Russia has been doing its best to suppress American influence here, but somehow it must have managed to overlook a woman in a bright red dress, with a commanding voice, operating on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

Members of Russia's Civic Chamber, a state-appointed consultative body that advises the government on civic issues, will observe the U.S. presidential elections. They will act as foreign observers for the first time ever, Alexander Sokolov, the head of the Civic Chamber Inter-Commission Working Group on International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy, said on Friday.

Georgia is intended to restore its trade and cultural ties with Russia in the near future, new Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili told reporters.He emphasized that it was very important for Georgia to establish relations with its “Great Neighbor”.

Think of Vladimir Putin’s Russia and soft power does not immediately spring to mind. But the Kremlin has resolved to change the country’s image when thousands of tourists flock to the Black Sea resort of Sochi to watch the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"Good use of soft power objectively helps us reach priorities in international activities," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a meeting of the Public Chamber's Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy.

“Good use of soft power objectively helps us reach priorities in international activities,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a meeting of the Public Chamber’s Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy. Among Russian soft power tools, Gatilov listed the extension of cultural, informational and humanitarian presence abroad.

“With 20% of Georgian territory occupied and two Russian embassies operating in the occupied territories, diplomatic relations with Russia will not be restored”, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs Maia Panjikidze told journalists after the meeting with the employees of the foreign ministry.

Philippine dance and music made its way to Russia’s rich cultural environment as the country held, for the first time ever, “Days of Philippine Culture” in the Russian Federation. Through the talents of the Liceo Folkloric Dance Troupe, pianist Rudolf Golez and baritone John Pamintuan, Russians in Moscow and St. Petersburg were treated to three nights of Philippine dance and music and a slice of local color on October 8 to 10, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.