The international film business can bridge a lot of cultural divides. But can it knock down one of the great walls of cinema culture that stands between China and the U.S.? The people behind the Chinese epic "The Heroes of Nanking" hope their movie can help create a new pipeline.

Israeli embassy in Panama is issuing a four-part magazine series entitled “Israel: 63 years of constant progress”. The first 30-page installment arrived last week with the morning La Prensa and dealt with typical cultural themes such as hummus, shawarma, and the coexistence in the Israeli democratic “oasis” of various ethnicities enjoying equal rights.

Taiwan has a plan to compete with China in the international cultural propaganda stakes: by opening “Taiwan Academies” that will teach the Chinese language with a strong focus on traditional characters and culture.

The U.S. Travel Associationn, the trade group for the country's travel industry, unveiled a plan Thursday to help get more international travelers to visit the U.S. The association's plan calls on the federal government to overhaul the process to approve visas for foreign visitors.

The State Department will be expanding the joint educational programs between the United States Government and the South African Department of Higher Education and Training...to link community colleges across the United States with Further Education and Training centers in South Africa.

The EU needs to add more culture to its diplomatic efforts to promote human rights, democracy and development in third countries, says a Parliament resolution. MEPs advocate setting up a "cultural diplomacy" directorate to take charge of cultural relations and promoting European culture.

Some tourist destinations thrown into the media glare by political turmoil or natural disasters are starting to incorporate these events into their marketing campaigns. Take, for instance, Chile's re-branded campaign slogan ‘Chile is good for you’.

China plans a theme park to celebrate Hello Kitty, the cutesy cat with no mouth but a cult-like following…Hello Kitty’s popularity in China can be seen as a counterpoint to Sino-Japanese political tensions by demonstrating the population’s embrace of Japanese style...