Week after week and month after month, leaders and officials from across the Middle East and North Africa, and beyond, come to the UAE. The leaders who come here, typically with government ministers and high civil servants in tow, are here for a reason. To be sure, the UAE is a prime diplomatic destination any time a crisis demands a quick transfusion of aid money, because this country has resource wealth and is known for its generosity in good causes.

The deadline for cable TV digitization to complete its phase in 38 cities will end on Monday, even as cable TV operators in many cities hope for some leniency from the central government. According to The Hindu, many cities have still not switched to digital service and operators need time to complete the process. The delay in switching from analogue service to digital service is due to lack of sufficient set-up boxes and labour power.

After nearly three years of political tension, diplomatic maneuvering, and back-channel negotiations, Israel has formally apologized to Turkey for the killing of nine Turkish citizens onboard the ship Mavi Marmara in 2010. On behalf of the Turkish people, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted Israel’s apology.

Russia on Saturday called for "maxim responsibility and restraint," after North Korea declared it was in a "state of war" with South Korea and warned Seoul and Washington against any provocation. "We expect all sides to show maximum responsibility and restraint and that no-one will cross the line after which there will be no return," Grigory Logvinov, a Russian foreign ministry pointman on North Korea, told the Interfax news agency.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario has asked consular officers at the Department of Foreign Affairs to “strive harder” in providing services to the public even as he noted improvements in the agency’s passport processing and authentication systems.

For at least the past five years, Canada has quietly waged a half-hearted war on organized crime and drug cartels. Even before Canada’s prolonged engagement in Afghanistan started winding down, politicians and strategists were refocusing on real and perceived threats south of the border in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Indonesia has for the first time revealed that it protested to China about the publication in its passports of its “nine-dash line” claim to almost the entire South China Sea. Beijing’s decision to print the new map last year prompted protests from the Philippines and Vietnam, which also claim large parts of the South China Sea.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife has received increasing attention for not only her attire, but also her good-will activities during the presidential visit to four nations, a soft-toned diplomatic gesture to boost China's image. Upon arrival in Moscow last week, Peng Liyuan, in an elegant overcoat, descended the plane arm in arm with President Xi. A photo of her appearance has been widely circulated on the Internet and published in major newspapers.