"I was so nervous this week - there was a lot of talk in the English media that they had one big game in them and I was dreading it would be against us, " he said.

BBC: Boks bashing was a shock - Corry

More worldly friends will stop off here for dinner in cool Mimasu-ya, reserving tables overlooking the water, or in the sublime French kaiseki restaurant, Misoguigawa, where a girl in kimono sits by your table throughout the meal, making delectable small talk in impeccable English.

BBC: The walk that made me love Japan

He seemed to know everyone and could talk to them in English or French, and was familiar with the range of curious dialects known as Swiss-German.

ECONOMIST: Fritz Leutwiler

Mr Jones said there were places where children talk to each other in English, even though they are taught in Welsh and speak Welsh to their parents.

BBC: Carwyn Jones

The tabloids talk about our players as soldiers, so the values that are very highly praised in English football are bravery, passion, obedience, hard work and you don't tend to hear that much talk about creativity and inspiration, which are not soldierly virtues.

CNN: June 29, 2012 -- Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT)