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.

Los Angeles Prepares for the 2015 Special Olympics

Two years from Wednesday, more than 7,000 world-class athletes and 500,000 spectators will descend on Los Angeles for the biggest sporting event in the region since the 1984 Summer Olympic Games...Mayor Eric Garcetti said it is an honor for L.A. to again serve as host city, after also holding the games in 1972. "Los Angles is the city of hope, opportunity and inclusion, and these games are the embodiment of our spirit," Garcetti said. "This unique event will foster greater understanding and respect for all the world's people."

Tags: united states, nation branding, sports diplomacy, city branding, los angeles, special olympics, 2015 special olympics

Mobile Kindergarten for Nomadic Mongolian Children

The kindergarten is in a traditional Mongolian ger, with a thick quilted lining and a carpet on the floor. Children’s pictures are pinned to the wooden frame. Outside, it is raining, and heavy clouds blanket the hills. The ger is pitched in the middle of a wide, flat valley. Some children arrive on foot, with older brothers carrying them across a river. Others arrive with their parents on horseback, motorbike or tractor.

Tags: asia pacific, unicef, mongolia, public education, kindergarten, nomadic

Why India Loves Joe Biden

Last month’s U.S.-India strategic dialogue in New Delhi was widely viewed as a failure. As Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, a former Indian diplomat, put it, “The India-US Strategic dialogue, by all accounts, accomplished little….

Tags: united states, government pd, india, joe biden,

Vietnam PM Calls for Enhanced Japan Ties

At a Thursday meeting in Hanoi with Masayuki Yamauchi, chair of a government panel on cultural exchange promotion with other Asian countries, Dung also asked for cooperation from Japan for the preservation of historical heritage and cultural assets in Vietnam, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, japan, vietnam, asean

Battle Over The Mandela Brand

One of his daughters and three of his grandchildren are using the former South African president's name in such pursuits as wine marketing and a reality television show, Being Mandela. His relatives also were embroiled in two lawsuits to secure control over his trust funds and the burial places of the remains of three of his children.

Tags: nation branding, non-state actors, south africa, nelson mandela

The Relaunch of BBC Afrique

The relaunch of BBC Afrique, the World Service’s French language service for Africa, has increased the hours of transmission and introduced a new more interactive style of presentation. However an Over to You listener says that it also means he no longer hears English language programmes – we hear from BBC Afrique’s editor why the service has changed in response to developments in African radio, and the balance between French and English programmes.

Tags: Cultural Diplomacy, media, africa, united kingdom, language, bbc, english, francophone, bbc afrique

Pacific Partnership Brings Textbooks to Kiribati School

Pacific Partnership partner-nation military, U.S. service members and nongovernmental organization volunteers delivered more than 200 textbooks to Stephen Whitmee High School in Abaiang, Republic of Kiribati, July 18. The textbooks were donated by the nonprofit organization Project Handclasp. “The students need books to learn,” said Abitaroma Taribo, principal of the school. “Right now we have to photocopy pages of books to give to the students. The books that were brought will help students better prepare for national exams.”

Tags: united states, public diplomacy, educational diplomacy, project handclasp, kiribati, Pacific Partnership

A Scrappy Afghan Radio Station Faces a Shaky Future After U.S. Troops Leave

Though entirely operated by local civilians, Radio Khorasan is nonetheless a product of the ongoing, uneasy marriage between Afghan society and the American-led NATO military mission in the country. Its roots trace back to an earlier time in the war, when a stable, peaceful Afghanistan seemed only a few battlefield victories and successful infrastructure projects away. From the very start, media was part of the strategy.

Tags: united states, media, afghanistan, radio, radio khorasan

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