Rwandan coaches are going to see what youth coaching in Park City is all about during a 10-day cultural exchange hosted by Kids Play International (KPI), a charity that uses sport to promote gender equity in communities impacted by genocide. From June 16-26, eight of Kids Play International's Rwandan coaches will be in town to discuss gender equality in youth sports and coaching techniques used in the U.S. in an event sponsored by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The 22nd Seoul International Book Fair, which will take place under the theme of "Communicate with Books, Design the Future," will be attended by 346 publishers from 20 countries. "Digital Book Fair Korea" will also be held alongside the main event. [...] This year, French and Italian books will be under the spotlight as the countries have been designated the "Culture Focus" and "Spotlight Country," respectively.

Several miles away, a flashier Pyongyang A Ri Rang Restaurant on soi (alley) 26 of Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road also offers food, but with the added fun of karaoke, a live floor show and tours of North Korea.

Such initiatives are a hallmark of British cultural diplomacy, said Edwards. He also added that the consulate is in the midst of seeking partnerships on several creative projects. One such partnership project coming later in the year to Shanghai is a traditional Chinese Kunqu opera version of “Macbeth.”

“When MasterChef kicked off here in India, there were some ­racial issues with people getting beaten up, taxi drivers and all the rest of it,” Mehigan said while signing plates. [...] when MasterChef started, it all turned around. It’s what embassy people call “soft diplomacy”...

Dozens of Taiwanese citizens who completed interviews for student visas to the United States attended the first "Student Visa Day" held by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in Taipei on Friday to promote people-to-people exchanges. [...] The AIT has conducted several events to attract Taiwanese students to study in the U.S. and Friday's activity was designed to connect education and studying in the U.S. with visa experiences.

Thaung and Cao, deputy head of safety techniques and the environment office for the Department of Industry and Trade in the An Giang province of Vietnam, recently completed a monthlong stay in Cedar Hill. [...] The two are among 46 fellows who visited cities all over the U.S. as part of a cultural exchange fostered by the International City/County Management Association, an organization that promotes greater understanding of how local governments function.

On May 26th, Gallup announced that the Russian people’s approval of U.S. leadership dropped to arecord 1%, which is the worst rating in the world and the lowest approval Gallup has ever recorded. According to an article written by Gallup analyst Julie Ray, the abysmal view of the United States in Russia is a reflection of the country’s “…increasingly tense relations with the U.S. since the crisis in Ukraine and the threat that many Russians, as well as residents of several former Soviet states, feel the U.S. now poses to their countries.”