The UK must embrace culture at a time when working together is “more necessary and more urgent than ever”, the BBC’s director-general has said, as he launched a UK-wide creative partnership. As he announced Culture UK with the arts councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Lord Tony Hall called for Britain to become the world’s most “culturally engaged and creative country, where everybody, wherever they come from, can take part”.

Art has always been a great way to connect people from different countries and cultures. [...] It transcends borders, language, race, and cultures. The past week was a testament to that as 13 Filipino artists visited Malaysia through ArtDialogo, an initiative that proves to be the beginning of yet another opportunity for cultural exchange in the Southeast Asian region.

Media can only become regional or global in a broadcasting regime that enables content to move freely beyond national borders. Regional broadcasting, which was restricted in the 1980s in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, now allows for the legitimate transfer of content across national borders. Within this framework, Japanese interaction with its East Asian neighbours can be viewed from two perspectives: politics and popular culture. The two are not mutually exclusive, but are driven by different forces.

Building on a legacy of connecting people through cultural exchanges, Qatar Museums officially launched Qatar Turkey 2015 during a VIP reception held at the Museum of Islamic Art on Tuesday evening.