It embraces coastal to mountainous landscapes and occupies a strategic position between the main cultural and artistic cities of Tuscany and some important seaside tourist centres.

UNESCO: NATURAL SCIENCES

Mr Wei's point is one of cultural autarky: nobody outside China is in a position to interpret, let alone understand, Chinese culture.

ECONOMIST: Grand opera in China

In her position at the crux of Italy's crumbling cultural assets, Borletti plays to the dual interests of fashion magnates when she petitions them for funds: helping build their brands while saving their nation's rich aesthetic history.

WSJ: The Fashion Set Saves Italy

This position is bound to raise the hackles of many major cultural institutions, from the real estate industry, and from religious groups who depend on the charitable gifts of their members, not just the 2% wealthiest Americans.

FORBES: Twenty-three Days To The Fiscal Cliff

But despite their new-found freedom of cultural expression, some Berber activists remain anxious about their community's position in the new Libya.

CNN: A rebirth of Berber culture in post-Gadhafi Libya

Boyle shares the position with Ruth Mackenzie, the director of the Games' accompanying Cultural Olympiad.

BBC: Danny Boyle third in The Stage theatre power list

Iran's promise to investigate the allegations is a change in position after initially calling the incident a "misunderstanding arising from differences in cultural behavior" and a result of media bias, a statement from the Iranian embassy in Brazil said.

CNN: SHARE THIS