If deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez polarised the nation with his policies and political rhetoric, his love of sport helped bring people together, even if "baseball diplomacy" couldn't fix relations with the US. In a country famous for beer, beauty pageants and baseball, the game transcends a Saturday afternoon pastime, reaching its way into diplomacy and politics.

The Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has no choice but to change from being a tool for advancing state propaganda to a public service broadcaster, in a bid to operate within the pillars of democracy.

To observe the International Women’s Day, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) will organise a cultural programme ‘Aaradhya’ here on Saturday. Two events featuring women classical maestros in the world of classical music and dance would be staged at Shaheed Bhawan.

Women in the Balkans are leading a political revolution. Historically given little say in the politics of the conservative region, they are increasingly taking top leadership posts, signaling that the traditional rules are changing as Balkan countries shake off their war pasts and move toward membership in the European Union.

Iran is now viewed unfavorably in a majority of Arab countries, according to a major new survey conducted by James Zogby of 20 Arab and Muslim-majority countries. Iran's appeal to mainstream Arab public opinion has virtually collapsed from its 2006 peak...Zogby's wide-ranging survey offers some fascinating new evidence, however. Public opinion survey research in the Arab world always needs to be treated with caution

Almost a decade after their emergence, Al-Qaeda's password-protected online forums continue to remain popular. Government officials in the U.S and elsewhere have spoken out against the message boards, which are used by jihadis to converse and distribute information, saying they serve as a recruiting tool for terrorists and have been used to incite violence against the West. But some U.S. intelligence officials have argued against their removal, saying they rely on them for intelligence gathering.

The Australian government should put more money into football diplomacy as Australia prepares for the 2015 Asian Cup and use the Asian Cup to strengthen Australia's ties with Asia, an Australian think tank said in a latest report on Friday.