Developing and reforming the cultural industry, is a key focus of delegates at the Party Congress and the public. Representatives from various cultural agencies have held a joint press conference on the issue. They laid out specific targets and actions for cultural reforms and the strengthening of soft power.

The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and YouTube have announced the launch of a unique initiative, inviting people all over the world to participate in a short film contest titled ‘India Is…a visual journey’, celebrating India and her diversity. The contest will be open to users across the globe for a period of three months, with the last day of submission being February 9.

The council will conduct a thorough review of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area and establish offices in each other's territories to serve the needs of businesspeople, students and the general public.

China launched its first cultural industry index on Friday to provide an indicator of how the sector is performing. Shenzhen Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Securities Information Co., Ltd. jointly issued the OCT Culture Index named after OCT group, a Shenzhen-based state-owned enterprise administered by the central government.

The 2012 Poland-China Tibetan Culture Week successfully concluded here on Sunday, after arousing strong repercussions in Poland. The culture week, the first of its kind held in Poland, included an exhibition of more than 200 photos taken by Chinese and foreign photographers and 46 traditional Tibetan Thangka paintings, Tibetan folk songs and dance performances, in addition to a series of discussions and seminars between locals and Tibetologists.

Act of Congress (AOC), an American acoustic band, wowed Manila’s band enthusiasts when it recently performed in Metro Manila and Bulacan. The band hails from Birmingham, Alabama, and is recognized for its invaluable experience in music education. Voted one of the must-see acts of Alabama, it was featured in the prestigious 2011 Year of Alabama Music.

The three controversies have exposed Uganda’s weak foreign policy and poorly articulated roles of cultural and military diplomacy in the conduct of our international relations. These diplomatic gaffes besides dirty cases of drugs trafficking and business deals have ruined our Foreign Service as the preserve for Uganda’s crème de la crème and relegated it to yahoos. I will focus on our cultural diplomacy on which Ugandans have knocked down Kagimu and have given big hugs to Kadaga as the ugly and the good cheeks of Uganda on the international stage.

The first phone call Barack Obama placed after Mitt Romney had conceded defeat late on Tuesday night was to Bill Clinton, to thank him for his sterling work as a campaigner on the Democratic candidate’s behalf. But the freshly re-elected president would have been equally justified in making that call to the other Clinton – Hillary, his secretary of state – who, against the odds, has proved to be the greatest asset in his administration.