Czech speed skater Martina Sablikova and the late conductor Jiri Belohlavek will be among the 15 personalities who will receive the Gratias Agit award for promoting the country's good name from Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek on Friday. Belohlavek, chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic who died on May 31 at the age of 71 years, will be awarded in memoriam.

Serbia is not known for its gay-friendly policies. [...] This week though, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic made a historic decision: naming Ana Brnabic prime minister. If her cabinet is approved next week, she will become a double first: the country's first female and first openly gay head of government. [...] Vucic's selection of Brnabic is seen by many as a nod toward broader equality, and an effort to nudge his country closer toward the West.

For a guy who started out in advertising a couple of decades ago, it’s surprising he dismisses Cannes with a flick of his wrist. V Sunil, the man behind Motherland — known for its millennial-chic magazine — says, “It’s an encouragement if you win, but you take some pictures and you go home and unfortunately, nothing really changes. So when we started our company, we decided we are not going to get into that drama.” He’s launched movements like Incredible India and Make in India, and brands like Indigo and has seen the country itself go beyond campaigns to experiences.

Going by headline indicators, Singapore's country brand looks strong enough. The Lion City tops the world in "online presence" in the Global Cities Index released this month. In the 2016 Soft Power 30 ranking of countries by their soft power, Singapore moved up two places to break into the top 20. But what fresh challenges lie in wait, in this new world of Brexit and Mr. Donald Trump? How well does Singapore stand in promoting and protecting its international reputation so as to continue to boost its magnetic pull for the choicest investments, trade, tourism and talent?

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the Bangladeshi expatriates living in the UK not to do anything that could damage the country's image. "Once Bangladesh was known as land of beggars and natural disasters...we have overcome the situation introducing us as a role model in development," she told the UK-based Bangladeshi community leaders at Stroke Park here as they arrived to meet with her on her arrival in London on her way to Sweden. Sheikh Hasina added: "So you should not do anything detrimental to nation's image."

The Foreign Ministry seized the opportunity to highlight the close ties between Morocco and the continent during the celebration of Africa Day on June 8, and lauded the Kingdom’s policies regarding co-development, sharing of expertise and win-win partnerships in Africa. The celebration of Africa Day was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the theme “Morocco, An Actor for a Collective Emergence in Africa.”

A little bit crab apple, a little bit cherimoya, the ambitious atemoya hopes for soft power prowess and export success. When the atemoya (鳳梨釋迦)  was first exported from Taiwan in 2008, its sales quickly surpassed that of other Taiwanese staples, including mangoes and pineapples.