5th October 2011
Last week I was in Ţicleni in Gorj county to look at a major new British investment in Romania’s oil industry. Petrofac is one of the UK’s main suppliers of services in the oil industry, based in Aberdeen in Scotland. As of November 2010 it has taken a responsibility from Petrom for operating and developing […]
4th October 2011
Dr. Vince Cable, the UK’s Minister for Business, Skills and Innovation, came to Bucharest last week with a very clear message – the EU has got to get back on the path to sustainable long term growth. And that means doing what the EU does best – free trade. Romania and the UK are both […]
4th October 2011
We stopped on a ridge overlooking a Palestinian valley. On the hill on the left a Jewish settlement with nest white houses and green gardens. On the right a fairly run-down Palestinian village. The valley was dry and stony sloping down to a water spring. Suddenly we saw a trail of smoke arching up into […]
3rd October 2011 New York, USA
With one month to go until the New York City Marathon, I am about to enter what is often called the “Monster Month” – the month that involves the most intense, grueling and critical final weeks of training. It is said that a runner’s efforts during their “Monster Month” can make or break their success […]
3rd October 2011 New York, USA
With one month to go until the New York City Marathon, I am about to enter what is often called the “Monster Month” – the month that involves the most intense, grueling and critical final weeks of training. It is said that a runner’s efforts during their “Monster Month” can make or break their success […]
3rd October 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
As the September session of the Human Rights Council drew to a close on Friday, there were some glum faces around, especially amongst the NGOs. The NGOs provide a much needed reality check to the rest of us and I think it’s a fair criticism that civil servants are often all too ready to point […]
Read more on Cheap Seats, Backsliding and Cuban Democracy | Reply
3rd October 2011 Windhoek, Namibia
Being the head of a small diplomatic mission means I get to do an infinite variety of work each week. Never more so than today, when I had to award a prize for a cow. Not just any cow, but the most productive cow in Namibia. For this week is the Windhoek Industrial and Agricultural […]
Read more on Of bovine beauty and unseasonable weather in Namibia | Reply
3rd October 2011
For the first time in living memory, and presumably ever, the British Business Groups (BBGs) around India held a national conference on 23-24 September 2011. Over 150 delegates took part, largely representing the BBGs in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Goa and Chennai. It is difficult to summarise the conclusions of such a large group, but […]
Read more on First ever British Business Groups’ national meet- ‘cautiously optimistic’ | Reply (1)
30th September 2011 Ottawa, Canada
We were lucky last week to have David Cameron in Ottawa. He flew in from New York, where he was speaking to the General Assembly, to a whirlwind programme here. First, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial, in a solemn ceremony of remembrance, to mark British appreciation for Canadian service and sacrifice in […]
30th September 2011
On 27 September, the Holy See Foreign Minister, Archbishop Mamberti, addressed the UN General Assembly in a wide ranging speech on current international issues or, as he put it – reminding us diplomats why we engage in international diplomacy – “the principal questions that concern humanity in the search for a better future for all”. […]