Welcome to the 2017 Hong Kong Book Fair, the biggest annual event of the industry, at the Convention Centre in Wan Chai. [...] In its 28th year, the event has attracted 670 exhibitors from 37 countries, with dozens of presentations and seminars involving speakers.

When Kate Middleton and Prince William went to Poland and Germany, they were sent there on a Brexit “charm offensive” to help ease the tensions as Great Britain begins negotiations to exit the EU. The couple did more than charm the locals. They created magic.

Minister for Defence and National Security Ratu Inoke Kubuabola yesterday met with the Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. [...] “Fiji will pursue the establishment of the Regional Peacekeeping and HADR Centre and we hope development partners will join our efforts and look at a specific component of the model to support.”

The Bureau of Foreign Trade and Taiwan External Trade Development announced that the Taiwan Excellence logo, the mark of outstanding Taiwanese achievements, will appear on the jerseys of the Italian volleyball team, Top Volley Latina. This season the entire team will wear the Taiwan Excellence emblem on their jersey. The move supports the success of Huang Pei-hong, the only Taiwanese member of this international team and promotes Taiwanese recognition through sports. 

Thailand has been listed among the “ones to watch” in the annual Soft Power 30 report published by Portland Communications on Tuesday. [...] The cuisine, culture and warm hospitality also played a role in attracting international attention, the report said.

The Google search “Benjamin Netanyahu” yields 16,100,000 results – but “Gal Gadot” yields 20,700,000. [...] It’s no secret that Israel has an image problem. Gadot’s newfound celebrity is possibly the best international publicity for the Jewish state in years, and is a perfect example of soft power.

France is this year’s top soft power, according to a report published Tuesday. The Soft Power 30, published by PR firm Portland Communications, ranks countries on their exercise of soft power — the ability to influence others through attraction and likability rather than coercion.