The BBC said it expected the World Service’s audience would fall by more than 30m from its current weekly audience of 180m as a result of the changes. Peter Horrocks, BBC global news director, said it was a “painful day” for the World Service.

This week a national and international love object will feel the chill of the government's need to cut the deficit. The BBC's World Service, broadcasting to 180 million people in 32 languages, and until 2014 still funded by the Foreign Office rather than the licence fee, will take its share of the pain.

A British-Filipino company was launched in London this month to promote public diplomacy and provide programs in bringing stronger representation to Filipinos in the United Kingdom. One Filipino was formed by two university students from London, Mark Wolfisz, 23, and Jordan Anthony Magtoto, 23...

“Made In Britain: Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection 1980 – 2010” has been created in partnership with the Sichuan Provincial Museum, Xi’an Art Museum, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Suzhou Museum, to provide the first opportunity for audiences in four regional cities in China to see original art works by leading British contemporary artists.

Four years ahead of its 800th anniversary, the Magna Carta is coming to Los Angeles.

A report published by an Israeli research and strategy organization this week identifies London as a major center in a delegitimization campaign against Israel and advises the players in the public diplomacy sphere, both in Israel and the UK, to reassess their strategy and work together, on a local and global scale.

Films commissioned more than 50 years ago by the British Council to showcase the best of Britain to the rest of the world – whether that was a sense of fair play, cricket or the joys of congregated drinking in places "called 'public' houses" – have been digitised and are being released online for the first time.

Mark Thompson last week used his first speech since the government's dramatic decision to freeze the licence fee for six years to welcome the World Service back into the BBC fold...The problem is that by the time it takes on responsibilty for the organisation, it may already have shrunk as a result of Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) cuts.