House Of Cards author Michael Dobbs has described the BBC as "arguably this country's strongest cultural brand". (...) "It has an impact in every corner of the globe. It is one of the prime weapon systems in our arsenal of soft power that will grow increasingly important in the years of uncertainty that lie ahead."

Britain will mark the recently- declared 'World Yoga Day' by the United Nations with a mega event on June 21, in what may be seen as India's growing "soft power" in the world.

Enjoying steady bilateral relations since diplomatic ties were established after the Vietnam War in 1976, the Philippines and Vietnam are now engaging in high-level dialogues to try to establish a strategic partnership.

Street protests to collect 'Coins for Australia' or 'Coins for Abbott' have spread from Aceh to the capital and beyond, with even the vice president offering to repay the $1 billion in aid contributed by Australia for recovery efforts after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Papers voice concern over Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung's plan to limit the number of mainland tourists. Mr Leung said on Tuesday that he would discuss proposals to tighten the Individual Visit Scheme for mainland tourists with Beijing authorities, the Xinhua News Agency reports.

Prime Minister  Narendra Modi is planning to visit Sri Lanka's ancient capital Anuradhapura during his trip to the island nation next month, a move aimed at pushing India's soft power and projecting the country's Buddhist links in the region. 

Harvard professor Joseph Nye, well known for his explorations of soft power, considers the American prospect in his newly published book, Is the American Century Over? His answer is a carefully constructed "No," which is based partly on the fact that there is no logical successor to convincingly claim dominance over the next century.

With a slightly strong ‘A’ grade, the kingdom is ranked 31st globally in the ranking conducted by Bloom Consulting, a Spain-based consulting firm specializing in nation branding and destination branding with offices in Madrid, Lisbon and Sao Paulo.