Terming India an “affordable destination” for quality education, HRD minister Smriti Irani today said the release of rankings of educational institutions and decision by IITs to hold entrance tests abroad will draw more foreign students to the country. Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) here, Irani spoke of the importance of educational and cultural diplomacy. 

Tags: india, education, international exchange, culture, Cultural Diplomacy, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, foreign students

Liu Xi, Chairman of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Harvard Kennedy School, and chief organizer of the China trek project, says the trip to China will bring a better understanding between the Chinese and the American people in the near future.

Tags: china, united states, sino-us relations, beijing, nanjing, hangzhou, harvard university, non-profits, cultural exchange, corporate diplomacy

The Nationals have expressed interest to MLB about playing the Cuban national team, while the country’s baseball commissioner has openly welcomed the Nationals to play in Havana next spring. [...] Baker feels the baseball team in the nation’s capital would carry extra significance, especially with thawing relations between the two countries.

Tags: barack obama, havana, united states, cuba, dusty baker, sports diplomacy, jazz diplomacy, cultural exchange, MLB, non-state pd

Through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, he is donating $1,000,000 to the non-profit Nature Conservancy, according to Tech Times. In this venture, Leonardo DiCaprio will be helping to provide funds for a project that will protect the oceans surrounding Seychelles, a small African nation.

Tags: leonardo dicaprio, africa, leonardo dicaprio foundation, celebrities, celebrity diplomacy, global aid and development, ocean conservation, environment, climate change, non-profits

Sport and cultural exchanges between countries and individuals “who are not on the best of terms” could help ease tensions, Spavor said in an interview. “At the very least, the involved individuals … can break down or dismiss preconceived negative ideas about each other.”

Tags: north korea, soft power, cultural exchange, cultural engagement, pyongyang, korea peninsula, nuclear test, united states, sports diplomacy, dennis rodman, nba, tourism, national economy

French food has evolved over the years to become the foremost representative of France’s culture, to the extent that Unesco declared French cuisine as a ‘world intangible cultural heritage’ in 2010.

Tags: Nation Image, gastrodiplomacy, france, french cuisine, unesco, Cultural Diplomacy, gout de france, taste of france

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi said the concert is an effort to project Pakistan’s soft image and present the country’s rich culture. ‘Public diplomacy is the most effective way to win hearts and minds’ and this aims to do just that.

Tags: pakistan, new york, pakistan day, united nations, pakistan mission to the un, ousted arhat faith ali khan, non-state pd, media, nation branding, soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, music diplomacy

President Obama has produced a video every Nowruz in which he directly talks to the Iranian people inside Iran as well as the Iranian diaspora. His messages have not always been the most appealing, but in the last couple of years, they have drastically improved to connect with the majority of his audience.

Tags: president obama, united states, government pd, iran, Nowruz, social media, youtube, state department, digital diplomacy & new tech, middle east