A video literally singing the praises of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife has gone viral online.

Canada’s foreign affairs department has launched a Twitter account for Canada. And it’s a big hit.

Last semester, 10 students from this university had the opportunity to take a virtual, project-based course in international development and conflict management with 10 students from Tel Aviv University as part of the university’s new Global Classrooms Initiative.

Tweeting in Cuba isn’t like tweeting in most other places in the world. With no easy access to Wi-Fi or 3G and no broadband, it’s not simple to get online. Only about 5% of people in Cuba use the internet. I’m one of the lucky ones, because the British embassy provides me with internet via satellite so I can blog, tweet or post to my heart’s content.

A musical homage to President Xi Jinping of China and his wife, Peng Liyuan, has circulated widely online in recent days, a sign of how the public face of Chinese leadership has changed since Mr. Xi took office two years ago.

Much of American public diplomacy, like much of the rest of U.S. foreign policy, is reactive. When a crisis erupts, policymakers respond as best they can to limit the damage. In this social media era, they are often outpaced by those who are better prepared to use new communication tools to deliver their messages.

Few hours before making it official from the US side, Modi had hit his favourite Twitter informing the public about his invitation to US President Obama, saying: “This Republic Day, we hope to have a friend over…invited President Obama to be the 1st US President to grace the occasion as Chief Guest.”

If you’re a Filipino residing or working abroad and feeling nostalgic about news and even music from home, or if you have concerns that need the attention of Philippine diplomats, all these are just a “push of the button” away.