It's a crisis that has spiraled out of control with more than 65 million people now called refugees around the globe. As hundreds of young socially conscious innovators from around the globe meet in the Silicon Valley this week with investors seeking to back their projects at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), one unique organisation is seeking to tackle the unfolding disaster by reframing the entire way those fleeing their countries because of war or persecution are treated.

Tags: refugee crisis, innovation, non state pd, refuge point, africa, middle east, global aid & development, Global Entrepreneurship summit

Norway was ranked fifth in the 2016 Country RepTrak rankings, trailing only Sweden, Canada, Switzerland and Australia. Fellow Nordic nations Finland and Denmark were close behind, at sixth and eighth place respectively. [...] The report was compiled by the Reputation Institute, which claims to be the world’s "leading consulting and advisory firm for reputation". The institute promotes the Country RepTrak ranking as the world’s largest survey of country reputation.

Tags: norway, denmark, sweden, canada, switzerland, finland, RepTrak, public opinion, nation branding, international image, global reputation

The University of California is creating stronger bonds with Mexico. The UC-Mexico Initiative, housed at UC Riverside, is a priority UC President Janet Napolitano added to her agenda shortly after taking office three years ago. Since then, the entire UC system, including the 10 UC campuses, have been working with Mexican counterparts in the areas of environment, energy, arts and culture, education and health.

Tags: university of california, mexico, international exchange, education, culture, uc-mexico initiative, environment, arts, health

The day before the “Brexit” vote, when British citizens will decide whether to remain in the European Union, they were in London initially to pass out croissants fresh off the Paris train to convince their still-European compatriots not to leave the E.U. [...] “Our aim was never to affect votes,” she said. “I think we’re all aware that this campaign has been incredibly divisive, that there’s been so much anger, and we just wanted to do something that had positivity and friendship at its heart.”

Tags: france, uk, brexit, european union, gastrodiplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, non state pd, london, paris, dialogue

Led by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, the Representatives sat down on the chamber floor, chanting “No bill, no break,” and calling for a vote. The beginning of the dramatic protest was captured on C-SPAN’s livestream, but then the video cut out. House Republicans had called a recess, triggering the shutdown of the cameras C-SPAN uses in its broadcasts, effectively cutting off public access to the protest. However, Representatives quickly turned to Periscope and Facebook Live to stream their own video.

Tags: united states, democrats, republicans, digital diplomacy & new tech, government pd, facebook, periscope, twitter, #NoBillNoBreak, social media

Consulting Director of Chinese Programs from American Councils for International Education (ACIE) Mr. Anthony J. Kane visited National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in southern Taiwan on June 22, to strengthen partnership and promote public diplomacy between Taiwan and the United States. [...] They also discussed the possibility of seeking the support from NCKU’s alumni in Taiwan and in the US to support ACIE’s projects.

Tags: united states, taiwan, international exchange, non state pd, ACIE, education, us state department, china

Now, acting as the US State Department's Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Stengel sat down with AJ+ presenter Dena Takuri on Wednesday to discuss the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). The gathering brings together more than 1,000 young innovators, investors, and government officials with the goal of establishing socially and environmentally conscious businesses around the world.

Tags: richard stengel, us state department, government pd, non state pd, Global Entrepreneurship summit, innovation, economic development, silicon valley, middle east

The Old World is losing its “soft power”, its positive radiance and magnetism, as the support for the so-called “Brexit” becomes the symbol for the fear and rampant populism across the Continent. The Portland think tank’s “Soft Power Index” this year also found signs of Europe’s slide. The US has replaced Britain at the top and Germany has fallen from second to third place. And Canada bumped France down to fifth place.

Tags: european union, smart & soft power, international image, uk, brexit, populism, germany, france