A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking to a funder from a major philanthropic organisation at the Open Up! conference on international development in London. We acknowledged that philanthropists should be in a position to take more risks, such as funding creative projects that might deliver development outcomes in unexpected ways, because unlike government aid agencies they are not accountable to a nation of taxpayers.

What can branding in the commercial sector teach us about nation-state image communication?

A case study on Israeli citizen diplomacy. 

In October last year, big headlines about two idyllic South Pacific island nations, Tokelau and Tuvalu, which are facing a water crisis, made a splash in the Asia–Pacific region. After six months without rainfall they were running out of fresh water fast and had declared a state of emergency.

A five-member delegation from Taiwan met the vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Dr Lalji Singh on Wednesday. According to BHU spokesperson, the visiting Taiwanese experts discussed various issues related to science and technology and biology in particular for academic exchange between the two countries.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today that the 2012 TechWomen international exchange participants will take part in an interactive discussion on “Tech for Social Good” hosted by the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute on Tuesday, October 9 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT. The 41 TechWomen and 60 of their professional and cultural mentors will engage representatives from non-profits and multilateral organizations on innovative uses of technology for development.

The Hong Kong Space Museum and Chabot Space & Science Centre in the United States (US) have achieved their first collaboration in launching the Digital Skies Student Partnership project, enabling students from the two places to learn about Western and Chinese culture as well as their respective developments in astronomy.

Two bills aiming to increase the coordination and support for US science diplomacy in developing countries are unlikely to be passed by the US House of Representatives this summer, according to insiders. A "financial cliff" is looming at the start of 2013, "and there will be massive cuts of all government programmes", said Daly.