Intended to boost China’s “soft power”, the centres take the name of the peace-espousing sage. They tap into growing global demand for Chinese-language teaching. But they are also fuelling anxiety about academic freedom.

“Morocco appreciates the State Department’s Center Stage program which contributes so much to international cultural understanding,” said Mr. Alaoui.  “We welcome all of these energetic ambassadors of Moroccan culture, such as Hoba Hoba Spirit, to the US and wish them well on their tour.” The tour is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in conjunction with the New England Foundation for the Arts as part of the Center Stage program. 

Iran's main cultural centre in the Sudanese capital was closed on Sunday, an AFP correspondent reported, amid reports of Khartoum playing a balancing act between maintaining ties with Riyadh and Tehran.  The Iranian flag still flew above the building on one of Khartoum's main roads across from the airport but an AFP reporter found the gate padlocked and no sign of anybody inside.

rom joint collaboration to single window clearance - an Indian delegation would be showcasing the country's "soft power" at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival.  India and Canada had recently signed an Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement, which enables Indian and Canadian film producers to collaborate on various facets of filmmaking.

A Sudanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that the centers would close their doors by Sunday. Sudan’s foreign ministry told the centers to stop work and ordered their Iranian staff to leave the country. "The decision to close the Iranian cultural centre is final and there will be no retreat from that," foreign ministry spokesman Yousif al-Kourdafani said, quoted Sunday by the official SUNA news agency. Sudan said it acted in response to the centres’ spre

From joint collaboration to single window clearance - an Indian delegation would be showcasing the country's "soft power" at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival. Led by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka, the team, which arrived here on Sep 6, will share details about the country's strength as a film shooting destination for foreign producers and would promote joint collaborations amongst stakeholders, said an Information and Broadcasting Ministry statement. 

Less than a decade ago, few ventured to the seaside village set against lush tropical forest and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Marxist rebels, paramilitary bands and narco-traffickers had the run of it. This was the bad-news Colombia of guerrilla wars and Pablo Escobar.  It is a nation far from perfect, with plenty of conflicts and problems, but on the mend and coming up.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan — the land of the rising sun — has written a new chapter in the cultural ties between India and Japan — ties that date back centuries.  The Prime Minister – who represents the holy city of Kashi in the Indian Parliament – had launched his five-day-long visit from Kyoto, the heritage city of Japan. Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe was in Kyoto to welcome the Indian Prime Minister upon his arrival.