Cricket on the cross

The Vatican has launched its own official cricket club as part of efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue. The St Peter's Cricket Club is the brainchild of Australia's ambassador to the Holy See, John McCarthy. He described it as an example of "sporting diplomacy" which would present the opportunity to play the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The next stage is to select an official cricket team, which will sport the official colours of the tiny city-state - yellow and white. Their jackets will have the seal of the papacy - two crossed keys. Speaking of crossing keys, a couple who engaged in a sexual act in a Shrewsbury railway station lift are being sought. A man and woman were seen entering the lift, which connects the station's main subway to platforms four to seven, at about 7:25pm British Summer Time on 28 September. British Transport Police said that the pair were in the lift for more than 10 minutes, and during that short period of time, had performed an indecent act. And they can't deny the act in question because CCTV images of two people the cops want to speak to have been released. Speaking of releasing, for the first time in the US, a decommissioned prison is to be turned into a facility to help former inmates re-enter the community. And it's happening in the area of New York most in need of it - the Bronx. The facility will be run by the Osborne Association, a not-for-profit group with 80 years of experience working with both the imprisoned and those who have been released from jail. But enough about all that because we have something a lot better to discuss here - Apple has unveiled a top-of-the-range tablet called the iPad Air that is 20% thinner than the previous version. The 9.7in (24.6cm) computer is 7.5mm (0.3in) thick and weighs 1lb (469g), which the firm claims is the lightest full-sized tablet on the market. It is powered by the same A7 chip found in the company's iPhone 5S. Apple also announced a new version of its iPad Mini. Its 7.9in (20cm) screen has been upgraded to feature 2048 by 1536 pixels - the same as the larger model. It is being branded as "retina" to highlight the increased resolution. Amazon and Google have already announced small tablets - the Kindle Fire HDX and Nexus 7 - with similar high definition displays. But screw the Kindle Fire and the Nexus because Apple is where it's at for quality electronic devices - always has been, always will be. If you're after a new phone or tablet, remember this advice - if it's not an Apple, it's crapple.