media

November 28, 2013

The Israeli Army shared its first comic book titled Hamas in Comics: Terror and Tyranny in Gaza, commemorating the so-called Operation "Pillar of Defense", an eight-day military offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to a post on the army's blog, the comic aims to "show you the terrorist organisation like you've never seen it before".

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Digital Diplomacy Open House held at the Canadian Embassy by the Digital Diplomacy Coalition. The event featured small booths and presentations by various countries with embassies in DC. During their presentations, I noticed a few trends with regards to the conduct of digital diplomacy as practiced by the participating organizations.

With the launch of a Portuguese-language internet edition on Tuesday, EL PAÍS has embarked on what is probably its biggest professional and business venture since the newspaper was founded 37 years ago. The Spanish daily has always had the vision of becoming a global newspaper, something that was proved in March when it launched an Americas edition. Now the Portuguese internet portal, EL PAÍS Brasil, broadens that scope.

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter condemned the European media for "attacking" the 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar on Tuesday, days after slamming European countries and companies over the controversial tournament. The veteran Swiss said the media had been unfair to Qatar as he made an impassioned defense of the event to delegates at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awards in Kuala Lumpur.

Secretary of State John Kerry offered a robust defense of the interim nuclear agreement with Iran on Sunday, rejecting comparisons to North Korea and insisting that the deal would make Israel and Persian Gulf allies of the United States more secure, not less so. Speaking on three Sunday news programs, Mr. Kerry said the deal, signed early Sunday morning in Geneva, would lock in place nuclear activities that bring Iran closer to having a bomb and subject its nuclear facilities to unprecedented international inspections.

A top international law firm that was ordered by the Qatari government to conduct an "independent review" into allegations of modern-day slavery at World Cup construction sites is also a paid lobbyist for an arm of Qatar's Al Jazeera television network, The Telegraph can disclose. DLA Piper has received more than $300,000 (£186,000) in lobbying fees this year from Al Jazeera America according to official filings in the US, raising questions over whether it could conduct an unbiased assessment into allegations that have cast a pall over preparations for the 2022 World Cup.

Inside the Gaza government press office, a fresh-faced young woman makes her case in fluent English; outside, scowling bearded officials bark orders at masked militants. In the Gaza Strip, the Islamist movement Hamas that runs it shows two faces. Wearing a brightly coloured veil and smiling broadly, 23-year-old Israa al-Mudallal admits with disarming candour that she still has a lot to learn in her role as Hamas's first-ever spokesperson for the foreign press.

Europe's unemployment crisis, now in its sixth year, has had a profound impact on young people across the Continent, and has become among the biggest economic, political and social challenges facing European leaders. Joblessness among young people is at historic highs, forcing many of them to leave their families and countries in search of jobs abroad, to accept temporary and underpaid work that often has little to do with their education and skills, and to readjust their expectations for their future.

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