The ABC's chief, Mark Scott, has risked scuttling the broadcaster's bid for Australia's $223 million overseas television service...Australia Network is broadcast in Asia and the Pacific region, targeting a middle-class audience in 44 countries as part of an effort to promote Australia.

APDS Blogger: Anna Dawson

By general consensus, if not an absolutely proven fact, Moscow's iconic St. Basil's Cathedral (take a virtual tour), Red Square's famous architectural jewel with its nine swirling, candy cane like multicolored domes, turned 450 today. And Google has marked the occasion with one of those increasingly noticed and prized little honors known as a doodle.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) today hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama at its Washington, DC headquarters. In his address to RFA’s staff, the Dalai Lama spoke about the value of democracy, freedom, and civil law...The Dalai Lama said RFA is “extremely helpful” and lauded its services for their contribution in working to “educate people who have no freedom of information.”

The Australia Network is the Government's primary vehicle for public diplomacy: its means of engaging with foreign publics, of providing reliable news in information-starved regions, of communicating with Australians living and traveling overseas, and of projecting Australia's culture, ideals, values and expertise to the region.

It is the most popular subject on China's Internet that no one is allowed to talk about. After overseas media reported the death of former president Jiang Zemin, web-savvy Internet users in China are finding creative ways to jump the Great Firewall, the cloak of Internet security authorities use to disrupt or halt access to things deemed too sensitive for the Internet.

PD Magazine announces the launch of the Summer 2011 issue: "International Broadcasting." This summer's issue focused on the role of international broadcasting in public diplomacy.

It is understood Sky News proposed setting up a dedicated channel for China to run separately from the rest of the network as a way of expanding Australia's reach in the Asian powerhouse, where censorship limits foreign news broadcasts.... the Foreign Affairs Department has said it is keen to gain access for Australia's public diplomacy channel.