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.
Germany ‘More Cultured’ than UK, Says Composer Karl Jenkins
Criticising cuts to arts budgets in Britain, Karl Jenkins said increased public funding was needed to invest in the “cultural future” of a country. Describing Government cuts to the creative sector as “tragic”, the 69-year-old Welsh composer, whose works include Adiemus and The Armed Man, said: "In Germany it's just the opposite - increasing funding.”
Obama’s Pressing Agenda
While some Americans put off getting back to work in earnest until after Labor Day, President Obama has already hit the ground running. His eight days of golf with buddies and bike rides with his family on the Massachusetts resort island of Martha’s Vineyard ended abruptly Sunday night when he returned to the White House. Confronting him now is an unusually large and difficult array of issues. And although more than three years remain in his presidency, what he does – or doesn’t do – to address them could go a long way toward determining his presidential legacy.
Sudan: Nigeria Hints It Was Preparing to Arrest Sudanese President During His Visit
The Nigerian government was deliberating on actions to be taken regarding the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir during his visit to Abuja last month where he attended a health summit organized by the African Union (AU), according to formal filing by Abuja released today. Nigeria at the time defended receiving Bashir who is subject to two arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and genocide committed in Sudan's western region of Darfur.
Million Taking Part in Colombia’s Anti-Government Protests: Organizers
One million people took part in the first day of anti-government protests on Monday, according to strike organizers who expect an even bigger turnout on Tuesday when teachers and health workers join the country-wide protests. The high number is disputed by authorities. The protest organizations’ estimate is in stark contrast to that of the government, whose Interior Minister Fernando Carrillo told press that 60,000 people had taken to the streets and that the situation in the country is “under control.”
France of the Future: French Ministers Describe 2025
In 2025, France will have no unemployment, no debt, and tapping the housing market will be a "pleasant" experience - a tleast according to four of its government ministers. The finding came after France's president, Francois Hollande, asked his ministers to present their "holiday homework" on Monday, which was an essay entitled "What is your vision of France in 2025?" Happily for Hollande, the general tone of the homework suggested everything will be just grand in 2025.
One Thing Al Jazeera Could Do To Gain Credibility: Hire An Ombudsman
Neither Al Jazeera English nor the Arabic network have a full-time ombudsperson, such as the CBC’s standards editor or the New York Times’s public editor Margaret Sullivan. For its part, Al Jazeera America has made copious public announcements about glitzy hires but has hired no full-time audience advocate. Al Jazeera America needn’t feel sheepish; Fox and MSNBC have no ombuds listed among their editorial staffs, and neither responded to calls and emails as of this writing.
NPR Chief Gary Knell Departs for National Geographic
Gary Knell, who has headed NPR for less than two years, is departing to become president of the National Geographic Society...That leaves the nation's flagship public radio syndicate without a chief executive for the second time in two years. Knell's predecessor, Vivian Schiller, was forced to resign in the spring of 2011 after a series of damning allegations about NPR's liberal bias, which she had seemingly fueled with injudicious statements and decisions, including the firing of Juan Williams.
After More than 900 Deaths in Egypt, EU Weighs Cutting Aid
The European Union has thrown delivery of billions of aid dollars into question as it meets "urgently" to coordinate a response to Egypt in the aftermath of a crackdown there that has killed almost 900 people in five days. Violence has skyrocketed since the military-backed interim government cleared two camps of supporters of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi in Cairo on Aug. 14.
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