An investigation into the political wing of Peru'sShining Path has revealed the extensive nature of the imprisoned guerrilla commander Abimael Guzman's involvement in directing the group, as recently arrested Movadef leaders face up to lengthy prison sentences for ties to drug money.

Tags: peru, shining path, non-state pd, non-state actors, terrorism, political violence, south america

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council brokered a consensus Thursday after a rift that saw Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar.

Tags: gulf cooperation council, saudi arabia, middle east, arab gulf, persian gulf, united arab emirates, bahrain, qatar

Internationally, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo was a major tourism and branding draw card for its host city. Domestically, the Expo constituted a major source of national pride and a key vehicle for the promotion of official messages reinforcing traditional state propaganda themes.

Tags: shanghai 2010 world expo, world expo, public diplomacy, shanghai, china, Cultural Diplomacy, global events, tourism, nation branding

Turkey's parliament on Thursday approved a law boosting the powers of the secret service (MIT), a move seen by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's critics as a bid to tighten his grip on the apparatus of state as he wages a bitter power struggle.

Tags: turkey, social media, twitter, surveillance, espionage, recep tayyip erdogan, internet, censorship

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power on Thursday urged the Myanmar government to intervene in Rakhine State to stop violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Tags: united states, united nations, samantha power, myanmar, rakhine state, sectarian violence, u.n. security council, faith diplomacy, humanitarian aid

Former U.S. ambassador Richard Hoagland, a career foreign service officer, spoke candidly at a gay pride conference this week about the difficulties gay diplomats faced in the not-so-distant past.

Tags: diplomacy, lgbt, u.s. department of state, gay rights, gay, foreign service, richard hoagland

Pad Chinese doesn't have the same ring to it, but it might be a bit more accurate. Pad Thai, the now-ubiquitous noodle dish made with chewy, stir-fried rice noodles, vegetables, bean sprouts, peanuts, and egg, among other things, is so popular it’s become the de facto measure by which Thai restaurants in New York, London, and other storefronts around the world are judged.

Tags: thailand, thai cuisine, gastronomy, gastrodiplomacy, history, food diplomacy, pad thai, china, Cultural Diplomacy, southeast asia, asia pacific, cultural exchange

Turkey's government has said it still hopes Twitter will open an office in the country, a day after the social networking site ruled out any such move. In a statement on Thursday following several days of talks with Twitter executives, Communication Minister Lutfi Elvan said Turkey had suggested that the company open a "liaison office" to improve coordination with the government.

Tags: turkey, twitter, social media, recep tayyip erdogan, internet, censorship, surveillance, digital diplomacy