Farzad Amoozegar straddled two cultures, North American and Iranian, throughout much of his childhood. Before he was 9, the Persian language, culture and food had begun to shape his identity as an Iranian; after moving to Canada and then to America, he discovered music to bridge the gap between Iran and the West.

Safa Hajjaj is on her way home to Morocco, having come to the US in September 2014 as an Atlas Corps fellow at the Meridian International Center in Washington, DC. Dedicated to addressing critical social issues, Atlas Corps, according to its website, "develops leaders, strengthens organizations and promotes innovation through an overseas fellowship of skilled professionals."

What makes a country the best? Is it leadership? Military might? Economic strength? A rich and deep vein of culture and history? Freedom, a stable government and transparency when it comes to business and the political process? In a word, yes. All of the above contribute to how people perceive what makes one country better than another – and ultimately which one ranks as the best overall.

This has been a fantastic week for Irish cinema. The achievements of directors, scriptwriters, actors and producers in nabbing seven Oscar nominations is the equivalent of the Irish football team getting to the World Cup final.

The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park will present a weekend of thought-provoking films at the sixth annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival from Jan. 21 to 24. [...] the festival will include five films and a special presentation that focus on the power of film to make a difference. 

Which is why the release of Dinner Décor – a How-To Guide for Fabulous Centrepieces by Amita Sathe Bambawale, the wife of India’s newly appointed ambassador to Pakistan, Gautam Bambawale, is so timely. [...] every page is an ode to the ingenuity that so many diplomatic wives draw on, as part of their “job” – an unpaid and unheralded one, it may be noted. 

Major Lazer will become the first major US act to play Cuba since the two countries began restoring frozen relations in July 2015. The DJ group will play a free show in Havana on 6 March, in front of the US Embassy.