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.
Bubka Confident For Ukraine Olympics Bid Despite Turmoil
Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergey Bubka on Sunday said the protests rocking Ukraine would not harm its ambitious bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the western city of Lviv. Bubka said holding the Winter Olympics in Ukraine would help unite his divided nation.
Inside The Tiny Church Where Members Of Uganda’s Beleaguered Gay Community Have Found Sanctuary
Sunday is a special day in Uganda, the conservative east African country that is threatening to put gay people behind bars for life. On Sunday you can see families flocking to churches all over the country for prayer, wearing their best clothes. But not at a tiny church tucked away in one of Kampala's suburbs. Here, gay people meet in devoted challenge to mainstream denominations that have declared them outcasts. With dreadlocked hair and in jeans and bathroom slippers, members of this congregation would stand out in the prim and proper evangelical church I sometimes go to.
How American Economic Sanctions Are Hurting Innocent Students in Iran, Cuba, & Sudan
A popular U.S. provider of massive open online courses is being prevented from offering lessons to students in blacklisted countries. This will do more harm than good. The United States frequently fancies itself a defender of online freedom, serving up stern words to regimes which censor and control the Internet.
UN, Red Crescent Prepare For Fresh Homs Aid Operation
A day after coming under mortar fire in Homs, aid workers gathered at the edge of a besieged rebel-held district on Sunday to evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian supplies to 2,500 people trapped by Syria’s civil war.
I Went To Jail For Posting A Comedy Skit On YouTube. Is This The Modern UAE?
n January 2014, I was released from a maximum-security prison in the middle of a desert in the United Arab Emirates. I had been imprisoned for nine months, all but two weeks without a conviction. The reason? UAE authorities accused me of threatening the country's national security by creating a sketch-comedy video parodying teenagers in Dubai and posting it on YouTube.
After 12 Years, Jamaican Bobsledders Return to Winter Olympics
A tropical nation has never won a medal in the Winter Olympics. But Jamaica’s bobsled team has become a legend for challenging snow and ice countries at their own sport.
France Takes A Stand, Crushing Ivory Beneath The Eiffel Tower
France became the first European country this week to join a worldwide effort to destroy ivory. The goal is to send a warning to ivory traffickers and to anyone who might not consider buying it a serious crime.
France’s Tough Stance On Female Genital Mutilation Is Working, Say Campaigners
he girls were ready to leave for London on Eurostar when French police arrived at the school gate to take them into care and their parents into custody. It is doubtful the cousins, both six, had been told why they were crossing the Channel. But activists campaigning against female genital mutilation (FGM) told the Guardian they had learned that the parents were planning to have them "cut", and tipped off the police just in time. The story demonstrates France's zero-tolerance towards FGM, a tough approach that has jailed about 100 people in dozens of high-profile cases.
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