Legendary blues guitarist and singer B.B. King died last week. He was a global ambassador for American culture. King performed in Russia, China and Europe, and while in his 80s, he was still playing concerts in Denmark, Germany and France. He was an embodiment of American soft power, expressing the vitality and spirit of a diverse nation.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — It's a tale of love, betrayal and history's most famous murder by ice pick. The plot to assassinate Leon Trotsky, the Soviet revolutionary-turned-exiled dissident, in Mexico City in 1940, is at the heart of "El Elegido" ("The Chosen"), an upcoming movie that's set to wrap shooting in this capital in the coming days.

Last week, as word spread about girls kidnapped by Boko Haram last year returning to their communities having been raped and impregnated, the Nigerian Senate passed the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Bill, which seeks to prohibit multiple forms of gender-based violence including economic abuse, female genital mutilation, and depriving persons of their liberty among others.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama lost a vote on trade policy in the Senate. The strange thing is why he lost. For years, conservatives have voiced impatience with Obama's foreign policy. But this time, all but one Republican voted for him, and all but one Democrat voted against him. Foreign policy used to be one of Obama's political strengths.

The Teatro Nacional, a 2,056-seat theater on the Plaza de la Revolución, was sold out. Two dozen photographers and videographers swarmed the aisles. The Minnesota Orchestra’s concert here Friday night was greeted not only as a rare chance to hear an orchestra from overseas, but as a symbol of the rapprochement between the United States and Cuba.

Back in December, the United States and Cuba announced major steps to end their 50 years of hostility. And some researchers think that Americans could reap an unexpected benefit — better access to Cuban medical innovations.

Israel is turning to the media and diplomacy to head off an almost inevitable new round of confrontation with Hezbollah. Its message: Israel won't be able to avoid attacks on Lebanon's civilians so long as the Shi'ite militias use them as human shields.

“We are one in nine billion,” states a striking stainless steel sculpture at the entrance to the U.S. Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life." That visual statement is intended to get visitors thinking about the fact that in 2050, the world’s population is estimated to reach 9 billion, and more sustainable ways to feed people must be found.