Vibrant science and technology (S&T) enterprises form the basis of U.S.-India economic growth and strengthen our strategic partnership. While governments play a role in enabling joint S&T activities, active and innovative collaboration in S&T, health, and innovation relies on the efforts of businesses, scientists and institutions in both countries.

Selling Nepal as a wedding destination for gay couples, many of whom live in countries where same-sex marriage is illegal, has been widely embraced by the entrepreneurs of the tourism sector, a once thriving industry that was dealt a severe blow during the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed the lives of 16,000 people.

Dictators are toppling across the Arab world. What role has the Internet played in their demise? Young people went online to keep up with their friends and youth culture. In doing so, they became politicized. In Egypt, people shared a yearning to oust Hosni Mubarak, but each person was afraid to step forward. Once they saw how many other Egyptians agreed with them, they grew bolder.

The Chinese government has criticized unnamed "overseas media organizations" and said their reports that former President Jiang Zemin had died "are pure rumor." But instead of telling the world about the health of Jiang, Beijing responded by stonewalling and censoring the Internet to the extent that even information on the hospital where the former leader is being treated was blacked out.

It is not just in the realm of hard power that the United Kingdom is becoming dangerously weakened; many of our most important soft power assets are also being reduced. This ignores a very important and unchanging fact: ultimately it is power that underpins the prosperity and freedoms that so many of us take for granted.

Tokyo's announcement over the weekend that it will bid for the 2020 Olympics is intended to show the world it can recover and stage a successful Games after the devastation caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Alec Ross is U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's senior adviser for innovation -- a job that has him developing new and innovative ways to use technology to promote American diplomatic efforts. Ross told an RFE/RL correspondent that U.S. efforts to safeguard Internet freedom are not aimed at promoting regime change in authoritarian countries like Iran.

The Vatican - once the world’s premier art patron - is again reaching out to artists, organizing an exhibit of contemporary works. Sixty living artists, including two Americans, were invited to reflect on the theme of truth and charity. The exhibit is part of the Vatican’s bid to reconcile with contemporary art.