In a sense, the surprise question in such a situation, and perhaps into the future, is whether France has stolen a march over the United States, perhaps in terms of public diplomacy, in trying to pull Japan out of its civil nuclear emergency.

France and South Africa are talking the “same language” on issues such as strengthening the Group of 20 (the world’s most important economies) and the reform of the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told The Africa Report.

With its aircraft in the skies of Libya and Ivory Coast, France has suddenly escaped diplomatic obscurity to find itself taking a leading role in two military ventures that have arguably tipped the scales on behalf of civilians. This comes after France was embarrassingly late in embracing pro-democracy protests that successfully ousted its old allies in Egypt and Tunisia.

No sooner did Libya's ragtag army of anti-Gadhafi insurgents retreat along the Mediterranean coast toward Benghazi than France's SSP 1 chartered a Falcon executive jet to meet with dissident leaders.

Japan is increasingly turning to other countries for help as it struggles to stabilize its tsunami-stricken nuclear plant and stop radiation leaks that are complicating efforts to recover the bodies of some of the thousands swept away by the towering wave.

Hsueh Sheng Wang's Eurasia group plans to turn the port of Le Havre into a hub for trade between China and France.

The success of yesterday’s Paris summit in securing international backing for the military strikes on Libya marks quite a comeback for French diplomacy. Just two months ago, France was offering another Arab autocrat, in Tunisia, help controlling rebellion.

A meeting of the Azerbaijani Students and Alumni International Forum (ASAIF) was continued here on Friday. The participants continued their debates in the “networking and new ways of representing Azerbaijan” section led by head of the Azerbaijan delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov...