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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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24th October 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
New UK investment in Romania
Earlier this month the Romanian Government ratified its agreement with British energy company Melrose, to start seismic surveys and drilling in the Black Sea exploring for oil and gas deposits. This is great news for British investment in Romania. Melrose and its partners plan to invest some 130 million US dollars in this project and […]
21st October 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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, […]
21st October 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
21st October 2011 Windhoek, Namibia
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 […]
19th October 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
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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18th October 2011 London, UK
Supporting Brits Abroad: The Death Penalty
Jonathan Marshall, Head of the FCO Prisoners Team The last person executed in Britain was in 1964. It doesn’t seem that long ago does it? Whilst we no longer have capital punishment in the UK, what many people don’t realise is that there are a significant number of British nationals overseas who are facing the […]
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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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