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Glamour boy Beckham to miss World Cup after injury

Stephen Willson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:00:00 GMT

LONDON – Unless David Beckham can mend it as well as he can bend it, soccer's now-limping glamour boy will miss this summer's World Cup — a blow to tournament organizers, sponsors, TV viewers and average fans.

Beckham underwent surgery Monday for a "totally torn" left Achilles' tendon and is expected to be out of action for about six months, said Dr. Sakari Orava, who performed the operation. The 34-year-old midfielder was injured Sunday while playing for Italian club AC Milan.

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15-Mar-10 5:00 PM

Trade - UK Trade & Investment Leads Mission to World?s Biggest Music Market with Largest British Contingent to Date at South by South West Festival

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is championing the UK music industry in the United States, the world?s largest music market next week (March 15th-20th).UKTI, in partnership with AIM, PPL and PRS for Music, will be taking over an entire venue at the South by South West music trade festival to create a ?British Music Embassy? to promote talent such as chart-topping artist Estelle and VV Brown, the queen of retro pop.The music companies and bands heading to Austin, Texas will also be networking with the leading players in the US music industry.The UK has made significant inroads into the US music market with latest figures showing that more than 10% of music sales in the US are now from British acts compared to 7.6% in 2004. (BPI Figures)The UK is the second-largest exporter of music repertoire in the world (after the USA). In the US itself, the UK is the second-largest source of repertoire, after US home-grown artists.This year, UKTI is showcasing a range of music

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is championing the UK music industry in the United States, the world?s largest music market next week (March 15^th-20^th).

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11-Mar-10 8:00 AM

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL 10 October 1940 - 2 March 2010

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

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The Churchill Centre and
Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL
10 October 1940 - 2 March 2010

LONDON, MARCH 2ND-- It is with great sadness that the Churchill family announces the death of Winston S. Churchill after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 69 and died peacefully at home in London. He is survived by his devoted wife, Luce, his four children from his first marriage and eleven grandchildren.

Winston, the grandson of the wartime Prime Minister, was a war correspondent, author, politician and patron of a number of charities including the UK National Defence Association of which he was the Founder President. He was a Member of Parliament for twenty-seven years. He bore his final illness with the great fortitude that those who knew him would have expected. There will be a private family funeral and a Memorial Service will be announced at a later date.

FROM THE CHURCHILL CENTRE

Winston Churchill was our third honorary member after his grandmother Lady Churchill, and his father Randolph. The latter had only just sent a letter of thanks for this to our founding organization, the Churchill Study Unit, when he himself died in June, 1968. In expressing our condolences we asked his son Winston to accept honorary membership in his father's place. He accepted and for over forty years was a stalwart supporter of the Churchill Study Unit, International Churchill Society, and Churchill Centre in succession-a personal friend and a collaborator on projects too numerous to recount.

Condolences will be forwarded to his son Randolph by The Churchill Centre (email info@winstonchurchill.org), 200 West Madison Street, Suite 1700, Chicago IL 60606. Finest Hour will publish memorials and reminiscences in its summer number 147, which has a copy deadline of May 8th. Anyone wishing to send such material may do so by emailing rlangworth@winstonchurchill.org

For further details of Mr. Churchill's work and career, refer to the Curtis Brown tribute by visiting their website.

For obituaries refer to: Daily Telegraph and Manchester Evening News

The Churchill Centre and Museum at the Cabinet War Rooms

200 West Madison Street, Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60606

Toll Free: 888-WSC-1874 Phone: 312-658-6088

FAX: 312-658-5799

www.winstonchurchill.org

5-Mar-10 9:00 AM

ACS International School: Spring 2010 - News for Relocation Professionals

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:00 GMT

VIEW ENTIRE NEWSLETTER HERE

ACS International School: Spring 2010

Please contact Admissions for 2009-10 and 2010-11 enrolment information (details at foot of page)

With contributions from Living Abroad (British food), Ryerson University (expat spouse issues), and Bomza Law Group (immigration), as well as a profile of schools guru Martin Humphreys, this issue of our newsletter is packed full of information and news about international relocation and education:

Dispelling the myths about British food, while still remembering old favorites!
Mr Education speaks: a profile of Martin Humphreys
News from ACS International Schools
Expatriate spouses: what do they want?
ACS North American Office update
Cross-border relocation and the immigration perspective: Canada

Dispelling the myths about British food, while still remembering old favorites!

