YouTube and the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs of India launched a unique initiative last night. Titled ‘India is...a visual journey’, this initiative is a global short film-making competition which invites filmmakers as well as amateurs from across the globe to make a short film celebrating India and her diversity.

China launched its first cultural industry index on Friday to provide an indicator of how the sector is performing... Experts said that OCT index will indicate the development level and trends of China's cultural industry, and reflect the operational and profitability situations of listed culture-related firms.

Soon, I realized that the event was not intended for Americans. It was to impress people from here in Jakarta: Invited Indonesians and Indonesians who read the news from the invited press. It was a showcase of American “soft power”, a term popularized by Joseph Nye, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

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A case study on Israeli citizen diplomacy. 

Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao highlighted the need for China to become a global cultural power - matching its rising economic clout - in his report to the party's 18th national congress yesterday. "Cultural strength and competitiveness symbolise a country's economic strength and its national revitalisation," he said.

The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India and YouTube announced the launch of a short film contest ‘India Is…A Visual Journey’. The contest aims at inspiring film makers, students and video enthusiasts. It will be open to participants across the globe.

Malaysia has emerged third among the “Future 15” countries that are on course to transform the global landscape economically, politically and culturally in the coming years. In a global survey by brand consultancy FutureBrand, Malaysia's inclusion in the list was attributed to its strengths in governance, investment, human capital, growth, sustainability and influence.