A satirical song that takes a tongue-in-cheek swipe at religious extremism, militancy and contradictions in Pakistani society has become an instant hit , drawing widespread attention as a rare voice of the country’s embattled liberals. The popularity of the song on the Internet has made it a sensation across the border in India as well, surprising the band members.

The idea...is to “look for films with strategic crossovers to show the world that there are ways to make films that can be extremely successful in China and extremely successful in the U.S. That might be Chinese myths or U.S. cultural stories as long as they make for really great global stories.”

For Nusrat Durrani, senior vice president and general manager of MTV World, the connective tissue that binds cultures and countries is music. It also provides the insistent beat that drives MTV’s newest multi-platform global music brand, MTV Iggy, a channel that aims to bring artists and pop culture from around the world to America.

The Australian screen industry is extending its reach into the USA, following a new International Engagement Program...with G'Day USA...which seeks to strengthen trade, investment, business, innovation and cultural relations between Australia and the United States.

China is considering to set up a special fund to finance arts creation and cultural performances in the latest move to buoy the development of the country's "soft power," a cultural official said. China's top leadership has recently attached greater importance to improving the country's cultural soft power after decades of economic growth.

Each time China is castigated by the international human rights community, or criticized by the Western media, the country’s leaders feel that global public opinion is stacked against them. Western culture and values have gone global in a way that Chinese culture and values have not, and Beijing wants to do something about this.

A contest of photographs depicting the daily life of military deployments and overseas assignments...will kick off on Veterans Day. The goal...is to show everyday events through the eyes of those who serve as ambassadors representing the United States around the world.

From Nov. 8-16, Ripken will take participate in a diplomatic mission through Japan, where he will conduct baseball and softball clinics in Tokyo, Takarazuka and Kyoto. Officially, Ripken will be functioning as a U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy, a State Department position that allows him to assume role of sports diplomat.