Late last month the USDA announced that the first shipment of mangoes imported from Pakistan had arrived in the United States. Previously, Pakistani mangoes had been banned because of concerns they might bring pests into the country. In celebration of this first shipment, the Pakistani consulate in Chicago hosted a "mango party" at which mango-based delicacies and desserts were served.

Many of the problems that plague Central Asia are the result of neighbors who see each other more as rivals than allies. But institutions like the OSCE Academy are trying to reverse that trend by providing rigorous educations for future politicians, entrepreneurs and civil-society workers, while also encouraging them to think beyond their national borders by considering the Eurasian region in its entirety.

Some of Africa's best-known musicians are working together to fight famine...Africans Act 4 Africa, launched today, aims to put pressure on African governments to fund relief for a crisis on their own turf. The group’s organizers hope to raise awareness through social media and media coverage, prompting leaders to step up to help the 12 million Kenyans, Somalis, and Ethiopians urgently needing food aid.

China’s new and first aircraft carrier isn’t fully operational yet...Why would a truly peaceful-rising country need an aircraft carrier? Joseph S. Nye, Jr., the former dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government rightly credits the “peaceful rising” advertising to current China President Hu Jintao, who stylistically preferred what might be called a foreign-relations approach of “soft power.”

Iranian media affiliated to the Islamic regime have been accused of using library images from different times and locations in Britain and other parts of the world to portray the UK riots as "the uprising of the oppressed against the British monarchy".

On October 6th, the Cuban Interests Section (aka the Cuban Embassy) will launch a clever bit of public diplomacy by opening "Hemingway's Bar." And what is as interesting is that the Cuban national historical landmark, the Finca Vigia...will be providing educational and cultural exhibits and material about Hemingway's work and life during his two decades living in Cuba.

It's inevitable that the economic problems have put a dent in our soft power," he says. "In material terms, it's almost a non-story. The math in the Standard & Poor's downgrade was incorrect.

In celebration of His Majesty the King's 84th birthday, AMI Events and the Australian Embassy present the Hucky Eichelmann and Anthony Garcia Thailand Tour 2011: Music from Thailand, Australia and the rest of the world.