Nearly 90 delegates from 20 countries have recently gathered in the northern province of Quang Ninh for an ASEM workshop on enhancing Asia-Europe cultural ties. The meeting was organised by the Vietnamese Government and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), with support from Italy and Hungary.

A German film show will open tonight at Ha Noi's National Cinema Centre kicking off a festival at five major Vietnamese cities. The festival is a first, celebrating the 35 years of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Germany.

Cheng Xindong knows people in high places... Following the last year's contemporary Chinese art exhibition in Havana, he is now working on the return leg, the Cuba Contemporary Art Exhibition in Beijing, to be launched on September 25.

For two hours, the packed theatre bridged the divide between India and Pakistan - torn by mutual distrust - with the strains of legendary ghazal singer Farida Khanum's mellifluous renditions of Urdu and Hindi nazams.

The Prime Minister's Office has named Ofir Gendelman as Arabic-language spokesman for public diplomacy. Gendelman will make Israel's case in the media to Arabic speaking communities.

A festival of Polish culture and history will begin on Sunday in the southern Russian town of Krasnodar, the town mayor's press service said on Tuesday. A range of events dedicated to promoting Polish culture and improving Russian-Polish relations will then be held across the town.

Artists, scholars and representatives from the government and NGOs from Asia and Europe convened in Ha Long City, Vietnam, last week to find ways to forge stronger ties through cultural diplomacy.

Brunei's collection of Islamic art has the potential to attract the interest of the world providing that steps are taken to make it more accessible to the public, said a visiting arc historian yesterday. Exhibiting Islamic art, especially after the 9/11 tragedy, was seen as a way to promote mutual understanding and shed light on the beauty of the cultural aspect of Islam.