This Friday, 500 young leaders from nearly 90 countries will convene at the United Nations headquarters for a UN Youth Assembly on global education with a very special guest speaker -- Malala Yousufzai. Their mission is simple and profound: to accelerate the goal of getting all children, especially girls, in school and learning by 2015.

Top students from one of the world’s most prestigious international exchange programmes are to be introduced to the delights of a seaside fish supper, washed down by Scotland’s other national drink, when they visit Dundee next week. Nine students from universities in the United States are to spend five weeks in Dundee and Glasgow for an intensive programme of lectures, seminars and cultural visits on the theme “Scotland: Culture, Identity and Innovation.”

Political leaders in central and south America are looking to Maori as a way to enhance their own traditional communities. Federation of Maori Authorities' chair Traci Houpapa visited a number of countries in Latin America earlier this year with the prime minister. She was asked by leaders there why Maori have become so economically and strategically sophisticated, and how they can empower their first nations peoples.

Giant pandas are not only one of China's most visible symbols, but are probably the country's biggest brand. One third of all tourist revenues in the province of Sichuan come from pandas, putting the equivalent of $16bn into the government's coffers.

Our neighbor’s tourism theme song “Malaysia Truly Asia” has been ringing in our ears for so many years that we can easily hum it. The campaign, presenting the country as a potpourri of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures living together in harmony, has succeeded in presenting a positive Malaysian image overseas.

A GROUP of students who travelled to Japan on an educational cultural exchange program returned to Fiji earlier this week. The group of 19 post-graduate students were part of USP's JENESYS 2.0 project which sent them to Japan between June 9 and June 21 this year.

Tjanara Talbot will be travelling to Canada this month as part of an artist residency program between Parramatta and Montreal called the Urban Indigenous Artist Exchange Program. She will stay at the Darling Foundry in Montreal for three months, fully paid. To date, three artists have taken part in this work program which developed with the idea of expanding Indigenous artistic practice internationally.

In the desert city of Al Quweira, Jordan, Marines and sailors are making their best effort to maintain and renew regional cooperation with their Jordanian military counterparts through challenging training and in one particular case, through a spiritual gathering.