Sri Lankan officials have impounded the new edition of The Economist magazine. They did so after it published an opinion piece critical of constitutional changes.

The populace is becoming an extra variable to a country's diplomacy. Decades ago, diplomacy was largely a mysterious game played by politicians within certain inner circles. However, with the rise of mass media, especially the Internet, diplomacy is not just the jurisdiction of diplomats anymore.

Better communication of EU affairs by public service broadcasters is key to bridging the gap between the European Union and its citizens, said the European Parliament yesterday (7 September), highlighting in particular the "huge potential" of social media to reach out to young people.

Kyodo News has launched a fully redesigned website for its English-language service as part of efforts to strengthen its multilingual and multimedia services... The Kyodo News English-language service covers developments around the globe 24 hours a day, with a particular focus on Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Agence France-Presse sent a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma to express concern about a proposed law that could limit press freedom in South Africa.

At a time when many Western media outlets are contracting, Chinese media outlets are expanding, rapidly. Beijing is pouring billions into the country's state-run media machine, which is churning out new TV networks, radio stations and newspapers aimed at foreign audiences.

About 30 non-commercial TV stations around the U.S. are airing “MHz Network Worldview,” which includes programs from Al Jazeera English, the Kremlin’s “Russia Today” and other foreign state-controlled instruments of propaganda.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday officially joined the social networking era with the launching of a new YouTube channel, as well as Facebook, Twitter and flickr accounts.