The digital library of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance’s Center for Media Studies was inaugurated during a ceremony at the center on Tuesday. Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini praised the establishment of the library saying that it would have a crucial role in improving the quality of press and media.

For Peru's outgoing president it is the realisation of a personal dream. Alan García says the construction of the world's tallest statue of Jesus, on a hill in the capital overlooking the ocean, will "bless Peru and protect Lima". Its resemblance to Rio's Corcovado statue is no coincidence, but the unexpected gift has generated anger.

The problem facing the Administration is that international impatience with the stalled U.S. peace process has reached a point where more photo-op diplomacy won't suffice. The world wants to see progress on a two-state solution, and believes Israel has to be pressed on the matter.

The blistering farewell speech to NATO by U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates warning of a "dim, if not dismal" future for the Alliance drew the Western public's attention to a longstanding debate about the state of the transatlantic relationship, with prominent commenters voicing concern about much more than just a two-tiered defensive alliance.

The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated amid mistrust and misunderstandings into a purely transactional relationship. Money is paid when there is something that Washington wants and Pakistan is only too willing to take the cash.

Before the re-branding Nigeria project initiated by Dora Akunyili, former minister of information and communication, Nigeria, analysts say, behaved as if the nation’s branding did not matter. The picture the international community painted about the country was that of corruption, money laundering, embezzlement, drug trafficking, mismanagement of abundant resources and other scary vices.

By no means has Turkey emerged as a mature power. Its handling of events in Syria and other countries - consisting mostly of rhetoric - shows that it is has yet to assume a position to influence, let alone manage, events on its periphery. But it is still early in the game.

One of the greatest lessons in social media is that everything begins with listening and such is true for any form of leadership. Governments and their administrations have much to learn. Not only are new media channels rich with insight, they are also interactive. There are people on the other side who have expectations of recognition, acknowledgement, and engagement.