Like most government-funded broadcasters, VOA is facing an uncertain future because of factors that are outside its control, such as budget constraints and censorship by anti-democratic leaders in countries like Russia and China. But VOA’s future is also uncertain because of its own shortcomings.

[...] Joseph Stalin's forced 1930's famine against millions of peasants – the majority Ukrainian – a policy of collectivization that led to mass starvation of millions of people. Attempts at reinterpretation were highlighted most recently by the Kremlin-funded propaganda outlet Sputnik News which ran this English-language piece 'Holodomor Hoax: The Anatomy of a Lie Invented by West's Propaganda Machine'.

Considering the importance of public diplomacy in cultural and people-to-people exchanges, we encouraged and supported the foreign ministries of the three countries to continue consultations on a trilateral forum on public diplomacy to enhance understanding and friendship among the peoples of the three countries.

A new Palestinian PR campaign attempts to recast the conflict by comparing Israeli violence against Palestinians to methods used by Islamic State.  [...] Palestinian public diplomacy increasingly contests the interchangeability of terms in the media for the Haram al Sherif (Noble Sanctuary) and the Temple Mount, which is the Jewish term for the site.

The Embassy of Switzerland, in collaboration with the Satrang Gallery of the Serena Group, hosted a Sculpture Exhibition on October 30 - 31, 2015 within its premises to promote cross-cultural understanding and creation through visual art. 

The third India-Africa Forum Summit has been depicted as truly historic. It is so for three reasons: it was the largest assembly of African leaders outside Africa; the biggest gathering of Africa’s 41 heads of state/government on Indian soil; and it saw India unveiling a bigger development cooperation package than ever before.

The Pakistan High Commission has started an Urdu Language Training Center in the Sri Lankan capital. The avowed purpose of the venture is to help Lankans who go to Pakistan either for higher studies or to do business, communicate with locals. But it is undeniable that one of the aims of the Center is to counter the spread of Hindi, which is already a hugely popular language in Lanka thanks to Bollywood films and their songs.

 “The role of translation and international publication cannot be ignored in intercultural relations. However, considering the current favorable air of cultural diplomacy and academic theorizing, translation should be viewed in the field of cultural relations which covers cultural activities and the role played by private institutions,” Culture Minister added.