June 21 will be celebrated worldwide as International Day of Yoga, the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to highlight yoga as India's signature cultural export. An regular practitioner of the discipline himself, Modi set up a new ministry for yoga last year and persuaded the United Nations to celebrate this day internationally. "After the number zero this is India's biggest contribution to society," joint secretary Anil Ganeriwala told Reuters.

Last week the Lowy Institute hosted a speech by Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop. If you haven't already listened to it, you can do so here. It's worth staying tuned for the Q&A where Bishop skilfully handled a number of tough questions.

As China’s global power grows, Beijing is learning that its image matters. For all its economic and military might, the country suffers from a severe shortage of soft power. According to global public opinion surveys, it enjoys a decidedly mixed international image. While China’s economic prowess impresses much of the world, its repressive political system and mercantilist business practices tarnish its reputation.

New Delhi -- Last month, in front of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang posed for Modi's smartphone and snapped a photo. "It's selfie time! Thanks Premier Li," Modi tweeted to his 13 million Twitter followers. The photo of the two men--together representing nearly 40 percent of the world's population--led the Wall Street Journal to wonder, "Did Modi Just Take the Most Powerful Selfie in History?"

India is preparing for the first ever International Yoga Day which will be celebrated on Sunday. India has taken the lead among the 192 countries that are participating.

Thousands have been preparing for Sunday's main event, where 35,000 people will practise yoga at Rajpath (King's Avenue), in the capital Delhi. The Indian government believes it will be the largest yoga gathering in history and expects the event to find a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

RIGA, Latvia — The yellowing pages of the thick guestbook at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia read like a song of praise for Latvian self-determination and express a narrative of condemnation directed at the two regimes — Nazi and Soviet — to which this country fell during World Wa­­r II. But hidden among the expressions of admiration for Latvia’s struggle are entries written in Russian attesting to a different interpretation of the country’s recent past. “It’s not peoples that occupy but political regimes,” a visi

There are many forms of diplomacy. There's twin-track diplomacy, gunboat diplomacy, parachute diplomacy, cricket diplomacy, ping-pong diplomacy and more. The Indian government has invented a new variant, kiss-and-telldiplomacy, by successfully embarrassing a friendly neighbour, Myanmar.

The European Forum Wachau is a European debate event and will be held this weekend at the Stift Göttweig in Lower Austria. The event was launched in 1995, the year of Austria's accession to the European Union. Participants of the conference titled “Has Europe reached its limits? Reflections on Europe’s future role on the global stage” will discuss topics such as, the EU as a security provider, the EU's new mode of regional cooperation and the EU and her neighbours.