people outside its borders. One thing is clear: as our lives become more connected through the Internet, the right to privacy has never been under a greater global threat.
Obama Cancels Visit With Putin. Why?
President Barack Obama is canceling plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next month — a rare diplomatic snub. The move is retribution for Russia's decision to grant temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, who is accused of leaking highly secretive details about National Security Agency surveillance programs. It also reflects growing U.S. frustration with Russia on several issues, including missile defense and human rights.
The Strength of Inclusion: Wheelchair Basketball
While in Washington D.C., the Turkish athletes played wheelchair basketball with American student athletes at local schools and organizations, including George Mason University and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network (MedStar NRH). The athletes traveled to the University of Illinois-Urbana for intensive wheelchair basketball clinics, and team building and conflict resolution activities. Throughout the program, they learned about disability sports culture in the United States.
Mexico’s Energy Debate Approaches Fever Pitch
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has presided over an incredible year so far in Mexico, pushing through reforms of the telecom and educational sector. But this week, just days after Pena Nieto’s successful thyroid surgery, the president and his PRI party are set to introduce their biggest proposal yet — proposing sweeping changes to the nation’s oil laws that have for decades protected the bloated state oil monopoly Pemex and prevented foreign investment.
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