In what can only be described as a back-handed compliment, the NYT declared in a recent style article that its neighbour to the north was no longer a "frozen cultural wasteland populated with hopelessly unstylish citizens". The reason for Canada's sudden cultural cachet? The Times mentions film and music idols, fashion designers and YouTubers, but the star of the show seems to be new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

On Monday evening, Facebook FB +1.05% COO Sheryl Sandberg announced in Berlin the launch of a new campaign against extremist speech on the Internet, called Online Civil Courage Initiative (OCCI). The initiative is supported by the German Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection [...]

On January 8, heavies from the White House and U.S. intelligence and security sectors arrived in San Jose, California [...] to examine a pressing, worldwide problem: “How can we make it harder for terrorists to leveraging [sic] the internet to recruit, radicalize, and mobilize followers to violence?”

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.

A video game based on the 2014 Taliban school massacre in which at least 132 children were killed in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar has been withdrawn after triggering social media uproar and backlash. The game, "Pakistan Army Retribution", was released by the Punjab IT board on Google Play, and invited the player to step into the shoes of a soldier shooting Taliban attackers in a school's hallways.

Some migrants to Britain who cannot pass an English test within 2-1/2 years of arriving may not be allowed to stay, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday in a move aimed at fostering greater integration by Muslim women.

The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park will present a weekend of thought-provoking films at the sixth annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival from Jan. 21 to 24. [...] the festival will include five films and a special presentation that focus on the power of film to make a difference. 

At the Corea Image Communications Institute’s annual award ceremony last week, which honored individuals who have popularized Korean culture worldwide, over 60 foreign ambassadors and diplomats engaged in an evening of cultural diplomacy.