Gunmen from an al-Qaida inspired militia have taken over radio and television stations in the central Libyan city of Sirte, a security official said. He said the seizure of the buildings happened on Thursday after militants from Ansar al-Sharia had warned the station to stop broadcasting music. The group, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, is accused of being involved in a deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. mission and annex in Benghazi. Its branch in the city of Derna has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The Minnesota Orchestra announced Thursday that it will play two concerts in Cuba in May in what's believed to be the first major cultural exchange between the two countries since their leaders announced a move toward warmer relations.

As his fame as an author and humorist grew, Mark Twain increasingly gained access to the most glittering palaces and persons in the world.(...)He was, as he was fond of saying, “not an American, but the American,” and during his many trips abroad he functioned as a one-man diplomatic corps, employing his characteristic blend of self-deprecation and understated wit on foreign people everywhere.

The Foreign Ministry has been called on to advance its diplomatic role in promoting Islam as a tolerant religion amid growing global concern over the Islamic State (IS) organisation, which has sparked hate crimes against Muslims.  The country's soft approach has been said to have contributed to false perceptions of Islam, which holds the basic value of rahmatan lil alamin (grace for all people). 

The fatal shooting of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Tuesday afternoon has prompted uproar around the world, particularly from Muslims in the Middle East who say U.S. media coverage of stories involving Muslims is often biased.

Does anybody remember soft power? Apparently Canada has it in abundance. It just doesn’t work. Soft power is, like so many trendy ideas in this country, an American invention.

An International  joint statement released by the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, IGAD, the UK and the US welcomed Parliament’s approval, and reiterated their call for Somalia’s leaders and institutions to work together to accelerate delivery of the milestones of the Federal Government’s ‘Vision 2016′. The diplomatic statement said, together with the New Deal Compact for Somalia, remains the guiding framework for engagement.  The diplomatic statement added that it was important to preserve the Somalia unity and stability of the Federal Government of Somalia.