In the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, Paris residents took to Twitter to offer accommodation to the stranded using the hashtags #PorteOuverte and #OpenDoor […] As a communication tool, the crowdsourcing power of social media again proved to be effective […] But what does this support, the “cause” in Facebook's words, actually deliver?

So ISIS takes pop culture, or soft power, very very seriously indeed, even if we don't. The attacks on Paris demonstrate their cultural focus most of all. They attacked restaurants, theaters, and sports events rather than military or political targets […] The forces that will defeat ISIS aren't the army, the navy, and the air force; they're Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They have to involve themselves in the war.

Why targeting a sporting event often feels like a direct attack at the heart of a nation […] Sport has always been seen as a manifestation of national identity. It is sometimes an outlet for our most primitive, tribal instincts, or, as the former Holland coach, Rinus Michels, put it: "Football is war."

November 11 is commemorated as Veteran's Day in the United States. But in the UK, France, and other nations, it's remembered as Armistice Day, the day in 1918 when the pointless carnage of World War I came to a halt. This connection to a conflict that killed 17 million people, and accomplished nothing positive as a consequence, makes Armistice Day an appropriate time to reflect on the human costs of war.

These certainly aren’t normal hours for the renowned French-Tunisian creative, whose work graces walls, bridges, rooftops, and other structures and surfaces on nearly every continent. Though eL Seed normally splits his time between Paris and Dubai, he’s in London to paint a large mural commissioned by the British Council for the Shubbak festival, a celebration of contemporary Arab culture.

Last week it came to light that Beijing’s state-run China Radio International secretly owns 60% of a U.S. company, G&E Studio, which leases stations and airtime in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco, among other cities. Beijing uses similar subterfuges in Europe and Australia. 

He broke down European opinion on Israel into three broad camps: "One third of the population is very Left, they hate Israel and won't be persuaded otherwise. Another third are essentially pro-Israel, and another third just don't care [...] Focusing on the latter two camps should be the aim of Israeli public diplomacy, he advised, not trying in vain to sway the haters within the EU or elsewhere. 

Mario Gonzalez is from Pro Mexico, the Mexican government's trade and investment agency that organized [a Mexican Design pop-up showroom in central London]. "Tonight is our first ever showroom with Mexican designers," he says. "The idea is to position Mexican designers in the UK. They're very well known in the States or other areas, but not in Europe.