...Thanks to an unwritten agreement between Holbrooke and Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, the American Cultural Center in Belgrade, closed by order of the US government through its now-defunct United States Information Agency in the mid-1990s, was reopened not long after the 1995 Dayton Peace accord -- with Milosevic footing the bill!

Germany has opened a cultural exhibition in Munich in an attempt to introduce the rich Iranian civilization as well as Persian arts and culture. Iran, Land of Prayers was opened as part of the 2010 Islamic Art Expo at Munich's Villa Stuck Museum which will run until February 15, 2011.

The ethnic cultural diversity of the South American nation of Ecuador came to life in the Indian capital with a colourful showcase of music and dances based on the indigenous folklores and social mores of the country.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani at Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage), Shakarparian inaugurated an exhibition ‘Connecting People Through Crafts’ on Tuesday.

Cases from one of India's largest museums have been unlocked and shipped to the UAE after they were allowed to leave their homeland for the first time. Treasures dating back to 13th century were shown outside India at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation, which opened the exhibit yesterday.

India has commissioned a 16-feet high icon of Lord Buddha, as part of joint activities with Sri Lanka to commemorate 2,600th year or the Sambudda Jayanthi of the Buddhahood, the Indian High commission here said.

Bollywood finds mention in WikiLeaks in a confidential cable sent by U.S. diplomats in India suggesting that the appeal of Bollywood stars in Afghanistan could aid international efforts to stabilize the country. Media reports here over the weekend have quoted the March 2007 cable that was a response to a request from Washington for "specific, concrete ideas for opportunities for India to use soft power in helping Afghanistan's reconstruction."

It is hard to avoid Nigerian films in Africa. Public buses show them, as do many restaurants and hotels. Nollywood, as the business is known, churns out about 50 full-length features a week, making it the world’s second most prolific film industry after India’s Bollywood.