By Anne Dean, Director of Editorial Services, Living Abroad LLC

When you travel to London, do you still expect to get meals of meat full of fat, over-boiled vegetables and sliced white bread? If so, then you haven’t been there in quite a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t get those things, but London is now an international hotspot for gastronomical delights! For every fast-food establishment or ‘greasy spoon,’ there is an adventure in fine dining or a pub with traditional, yet scrumptious meals More...

Mr Education speaks: a profile of Martin Humphreys

After nearly 20 years enjoyed as a classroom teacher and then school-leading housemaster, Martin Humphrys had already earned his unofficial title of “Mr. Education.” Then he decided to advise UK-bound families on school choice. Since beginning in 1998 as a relocation company employee and then in 2002 with the launch of his own consultancy, Humphrys’ Education Ltd, Martin’s been adroitly managing expectations. More...

News from ACS International Schools

All three ACS schools ranked highly in the recent Daily Telegaph school league tables. Judged by academic results, ACS Egham and ACS Cobham were ranked the 5th and 7th best schools in Surrey respectively (out of 74 schools) while ACS Hillingdon was ranked no.1 (out of 22 schools) in the London Borough of Hillingdon. As well as celebrating academic success, our schools have been involved in a number of exciting activities and it's been a busy beginning to 2010:

Bollywood meets musical theatre

ACS Hillingdon eighth grade students, aged 13 to 14, took part in a workshop run by the Angel Dance Academy in February, exploring traditional Indian dancing. The dancers discussed the style of Indian dancing with the students, as well as demonstrating the techniques with a performance. More...

Scores of voices join O2 concerts

Almost 100 students and staff from ACS Egham International School performed at the O2 Arena in London as part of a series of Young Voices concerts. The school, which joined a Young Voices concert last year at the Royal Albert Hall, this year took its largest-ever choir to join the festivities. Students from the Lower and High School choirs joined more than 6,000 from around Britain for the fundraising concerts, now in their 13th year. More...

International Art project

Students at ACS Cobham are taking part in an exciting new art project produced by the Tate Modern and sponsored by Unilever. The ‘turbinegeneration’ project is the first online educational partnership that links schools and major galleries on a national level, allowing ACS Cobham’s art studio class to partner with an art class at International College Hong Kong in China. More...

Expatriate spouses: what do they want?

By Nina Cole, Associate Professor of Human Resources Management, Ryerson University in Toronto

Every time an expatriate employee returns home before completing his or her assignment, their employer loses $1 million. That’s on average – it could be more. HR makes a major contribution to the bottom line if even one expatriate assignment ‘failure’ is averted. What causes premature returns home? More...

ACS North American Office update

Andrew Kittell, Director of Corporate Relations, ACS International Schools North American Office

The lessons learned during an end-of-January visit to Greater New York suggest the financial services sector is again ready to move senior-level employees in and out of London. Some globe-spanning firms such as JP Morgan Chase are even launching new business units in London. More...

Cross-border relocation and the immigration perspective: Canada

By Melodie J. Hughes, Bomza Law Group

With an increased reliance on international business in today’s global market, the success of many companies depends on their ability to temporarily transfer and relocate personnel across borders. As the world has been coping with an economic downturn over the last year, however, governments around the world have become increasingly strict in their enforcement of immigration laws, and have in many cases made legislative changes to promote the hiring of local talent and penalize those who hire foreign nationals without the appropriate authorization. More...

www.acs-england.co.uk

5-Mar-10 9:00 AM

Partner with UKTI - OTC Energy Excellence Reception 3 May 2010

Azeemeh Zaheer — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT

To view this email as a web page, go here.

OTC RECEPTION
May 2010
Houston, TX

Company Video Opportunity at
Offshore Technology Conference 2010

Showcase your company video at the

UKTI Reception

at the

Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2010

UK companies are invited to partner with UK Trade & Investment to showcase their products and services via video presentation during the Monday night networking reception at OTC for only £2500.

UKTI hosts a large networking reception (800-900 attendees) every year on the first monday of OTC. This year, we are offering companies an opportunity to play a video showcasing their company's technology, products or services on one of 20 plasma screens canvassed around the ballroom. Videos will be muted with sub-captions. Guest walking by will have the opportunity to learn about your products and services.

The UK is uniquely positioned as a world-class partner for both upstream and downstream projects in the Oil & Gas industry. UK companies have an outstanding reputation for innovation and manufacturing excellence, dating back to the industrial revolution. OTC is the perfect venue to showcase these capabilities.

