Sports was acknowledged as a catalyst in bringing peace in the face of adversities around the world at the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum2013 which began on Tuesday. IOC Vice President Nawal El Moutawakel congratulated UAE for hosting such a great event, the first event in the Middle East. “Sports diplomacy is the tool that protects the society,” said Mahash Saeed Salem Al Hameli.

The Korean dumplings in your grocer's freezer, the new Thai restaurant on the corner and that Burmese curry you ate for lunch are doing more than satisfying your craving for an exotic and flavorful meal. These foods are also helping to foster international relations. A new diplomacy program -- called gastrodiplomacy -- is giving food a seat at the negotiating table.

Philip Seib is the director of the Center for Public Diplomacy and spoke to PM from Los Angeles. PHILIP SEIB: He realises that the more Westerners, particularly Americans, who go to study in China, the greater the trade relationship between the two countries will be, but also the more stable the relationship will be. And stability is a good thing in diplomacy and in international economics.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum announced that it will join the US Embassy in Buenos Aires to create an educational program highlighting the works of Georgia O’Keeffe. The program is part of the Embassy’s public policy initiative called ¡Exprésate! designed to teach English to Argentinean students with a concentration on American culture and history.

Battered by a French-led military campaign in Mali, al-Qaida's North African arm is trying something new to stay relevant: Twitter. The PR campaign by the terror network seeks to tap into social grievances and champion mainstream causes such as unemployment, all in bid to reverse decline and win new followers.

Mashaba, who is an aspirant Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, says people here view UDC as the only alternative instrument of change and believes he will win the elections because people, especially the youth, are ready for change. "Never in the history of this town have I seen its citizens so enthusiastic about their role in nation building and politics," he says. "They are driven by a desire to work as a collective."

BBG Watch has learned that the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs will soon be leaving her post at the State Department and her representational role at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency in charge of U.S. international broadcasting.