Artists that have been based in Berlin for 3 years or more are being offered the opportunity to be inspired by living in a new culture, with funding from the state.... The project is envisioned as a cultural exchange programme and the length of time to spend in each particular country varies.

Press freedom advocates and Ethiopian Americans are declaring a partial victory in their fight with the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), a U.S. government agency, over the censorship of the Voice of America radio programs to Ethiopia.

Actually, the temple can enhance China's 'soft power' diplomacy and provides a more intriguing picture of the nation.....Although Abbot Shi Yongxin faces a great deal of criticism for commercializing the temple, he's bringing global attention to Chinese culture. Many famous Hollywood actors and American superstar athletes have visited the Shaolin Temple to learn from the kung fu monks.

Its popularity underscores the quiet success China's “soft power” push is having in unlikely locations. The Tamil station, which broadcasts every day from a modest 12th floor office, has more than 25,000 registered listeners ... in Tamil Nadu and the rest of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore...

Culture as an underlying force that shapes global public diplomacy remains curiously unexplored. Yet, every aspect of an entity’s public diplomacy...is touched by culture. Intercultural scholars have cautioned that to overlook culture’s influence is to remain vulnerable to its power. Conversely, with the benefit of cultural knowledge, one can more effectively harness that power.

Polio has all but been eradicated from the Earth, but not quite. So Bill Gates and the soccer club FC Barcelona are joining forces to push the effort past the goal line. They're calling it the "More than a Goal. End Polio" campaign...Barcelona plans to spread the message through in-stadium advertisements, announcements during matches, and via social media to the millions of followers worldwide.

What started as two unrelated social actions over a month ago — a Facebook campaign against inflated cottage cheese prices (an Israeli staple) and a doctors’ strike — has blossomed into a nationwide, multipronged collective revolt unprecedented in recent Israeli history. The Arab Spring, it appears, is turning into a hot, hot Israeli summer.

A version of Spain’s famous La Tomatina festival has arrived in the Indian capital city of New Delhi. The festival, which is celebrated every year at the end of August in Buñol, Spain, involves people throwing squashed tomatoes at each other. The tomato festival has however, led to a war of words on Facebook and Twitter between Tomatina enthusiasts and others who question the tastefulness of the event.