When it comes to matters of economic disparity and  sense of fair play, Brazil and Mexico score worse than countries in Africa. A survey conducted via mobile phones of people in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Brazil and Mexico by Boston-based Jana shows people from both Latin American countries are more negative on issues related to inequality and taxation.

Tags: africa, brazil, economy, inequality, kenya, mexico, mobile, nigeria, public opinion, south africa

Chinese internet company Sina plans to spin off its Twitter-like microblog service, Weibo, in a US initial public offering to raise US$500 million, a person with knowledge of the deal said on Tuesday. The person, who wasn’t authorised to speak publicly about the deal, said investment banks Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse had been hired to manage the IPO in New York.

Tags: alibaba, asia pacific, china, digital diplomacy, new technology, sina, sina weibo, social media, weibo

The massive protests sweeping Venezuela come at a time when many in that country have an increasingly dark view of both their own standard of living and the direction of the nation’s economy. A record low 33% of Venezuelans said their standard of living was improving, according to a Gallup poll conducted last fall and released Tuesday. Just a year earlier, 54% had said their standard of living was improving.

Tags: crime, economy, gallup, latin america, nicolas maduro, pew research center, public opinion, south america, venezuela

Eli Lake at the Daily Beast has a new article arguing that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has tried to balance increased sharing of information within the intelligence community with increased punishment of those who leak information outside it.

Tags: director of national intelligence, edward snowden, five eyes, intelligence, james clapper, national security agency, transparency, united states

A Ugandan tabloid, The Red Pepper, published a list with names and photos of the nation’s ‘top homosexuals’ on Tuesday, outing 200 people, many of whom have not openly identified as gay. A popular Ugandan hip-hop star, a Catholic priest, and several gay activists were on the list. 

Tags: africa, anti-gay, human rights, journalism, lgbt, media, tabloids, the red pepper, uganda, yoweri museveni

The US State Department has expelled three Venezuelan diplomats in response to last week's expulsion of three consular officials from Caracas. Jen Psaki, the department's spokeswoman, said on Tuesday that First Secretary Ignacio Luis Cajal Avalos, First Secretary Victor Manuel Pisani Azpurua, and Second Secretary Marcos Jose Garcia Figueredo, have 48 hours to leave the US.

Tags: conflict, consulates, diplomacy, latin america, nicolas maduro, protest, united states, venezuela

Audiences in Nigeria can now get their news on the go with DandalinVOA (VOA’s Platform), a dynamic new 24/7 mobile phone stream, which features a fresh mix of Nigerian and American music, with the latest news, sports and entertainment updates. “The 24/7 Hausa mobile stream looks past legacy broadcasting and uses mobile technology to reach the next generation,” said VOA Africa Division Director Gwen Dillard. 

Tags: africa, dandalin voa, hausa, international broadcasting, mobile, nigeria, voice of america

Among the principal assets of U.S. public diplomacy are American values. They are admired around the world, even by many people who dislike American policy. No other political system offers such extensive individual and systemic freedoms as those enumerated in the Bill of Rights. Showcasing and standing up for those freedoms should be at the heart of U.S. public diplomacy.

Tags: al jazeera, egypt, journalism, media, middle east, philip seib, press freedom, public diplomacy, united states