The Taipei International Flora Expo welcomed its two millionth visitor Dec. 15 with a gift of two free flight tickets and a VIP pass for unlimited entry to five of the most popular pavilions. This milestone came much earlier than anticipated and augurs well for the success of this large-scale event in promoting Taiwan abroad.

It is hard to avoid Nigerian films in Africa. Public buses show them, as do many restaurants and hotels. Nollywood, as the business is known, churns out about 50 full-length features a week, making it the world’s second most prolific film industry after India’s Bollywood.

At a press conference for international media, Dr. Sheng said that more than 100 cultural, sports and tourism activities would be lined up throughout next year. These range from shows of traditional Chinese and aboriginal folk art, international golf and baseball tournaments, and a home stay program for youths from 100 countries.

President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday once again played up the notion of the nation’s soft power, saying its pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai had helped to reduce tensions in the Taiwan Strait and prevent war.

Sheikh hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works '&' Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), has expressed pleasure after UAE Pavilion was named by Shanghai Jiao Tong University as the most popular international pavilion at EXPO 2010.

As the global economic balance of power shifts from the West to the East, it is becoming increasingly evident that we are living through the tail end of half a millennium of Western supremacy. Consequently, Zimbabwe must perfect the art of benefiting from India, one of Asia’s emerging giants and a country that may become its most important trading partner.

Since the worldwide success of Zhang Yimou's "Hero" in 2002, Beijing is increasingly churning out glossy blockbusters whose production values (and budgets) rival those of Hollywood. This is all part of a China's plan to build a movie and entertainment industry, not just for its 1.3 billion inhabitants, but for the whole world—a $32 billion market.

When Qatar was awarded the World Cup for 2022 it was viewed derisively in many Western capitals. Who was this small nation? Where was this country? Why Qatar? Even US President Barack Obama claimed afterwards, "The wrong decision was made."