The power of South Asia as a cultural block is woven around its young contemporary music which is drawing from ancient traditions to fuse with new sounds to create a distinct voice and identity.

The annual Taiwan Design Expo kicked off in Taipei City Dec. 11, with local and international designers from France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. showcasing over 1,450 creations at the nine-day event.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said here on Friday that public diplomacy is the vehicle for dissemination of the ideas, interests, concepts, and the approaches that define our foreign policy.

Once upon a time, it was a schoolyard taunt to label someone "four-eyes," but in Taiwan, they have adopted an unusual take on such labels. There is a strange and ubiquitous fashion trend seen among Taipei's teens and twentysomethings who sport eyeglass frames sans the lenses. It is not entirely clear where the trend originated, as some point to the Japanese and Korean pop scene as the trend's provenance, while others argue it to be a homegrown Taiwanese fashion.

The understanding between artists and individuals – on a people-to-people level, is one of the cornerstones of free societies. During the cold war, artists and cultural exchanges helped win what some scholars call the “war of ideas” by demonstrating to the world the promise of America.

Vietnam’s successful cultural diplomacy in 2010 was reflected in activities dedicated to ASEAN and the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, and the effort to win UNESCO recognition of the country’s cultural heritages.

The Cultural Development Trust (CDT) is hosting a theatre production from Brazil, Favela-Força from 7 to 19 December 2010. The theatre production consisting of five actors plus the art director is visiting South Africa as part of a cultural exchange programme between CDT and IBISS Brazil, a non-profit organisation that works with youth in the Favelas (townships in Rio de Janeiro).

A new television cop show has hit the airwaves in Afghanistan. Called Eagle Four, it tracks the fictional adventures of an elite police unit that chases terrorists, kidnappers and smugglers in the midst of a war zone. Loosely inspired by American TV thrillers such as 24, the show has plenty of cartoonish action, but the people behind it, including financial support from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, are hoping it also conveys a message.