Even as official talks between India and Pakistan continue to stagger, track-two diplomacy is flowing in Dubai, with politicians from both sides discussing better governance and bridge building. On Tuesday, more than a dozen parliamentarians, media bosses and technocrats from both sides convened in Dubai for a dialogue on governance.

Taiwan fell by one place from a year ago to 34th in the 2016 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM report, behind Japan, Singapore, South Korea and China, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Tuesday. Conducted annually, the study measures global perceptions of 50 countries in terms of their exports, governance, culture, people, tourism and immigration/investment.

Technology makes government operations more transparent and delivery of services more efficient and less costly. It’s often called “e-government,” and officials beyond Estonia and South Korea are embracing it to various extents.

People can now send a note to President Obama by messaging the White House on Facebook. [...] “It’s about creating opportunities for people to engage with their government in new and accessible ways, using the same technologies we already rely on in our daily lives,” Goldman said.

In its trumpeting of Britain’s global “soft power” influence, the government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) unveiled on Monday contains a glaring contradiction. [...] Twenty pages on, the document says the UK will continue to work with close allies, including “vital partners, such as Saudi Arabia, in the Middle East”. 

urkmenistan’s recent economic gains have not translated into equitable benefits to the population. Despite Turkmenistan’s vast oil and gas wealth, poverty persists. According to the United Nations Development Program’s human development indicators, Turkmenistan has the lowest life expectancy at birth in the region, at 65, and this rate has remained stagnant since 2006. Turkmenistan also has the second highest mortality rate under age 5 in the region, at 45 per 1,000 live births.

Nigerian government and people have been called upon to buy into the concept of nation rebranding and affirm the idea...Governor Amaechi says Nigerians sense of aculturisation is strong but Nigerians must be ready to be pragmatic and deliberate in the act of nation branding.