China's two-pronged Silk Road initiative, including overland and maritime linkages, has won accolades from leaders across Asia.  China is keener on fostering economic cooperation than building strategic alliances.

Pope Francis said Sunday he is ready to go anywhere, anytime to meet with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church — even while acknowledging that he doubts the day will ever come that Catholic and Orthodox theologians will agree to end the 1,000-year schism.

India offers around 1,000 scholarships every year to the Afghan students, which is sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).  At present, the Afghan students are pursuing courses in international studies, economics, bachelors' degrees, B. Tech and many more programmes in various universities across India.

The recent Hello Kitty Con–a massive gathering of the immortal Sanrio character’s biggest fans—only marked the beginnings of the pop culture icon’s celebration in Los Angeles. For another five months, until April 26, 2015, the city’s Japanese American National Museum hosts a pilgrimage-worthy exhibition: Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty.

Mr. Bakhit, 36, is a Jordanian comic book author and entrepreneur who creates Middle Eastern stories that are an alternative to terrorist ideologies. His field research has included surveys of children in poor neighborhoods in and around the Jordanian capital of Amman and in Syrian refugee camps.