In the five years since the last CPC National Congress, the work of publicity, ideological and cultural officials has helped the country to seek agreements and unite the people against the background of profound changes in the international situation, arduous tasks regarding domestic development and more diverse public opinions, Li said.

The use of Twitter as a diplomatic tool fits in nicely with the new sense of political empowerment that has accompanied the rise of social media. As Internet connectivity rates continue to grow (particularly through the rapidly expanding availability of smartphones), Twitter helps foster an unprecedented sense of community among members of global publics.

In the near future, no one will be able to become a leader without digital followers, and no diplomat will be well-positioned to represent his or her country if he or she does not personally engage on social networks. And it is not the size of the followership that matters, but the quality of the conversations.

...the film is more than a string of cute cross-cultural anecdotes. The documentary was shot in 2009, the year President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reelected amid mass suspicions of fraud. Protests spread throughout the country and were met with brutal force, particularly in Tehran.

Dr Borg welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Maltese community in Luxembourg and referred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts to reach out to all Maltese communities around the world. He also spoke about the amendments made to the citizenship law of Malta, which allowed second and third generations to obtain Maltese citizenship.

An opening ceremony of the world’s largest Jewish center “Menorah,” which has been created for almost a decade by the local Hasidic community, has taken place in Dnipropetrovsk. The launch of the center was attended by hundreds of important guests. Those included Israel’s Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy...

There was a time when American power was viewed as decisive in the Middle East. If Washington sneezed there was a sense that the region would catch a cold. Times have changed. Many factors brought us to this point. Perhaps most important is the fact that though the region has changed, U.S. policies have not adapted.

Chinese views on US-China relations have declined sharply in the last two years, a new study has found. Only 39% of people said they would call the relationship co-operative, down from 68% in 2010, a Pew report said. Many Chinese people, especially the young, urban and well-educated, said they admired elements of US soft power, such as science and technology.