For two weeks earlier this month, Robert A. Richter was traveling in Pakistan, scouting performing artists as part of a new cultural diplomacy initiative. Richter, the director of arts programming at Connecticut College, was asked to be part of a team that was assessing talent for Center Stage, a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Today, Google is arguably one of the most influential nonstate actors in international affairs, operating in security domains long the purview of nation-states: It tracks the global arms trade, spends millions creating crisis-alert tools to inform the public about looming natural disasters, monitors the spread of the flu, and acts as a global censor to protect American interests abroad.

As the immigration reform debate is in full swing in U.S. Congress, all relevant parties are making sure their voices get heard. As part of that, tourism, a big stakeholder with thousands of jobs at stake tied to easing of the immigration and visa policies, has so far had a smaller voice at the table.

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.

As I cruised down the Huangpu River past glimmering Shanghai high-rises with California Governor Jerry Brown and Chinese former NBA player Yao Ming, I could not help thinking that they may have at first blush appeared an odd couple. But their meeting marked not only another chapter in sports diplomacy, but also the culmination of one of the largest U.S.-China trade and investment delegations in history.

India is among the top 10 most powerful countries in the world...The study, conducted by the New Delhi-based Foundation for National Security Research (FSNR), judged "national power" by various indices, including energy security, population, technological capability etc. An interesting index of national power was judged by "foreign affairs capability", which includes self-reliance in defence, membership of multilateral groupings, role in global rule-making and soft power.

It's the innocent pastime that has made a surprise return to vogue, but a bitter power struggle has plunged table tennis into uncertain times following an angry row and threats of legal action...The backdrop to the dispute is a sport that commands a mass following in China, the world's most populous country, and is undergoing a promising resurgence in Europe and the United States.

Premier Jay Weatherill has made headlines in China, appearing on the Shandong news spruiking a film about Chinese gold miners to more than 100 million viewers. Snapped casually chatting with news anchor Mao Xin, one of the country's most powerful news presenters, Mr Weatherill is hoping the $15 million film, which will be based in Adelaide, will open the door to further economic exchange.