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.
Vatican Museums Launch New Multimedia Website
The new director of the Vatican museums, Barbara Jatta, presented a new multimedia web site to journalists at the Vatican press office on Monday. The user-friendly site, available in Italian, English, French, Spanish and German, contains thousands of images plus over fifty videos and virtual tours and has taken almost three years to complete.
The Power of Citizen Participation
Several times, the concepts analyzed in theory and the ‘how should it be’ don’t really happen in reality, for social scientists like me it’s a constant struggle to analyze reality and society and try to come up with proposals to improve the situation and the life quality of people, and sometimes they don’t happen to be quite as real as we would want.
Give Me Future is a Powerful Doc About Cuban Youth Culture
“There’s something young happening here,” DJ Walshy Fire says late into the sprawling, inspiring concert documentary Give Me Future. [...] They’re talking with reverent awe about Cuba’s music scene, and how rapidly it’s changing. A little over a year after President Obama eased the 54-year trade sanction against Cuba, Major Lazer went to Havana for an unprecedented mega-scale outdoor concert.
China Is Using Tourism to Taiwan as a Diplomatic Weapon
With six million Chinese tourists expected to travel abroad over the Lunar New Year break, China’s Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 holiday is crucial for Taiwan tour agency operator Li Chi-yueh, who relies on mainland visitors for a third of his revenue. [...] Though Tsai says Taiwan wants peace with China, Beijing suspects she seeks formal independence. “China uses its sightseeing tourists as a diplomatic weapon,” said Li.
Trump Era May Force Europe Into Deciding What Role It Wants
Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House means it may, finally, be decision time for Europe. The new U.S. president’s barrage of criticism in the run up to his inauguration last week prompted pledges to stick together and revive support for the European Union. Germany’s Angela Merkel vowed to maintain unity through continuous dialogue with other members. Mark Rutte of the Netherlands called for a fresh focus on the economy.
Tazara Railway Shows Benefit of Chinese Aid
The 1,860.5 kilometer-long Tazara railway spanning from Tanzania's commercial center Dar es Salaam to Zambia's Central Province represents one of China's largest foreign aid projects. A tripartite agreement was signed in September 1967 to build the railroad and construction began in 1970. The railway opened in 1975 and in July 1976 was officially transferred to the governments of Tanzania and Zambia, with the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority undertaking operations.
Australia to Replace Passports with Biometric Tech
In a move that sounds convenient and a little terrifying, international travelers to Australia may not need a passport by 2020. Officials say that the country is implementing a system to replace the standard paper ID with biometric technology that recognizes faces, irises and/or fingerprints. If all goes to plan, passengers from other countries will arrive in Australia and walk directly out of the airport just like a domestic traveler.
UN Women & Partners Seek Ways to Close Gender Data Gaps at Forum
With only 41 percent of countries regularly producing data on violence against women and only 13 percent of countries having a dedicated gender statistics budget, the first-ever United Nations World Data Forum explored ways to close these data gaps on January 17. [...] The panel, titled 'Gender Data for Decision-making: Strengthening the Links,' was among the nearly 100 sessions and parallel events scheduled throughout the 15-18 January gathering in Cape Town, South African, of more than 1,400 data experts around the world.
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