As his real estate and entertainment empire expands overseas, Mr. Wang, 60, has emerged as the rare private-sector tycoon in a position to advance Beijing’s interests abroad, with clout in industries and communities around the world.

President Mamnoon Hussain told diplomats that while acquainting themselves with challenges of the day, they should be ready to face the breaking news culture. He was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 34th Specialised Diplomatic Course at the Foreign Services Academy (FSA), on Monday. While giving details of the ceremony, a spokesperson said that the president was of the view that diplomats should also show their capability in public and economic diplomacy besides in international law and politics.

Singaporean student Priscilla Seah was given an opportunity of a lifetime to meet a prince. But it had nothing to do with romance. Rather, more pertinent issues such as public diplomacy and international affairs were addressed.

The 22-year-old was among a group of young, international talents who met the prince of Denmark, Prince Joachim at Frederikserg Palace in Copenhagen on Saturday.

It is necessary to protect the ongoing people-to-people cooperation from becoming yet another bargaining chip in the game of sanctions and counter-sanctions. To the extent possible, the people-to-people dimension of the EU-Russia relations should be insulated from the negative developments in security, political and economic dimensions.

A couple of million people visit the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, each year to see the world-famous works of art, such as “The Annunciation,” “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” and “Las Meninas.” Now, for the first time, the museum is attracting a set of patrons who are able to experience the artwork in a different way: By touching it.

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is in the U.S. this week for a tightly packed visit that will focus largely on the strong ties between the U.S. and its closest Asian ally. (...)This visit should help with the latter goal as Abe will have a summit with Obama and a state dinner at the White House with 300 guests. Image is important to the Abe administration, and it'll be on display during this U.S. visit, says Shihoko Goto, an Asia specialist with the Woodrow Wilson Center. 

Becoming a father was a prime motivator for Randy Berry to accept what's sure to be a controversial new role at the State Department. Berry, 50, is the U.S. special envoy for the human rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender persons, the first such post ever created by a nation, according to the State Department. In that trailblazing role, he said he has an opportunity to help his two children grow up in a world more accepting than the one he was born into.

The lecture at UNAM was packed with about 500 students, with many people standing. Around the end of the lecture, I invited Hitomi to the stage and with her spoke to the audience about why maid cafes have become one of the icons of Japan’s pop culture and why they attract foreign visitors.In a nutshell, these cafes seriously entertain their customers by providing them with an experience which is completely different from their daily lives.