An initiative launched in 1971 to back Bangladeshi nationalists in their liberation struggle is set to take flight again, this time on the wings of a powerful radio transmitter that will put forward India’s perspective on issues facing the subcontinent. After five months of preparation, All India Radio’s (AIR) Kolkata station is ready to launch Akashvani Maitree—a service in Bengali aimed primarily at Bangladeshis—as New Delhi looks to strengthen diplomatic ties with Dhaka.

United States Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, has said technology and innovation is redefining relations between Washington and New Delhi. [...] The US envoy said science and tech diplomacy is not new - during the Cold War, science served a common language that helped bridge political and cultural divides.

In a resounding testimonial to the government's public diplomacy efforts, India has been ranked among the top 10 countries in terms of its digital diplomacy performance, according to a global research and advocacy platform.
 

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh on Saturday invited Indian filmmakers to shoot their movies in Vietnam to boost the two millenia-old cultural ties between the two countries. [...] “we should try new areas such as exchange of movies and promoting film shooting in each other’s countries,” Ton said while speaking as the guest of honour at a bilateral international seminar...

The heartbreaking image of a dead, three-year old Syrian refugee who was drowned in the Mediterranean sea last year just got a huge artistic tribute. [...] That photograph of Ai captured by India Today magazine on the Greek island of Lesbos is now the toast of the India Art Fair at an exhibition called “The Artists” this weekend.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the new "Start-Up India" scheme to promote and nurse entrepreneurship in the country ensuring minimum interference from the government with attractive tax incentives.

Dealing with Pakistan is one of the most formidable challenges that has confronted Indian administrations over the last 30 years. For the governments led by both Atal Behari Vajpayee and his successor Manmohan Singh, relations with Pakistan were the most insoluble conundrum they encountered.

Local films are going abroad in a cultural diplomacy project by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Sent to Singapore's diplomatic missions that express an interest, the traveling package comprises 10 feature-length and 10 short films. [...] The ministries partnered the National Museum of Singapore's Cinematheque department to curate the list, with each chosen film representing a significant development in Singapore's film landscape.