The Scotland-Russia Forum is calling on Britain and Russia not to let short-term political disputes endanger cultural links between the two nations. Writing in the latest edition of its newsletter, the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh - where the annual festival is under way - said: "The richer the culture – the easier it is to punish".

Finding any encouraging news coming out of Syria is difficult. The Bashar Assad regime clearly will pay any price to retain power, inflicting misery upon those parts of the population it can reach. Parts of Syria, however, remain outside the control of the government and the similarly vile extremist groups that defile their religion through their bloody tactics.

Sinology conferences are usually lacklustre affairs where scholars talk about anything from burial rituals in the Han dynasty to Tang poetry. However, a recent European sinology conference in Portugal has turned into a completely scandalous event thanks to some Chinese officials.

China has been quietly working to recreate one of the most legendary trade routes, "the Silk Road", linking Africa to the Middle East (Iraq and Iran) to India, to Indonesia and all culminating in Beijing, while at the same time the reverse leg of the route goes to Kazakhstan, Moscow and ultimately, Germany. The purpose: "to enhance political and economic ties with southeast Asia and beyond."

Jews in Europe are facing a rising tide of anti-Semitism, as left-wing, right-wing and Islamic groups take to the streets to protest against Israel's military operation in Gaza.  There has been also been an explosion of anti-Semitic abuse on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

Each recent British Foreign Secretary has brought their own flavor to public diplomacy. Robin Cook’s “ethical foreign policy” argued that strong values should provide the basis for an image that can then be used to promote overseas trade. Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett contributed to increased professionalism in PD, including a clearer focus on the outcomes of PD activities.