Sri Lanka showed the warmth its people are known for when one of the biggest Bollywood extravaganzas, the International Indian Film Academy awards, came to town at the weekend.

Russia is seeking to recover its lost influence in the Middle East - and elsewhere. This time it's coming not with weapons, but with ballet and blinis, through a new federal agency

A congress was held in Hanoi on June 4 to establish the Vietnam-Brazil Friendship Association. Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Van Lang was elected as Chairman of the Association. The congress adopted an action plan to promote cultural exchange and boost education and sports cooperation between the two countries.

On June 4, Rodriguez, 63, an artist closely identified with the Cuban revolution, will begin his first U.S. tour in 31 years at Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall...“The Obama administration has come through with its pledge to use cultural diplomacy as an olive branch with Cuba,” Bill Martinez, a San Francisco immigration lawyer who handled Rodriguez’s visa application

Audiences for daytime shows have shrunk in the United States since the 1980s, as the number of channels increased and more women entered the workforce...By relegating soap operas to daytime television and female audiences and resisting changes to a formula that worked during the 1950s and 1960s, the United States could inadvertently relinquish a hefty, if unintentional, tool in its soft-power arsenal.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Friday, found time for a bit of soccer diplomacy, wishing South Africa a “grand success” as it gears up to host the FIFA World Cup...At a joint press meet with South African President Jacob Zuma, Manmohan Singh said: "In a week from now, South Africa will host the football World Cup. On behalf of the people of India, I have conveyed our best wishes to President Zuma for its grand success."

Sake is gradually increasing its presence at banquets where Japanese government leaders play host to foreign dignitaries...sake has begun to be included among other beverages at dinners and receptions amid growing calls from within the ministry to actively push sake in the field of diplomacy.

A seminar on the promotion of post-war Vietnamese literature in the US and other countries was held in the northern province of Hoa Binh on June 2 with the participation of Vietnamese and US writers. The seminar...underlined the role of Vietnamese writers and poets in promoting Vietnam’s image to foreign countries.