The United States intends to use its public diplomacy efforts in Pakistan to bridge the differences between the people of the two countries, newly-appointed US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine said on Friday. She was speaking to a gathering at Kinnaird College University during her day-long visit of the city.

Hu's next trip to Australia - now as leader - was in October 2003. The Chinese had suggested the visit, with Hu flying on directly after the APEC leaders' summit in Bangkok. The Howard government was pleased and arranged for Hu to visit Canberra on the Thursday. But then US president George W. Bush said that he, too, would like to visit Australia after APEC, nominating the Thursday as his preferred time.

Addressing the students at KC, she spoke about the role of public diplomacy in building bridges between people of both the countries. She said that as citizens of the globe, everybody faced a combination of shared challenges and opportunities. She discussed how US public diplomacy empowered, engaged, and supported citizens around the world.

Under Secretary Sonenshine’s goal was to better understand how public diplomacy can bolster US-Pakistan relations and build a sustainable future for the generations to come....Speaking to students from various universities at Kinnaird College, the under secretary spoke about the role of public diplomacy in Pakistan in building bridges between the people of both countries.

With tension mounting over a confusing visa directive concerning Chinese language teachers in the US, the two sides had quickly reached out for dialogue and successfully found a solution within a couple of days to avoid any further misunderstanding. On May 17, without consulting the Chinese side, Lerner signed a controversial visa policy directive and sent it to US universities that sponsor Confucius Institutes, through which the Chinese government promotes Chinese language and culture overseas.

There is much misconception in the general public about the role and functions of diplomats in today’s world. The popular view of diplomats being past masters in deception is the opposite of the truth. Good diplomacy does not try to deceive. When once a diplomat gains a reputation for intrigue, his value gets badly affected.

The latest matters at hand kicked off with the burlesque. Norwegian-Iranian satirist Amir Asgharnejad, a sort of Norwegian version of Borat, claimed he was stripped and forced by Azerbaijani policemen to step on an Iranian flag in the Baku airport, Norwegian media reported. Norway reportedly nearly pulled its Eurovision contestant, Tooji, out of the contest over the incident and a diplomatic exchange is ongoing.

The U.S. Department of State has overstepped its authority in issuing a policy against the use of paid recruiters for overseas students. That was the charge made during a panel discussion on Friday, the final day of the annual meeting of Nafsa: Association of International Educators. Mitch Leventhal is a founder of the American International Recruitment Council, or Airc, a group that develops standards of ethical practices and a system for certifying overseas recruiters.