celebrity diplomacy

Back in 2012, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up a department tasked with building the Malaysia nation brand. [...] We did offer up plenty of ideas, one of which was that the Malaysian singer-entertainer, Yuna, should be the face of any Malaysia nation branding initiative.

With Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Iran, there's been lots of talk in Delhi about the relationship between our two countries. But for me, a holiday I had in Iran last year told me more about our middle eastern neighbour than any political pundit could.

Leonardo DiCaprio has visited the Indonesian jungle to help protect a biodiverse area from deforestation. [...] DiCaprio spent the weekend in the Leuser ecosystem, on Indonesia's main western island of Sumatra. The actor, an ardent supporter of environmental causes, was pictured accompanied by local environmentalists and flanked by two critically endangered Sumatran elephants.

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.

Benin's Angelique Kidjo has won the best world music album of the year at this year's Grammys in Los Angeles. The New York-based singer won the award for her Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg collaboration, Sings. "I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musicians in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation," Kidjo said.

PREVIEW: Mission Conan

January 28, 2016

Conan O'Brien, comedic diplomat in action, travels to Qatar for his third international broadcast. 

Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has acquired Legendary Entertainment, the Hollywood production company behind “The Dark Knight,” “Jurassic World” and “Godzilla” movies. […] The deal represents the largest acquisition to date of a U.S. production company by a Chinese firm and the latest sign of the deepening ties between Hollywood and the world's most populous country.

Shila Amzah is a Malaysian pop star famed as much for her fashion sense as for her powerful voice […] These days, though, she sings primarily in Mandarin […] In a country wary of Islam — the Chinese government has a fractious relationship with its ethnic Uighur minority in the western province of Xinjiang […] her rise is attributable to […] a rapidly evolving cultural relationship between China and Malaysia.

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