For two weeks earlier this month, Robert A. Richter was traveling in Pakistan, scouting performing artists as part of a new cultural diplomacy initiative. Richter, the director of arts programming at Connecticut College, was asked to be part of a team that was assessing talent for Center Stage, a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

As the immigration reform debate is in full swing in U.S. Congress, all relevant parties are making sure their voices get heard. As part of that, tourism, a big stakeholder with thousands of jobs at stake tied to easing of the immigration and visa policies, has so far had a smaller voice at the table.

It's the innocent pastime that has made a surprise return to vogue, but a bitter power struggle has plunged table tennis into uncertain times following an angry row and threats of legal action...The backdrop to the dispute is a sport that commands a mass following in China, the world's most populous country, and is undergoing a promising resurgence in Europe and the United States.

Premier Jay Weatherill has made headlines in China, appearing on the Shandong news spruiking a film about Chinese gold miners to more than 100 million viewers. Snapped casually chatting with news anchor Mao Xin, one of the country's most powerful news presenters, Mr Weatherill is hoping the $15 million film, which will be based in Adelaide, will open the door to further economic exchange.

The 3rd Beijing International Film Festival was a public diplomacy showcase this week for Chinese cinema at its best. Banners throughout the capital promoted the festival, the awards ceremony and, not least, the film-selling market in a country that now proudly proclaims itself as the world’s leader in movie theater revenues, ahead of the U.S. And yet, and yet…

BEIJING – The 3rd Beijing International Film Festival was a public diplomacy showcase this week for Chinese cinema at its best. Banners throughout the capital promoted the festival, the awards ceremony and, not least, the film-selling market in a country that now proudly proclaims itself as the world’s leader in movie theater revenues, ahead of the U.S.

And yet, and yet…

The Indian media is trying to treat China at par with Pakistan over the recent provocations over the border. "Why don't we warn China?" or "India should take a tough stand" are some of the questions being raised by some belligerent mediapersons, but this is a kind of oversimplifying foreign policy issues, something which an important country like India has not prioritised on expected lines.

São Paulo – Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (Funag), connected to the Itamaraty, should promote, starting on the 29th, a course for Arab diplomats in São Paulo, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro. According to information disclosed by the organisation, the promotion of programmes for diplomats is a tradition that began in 2006. The objective of the course is to provide professionals a clearer idea of what Brazil is and, later, to facilitate relations with their countries of origin.