The Philippine Embassy in Doha marked a milestone in the field of cultural diplomacy with yesterday’s official opening of Sentro Rizal - a learning centre for Philippine arts and culture which is the second to be opened in the MENA region. [...] Hundreds of students from two Philippine schools in Qatar are set to benefit from the newly opened centre.

“Under this programme, Martha and Tinashe will be provided with an opportunity to explore Indian culture and expose Indian children to their country’s art, culture, history, language, music and dance. The internship will be at Ryan International School, Chandigarh and Delhi.”

The ancient sitar instrument originally crossed cultural boundaries when it was used by The Beatles during the 1960s. Now, it’s hoped the instrument will again bring cultures and countries together, as part of an Indian exhibition featuring sitar soloist Shubhendra Rao.

 Japan and Saudi Arabia each want a better economy. To get there, they’ve just doubled down on closer bilateral relations and deeper cultural ties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Tokyo September 1 to sign a handful of agreements that together better align their economic interests.

A Jewish-American businessman and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem co-organized what they said was the first art show by Israelis ever to take place in the Balkan nation of Montenegro. [...] “Art is the universal language and it plays a unique role in bringing peoples and cultures together,” Emilfarb said in a statement about his reasons for bringing Israeli art to Montenegro.

A cultural exchange delegation from China's Tibet Autonomous Region attended a seminar in Prague on Friday to deepen exchanges with Czechs. Jinmeiwangcuo, head of the delegation and the director of news office of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, said that representatives from Czech Senate and Parliament exchanged point of views with the delegation.

For many Americans, Asian food used to mean chop suey, chow mein or other Chinese-style dishes. No longer. Today, Americans have restaurants and grocery stores that feature Japanese, Thai, Korean, Indian, Burmese and other Asian cuisines.