There are only 20 available screens! Don’t miss your chance to market your product in this unique way.

To register your video, please fill in this form.

For more information, please contact:

Azeemeh Zaheer
Vice Consul and Trade & Investment Officer
Oil and Gas/ Energy Financial Services
azeemeh.zaheer@fco.gov.uk

Jessica Roch
Business Development Associate
Oil and Gas
jessica.roch@fco.gov.uk

4-Mar-10 10:00 AM

British Ambassador Launches Charity T-Shirt Competition for Wounded Warriors (March 03, 2010)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMT

The British Embassy in Washington today launches a competition for members of the public to design a new t-shirt to raise money for two charities supporting wounded warriors from the United Kingdom and the United States.

The winning t-shirts will be worn by British Embassy staff at the EU Open House event on May 8. They will be sold to raise funds for Azalea Charities and the British Army Benevolent Fund in America, two charities that support the welfare of British and American servicemen and women and their families.

Entries will be judged by British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Politico's man-about-town and staff writer Patrick Gavin, and David Lisoski, manager of the Georgetown branch of British fashion brand Reiss. The winner will be named VIP visitor at the Embassy’s Open House Day and receive a special prize from the Ambassador.

British Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald said:

"I'm calling on all budding designers to put their creative and artistic skills to the test. It’s in a great cause: Azalea Charities and the British Army Benevolent Fund in America do wonderful work for UK and US servicemen and women. I'm proud that the British Embassy is supporting their efforts and I look forward to judging the entries."

Azalea Charities President Douglas Taggart said:

“Azalea Charities is proud of its joint efforts with the British to deliver the aid our wounded military and their families so crucially deserve. Each t-shirt sold on May 8 is a tribute to these brave men and women and a great help in the recovery of both body and spirit.”

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3-Mar-10 7:00 PM

St David’s Day (March 01, 2010)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMT

The Prime Minister and First Minister for Wales have praised the achievements of Wales in the arts, sports and politics on the occasion of St David’s Day, a celebration of the patron saint of Wales.

PM’s St David’s Day message

This St David’s Day I want to send my very best wishes to the people of Wales and Welsh people across the world.

I know that today, from Bangor to Builth Wells and beyond, you will be celebrating your nation and its achievements in many ways - by attending Eisteddfods, dressing your children in national costume or by taking part in parades.

You can be rightly proud of your strong and passionate country. Indeed, Welsh culture is admired far beyond our shores, as demonstrated by its showcase at the prestigious Smithsonian Festival in Washington DC last summer.

In the arts, you continue to punch above your weight, not least as home to some of our most successful television programmes -’Doctor Who’ and the outstanding ‘Gavin and Stacey’. Today we pay tribute to all those in film, music, television and the arts who fly the flag for Wales.

So too do we recognise the achievements of your sportsmen and women, especially your rugby heroes and the UK’s Sports Personality of the Year, Ryan Giggs. Wales shone as host to the Ashes last summer, and I know it will once again when the eyes of the sporting world focus on the Ryder Cup in Newport this October.

Of course, it has been a landmark year for all those involved in Welsh politics - you have celebrated the first decade of devolution and the election of new First Minister. In partnership with Carwyn Jones, I look forward to working with you to secure the economic recovery, protect front-line public services and support Welsh businesses and jobs.

I wish you all a wonderful St David’s Day.

Gordon Brown

First Minister's message:

I am delighted to send my first St David’s Day greetings as First Minister of Wales to everyone for March 1 and I welcome the celebrations taking place across the world for Wales’ National Day.

This is an exciting and challenging time to be First Minister. Our country has achieved a great deal in just over 10 years of devolution and we would like to welcome people to see for themselves what we have to offer.

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3-Mar-10 7:00 PM

Continental Airlines Launches Mobile Boarding Passes at London's Heathrow Airport

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced the expansion of its mobile boarding pass service to London's Heathrow Airport, becoming the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on nonstop flights from the United Kingdom to the U.S.

The service allows customers to receive boarding passes electronically on their cell phones or PDAs and eliminates the need for paper boarding passes.

"We are pleased to add Heathrow to the growing list of airports we serve with mobile boarding passes," said Martin Hand, Continental's vice president of reservations and eCommerce. "Customers have told us this is the type of product improvement they want, and we will continue to expand the self-service technology to more of our domestic and international destinations."

Mobile boarding passes display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information, which scanners at the security checkpoint and boarding gate validate. The technology prevents manipulation or duplication of the boarding passes and heightens security.

