Ibrahima Syla arrives early to open the doors of the Fama Boutique, his shop at the Soumbédioune Craft Village in Dakar's Medina neighborhood. […] He has noticed a rise in Chinese vendors selling imitation products in markets across the city over the past two decades. "I feel concerned about it [affecting my business]," he says. "An original product is something like a dream and you don't want someone to take it."

Brazil icon Rivaldo has warned tourists to stay away from the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, expressing fears about crime, a struggling health service and the political turmoil surrounding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

[...] Public diplomacy has been embraced as a key tool for boosting Korea’s national image as a relevant international actor. [...] Korea is ever more focused on winning the hearts and minds of citizens across regions through the active showcasing of its cultural products, with “hallyu” as the crucial piece of the puzzle.

President Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit Hiroshima, Japan, the White House announced on Tuesday, making a fraught stop this month at the site where the United States used an atomic bomb at the end of World War II.

“Can we make ‘made in Asia, designed in Asia’ become cool, I think yes we can because the stigma that Asian brands had is disappearing and we have all the right ingredients and the manufacturing base,” said Joowon Park, director at Seoul-based Simone Fashion Company.

The Pakistan Embassy arranged a range of educational and cultural programming in collaboration with the Cultural Tourism DC that increased public awareness about Pakistan.

Titled “Azerbaijan: Land of Hope, Tolerance and Inspiration,” the booklet contains information about Azerbaijan’s history, rich musical and cultural heritage, long-standing traditions of multiculturalism and interfaith tolerance, economic opportunities, energy strategy and diplomacy, as well as tourism potential.