5 Days of War is a new action movie set during the 2008 Georgia-Russia war. The backers of this project seemed to have something in mind along the lines of Hotel Rwanda or The Killing Fields, films that effectively raised awareness and framed a certain narrative of international tragedies that got little attention in the U.S. while they were going on.

Though still dealing with unresolved border disputes and internal rebellions, newly independent South Sudan has offered to help the peace in another country in its region. Since it is likely to continue to require quite a bit of international assistance for its development and security in the coming years, the government consider this a wise investment meant at building up international good will.

The Takshashila Institution, in collaboration with the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Hewlett-Packard have announced the launch of "India Impressions", an online international photography competition, to capture perspectives of an emerging India by engaging the photographer community. The competition will be conducted on Flickr, a popular photo sharing platform.

A well-defined and accurate national identity is, in many ways, a defined national strategy and as the world's focus has shifted for a moment toward its own economic woes and unrest, South Sudan and nations around the globe in a similarly early or developing stage, will need to muster as much internal strength, of character and otherwise, that they possibly can.

Something big is happening in China, and it started soon after the onset of the “Arab Spring” demonstrations and regime changes: the most serious and widespread wave of repression since the Tiananmen Square crackdowns 22 years ago. The spread of protest from one Arab-Islamic country to its neighbors might have seemed predictable. Less so was the effect in China.

The Space Needle turns 50 next year and is hoping to capitalize on, if not refurbish, its image as a symbol of the future. The tower was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, at the dawn of the space age. The “Space Race” sweepstakes, coming just as NASA’s space shuttle program has ended, hopes to highlight the work of private companies that are picking up where NASA left off.

Harpa—the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center—is too new to be in guidebooks. But as Iceland’s latest attraction, it’s a sign that this country, which essentially went bankrupt during the global financial crisis, is crawling back onto its feet. Harpa adds a cultural dimension to Iceland’s appeal...Visitors are coming not only to see performances, but also to shop and to eat.

Better World Books, a bookseller that calls itself "the online bookstore with a soul," announced an initiative this week to donate a book to the company's non-profit literacy partners--Feed the Children and Books for Africa--every time a book is purchased on their website. Books for Africa will receive used textbooks, while Feed the Children will (obviously) get children's books.