The former archbishop of Cape Town and Nobel Prize laureate began his retirement in early October saying he would watch cricket and sip tea with his wife. But he has sparked new controversy by stepping up his boycott campaign against Israel.

As an economy prospers, its culture perhaps begins to grow in appeal. Over the last 100 years or so – jeans, Coke, McDonald’s, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hollywood — about everything American had been lapped up as things of global cool. They still are. The 20th was entirely America’s century.

Rarely has the power of a celebrity to draw attention to an issue exerted such a pull as on Tuesday, when White House reporters called an end to the daily briefing by press secretary Robert Gibbs to catch the actor George Clooney as he left a meeting with President Obama about the crisis in Sudan.

The closing ceremony of Commonwealth Games will have a healthy dose of Bollywood -- missing in the opening gala -- with top performers like singer Sunidhi Chauhan and music composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan expected to get a packed house at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on its feet.

The Adolescent Girls Initiative partners the World Bank, the Nike Foundation and governments of developing and developed nations to empower girls in poor countries. The two-year-old program is helping girls in Asia, Africa and the Middle East gain the education and skills they need to transition into the workforce.

Decades ago, a few famous folk were lauded for their good works off-screen. Danny Kaye was UNICEF'S first celebrity spokesperson; Audrey Hepburn, after she retired from filmmaking, was also a UNICEF ambassador. Now it's more difficult to name a celebrity without a cause than to name the famous faces who advocate to end war, cure disease or solve impenetrable environmental and humanitarian crises.

From October 3, the city will be playing host to not only over 7,000 athletes but also a host of artistes and Bollywood personalities as well. The cultural extravaganza, billed as Delhi Celebrates, will not only bring singers and musicians to the city but also theatre personalities, well known chefs, artisans, poets and litterateurs.

Product placement is just one example of China's new love affair with Hollywood. Chinese production companies are looking to partner with Hollywood firms for everything from making films to managing China's growing number of theaters. And rumors persist that a Chinese company - spurred on by a government that wants to extend this country's "soft power" into the cultural sphere...