Cultural diplomacy is also an essential tool for challenging claims of ‘cultural superiority’ by celebrating human differences and recognizing other cultures and values [...] It is toward this perception of culture that Qatar's diplomatic energies have been redirected over the past decade.

Pakistani border troops on Wednesday presented sweets and exchanged greetings with their Indian counterparts on the occasion of the Hindu festival of Diwali […] Despite ceasefire violations and violence in the disputed Himalayan region, the exchange of sweets between Indian and Pakistani army personnel along the LoC on their respective days of national importance has been a recurring feature.

Last week Moscow hosted the Fourth World Congress of Compatriots that brought together Russian-speaking public leaders from 97 countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, took part in the event and emphasized the significance of the Russian Diaspora for government leaders. 

Cecil Balmond, OBE, has been selected as the winner of Freedom: A Shared Dream, an international art competition to create a urban art/sculptural landmark in honor of the ideals of Cyrus the Great who [...] championed the principles of religious diversity and personal freedom for all.  These same ideals, later became the foundation of the American Constitution and a dream that is shared by many across the world. 

“A World in Crisis—How Can Smart Power Make a Difference?” will focus on the diplomacy tools countries can use to improve international stability, [...] “It’s the cluster of things which make up soft power,” he said, “whether that’s public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, cultural relations, nation branding—whateever you want to call it—and how it can be used effectively.”

Mao Zedong was said to have been moved to tears when he watched an early performance of "The White-Haired Girl," an opera created to meet his call for rousing revolutionary art. And under President Xi Jinping, a revival is on the road, reinvented once more to appeal to a Communist Party leader's stringently ideological tastes.

Selma director Ava DuVernay is brining new cinema to our shores. This month, her distribution company, ARRAY, is releasing the South African coming-of-age drama Ayanda in theaters in Los Angeles and New York. Ayanda—starring Terry Pheto, star of the Oscar-winning South African indie Tsotsi—tells the story of a young woman who is willing to do anything to keep her father's legacy alive.

In this episode of Science in the Golden Age, theoretical physicist Jim al-Khalili guides us through a journey of discovery where he highlights the links between medical research in the Golden Age of Science during the ninth and 14th centuries and the modern practise of medicine today.