The day before returning to their respective homelands, Lara Tietz and Emma Gregersen came by The Tidewater News for a quick visit with their host, Welton Deshields of Franklin. [...] Lara, 17, lives in Kassel, Germany; Emma, 18, is from Thy, Denmark, and both said they’ve enjoyed their first visit to the United States of America. The Lions clubs in their localities helped in getting the two to travel stateside.

Diplomat Devyani Khobragade [...] will later this month undertake a cross-country run in her home state of Maharashtra aimed at promoting women education and empowerment. [...] According to the foreign ministry, the run is a one-of-a-kind public diplomacy initiative intended to promote India-Australia relations.

MANILA - Three Japanese minesweepers have arrived at the Manila South Harbor for a three-day goodwill visit which started Monday. The ships, which are part of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)’s Minesweeper Division 51, are commanded by Capt. Toshiro Takaiwa.

When almost 600 Ottoman sailors lost their lives in far-off Japan in 1890, few at the time would have thought that the tragedy would usher in more than a century of friendship. But the sinking of the Ertuğrul frigate on its way back from a goodwill voyage to Japan did just that, establishing a bond between the Japanese and Turkish peoples that has endured even after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. 

In a statement on Twitter, Mr. Modi said he conveyed “best wishes” to the Pakistani prime minister for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, as well as to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “Cricket connects people in our region & promotes goodwill,” Mr. Modi said in another tweet. 

Russia’s appeal among the Indian public is limited to the intellectual elite and those with nostalgia for the golden age of socialism. The time has come to reach out a wider set of Indians.

A day before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flies into India to attend Narender Modi’s swearing-in as the next premier, Pakistan on Sunday released 151 Indian fishermen from Karachi and Hyderabad prisons as a goodwill gesture.

In a visit aimed at consolidating and deepening China’s diplomatic, economic and "soft power" presence in South Asia, a top Chinese official will visit Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives in a three-nation tour starting on Wednesday.