Tag: uk

29th November 2013 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Waves, Arguments and Cliffhangers: Ten Ways Diplomats Can Communicate Better

French diplomat Jules Cambon saw the dangers of diplomatic openness in 1931, complaining that ‘the activities of the press, and ignorance of a public that insists on being told everything, do not create an atmosphere favourable to prosecution of political designs’. He was right, long before Assange and Snowden, that the media would sweep away […]

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26th November 2013 Washington DC, USA

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by Amy English

Congressional Liaison for the Foreign and Security Policy Group

AmericanEnglish

For me, the transatlantic relationship is personal. 16 years ago on Sunday, my family and I (and our dog Matty) emigrated from Huntingdon, near Cambridge, to Chico, California. Of course, there are more extreme contrasts than the UK and California, but as a twelve year-old, everything was so different. When we moved in November 1997, […]

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25th November 2013 Tunis, Tunisia

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by Hamish Cowell

Ambassador to Tunisia

Focusing on developing future ties between UK and Tunisia

Below is a transcript of my first video blog. You can view my video by visiting our Facebook page. Assalamu Alaikom! I am pleased to be here in green Tunisia. It is such a privilege to be here in such an important time of Tunisia’s history. Britain and Tunisia share a long history. On the wall […]

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21st November 2013 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Dear Lebanon: An Open Letter

Tomorrow I’ll hand a letter from Prime Minister Cameron to President Sleiman, with formal congratulations on Lebanon’s 70th anniversary. The wonderful people at Rag Mag also asked me to write an open letter to mark the day. This is a tough and precarious assignment, and it will annoy or anger some people. But I’ve had […]

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21st November 2013 New Delhi, India

Unveiled: UK-India collaborative industrial R&D programme

Last week in New Delhi, new funding up to £5mn from the Technology Strategy Board which is the UK’s innovation agency, with matched resources from India’s Department of Science and Technology was announced to support joint Research & Development projects led by businesses in the two countries. The UK-India Collaborative Industrial R&D Programme aims to […]

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17th November 2013 Chennai, India

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by Bharat Joshi

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai

Royal Visit: Epilogue

The sudden absence of adrenaline, imminent deadlines, last-minute glitches and 10 things to do at once has actually brought a massive and slightly dreary sense of anti-climax. I probably shouldn’t be that surprised that several colleagues have fallen ill: like a car, human beings aren’t designed to go from fifth gear into first instantaneously. Even […]

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15th November 2013 Chennai, India

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by Bharat Joshi

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai

Royal Visit: Wheels-Up

That’s it. It’s all over. Just under an hour ago, their Royal Highnesses flight took off for the short hop to Colombo and what could be a more difficult Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting than is usual. The day dawned beautifully for the Prince of Wales’ 65th birthday – divine intervention in God’s own country?  […]

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14th November 2013 Chennai, India

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by Bharat Joshi

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai

Royal Visit: Day 3

Yesterday was simply amazing. The visit to Cochin shipyard to see the extent of UK involvement in this thriving operation, including by Rolls Royce and MTS, was a much bigger event than any we could ever have managed. Thousands of workers stopped and cheered, and His Royal Highness seemed to engage with all of them. […]

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13th November 2013 Chennai, India

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by Bharat Joshi

British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai

Royal Visit to Kerala: Day 2

Today is the most challenging day. Two separate programmes for their Royal Highnesses mean that all our staff will be in the field, leaving limited surge capacity to handle any unexpected issues. and weather forecasts predicting the start of the monsoon add to the risks. His Royal Highness will visit Cochin Shipyard where UK companies […]

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