Almost 315 years after Russian Czar Peter the Great’s first visit to Holland, six Russian students and six of their Dutch counterparts are tenaciously working on a joint cultural project dedicated to the bilateral year between the two countries.

Around 160 events featuring French and Chinese cultural displays or performances will be staged across China during the near-three-month Sino-French cultural exchange festival, which opened here on Wednesday.

Many will have written on Thatcher's legacy and contribution to the development of conservative ideas and the creation of a conservative transatlantic relationship, but equally important was her role in ending the long and devastating reign of Communism over the peoples of Eastern Europe. She was among the few leaders of Europe to seriously care about and engage early with the "captive nations" of Central and Eastern Europe.

Exporting culture to China isn't just about profit. It's also an extension of Britain's soft power. Listening to Mamma Mia in Mandarin I was amused to hear that in the chorus of Abba's Money, Money, Money, the singers revert to English...Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats is also touring, and producer Cameron Mackintosh in confident that Les Misérables will follow soon. It is proof that Britain's creative industries are a key export sector, which we can and should be growing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife has received increasing attention for not only her attire, but also her good-will activities during the presidential visit to four nations, a soft-toned diplomatic gesture to boost China's image. Upon arrival in Moscow last week, Peng Liyuan, in an elegant overcoat, descended the plane arm in arm with President Xi. A photo of her appearance has been widely circulated on the Internet and published in major newspapers.

When assessing America's power toolbox, comic book culture is rarely discussed as an effective instrument, but likely stands as one of the most globally influential...Tampering with the art form by amateurs is dangerous and can lead to terrible results. That is exactly what happened in the case of the EU's online comic, Captain Euro (www.captaineuro.com). It seeks to entertain by portraying its nonviolent crusader as the protector of democratic peace.

Repower Greece organized an academic US tour to spark a discussion across North America on rebuilding Greece and changing the world’s negative perceptions of its people. Below are the findings of the discussions as they were presented by Alexandros Costopoulos, one of the initiative’s organizers.

A special delegation of 11 Israeli high school students landed in Paris on Sunday as part of the Israeli Jewish Congress' "Young Ambassadors" program..."Teenagers are the most useful group when it comes to public diplomacy," Sloutsker said.