Nearly 100 young people in HCM City yesterday began their volunteer trip to neighbouring Laos as part of the “Red Holiday” and “Green Summer” campaigns launched by the city. [...] They will also present learning tools and scholarships to the two provinces’ youth unions, organise cultural and sports exchanges with local youths, and hand over a friendship house to the two provinces.

Wei Cheng Zong, who specialises in traditional water paintings of landscapes, said: “India is a religious country. It is the birthplace of Buddhism. We want to share our culture with India through this exhibition.” His paintings depict nature in its hierarchy, step-by-step, the lower and higher mountains come into view. Like many artists who joined the bandwagon of cultural exchange, he is inspired by Buddhist meditation.

Just promoting historical cultural and political ties with Iran will not cut it. Tehran is at a point where it wants to see cash on the table. With an economy suffering from international sanctions, and a large “youth” demographic that wants education, jobs and prosperity, Iran will soon have many options, including from the West, to attract heavy investment, specifically in areas such as energy, manufacturing and perhaps even services. 

The Chinese government has spent billions in recent years to subsidize artistic enterprises, with an eye toward wielding "soft power" beyond its borders. It hasn't been notably successful. But China's video game industry -- as of last year, the world's biggest -- is on the verge of becoming one of its most valuable cultural exports. It just might succeed where so much Chinese entertainment has failed in the past.

The Habesha Ethiopian restaurant offers this delicacy for a fairly affordable price. The customer service is exemplary with the attendants making you feel at home. The meal takes quite some to be prepared but is definitely worth the wait. Since it’s a cultural restaurant, Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant normally attracts Ethiopians living in Rwanda with also a few locals visiting the place.

To showcase India's diverse cultural traditions, the Centre is now all set to expand its pool of artists and performers from different states who can participate in festivals organised abroad to enhance the country's soft power in the global arena.

Fear not the threat of any walls going up between the U.S and Mexico. Jorge Marin’s bronze wings offer a way to soar above the things that would divide the two countries. It’s a metaphorical rise, of course. Though standing in front of his identical Wings of the City sculptures in Mexico City and Denver, you get the feeling that optimism and fantasy — and a love of selfies — are unstoppable forces uniting the two countries.

Media can only become regional or global in a broadcasting regime that enables content to move freely beyond national borders. Regional broadcasting, which was restricted in the 1980s in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, now allows for the legitimate transfer of content across national borders. Within this framework, Japanese interaction with its East Asian neighbours can be viewed from two perspectives: politics and popular culture. The two are not mutually exclusive, but are driven by different forces.