French dishes and diplomacy joined forces on Thursday in a worldwide initiative involving 1,300 chefs cooking dinners "a la francaise" to promote France's fabled cuisine. The meals were being served up in 150 countries, in French embassies and consulates, as well as hotels, restaurants and cafes, under the slogan "Gout de France/Good France".

The announcement comes amid talks by Washington and Havana to work toward the restoration of diplomatic relations between the former Cold War foes. The Cuban and Cosmos teams conducted their own negotiations in January, during a CONCACAF Under-20 tournament in Jamaica.

Dubai will stage a seven-day interactive exhibition in Beijing, which will showcase the opportunities Dubai presents China and celebrate the thriving relationship, it was announced today.

Friday is International Day of Francophonie. Ireland ranks high in Europe for use of French but we must not lose this language link between the two countries. French is not only the language of arts, culture and diplomacy, it is another language of business.

The Indian film industry has survived more than a hundred years of state neglect and is now a global force. The moral policing of the CBFC could end up destroying this symbol of India's soft power.

Cervantes is a Spanish icon: his name adorns Spain's official cultural institution, and is synonymous with the country's soft power. Yet, until now, the site of his grave has been assumed, though not known.

Associate Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, Duluth Scott Laderman gave a lecture last Thursday entitled “Surf Diplomacy in the Twilight of the Cold War” on how the activist culture of surfing developed globally in the Reagan era.

Papers are exuberant over an ambitious state plan to help China's football team qualify for the World Cup. The plan hopes to make the sport more popular in the country to attract young talent. The council also wants the country to host the World Cup tournament in the future.