The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17rippled across multiple continents — from Amsterdam, where friends and family had just seen off their loved ones, to the distant shores of Asia and Australia that had been waiting for 298 passengers and crew who would never show up. 

The jetliner is much more than a machine used to get from one spot to another.  It can represent hope, modernity and a country's power. And when things go wrong, that once mighty plane can bring about deep national disgrace.

While it’s still unclear who shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, killing nearly 300 people over eastern Ukraine, one thing is certain: A crisis that seemed abstract and far away to many Europeans has suddenly – and violently – hit close to home.

China’s main goals in South America are economic, but it also hopes to win public and political support.  Thus, an economic push by China is also a soft power push, as Beijing uses its funding (both public and private) to win goodwill in developing countries.

Media in India are praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's performance at the Brics summit in Brazil amid calls for better ties with China.  Papers feel the PM's "debut on the world stage" has put India "squarely on the path of pragmatic internationalism".

Pew Global Research released the results of its “Balance of Power” survey, and it contains a lot of interesting data about what the world thinks about China. On the whole, impressions of China are positive.

Israelis are the world's second biggest fans of America, with their 84 percent favorable opinion trailing only that of the Filipinos, with 92 percent. When ethnicity is taken into account, Israeli Jews are neck-to-neck with the Filipinos, with a 91 percent favorable opinion. Only 46 percent of Israeli Arabs are favorable to America, however.