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.
Welcome to “Richistan”: How London Winks At the Ridiculously Rich
Where do the world's wealthiest people live? Well, it depends on whether you're deliberating over millionaires, multi-millionaires or billionaires. If you're on a “fat-cat” hunt, London is described by London-based wealth consultancy, WealthInsight, as the city with the highest number of multi-millionaires, defined as individuals with over $30 million each, according to the Daily Mail on Saturday.
Broadening the Syria Options, Beyond Bombing-or-Nothing
From a reader with a lot of experience in politics and negotiation, following this post earlier today: It's odd that the choice seems to be framed as airstrikes vs. do nothing.
Fluid Markets
It's a June night in Kinshasa, and rapper JB Mpiana's weekly VIP bash is just starting to heat up. Toned groupies splash like mermaids in a sunken pool. Middle-aged businessmen perch on the ledge above to watch. A minute before midnight, JB runs onstage among a huge posse of gyrating dancers in sunglasses. He rips into some of his biggest hits; a bombastic performer, he glides across the stage with a beefy grace, dressed in a hunter-orange jumpsuit and matching cap.
Australia’s New PM Talks Tough on Foreign Aid and Immigration
Australia's new government-elect prepared for a tranfer of power Sunday, with policies to cut foreign aid and roll back greenhouse gas reduction measures in moves the new leaders say will help balance the nation's books. Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott also plans to visit Indonesia soon in part to discuss controversial plans to curb the number of asylum seekers reaching Australian shores in Indonesian fishing boats.
How Could A Drought Spark A Civil War?
The background of the Syrian conflict can seem obscure to outsiders, but the spark that started it all is often traced back to the city of Dara'a, in February of 2011. A group of young people writing Arab Spring protest slogans on a wall are arrested and beaten. "When that news broke there was a massive demonstration on the street, and that was the first spark one can call of the Syrian uprising," Nayan Chanda tells NPR's Jacki Lyden.
View From Tokyo: The Successful 2020 Olympic Bid Signals New Hopes for Japan
Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics wasn’t a sexy one. But the promise of efficiency, competence and high-tech wizardry was more than enough to convince members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who on Sept. 8 Tokyo time chose the Japanese capital over upstart Istanbul, which, had it won, would have been the first predominantly Muslim host city. (Madrid, the third contender, appeared to have been eliminated in a previous secret IOC vote.)
Dennis Rodman Met Kim Jong Un’s Secret Baby Daughter
Dennis Rodman broke some news on North Korean Kim Jong Un's baby daughter on Sunday during an interview with the Guardian. The former basketball player and current friend of the North Korean dictator said that he "held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms Ri [Sol-Ju, Kim's wife] as well" while in the country this past week. While Rodman told reporters in March that Kim's wife had spoken about their daughter during his previous visit to the country, it looks like Rodman is stepping up the evidence of her existence.
On Both Sides, Syrians Make Pleas to U.S.
The video from Kafranbel, a rebel-held village in northern Syria, has been sent by e-mail to members of the United States Congress and posted repeatedly on their Web sites — often in long strings of comments about Syria that have flooded unrelated posts about health care or the openings of new constituent offices.
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