Globalisation may not be as old as the hills but it may be as old as Newgrange. Wholesale cultural exchange has been going on for millennia. Peter Frankopan’s new book, The Silk Roads, makes this point as it reframes our history in the context of dynamic interchange between East and West.

Thirty-three years ago this week, Soviet fighter jets shot down a Korean Airlines passenger jet that had strayed into Soviet airspace while on a scheduled flight from New York to Seoul. Two hundred and sixty-nine passengers and crew were killed, including a U.S. Congressman. At first, Moscow denied that this had happened, then it claimed that the commercial flight had been gathering intelligence. No apologies were ever made.

Empower2Play will be hosting a ten-day sports diplomacy event in Cite Soleil, Haiti, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. This event will be hosted with the US Embassy and will be focusing on using American Football to gets kids active and expand knowledge of the game in an area that could use a distraction from the daily situation.

On August 26, the "Sensing China-Travel to Kazakhstan" exhibition formally opened at Kazakhstan National University in the nation's largest city Almaty. [...] the exhibition will last for six days and features a photo exhibition and tourism promotion, a "Created in China" economics and trade fair, the "establishing China" pavilion, the China intangible cultural heritage exhibition, and media visits between China and Kazakhstan.

The recent commercial backing of Australia Plus by three foundation partners is a boon for Australia’s soft power and demonstrates the resilience and innovation of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Beyond this, it should be seen as an opportunity for Australian businesses and a case study in corporate entrepreneurship.

Soft power refers to the ability to change what others think and do through attraction and persuasion rather than compulsion and coercion. Scholars are still divided and failed to agree on an exact definition of soft power which remains loose and vague.

On August 9, the Amity Foundation participated in the China-Africa Public Diplomacy Forum in Dar es Salaam with over 100 representatives to discuss further cooperation and exchange. Among them were officials, businesspeople, academics, media professionals and NGO workers.