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.
Lizzy Yarnold To Use Olympic Success To Inspire Girls To Play Sport
Great Britain's most recent Olympic gold medallist has vowed to use her sudden fame to inspire more girls to play sport and challenge "the media image of the perfect woman". Lizzy Yarnold, who became just the fifth British athlete to win individual gold at a Winter Olympics when she defeated her skeleton rivals by almost a second on Friday, said she was determined to convince more girls to stay involved with sport.
Can Japan Recapture Its Cool? A Country’s Government-Backed Multimillion-Dollar Bet
Now, the guardians of Japan’s economic future are banking on much the same thing. They hope that the beloved, magical cat can reach into his bag of tricks and pull out a ticket to the global spotlight, both for himself and for the nation that created him. Although appointed Japan’s “anime ambassador” in 2008, Doraemon didn’t speak English until a few months ago.
Chinese Ask Kerry to Help Tear Down a Firewall
A group of Chinese bloggers asked the United States to take up the cause of Internet freedom in an unusual meeting on Saturday with Secretary of State John Kerry. One by one, the bloggers voiced concerns to Mr. Kerry, who arrived here on Friday to discuss regional issues with China’s leaders, that the ability of Chinese citizens to gain access to information was under siege and that the country’s prospects for becoming a democracy were uncertain at best.
EU Challenges US Internet Governance
The European Commission has said it is determined to “redraw the global map of internet governance” as massive US surveillance has damaged public trust in the web, and said it is ready to negotiate with Washington for control of web architecture. The commission, the EU’s top executive body, on Wednesday proposed a key reform to the way the internet is managed and run, saying that Europe will “pursue a role as honest broker” in future global negotiations on the issue.
UN Envoy Heads to Kinshasa to Promote Regional Peace Accord
Great Lakes envoy Mary Robinson is in the Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, calling on authorities to fulfil their commitments to achieve lasting peace, as the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC is due to visit alleged massacre sites in the restive eastern part of the vast country.
Protesters In Istanbul Rioted To Save Their Internet
This year, Turkey's protesters have turned their attention from small, endangered urban parks to the slightly more on-trend issue of online freedom. The reason: a new law was announced over the weekend that would award the Turkish government tighter control over the internet, allowing them to block websites without seeking a court ruling first. Considering the country's mainstream media is already widely controlled by the government, it's no surprise that news of these restrictions on the country's primary source of objective information didn't go down very well.
As Syria Talks Deadlock, Fury Rises Over Inability To Deliver Aid
UN officials lashed out as violence threatened efforts to help civilians. 'We understand that a war is going on. But even wars have rules,' the UN humanitarian chief said angrily. It has not been a promising 24 hours for mediation and humanitarian efforts in Syria. The UN's humanitarian chief lambasted the effort to provide aid to the Syrian city of Homs Thursday night, and today, UN special envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi warned that the failure of ongoing negotiations was "staring us in the face."
George Clooney Calls For Mona Lisa To Be Returned To Italy
George Clooney has claimed that France should return the Mona Lisa to Italy during a promotional tour for his new film The Monuments Men, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The comments, which follow Clooney's repeated claims over the past week that Britain should return the Parthenon marbles to Greece, were reportedly made in Milan at a press event during which the film's cast posed in front of the famed Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece The Last Supper. The film's director was joined by co-stars Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jean Dujardin and John Goodman for the event.
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