Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

21st October 2011

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Talking about Cyberspace

It sounds like something from science fiction. But in fact it is with us as we live and breathe. And next month, 1 and 2 November, the Foreign Office will host a conference on cyberspace in London – the opportunities for social good, increased democratic engagement and prosperity it represents, along with its dark side, […]

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21st October 2011

Robin Twyman

by Robin Twyman

Consul for Business and Government Affairs

UK Companies Look Toward US Infrastructure Investment

 The following is a guest post from Spencer Mahony, HM Consul & UKTI Regional Director for the South East US    This week we had a UKTI led UK delegation attend the 3rd Annual North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum hosted by CG/LA Infrastructure in Washington DC. Many of the UK delegates were coming back […]

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21st October 2011

Robin Twyman

by Robin Twyman

Consul for Business and Government Affairs

Why America’s Partners Take Heart From Trade Deals

Congratulations to Congress on passing the three free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama last week. Not because they’re going to necessarily directly help U.K. companies, but because each of those FTAs are a long awaited confirmation to America’s trading partners that she is committed to free trade. Open markets and removing barriers to […]

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21st October 2011

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Excitement about The Queen and CHOGM

  There is much excitement here about the visit by HM The Queen. She comes of course as Queen of Australia, so it’s the Australian government who have made all the arrangements for her programme. I have just come from a reception at the Parliament in Canberra where Her Majesty met Australians from many walks […]

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21st October 2011 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Making the Commonwealth count

Queen Elizabeth II has arrived in Australia for this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting. She will be joined by head of states from across the organisation’s diverse membership, including President Pohamba and a sizeable Namibian delegation, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade & Investment. A key focus of this year’s event […]

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19th October 2011

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

David vs Goliath

Manchester United were in Bucharest last night for their Group C match in the UEFA Champions League. Their opponents were Otelul Galati – the surprise winners of last years’ Romanian championship, and an historic club from the steelworks in the town of Galati, close to the Danube Delta in eastern Romania. It was a great […]

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18th October 2011 Chevening, UK

Chevening thoughts from new Pakistani Chevening scholars

Four of our new 2011/12 Chevening Scholars from Pakistan share their thoughts with us as they embark on their Chevening experiences. Imtiaz Ahmed, Khurram Ali Mehran,Shakeel Ahmed and Zameer Abbas are among the 23 Pakistanis who were awarded a Chevening Scholarship. Chevening Scholarships are for talented people who have been identified as potential future leaders […]

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17th October 2011 Toronto, Canada

The Jenkins Report: A review of federal R&D support

Today we report upon the release of Innovation Canada: A Call to Action, formally the Report of the Independent Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development and commonly referred to as the Jenkins Report (after the panel’s chair, Tom Jenkins). You can read the full report at rd-review.ca, and I’ll be summarising the key […]

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17th October 2011

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Bessarabia, Ukraine and Europe

The towers of the fortress rise above the Black Sea. Within mighty walls, bastions soar. Our guide says it’s hard to be sure who built which bits: over the past two millennia, the site has been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Poles, Goths, Huns, Moldovans, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Tatars, Russians, Genoese and Turks. Down the road there […]

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