Some will say that after a considerable amount of time, expansion is the first piece of good news coming from Old Lady Europe. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about it, especially in Croatia – the 28th member as of July 1st. To put it more clearly, the very first toast could leave some with a bad taste in their mouth should they make it with prosek – the indigenous Dalmatian dessert wine variety. Accession to the EU could mean – hello EU, goodbye prosek!

Jordan and Armenia signed on Monday an educational and scientific cooperation agreement, under which both sides will provide the other with scholarships to attend higher education and scientific institutions in either country.

‘Cultural diplomat’ awarded writing residency in Hawai‘i Former diplomat, magazine columnist, Pacific historian and poet Leilani Tamu from Auckland will spend three months in Hawai‘i writing about "Cultural Diplomacy" for a book of the same name, as recipient of the 2013 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer’s Residency.

The Padma Shri awardee was invited by Monika Mohta, India's ambassador in Warsaw, as part of her efforts to showcase India's soft power there. Rajiv Chandran of the UN, Geeta's husband, recounts how surprised they were by the popularity of Indian arts and culture there. During her visit, Geeta inaugurated the India Day at the University of Poznan and the Asia Week at the Gdansk University.

A group of Romanian high school students is set to arrive in Israel on Monday as part of broader exchange programs that have helped crystallize strong relations between the two countries in the fields of education and Holocaust remembrance.

A recent visit from Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Guo Jinlong to Cuba included a presentation of acrobatics from China and The Chinese Dragon performed by the women’s percussion orchestra Red Poppy of Beijing along with young Cubans including the University of Havana Confucius Choir and the Habana Comás dance troupe. - See more at: http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=95164#sthash.qZvxSCKZ.dpuf

The State Department’s social media presence vastly dwarfs that of other countries using internet-based tools for public diplomacy efforts, according to a new report by a Canadian think tank.

Former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans has lamented the quality of political leadership and warned recent sexist incidents had tarnished the nation's international reputation. In an address discussing the concept of "soft power", Mr Evans said image was important for middle powers such as Australia in conducting international diplomacy and maximising leverage.