A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
Has China Opened-up?
[video] As hosts of the Olympics, China agreed to be more accessible to foreign journalists. But, as Rupert Wingfield-Hayes discovers, this does not mean being left to wander freely around the country.
Assilah Festival Looks at the Alliances Between Civilisations
To bridge differences and counter the "clash of civilisations" concept, Morocco's International Assilah Cultural Festival began Sunday under a unifying theme. This year, the 30-year-old event is called "The Alliance of Civilisations". King Mohammed VI addressed a message to participants at the event's opening, calling on the Assilah Forum Foundation "to work towards an in-depth study of the Arab-African and Ibero-Latin American civilisations and to arrive at an exhaustive assessment of the different elements which they comprise".
An Olive Branch From the Dalai Lama
When the Olympics open on Friday, the Dalai Lama won’t be there. Each side put out feelers about his attendance and was tantalized by the idea, but in the end the mutual distrust was too great to overcome.
China’s Leaders Are Resilient in Face of Change
If the Olympics have presented unmistakable challenges and crises, the Communist Party has proved resilient. Public appetite for reform has not waned, but the short-term byproduct of the Olympics has been a surge in Chinese patriotism that bolstered the party against international criticism after its crackdown on Tibetan protesters in March and the controversy over the international Olympic torch relay.
Top Guards for Elite Visitors During Games
They are proficient in hand-to-hand combat, firefighting, tactical maneuvers and first aid. They speak English and are familiar with international etiquette. But their names and assigned tasks are kept confidential. Posted at the Olympic village, they are members of a 31-strong special security team from Sichuan province. Their mission: guarantee the safety of international dignitaries and VIP guests during the Beijing Olympics.
4 Foreign Nationals Ordered to Leave China
Two Americans and two British nationals have been ordered to leave China "within a prescribed time limit" after displaying "Free Tibet" banners near an Olympic venue in Beijing on Wednesday, local police said. "They disrupted public order and violated Chinese laws. Their period of stay in the country will hereby be cut short according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens," the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said in a statement issued late on Wednesday.
Olympic Games are Crown on China’s Development
The Beijing Olympic Games are "a kind of crown" on the achievement China has made in the past decades, Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme told Xinhua Tuesday.
Olympic Village: Garden-like, Convenient
[Photo Essay]
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