The game of cricket is one of the things that distinguishes England from Ireland. The English play it, the Irish don’t, at least not much. The English are the professional giants of the game, the Irish are amateurs, struggling in a country where many associate cricket with the days of British occupation.

For nearly 90 years, the BBC World Service has spoken to the world from its headquarters in Bush House on The Strand in London, but an air of despondency now fills its corridors. In that time, the World Service has given the UK a unique form of “soft power”, where the station’s “This is London” opening introduction to news bulletins has been regarded as a byword for accuracy and impartiality.

A senior Vatican official said that, “There is a strong likelihood that Pope Benedict will visit Ireland in 2012 as part of the Eucharistic Congress.”

Recently in the international media there has been an interesting story of a courageous initiative by 150 Irish artists who have pledged to boycott Israel. These artists were not only stating their opposition to Israeli policies, they were also pledging not to participate in any kind of artistic event related to Israel.

China is ready to work with Ireland to expand exchanges and cooperation, so to lift the relationship to a new high...Vice Premier Li Keqiang made the remarks here on Wednesday when meeting with visiting Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin... Li said Sino-Irish ties were developing steadily, as the two countries had witnessed close high-level contacts, and sound coordination on critical international and regional issues.

She has asked the State Department to host a conference later this year to share how the Irish American community succeeded in helping bring about peace in Ireland.