In an extraordinary act of culture and courage, a Russian orchestra performed in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra recently liberated from the Islamic State, but Western media mocked the event, notes Gilbert Doctorow.[...] The orchestrated performed a concert of Bach, Shchedrin and Prokofiev in the Roman Amphitheater to celebrate the return of culture to a UNESCO site desecrated by its Islamic State occupiers.

A bit of China has arrived in Los Angeles, in the form of an extensive exhibit at the Getty Center that recreates an ancient landmark along the legendary Silk Road. [...] The Cave Temples of Dunhuang, also called the Mogao Caves, is a complex of almost 500 caves in northwest China that was active between the 4th and 14th centuries.

Washington, DC 30 April ' The fifth annual International Jazz Day celebration came to a thrilling close on Saturday night with the worldwide broadcast and streaming of the International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert from the White House.

Pakistan's smallest religious minority, the Kalash […] fear their unique culture will not endure: Increasingly their youth are converting to Islam, prompting activists to campaign to preserve the traditions of this ancient, diminishing tribe. Their fight to get the Kalash on to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List began in 2008, but eight years on remains mired in sluggish bureaucracy.

French food has evolved over the years to become the foremost representative of France’s culture, to the extent that Unesco declared French cuisine as a ‘world intangible cultural heritage’ in 2010.

Radio undoubtedly has been the most inclusive medium of communication. [...] In recognition of this, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed the first World Radio Day in 2013 with the purpose of recognizing the importance of radio every Feb. 13.

The repeated terrorist attacks in Paris and the disputes within UNESCO between Japan and its neighbors highlight the danger that culture can become a source of international confrontation.

President Park Geun-hye participated in diverse events aimed at promoting Korean culture and expanding cultural ties with France and the Czech Republic during her visit to the European countries last week. [...] At a Cabinet meeting in August, the President said: "We need to discover those neglected cultural values and reinterpret them in a modern way so we can recreate our culture."