It is the country of India that has the highest potential for soft power deployment in emerging markets, specifically in Africa for the following reasons...

Cultural activists, cultural workers, researchers and policymakers from Mali and Algeria to Singapore, and Limpopo to Cape Town, gathered in Joburg recently for the much-anticipated Diversity Conference.

"Emphasis is to increase the leisure market and position Rwanda as a major leisure destination. We have done a good job in branding Rwanda as a safe destination, so now we need to talk more about leisure," observed Rica Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB.

As we celebrate 149 years of banking in South Africa we are proud to showcase the various cultural collaborations we’ve initiated over the years. One of our proudest annual events is the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival, which brings together international and local jazz artists, jazz lovers and music gurus from around the globe.

Three major democracies... by abstaining on a censure-Syria motion... have yet again shown... that they do not side with aspiring democrats in the developing world. The stronger a country becomes the less disposed it may be to support principles it does not need for protection any more...

After having won many hearts and minds in the Arab world, the Turkish prime minister continued to the Balkans and South Africa last week, presenting Turkey as a confident new player on the world stage. Read the international media coverage of these visits and you can see how big the impact is of this Turkish soft power offensive.

South Africa made the choice...in not granting a visa to the Dalai Lama, a decision that risked angering China...This was a question of how the world would look at us and our morality, and not all about putting at risk much-needed direct investment in such economically turbulent times.

A Hartenberg Shiraz.. was rated at 90 and 91 points by two leading wine commentators at tastings of this year's auction line in New York. As one of South Africa's oldest shiraz-producing estates, Hartenberg enjoys a reputation for high-end quality and consistency...