Ten new movie screens open each day in China as the popularity of cinema soars in the country, but the appeal of Chinese films has failed to maintain the pace.

After a fun-filled four-day visit to Okinawa, 24 children and their six chaperones bid farewell to their host families and made their journey back to Oshima Island... The Oshima visitors came to Okinawa as part of the youth cultural exchange program hosted by Marine Corps Community Services. “The Marine Corps supported the Japanese people following the earthquake and tsunami, and since that day, the Marine Corps has maintained a very special friendship with the community and families of Oshima.”

Audiences in Mali can now get the latest news from the Voice of America (VOA) on an FM transmitter that went on the air today — part of a stepped-up response to the Malian crisis by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

As the public swearing-in of U.S. President Barack Obama for his second term takes place, Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) journalists will be there to provide complete coverage of the day’s events along with expert commentary on U.S. policy, the 44th President and the road ahead.

As part of an effort to continue to attract smart, dynamic, capable people into the Foreign Service, the Department of State is releasing a new one-minute trailer and an accompanying short video that showcases the faces and stories of the amazing men and women who have helped make the world a better place through a career in the Foreign Service.

The White House was quick to describe the humanitarian mission — led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to North Korea Jan. 7 — as “unhelpful.” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland called it “ill advised.” The administration’s reaction shows its main focus is on seeking U.N. Security Council support for sanctions against North Korea because of that country’s long-range missile launches, presumed to be part of a nuclear program.

Apart from the comments by U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland on the third consecutive day Wednesday, 16 January responding to Sri Lanka's removal of her chief justice, the State Department official web portal on its lead page gave an unusual highlight to Sri Lanka which it never gave before: 'US Aid to Sri Lanka'.

Strapped for cash, the US State Department is increasingly reaching out to private companies to help fund programs that bring Middle Eastern visitors to the US, seek to counter negative impressions of the US and promote economic development in the region.