A common history stood in the backdrop as music strengthened the bond between two nations. A day after the qawwals had stirred up emotions in Ajmer, singers Shankar Mahadevan and Shafqat Amanat Ali raised the peace pitch even higher at the Purana Qila on Sunday evening...

Pop quiz: name three jazz artists under the age of 50. Maybe you named popular favorites Wynton and Branford Marsalis, but can you name any of their albums? Does anyone else spring to mind? No?

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) will publish another major report on public diplomacy shortly. Written by Paul Foldi, senior professional staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this report focuses on Chinese public diplomacy with the inevitable comparison to U.S. efforts. I was given a sneak peak at the report.

As India asserts itself within the global power dynamic, India is having a vibrant discussion about public diplomacy and how to engage in channels of public diplomacy as a means to project its emergence.

The Study Abroad Office announced in an e-mail today that applications for fall programs in Egypt will not be approved. The decision, which will affect the fall 2011 study abroad plans of eight students, including this reporter, came in response to a travel warning posted by the U.S. Department of State in light of the political unrest in Egypt. University policy prohibits processing applications for study in countries with travel warnings.

The 2011 Taipei International Book Exhibition is now underway at the Taipei World Trade Center. President Ma Ying-jeou spoke at the opening ceremony on Wednesday. He said that Taiwan's "publishing power" is not only an important form of soft power for the Republic of China, which is the official name of Taiwan.