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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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30th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Indigenous Scholars head for Cambridge and Oxford
Prime Minister Julia Gillard joined us in congratulating three young indigenous scholars who are going off to study at Oxford and Cambridge. I took them over to Parliament for tea with the PM, after hosting an uplifting scholarship ceremony at my Residence. The British Government is a key partner in the Charlie Perkins indigenous scholarships, […]
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30th May 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
Lahore: Vibrant, changing and modern
It is 6.30 am Saturday morning in Lahore, the room service waiter points at the TV news and says “that’s you”. I agree that it is, as footage plays of a meeting I had the day before with Nawaz Sharif, PML-N political leader and twice former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and, Shabaz Sharif, his brother […]
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29th May 2012 New York, USA
Tech winds are blowing east
The frenzy surrounding Facebook’s IPO shows the firm grip the thriving tech scene has on public consciousness. The IPO disappointed investors and Facebook is a few billion off its May 18 valuation. Let’s not forget however, that this is an eight-year-old company that is closing in on 1 billion users and employs a staff of […]
29th May 2012 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Dispelling myths and promoting business opportunities in Guatemala
One of our key aims to strengthen commercial links between the UK and Guatemala takes a step forward today with the release of a report by the Caribbean Council on the UK business opportunities in Guatemala. The report, funded by the FCO Commercial Diplomacy Fund, follows a scoping visit to Guatemala in March by the […]
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28th May 2012 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Supporting Guatemalan Charities
Last week it was my pleasure to host an event to hand over the funds we raised – an impressive US$32,800 – at our charity events during British Week 2012, the British Ball and a Beatles Concert, to two deserving Guatemalan charities. To tell you more about it is our latest guest blogger, Paola, our […]
28th May 2012 Bucharest, Romania
Olympics for the Innocents
As part of our preparations for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, we have another guest blogger today. Rhys Osborne, Head of Registry at the British Embassy in Bucharest, kindly shared his impressions about a recent event supported by the Embassy. Last week I took part in an event hosted by Fundatia Inocenti. Established in […]
28th May 2012 London, UK
When two Prime Ministers met: an insider’s view
You’ve seen the photographs of the Prime Ministers outside the door of Number 10 Downing Street. But after the politicians and cameras have left, what does it add up to? I’m one of the behind-the-scenes people in London and Islamabad. You won’t see any of us in the photos, but we’re the ones who made […]
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28th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Falklands: a way forward?
I’m sitting next to a senior diplomat from a respected European country at dinner when conversation turns to the Falkland Islands, known to Spanish speakers as the Malvinas. “A key fact,” I say, “is that the 3,000 people who live in the Islands want to remain British.” “Ah,” says the top diplomat. “But how do […]
28th May 2012 Chevening, UK
Chevening Scholars meeting Her Majesty the Queen
Benedict Carandang is a Chevening Scholar from the Philippines pursuing his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Westminster. He currently resides at Goodenough College located in Bloomsbury, London. In our latest blog Benedict tells us about the time he met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. The Diamond Jubilee is coming up, […]
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28th May 2012 Warsaw, Poland
The UK in Poland – Where’s the Business Opportunity and more to the point where are we?
Today is a Great day – it marks a week long British Week in Poland to mark the 20th Anniversary Year of the British Polish Chamber of Commerce which culminates in The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration on the 4th June. Shortly after Poland and the UK embark on two global sporting spectacles – UEFA Euro […]
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