In addition to boarding passes, Continental provides access to enhanced flight information through mobile devices. Customers may view onboard amenities and standby lists, as well as track the status of their flights.

Continental was the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes in the U.S. in a pilot program with the Transportation Security Administration that began in December 2007. The airline currently offers mobile boarding passes at 42 airports, including its hubs in New York, Houston and Cleveland. Continental was the first U.S. carrier to offer mobile boarding passes from an international destination when it launched the service at Frankfurt Airport late last year.

Continental operates five flights per day to Heathrow – three from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and two from Houston. The airline announced recently that it will add a fourth daily service to the New York - Heathrow route in March and a fifth daily service in October, bringing the total number of Continental daily departures to Heathrow to seven. Continental also announced that effective June 2, 2010, all aircraft scheduled for its Heathrow flights will feature new, flat bed seats in BusinessFirst.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 135 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries through its 26 member airlines. With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World's Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to continental.com.

26-Feb-10 8:00 AM

Ambassador visits Texas

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

British Ambassador to the United States Sir Nigel Sheinwald visited Texas this week. His second trip to the state took him to Austin and San Antonio to promote UK-Texas trade relations and discuss foreign policy challenges that affect Texans.

Austin

The Ambassador visited the state capital Austin on Tuesday 9 February to meet state and city officials, including the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and political experts and academics, to get a clear view of where Texas is headed in the coming elections, how it is addressing economic recovery as well as the transition to a green economy.

At the LBJ Presidential Library, the Ambassador delivered a major policy speech on Afghanistan, outlining the UK's commitment and the political moves that the Afghan Government must make to stabilise the country in the long term.

The Ambassador said:

"The war in Afghanistan and the related challenges we face across the border in Pakistan constitute the top foreign policy and security priority for the British Government. The reason is simple: like the US Administration, we believe that we must prevent Afghanistan from becoming once again a safe haven for Al Qaeda and international terrorists who plan to do us harm."

Read the entire speech

Read more about his speech in the Austin American Statesman

Listen to his interview with KUT radio about Afghanistan

During his visit to Austin Ambassador Sheinwald also promoted the UK Trade and Investment mission to the South by Southwest digital media and music conference, to be held in Austin next month. SXSW is a major opportunity for UK companies and artists to establish their names, and over 100 British companies will be represented along with many British bands.

San Antonio

In San Antonio, the Ambassador met with Mayor Julián Castro, as well as representatives from the Texas Lyceum, an association that includes the next generation of top leaders.

On Thursday 11 February, he delivered a keynote speech to a joint session of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and World Affairs Council. Mayor Castro and Texas State Senator Jeff Wentworth were also in attendance. Ambassador Sheinwald used the opportunity to stress the importance of free trade to the global economic recovery.

The Ambassador said:

"There is a great danger of neglecting economic openness in times of downturn. During my time as British Ambassador to the United States I have seen these arguments play out. Free trade can become a scapegoat for the woes of the overall economy. It can be portrayed as a threat to jobs which are shipped overseas. It can be seen as giving foreigners a foothold in the US market, crowding out American companies, without reciprocal openness in the other direction. At any one time there’s a rash of protectionist or restrictive measures in the Congress – Buy American; new aviation restrictions; anti-competitive fixes in financial services and other areas. We and our EU partners spend a lot of time fire-fighting. Let’s be honest: free trade is not a vote-winner in US politics at present.

"But these arguments are false friends. Let there be no doubt. We must have the courage of our convictions, and trumpet free trade as the way out of the crisis. It opens new markets. It allows comparative advantage to function. No single country can do everything better than everyone else."

Later on Thursday, Ambassador Sheinwald met students from the University of Texas San Antonio for a roundtable discussion on international issues and foreign policy, including trade, the Middle East and the 2012 Olympics in London.

24-Feb-10 6:00 PM

Oil exploration off the Falkland Islands

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Speaking on Sky News, Chris Bryant, who is Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Latin America, said that the Falkland Islanders have "every legal right" to drill for oil in the Falklands.

Chris Bryant was speaking ahead of the Argentinean Foreign Minister's meeting with Ban Ki-moon on 24 February and said the UK has "absolutely no doubt about our sovereignty over the Falkland Islands".

He said we would be "monitoring the situation closely" but stressed that there was not any kind of "abandonment of peaceful discussions".

