The former Soviet republic of Belarus, which lies along the main transit corridor connecting Moscow and Western Europe, is one of the Continent’s few remaining black holes for motorists, a landlocked country where reliable, current map information is closely held by the authoritarian government.

Diplomacy is an essential part of foreign policy. The postwar period saw the rise of public diplomacy, which went beyond traditional diplomacy in that it tried to influence public opinion in other countries. It dealt with influencing public attitudes on the formation and execution of foreign policy as private individuals began to engage in intercultural communication. Organized cultural visits like performances by philharmonic orchestras became part of public diplomacy.

Mr Fry has come up with a new plan to protest over what he calls the "unspeakable" treatment of the gay community in Russia. He has called on athletes competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia to make a "simple gesture" of solidarity by crossing the their arms over their chest whilst receiving their medals. "[Its] just a simple gesture, they can't take that away, they're not going to chop their arms off", Mr Fry said.

This week British Muslims and Muslims across the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr. After a month of fasting, prayer and reflection there was a time to celebrate and enjoy family meals. Ramadan has been tough this year – not just because of the long, hot summer days, but because of the recent string of attacks on Muslim communities and the shadow of the terrible events of Woolwich in May.

Austerity or not, August is vacation time in Europe. As the continent's political leadership joins millions of citizens heading to the beaches, however, the tough economic times mean most are taking care to ensure their holidays look humble. Tropical beaches and hanging with billionaire buddies are out, stay-cations and low-cost flights are in as politicians take the ritz out of the recess.

The controversy over the anti-gay law signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin is gaining a lot of steam since its implementation nearly two months ago. The law bans the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations around minors.” In other words, prohibited are gay pride rallies, displaying a rainbow flag and gays displaying any public affection toward each other. Gay rights groups have denounced it as a violation of human rights.

The British higher education system is in the middle of a quiet revolution, tilting relatively quickly towards an American-style market-based approach favored by the current coalition government. The government has laid out plans to cut government funding for universities by 40% by 2014. But that money has to come from somewhere. And it will likely be students. But such tuition caps don’t apply to students from outside the European Union, which is a large part of the reason the UK just unveiled a new strategic effort to attract students from overseas.

Although high-level diplomatic activities dominate the news, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia are also strengthening their relations through literature and cinema. In recent years, 48 Turkish books have been translated into Bosnian, with works by writers like Orhan Pamuk and Nedim Gursel becoming best-sellers. For the first time, Bosnian publishing houses displayed Turkish books at the country's 15th International Book Fair earlier this year.