North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has despatched his all-female dance troupe on a six-day mission to China in an effort to rebuild relations with their northern neighbor. This is the first time the all-girl band have been allowed out of the secretive state as Pyongyang attempts a diplomatic rapprochement with Beijing. 

Climate negotiators in Paris are wrangling over [...] "caps" and "cuts" in greenhouse gases. Some environmentalists argue [...] that consumption [is missing]. In India, [...] little will change unless fossil-fuel-reliant rich countries moderate their own consumption […] "In the current world order, everyone wants to be an American. If that is the benchmark, then we all should forget about saving the planet," Bhushan says.

He may be no Diesel, but Russia has given France a new puppy following the death of the seven-year-old police dog during a terror raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis last month. "The puppy you are giving us today will replace Diesel and proves your friendship," said French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Moscow on Monday.

In most other countries, you might be forgiven for wondering what possible link there might be between an archaeological discovery and the national economy […] In Egypt, however, archaeology and tourism are intimately connected [...] the economy is maintained by the pharaoh's gold standard. Egypt has two great tourism assets: its hundreds of miles of Red Sea beaches and the great monuments from its long history.

The latest spate of terrorist attacks in the Middle East and Bangladesh and the unfortunate, indiscriminate killings in Paris have highlighted how misinterpretation of culture, rituals and religious beliefs are affecting peace and stability all over the world. It has also drawn attention to the politicisation of faith and its consequent repercussions. [...] This process [of cultural diplomacy] is reducing the impact of differences in cultures becoming catalyst for conflict.

On Nov. 27, 2015, the Turkish Culture and Information Office and the Yunus Emre Institute in London gave a magnificent example of public diplomacy by jointly organizing a concert at the prestigious Cadogan Hall in London. Both the Turkish and British public, although the latter less significantly, were unaware of this exposition of Ottoman sultans’ western music. The concert, labelled as “Waltzes with Sultans,” therefore was not only educational but also ground-breaking.

Riverdance and Lord of the Dance superstar Michael Flatley received a lifetime achievement award from Irish America magazine December 3 at the 30th annual Business 100 Awards Luncheon at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan. Flatley, who is also a Golden Gloves-winning boxer and world-class flutist, received the award for his contributions to Irish dance, music, and cultural diplomacy.