On Sunday evening, Prince William arrives in Beijing at the start of a three day visit to China.  At state level, the objective is to promote brand Britain, and at a personal level, it's an opportunity to talk about his abiding passion: elephant protection.

Last week, a report from a committee of the House of Lords offered a brutal judgement on British and European policy toward Russia. Europe went “sleep-walking” into the crisis in Ukraine, said the report, and Western countries had lost the “robust analytical capability” to understand Russia. The truth about UK policy toward Russia, however, is much worse.

House Of Cards author Michael Dobbs has described the BBC as "arguably this country's strongest cultural brand". (...) "It has an impact in every corner of the globe. It is one of the prime weapon systems in our arsenal of soft power that will grow increasingly important in the years of uncertainty that lie ahead."

The story of the BBC in the 70s and 80s is that of Life on Earth, Grange Hill and EastEnders. But, as newly opened archives reveal, it is also a tale of bitter rows and repeated government assaults – not least from the hostile new prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Jean Seaton shares her discoveries.

Over 100 British artists announced on Friday that they are launching a cultural boycott of Israel, along with hundreds of others who have also signed up to the initiative.  (...) According to the letter, this includes accepting professional invitations to Israel or funding from any institutions linked to the Israeli government.

The foreign aid budget has been increased so quickly that ministers and officials are ‘struggling’ to spend it properly, a major report warns today. It found that they were ‘unprepared’ for the challenge of spending a 30 per cent increase in the budget last year. The increase followed David Cameron’s controversial pledge to spend 0.7 per cent of the UK’s income on foreign aid.

A poster of Johnny Cash shares space on his office walls with portraits of President Obama and Winston Churchill. Since being appointed ambassador in 2013, he's plopped a turntable and a swelling record collection front and center, removed the conference tables and name cards, and brought in indie bands like Belle & Sebastian, Damien Jurado and The National to mingle with guests such as Prime Minister David Cameron.