The Belarussian president's strident anti-western language does not chime with Mr Putin's tough but friendly approach.

ECONOMIST: Belarus

He claimed that there was a risk it could assume an international identity very similar to its main Western competitors, pointing out that al-Jazeera's English-language website relied heavily on Western news agencies.

BBC: NEWS | Middle East | Al-Jazeera English TV date set

Staffed by locals and Turks alike, the schools are patronised by the offspring of elites lured by Western standards of education (if not mandatory Turkish-language classes).

ECONOMIST: Turkey and Africa

While she cannot actually type, the 26-year-old western lowland gorilla is fluent in modified American sign language.

BBC: News | Sci/Tech | Net goes bananas

People with Down syndrome are not flying planes across the globe to hang out over pu-erh and discuss the finer points of Western culture in a language all their own.

NEWYORKER: Little Strangers

Mumbai is the glittering epicentre of India's gargantuan Hindi-language film industry, and they are often looking for Western extras.

BBC: Mumbai: India's Tinseltown