When Kenyan-American Jacob Maaga moved to the United States, he realized he arrived with a unique and valuable gift: the knowledge of his homeland that could one day make him a successful entrepreneur. [...] He founded Pan Africa Exchange (PANEX), which helps East African farmers and U.S. buyers exchange the information they need to negotiate an agreeable price for coffee beans and other commodities.

India’s cultural capital is enough and more to not let Chinese Confucius institutes win the soft-power game. But, can [India] use it in the proper manner?

[Hello Kitty is] so much more than just a cartoon character, she's the globally recognized ambassador for Japanese soft power in East Asia and beyond, according to anthropologist Dr. Christine Yano from the University of Hawaii.

The prize was for Pasternak’s “notable achievement in both contemporary poetry and the field of the great Russian narrative tradition”. But officials singled out Dr Zhivago, an elegiac novel that refused to celebrate the Soviet system. [...] With Soviet cultural diplomacy in the doldrums, any further intervention by Nehru would have deeply embarrassed Moscow. 

Music in Common is the driving organization behind this weekend's FODfest, aka Friends of Danny Festival, created by Todd Mack and local musicians to honor his friend, the late journalist and musician, Daniel Pearl. [...] "Since 2009, it has produced more than a half-dozen international tours in the Middle Eastern and western Asia regions for both youths and adults, which, according to the organization's website, promote "peer-to-peer diplomacy and cross-cultural ambassadorship."

A typhoon and a government budget cut did not stop cinema lovers from flocking to Asia's most influential film festival. The annual Busan International Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday with a record number of visitors and many new Asian movies for the world to enjoy.

Global youth are tackling the root causes of extremism. Over 70 youth leaders from around the globe met recently in New York, developed an action agenda, and shared it with President Obama at the Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism.

The image and caption were posted by a right-wing Japanese artist last month. Now, more than 10,000 people have signed a Change.org petition in Japanese urging Facebook to take it down. The petition, posted by an account calling itself the "Don't Allow Racism Group", [...] demands that "Facebook must recognize an illustration insulting Syrian refugees as racism."