New planes, new in-flight entertainment options, smart new uniforms for the cabin attendants, even business class. It’s all part of supreme leader Kim Jong Un’s effort to boost tourist numbers 20-fold to 2 million by 2020 and supplement the nation’s meager foreign exchange.

Melbournians have their choice of world class performances, and those with discerning taste will be wasting no time securing their seats to see Shen Yun at the State Theatre. [...] Shen Yun’s contribution to the revival of traditional Chinese culture and the promotion of Chinese and Western cultural exchange.

Alibaba is but one example of China’s “private sector diplomacy.” These successful companies help promote a positive image of China’s economy to the outside world, something the government needs. China’s private sector diplomacy can also be felt in the expansion of its private companies on the global market.

The hip-hop musical based on the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton got its start with playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2009 performance of the then-in-the-works “Hamilton Mixtape” at the White House and has evolved into a global phenomenon. [...] In a time of uncertain power shifts in a changing global order, Hamilton quietly asserts America’s best qualities without glossing over the worst, sending a message of optimism about the country’s future. It thus has the potential to further American ideological appeal among foreign audiences.

The Los Angeles bid to host the 2024 summer Games was unveiled at sunset keeping in theme with the new slogan and features a winged angel as a symbol of the city. On the top floor of a USC skyscraper bid leaders and civic officials gathered to view the new logo with panoramic views of the City's 2024 Games venues, coastline and mountains as the backdrop.

Last year, South Carolina was in the news for all of the wrong reasons. […] These examples are sufficient for our purpose. What they show is that it was not just the South Carolina brand that took a wallop from the events described above; brand USA also took a hit.

The number of Americans studying in Germany has risen sharply [...] driven in part by the low cost of higher education compared to the United States. More than 10,000 U.S. students are presently enrolled in the country's higher education programs, according to [...] the Institute for International Education. It's an increase of almost 9 % compared to the previous academic year, and 25 % more than in 2008-2009.

Reflecting a move of 33 percentage points in the past 10 years, a majority of Americans — 54 percent — currently see Cuba in a favorable light, according to Gallup. The nation's favorability rating went up across the U.S. political spectrum, but by far the biggest gain was among Democrats.