Several archaeological sites have been attacked by Islamic State jihadis in Iraq and Syria. […] “I think the growing awareness that hard power will not be enough to defeat violent extremism is gaining ground. We need also soft power,” [Irina] Bokova said. “Culture should be part of our response to violent extremism”.

The 2015 European Games may have lacked the coverage of the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, but for Azerbaijan where they are set to come to a close, they have been a source of pride for the government. President Ilham Aliyev invested heavily in the 17-day competition, spending in the region of $1.2bn on state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. For Aliyev, the event was an opportunity to showcase Azerbaijan to the world as an exciting and dynamic country. Some foreign reporte

The Kremlin surprised nearly everyone when it unleashed its media machine on the world after the pro-Moscow president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, was chased from power in February 2014 and Ukraine fell into division and conflict. Moscow's version of events was available on television, radio, and in print media in dozens of languages in dozens of countries and the selective storytelling of these outlets succeeded in raising doubts in some peoples' minds as to who was telling the truth about events in Ukraine: Western media or Russian media.

Singapore has progressed from merlions and orchids to street food and star violinists parachuted onto international stages. But the latest attempt by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to conquer hearts and minds in Beijing, London and New York is taking a more subtle turn. Singapore Inside Out, the three-city tour of Singapore art and design, wrapped up its five-day gig in London yesterday. Strategically opening in London's hip (and some say hi

Beijing: China will hold a 30.34 percent stake in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Finance Ministry said on Monday, making Beijing the largest shareholder in a multilateral institution that will project the country's growing soft power. China will have 26.06 percent of the voting rights in the bank, a Chinese-led development bank that will rival institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Countries defined as "within the region" will hold a 75 percent stake in the bank, the min

On June 10 and 11, Kazakhstan hosted the Fifth Congress of World Religions.