8th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Who said, when consulted on the possibility of women entering the British Diplomatic Service: “I dare say that the intellectual type of woman, which would presumably be the type to enter the Service, would be as useful as a man in a purely intellectual occupation such as that of junior clerk in the Foreign Office… […]
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7th February 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
This seems to be the time of year for international comparative indeces. I blogged recently about the latest statistics on press freedom. Now someone has pointed out that I didn’t cover the latest Transparency International Corruption Index, published in December. The Transparency International figures are controversial. The full name of the index is “The Corruption Perceptions […]
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21st January 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The first weeks of 2013 were some of the busiest ever for our Embassy. Here are just a few of the highlights, which show the wide variety of our work. G8 1st January marked the start of the UK G8 Presidency, which I blogged about last week. We created a twitter account @G8 for anyone […]
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7th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Many people in London, and other parts of the UK, think they know a good deal about the Mayor of the capital, Boris Johnson: judging from the number of British tourists who greeted him in hotels or on the streets of Mumbai he must also be one of our most widely recognised politicians. Less well […]
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15th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
This past week we have been commemorating 50 years of Cheshire Services Ethiopia. Founded by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire in 1962, with the help of the Ethiopian Royal Family, they have since proved the most enduring and one of the most successful NGOs in Ethiopia. As with the Cheshire Homes in the UK, the main […]
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9th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
As the dramas of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka unfurled last month, and the England Test series here begins next week, no-one living in India could fail to appreciate the importance of cricket to the nation. T20 Matches against big rival Pakistan, not to mention England and Australia, were watched by millions before […]
Read more on Weekend in Mumbai: Part 2: Soccer skills and info tech wizards | Reply
28th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Weekends in Mumbai, once the monsoon has passed, can involve a variety of activities: walks along the 5km Marine Drive past the art deco buildings and the landmark Oberoi hotel, brunch in one of the expanding range of cafes and restaurants around the town, a round of golf on what must count as one of […]
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27th June 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A tall tree shades the audience from the sun. An orchestra and choir wait in silence. A huge derelict building, windows broken and decorated with (fake) radiation warning signs, towers over us. The conductor raises his baton and exquisite baroque music rings out. I am at “Master Klass”, a cultural centre and language school in […]
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8th June 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
On the steep cobbled slope, stalls display Ukrainian souvenirs to curious visitors. In the distance, a river glistens. On a terrace overlooking picturesque 19thC buildings, tourists tuck into tasty steaks and sup cold beer. As a big fan of Kyiv I was pleased to see the much-discussed renovation of Andriyivskyy Uzviz, the winding street in […]
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31st May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The view is astounding. Below, a mighty river winds through a brilliant green landscape. A steep bluff studded with golden domes tumbles down to the shore. Below me are several hundred tonnes of stainless steel. Welcome to one of the world’s great – and least-known – cities. After years of writing blogs about visits to […]
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