President Barack Obama's decision not to attend the April 2 inauguration of a new mosque near Washington D.C. might have spoild the party a bit. The event was billed, after all, as the highlight of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent trip to the United States.

‘Soft power” refers to winning people over on the basis of cultural appeal and ethical values [...]. It’s by no means a novel concept, but it has particular contemporary relevance in a fractious, crowded, pluralistic world. MuseumNext is a peripatetic series of conferences on the future of museums that begins its Dublin iteration today. Among the subjects it will address is the idea of museums as agents of soft power.

The UAE has prospered, and it wants to heal the world through acts of generosity. Humanitarian projects and aid will reach 130 million people through the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives which brings together of 28 organisations focusing on fighting poverty, spreading knowledge and culture, empowering the community, and driving innovation. The foundation will implement over 1,400 human development programmes in more than 116 countries around the world, said our report.

The visit of the British royal couple, Prince William and Princess Katherine, is a demonstration of Britain’s use of soft power in buttressing the relationship with India built on a not always happy colonial past. Today’s thriving trade relationship, the interaction between millions of Indians settled in the UK and their original home are reasons enough, particularly with an eye on a possible future outside the European Union.

Pending government approval, a group of 35 doctors and nurses based in Shanghai will soon become the nation’s first medical team to join the World Health Organization’s emergency response system, specializing in disaster relief. [...] Beijing has since maintained its medical assistance to Africa ever since, renewing its commitment last year to send 1,500 medical professionals to the continent.

Over the past three decades, real estate has gained a new significance on the world stage, as many states have relaxed laws to open up national property markets to international buyers. This has not only intensified international business activities: it's also offered states a new way of pursuing their global political ambitions. 

The Korean Foundation, affiliated with the South Korean Foreign Ministry, and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) signed a pact on Monday to establish the first endowed professorship in Korean studies, the foundation said. The pact [...] calls for the establishment of the post of professor in Korean studies and a course on contemporary Korean society starting in next year's fall semester at the earliest.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will very soon be on their way to India for their first foreign tour of 2016. It's the first visit to the country for both Kate and William who are said to be eagerly anticipating their 6-day tour. Revealing details of the couple's itinerary, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said the royal visit will mark the start of "a personal relationship with a country that will play a major global role throughout their lives."