Relations between Bahrain and the United States reached a new level of volatility this week as the kingdom's cabinet approved a parliamentary proposal to, as Information Minister Samira Rajab said, "put an end to the interference of U.S. Ambassador Thomas Krajeski in Bahrain's internal affairs."

Civil rights leader Ambassador Andrew Young visited Zimbabwe recently at the request of the US Department of State to explore ways to improve our government relations. He came with a clear, sincere message: the US wants to see full normalisation of bilateral relations following credible, non-violent elections that reflect the will of the people.

Detroit is not exactly among America's top 10 tourist destinations. But a local nonprofit hopes to alter public perceptions of one of the nation's poorest big cities, where more than a quarter of its residents live below the poverty line.

"Flower diplomacy" is bridging political and religious gaps in Tokyo, as wives of foreign ambassadors in Japan meet each month for a flower arranging session and dinner at various ambassadors' residences. They will share their work at the "Flowers Connect the World" exhibition on April 22 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.

Haiti is actively preparing to receive in Port-au-Prince from 23 to 26 April 2013, for the first time, the Fifth Summit of the Organization of Caribbean States (ACS), in which will participate representatives of 25 Member States (Heads of States and Governments), 5 associate members of the ACS and nearly 300 delegates (Ministers, Ambassadors and senior officials) around the theme "Revitalizing the vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a stronger and more united Greater Caribbean".

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, is close to being announced as the next United States ambassador to Japan, according to people familiar with the appointment process.

The way the United States and Russia view each other has changed fundamentally in recent years, a difference reflected in the words of several former ambassadors who gathered Sunday to discuss how the two countries can address the diplomatic challenges of today.

The Foreign Affairs department has confirmed Canada's choice for its first-ever resident ambassador to the burgeoning democracy of Burma. Mark McDowell, who currently works in the Canadian embassy in China, has officially been named to the post. His selection as the first Canadian ambassador to live in the country had previously been reported by media in Burma, a country also known as Myanmar.