“During challenging times like these, there’s no replacement for people-to-people diplomacy – it’s something governments just can’t do,” observes Joanne Bouldt Sanders, former mayor of Sonoma and co-Chairman of Sonoma Sister City International. [...] “Organizations like Sister Cities International connect communities around the world, bringing people from different cultures together, allowing them to understand each other better and develop and build positive relationships"

Burundians in France gathered this weekend to mark the 55th anniversary of their Independence. Celebrations were marked by traditional songs and dances, together with culinary delights from back home.

The day before the “Brexit” vote, when British citizens will decide whether to remain in the European Union, they were in London initially to pass out croissants fresh off the Paris train to convince their still-European compatriots not to leave the E.U. [...] “Our aim was never to affect votes,” she said. “I think we’re all aware that this campaign has been incredibly divisive, that there’s been so much anger, and we just wanted to do something that had positivity and friendship at its heart.”

The Old World is losing its “soft power”, its positive radiance and magnetism, as the support for the so-called “Brexit” becomes the symbol for the fear and rampant populism across the Continent. The Portland think tank’s “Soft Power Index” this year also found signs of Europe’s slide. The US has replaced Britain at the top and Germany has fallen from second to third place. And Canada bumped France down to fifth place.

The United States has overtaken Britain as the world’s leading “soft power”, according to a survey claiming that US President Barack Obama’s diplomatic moves in Iran, Cuba and Asia have helped to shift global opinion of the superpower. [...] The Soft Power 30 survey uses a range of polling and digital data to measure a country’s appeal on issues ranging from government, culture and cuisine to education, enterprise and the attractiveness of luxury brands.

An outdoor exhibition of installation art, featuring art in containers, will start its world tour in July in Shandong province's Qingdao. It'll then travel to other cities in China and later head for France.

The 22nd Seoul International Book Fair, which will take place under the theme of "Communicate with Books, Design the Future," will be attended by 346 publishers from 20 countries. "Digital Book Fair Korea" will also be held alongside the main event. [...] This year, French and Italian books will be under the spotlight as the countries have been designated the "Culture Focus" and "Spotlight Country," respectively.