Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has been used hundreds of thousands of times, often to distribute pictures claiming to show the effects the airstrikes.  Some of the images are of the current situation in Gaza, but a #BBCtrending analysis has found that some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Hosting the Olympics is nice and all, but, after watching host city after host city getbludgeoned by the International Olympic Committee, and the media, for their prep work as they try to pull together what has become a colossus of an event, perhaps we’ve reached a tipping point—nobody really wants to host the Olympics anymore. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, perhaps this is more accurate: Beijing is set to be the perma-host of budget busting Olympic Games.

A man claiming to be the self-appointed caliph of the Islamic State jihadist group made what is thought to be his first taped appearance in a video that circulated on social media Saturday.  Previously there were only two known images of the notoriously elusive Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

Frozen, the Disney cartoon-musical that swept the US in late 2013 and early 2014, only arrived in Japan in mid-March.  The film's popularity has coincided with public outcry over sexism in Japan, where unlike in America, Disney marketing played up the movie's empowerment message.

Cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are on the rise, as President Xi Jinping's visit to Seoul this week is sure to provide more impetus.  Korean TV and pop crossovers to China are proving more popular and socially significant than ever.

How social media changes our culture and our very lives is something many are researching today. A recent study praised Canada for their online diplomacy and also noted the sheer influence available online to Pope Francis.

The extremist jihadist group leading the insurgency against the Iraqi government is using apps, social media and even a feature-length movie to intimidate enemies, recruit new followers and spread its message. And its rivals – including foreign governments – are struggling to keep up.