Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promises to leave at the end of President Obama's term, and Sen. John Kerry and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice are among the top candidates to replace her.

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hinese state news agency Xinhua lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after she warned African leaders against cooperating with foreign nations that want to exploit the continent's resources. The comments came during Clinton's 11-day trip across sub-Saharan Africa, and were "regarded by some as being directed at China, which has emerged as Africa's main trading partner in recent years." Washington has recently grown concerned that China's increased interest in Africa — Beijing recently pledged $20 billion to African governments — is coming at the expense of the continent's poorer nations. Xinhua called Clinton's words "viscious" and "rude," and accused her of being "ignorant of the facts on the ground."