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19th July 2012 Chevening, UK
The impact winning a Chevening Scholarship can have
Our latest Chevening Conversations blog entry is by Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner in India. Mike tells us about when he met two successful Chevening Scholars, Girija Vaidyanathan and Shaffi Mather as part of his work, demonstrating the impact winning a Chevening Scholarship can have. I visited Trivandrum and Kochi on 21-23 May for a series of meetings with the Government of Kerala, as […]
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19th July 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
Quietly Momentous
It was a strange June Council session. By starting much later this year, it felt like school had been punishingly extended for 3 extra weeks, just as the bell should have been granting us our summer freedom. Everyone did their best to wear their polite, professional faces. But the truth was, we all wanted to […]
19th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Romania’s CVM report – the bigger picture
Yesterday the Commission published its five year reports on Romania and Bulgaria under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. The CVM monitors and supports reforms undertaken by both countries to strengthen the rule of law, reform the judiciary and tackle corruption. The Commission sets out its concerns about the recent political crisis in Romania. William Hague […]
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19th July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Geelong: identifying new economic opportunities
Traditional manufacturing centres in Australia and Britain continue to evolve as global supply chains are transformed. Geelong, Victoria’s second city, is responding to challenges which would be familiar in many British cities. Employment has been declining in its historical large manufacturing sectors like car-making and aluminium-smelting, not helped by the strong Australian dollar. Ford announced some further […]
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18th July 2012 New Delhi, India
Joint call for research proposals – Sustainable Bioenergy
Bioenergy is an energy source derived from organic matter, or biomass. It can be as low-tech as burning wood on an open fire or as high-tech as developing advanced production methods for biofuels. The unifying factor with all bioenergy sources, however, is that the carbon they contain (and emit when used) comes from plants, and […]
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18th July 2012 New Delhi, India
Innovation Redefined – India’s story
Science and Innovation history in India dates back to the Stone Age and continues to flourish today passing through generations of scientists. From Aryabhatta to C V Raman to the new brigade of scientists; the outlook of science has constantly changed to align itself with the ever changing domestic and global environment. Governments, businesses, civil society […]
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17th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
An Ambassador’s perspective: Boston knows innovation
The Boston area is home to many of the most famous sites of America’s break from Britain – the Old State House, where the royal governors sat; the Old North Church that launched Paul Revere’s famous ride; the harbour where the first tea party took place; and battlefields like Bunker Hill, Lexington and Concord where […]
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17th July 2012 Budapest, Hungary
The honour of being an Olympic Torch Bearer
Guest blog by Olympic Torch Bearer Andrea Snow It is magical being one of those 8,000 inspirational people, who carry the Olympic Flame as it journeys across UK before the Olympic Games begin on 27 July, 2012. Weymouth, 13 July 2012 I had several minutes of “flame” and a truly wonderful “moment to shine”; a […]
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16th July 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
Olympic dreams
There are days when you realise just how much of a privilege it is to be an Ambassador. Growing up in the UK, I vividly remember watching Daley Thompson, Seb Coe and Steve Redgrave achieving Olympic glory. This year, our hopes rest on the likes of Jessica Ennis, Tom Daley, and, of course, Mo Farah […]
13th July 2012 Washington DC, USA
A trip to 51 degrees south
In Washington DC, the summer climate has reached its miserable peak of 100+ degrees. While my colleagues are packing their swimsuits into their backpacks and heading off to the beach, I am scouring my closets for a warm winter coat to face the cold winds of the South Atlantic with a visit to the Falkland […]