India has chosen to buy anti-tank guided missiles from Israel, rejecting a rival U.S. offer, as the right-wing government clears projects worth $13.1 billion to modernize its aging military, official sources said Sunday.

U.S. President Barack Obama has recited Persian poetry in his efforts to engage Iran, as has State Department Persian language spokesman Alan Eyre, who frequently uses poetry in his media appearances and video messages to Iranians.

As donor darling Myanmar gets ready to hold general elections in late 2015, the United States is increasing its diplomatic presence in the former military state — with the U.S. Agency for International Development as one of the main arms.

Fifteen entry-level diplomats from Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs started a two-week training program in Washington on Monday.  For the next two weeks, the group will learn about US policy regarding Afghanistan, US-China relations, public diplomacy and how foreign policy is developed in the US, with a goal towards developing diplomatic, communications and management skills.

With huge trade and investment relations with Germany, Qatar has been accorded as the “most important Arab investor” by the Europe’s largest economy. The envoy said: “Qatar is the most important Arab investor in Germany. During the visit of His Highness a lot of focus was given to further strengthen bilateral economic and cultural ties between the two countries.”

The wonderfully named Thai Delicious Committee, a Thai-government-sponsored agency, has developed a machine that can supposedly distinguish genuine green curry from inferior imitations of the country’s classic dish. The existence of an officially sanctioned Thai green curry recipe, not to mention a machine programmed to robotically taste it, is but one example of Thailand’s ongoing efforts in culinary diplomacy.

With the shared history of Australia and Malaysia stretching back to World War II, it is hardly coincidental that 16 young Malaysian diplomats were sent for an educational visit to Australia as they complete the last leg of their studies at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR). Parliament House in Canberra has recently witnessed many occasions that demonstrate the close cooperation between the two nations.

Ministry of Culture has held a dinner banquet in honor of the outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain, Hijki Sumi, in appreciation of his huge role in strengthening cultural relations between the two countries, in the presence of a number of diplomats and representatives of the cultural sector in Bahrain.