Wang Jiarui, minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed the importance of public diplomacy in China's overall diplomatic undertakings, adding that public diplomacy can help increase mutual trust and clarify misunderstandings between China and other countries.

Turkey and the Netherlands are celebrating 400 years of diplomatic ties with a yearlong series of events, including an exhibition that draws parallels between the Dutch of the 17th century and the Turks of today...“We also tried to show the bridge between Dutch culture and Ottoman culture in the 17th century.”

RFJ [Rewards for Justice] is one of many tools that our government uses to fight terrorism, but it has proven to be an effective tool over the years" Robert Hartung, Assistant Director for Diplomatic Security's Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate told CBS News in a statement, adding that the program "... has helped to save countless innocent lives.

The largest-ever United Nations conference, a summit billed as a historic opportunity to build a greener future, appears to be going up in smoke. U.S. President Barack Obama likely won't be there, and the leaders of Britain and Germany have bowed out. The entire European Parliament delegation has canceled. And with fewer than six weeks to go until the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, negotiations to produce a final statement have stalled amid squabbling. Logistical snags, too, threaten to derail the event.

The festival, now in its second year, is a joint production of the Indian Embassy in Israel and Teamwork Productions, an event management and entertainment company with offices in Delhi, Hong Kong, Singapore and London. In its sophomore year, the festival is marking a special milestone: 20 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel. With events in art, culture, music, film and food, the festival’s producers hope to nurture the two nations’ evolving friendship, aiding the Indian Embassy in Israel in what Ila Gupta of Teamwork calls “soft diplomacy.”

As former President George W. Bush once noted, learning a foreign language is not just an education priority; it also relates to our economic security, our national security, and the effectiveness of our public diplomacy. President Bush also observed that when you take the time to learn someone's language, you are sending messages that you also care about that person -- her country, her heritage, her future.

When Starbucks announced that it was coming into India as part of a partnership with the Tata Group, there was a lot of excitement in the country’s coffee shop segment....Meanwhile Dunkin’ Donuts, another U.S. coffee and baked goods chain, beat the Seattle-based company to the punch: On May 8, the Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts opened its first restaurant in India, in city center Connaught Place in Delhi.

We learnt with disbelief yesterday that the world boxing title fight that was to be the first of its kind to be staged on Botswana soil has been postponed indefinitely for lack of funds...This world title fight would offer a rare opportunity to unfurl the banner of Botswana on the world stage, forever leveraging branding the country for all that it stands for.