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.
IOC Says Wants to See Beijing Protest Parks Used
The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it would have liked to see protesters actually use designated protest parks during the Beijing Games. Not a single permit for the 77 protest applications has been issued by Chinese authorities.
Chinese Pensioners Punished After Applying to Protest
Two Chinese pensioners who applied for the right to demonstrate in the "protest pens" at the Beijing Olympics have been sentenced to a one-year term of "Re-education through Labour", a leading Chinese human rights groups has said.
China’s Rise Goes Beyond Gold Medals
China is on track to displace the United States as the winner of the most Olympic gold medals this year. Get used to it. Today, it’s the athletic surge that dazzles us, but China will leave a similar outsize footprint in the arts, in business, in science, in education.
Too Old and Frail to Re-educate? Not in China
In the annals of people who have struggled against Communist Party rule, Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying are unlikely to merit even a footnote. The two women, both in their late 70s, have never spoken out against China’s authoritarian government. Both walk with the help of a cane, and Ms. Wang is blind in one eye. Their grievance, receiving insufficient compensation when their homes were seized for redevelopment, is perhaps the most common complaint among Chinese displaced during the country’s long streak of fast economic growth.
Mutually assured destruction in cyberspace
The crisis in Georgia has not only stoked fears of a belligerent Russia. It has also served as a reminder that a new style of warfare – potentially as devastating as those that terrified previous generations – is almost upon us: cyberwar.
In China, Jocks Don’t Rule School; But the Smart Kids, They’re Cool
China's elite young athletes may be winning a lot of medals at the Olympics. But in China, organized sports still aren't really something for regular kids. Less than 3% of Chinese secondary-school students attend schools with sports teams. Children with exceptional athletic prowess or physical attributes are pulled out of ordinary schools early on and sent to the special academies that train the country's sporting elite. That poses a big challenge for sporting-goods companies such as Nike Inc. and Adidas AG.
Super Dan’ Invoked Chairman Mao on His Way to Gold
After winning men's singles badminton crown at the Beijing Olympics, China's Lin Dan has revealed that the secret to his success was a lucky badge of 'Chairman' Mao Zedong which he wore during his campaign.
War in Georgia is Bigger News than the Campaign
The fighting between Russia and Georgia was the biggest story in the U.S. media last week, marking the first week in nine months when the presidential race did not generate the most coverage, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.
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