Uber, the San Francisco-based ride sharing company, has set up a mobile phone software development team in Amsterdam, its international headquarters.  Uber on Thursday announced that it raised another $1.2 billion in financing, which will allow it to make "substantial investments," especially in Asia.

Education has long been a tool to transmit a culture’s values to its own citizenry as well as conquered territories.  The concept of soft power, developed by political scientist Joseph Nye, can be defined as a persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence. 

"It is more important now than ever for Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa to share ideas, knowledge, and skills in order to promote collaboration, enhance economic development and prosperity, address global and regional issues such as climate change, and achieve broader understanding between cultures.”

An overwhelming majority of the Israeli public values the country’s relations with the United States, regards Washington as a loyal ally and believes that America will come to Israel’s aid against existential threats. But only a minority says that President Obama has a positive attitude towards Israel and most Israelis believe that his policies have weakened America’s position in the Middle East.

Today, a House Committee will hold a hearing on the subject, “Is Academic Freedom Threatened by China’s Influence on U.S. Universities?” China’s aggressive promotion of its primary public diplomacy program in North America has recently captured headlines as U.S. and Canadian academics have begun to push back against what is felt to be undue influence from Beijing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security this weekend jointly issued the strongest warning yet for U.S. servicemen to scrub their accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

For the last six weeks, North Texas has been home to a collection of works by contemporary artists from the United Arab Emirates. “Past Forward” is a traveling exhibition on cultural diplomacy.