Chris Bryant added:

'We have no interest in escalating the kind of rhetoric that some people have been engaged in, we're just very certain that the Falklands are British, the Falkland Islanders want to be part of the United Kingdom and we welcome that and we stand by them.'

Read the full transcript

24-Feb-10 6:00 PM

Gordon Brown apologises to child migrants sent abroad

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologised for the UK's role in sending more than 130,000 children to former colonies where many suffered abuse.

He expressed regret for the "misguided" Child Migrant Programme, telling the Commons he was "truly sorry".

He also announced a £6m fund to reunite families that were torn apart.

The scheme sent poor children for a "better life" to countries like Canada and Australia from the 1920s to 1960s, but many were abused and lied to.

'Deportation of innocents'

Mr Brown said: "To all those former child migrants and their families... we are truly sorry. They were let down.

"We are sorry they were allowed to be sent away at the time when they were most vulnerable. We are sorry that instead of caring for them, this country turned its back.

READ REMAINDER OF ARTICLE AND VIEW VIDEO

24-Feb-10 6:00 PM

Employers Strongly Urged to Immediately Evaluate Needs for H-1B Visas under the FY 2011 H-1B Visa Quota

Kenneth Harder — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Employers are strongly advised to immediately evaluate their needs for H-1B workers for Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2011 (October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011). In order to capture an H-1B visa under the annual quota, it is essential to begin preparing H-1B petitions at this time.

H-1B visas are limited by an annual quota. Every year for the last several years, the demand for H-1B temporary workers has exceeded the supply of visas under the quota. Regulations permit filing an H-1B petition up to six months before the start of the fiscal year. Accordingly, starting April 1, 2010 employers may file petitions for new H-1B workers requesting a start date of October 1, 2010.

Based on continuing demand and a strengthening economy, it is likely that H-1B visas will be exhausted prior to the end of the 2011 fiscal year. It is possible that H-1B visas will be exhausted during the initial filing period. Thus, it is imperative that employers plan early and submit their H-1B visa petitions on April 1, 2010.

H-1B visas are available for temporary employment of foreign nationals with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent to be employed in specialty occupations requiring the services of degreed individuals. The prospective employee must have completed all requirements for the degree at the time of filing the H-1B petition although it is not necessary to have received the actual diploma.

In order to file an H‑1B petition, the employer is required to obtain an approved labor condition application (“LCA”) from the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”). Please note that the DOL requires the use of “iCert”, a new portal for obtaining approved LCAs. Under the new “iCert” system, the approval of LCAs takes a minimum of seven (7) business days. Additionally, employers that have not filed an LCA on or after July 1, 2009 will experience further delays as they will be required to provide evidence to DOL demonstrating the company’s existence.

Employers should particularly review the possibility of filing an H-1B petition for any alien worker temporarily employed under the F-1 student visa category with Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) authorization. With limited exceptions, OPT employment authorization generally lasts no longer than 12 months. At the end of the 12 month interval of OPT time H-1B visas may not be available. Therefore, it is essential to plan ahead and file an H-1B petition on April 1 if the company wishes to continue the employment relationship.

Individuals employed by certain exempt organizations, those transferring from one H-1B employer to another and those extending existing H-1B status generally are not subject to the H-1B quota. Therefore, such workers may not be subject to the annual H-1B quota.

Employers unable to utilize the H-1B visa category may have other immigration remedies available under the Immigration & Nationality Act. We caution that the foregoing discussion is a very broad summary of a complex law. Availability of visas for any given situation depends on a wide range of individual circumstances. This information should not be construed as legal advice for any one immigration matter. We will continue to update you as this issue develops.

15-Feb-10 1:00 PM

Branson open to funding British America's Cup entry

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, an avid sailor, said Thursday he would consider funding Britain's America's Cup outfit Team Origin in the future if it finds itself without a sponsor.

"At the moment the British team have got funding, if the funding were to drop out who is to know, we may have a Virgin Red in one of the future yachting races," he told reporters in Valencia where the 33rd America's Cup is underway.

Team Origin can not take part in the 33rd America's Cup because the event defaulted to a rare head-to-head duel between US team Oracle and defending Swiss champions Alinghi after the two sides failed to agree on the rules for a conventional regatta involving several teams.

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12-Feb-10 7:00 AM

Ambassador's speech on international trade and economic recovery in San Antonio

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:00:00 GMT

I am very happy to be speaking here in San Antonio, a city that in many ways symbolises the future of the United States – economically, demographically and politically. I would like to thank Barbara Schneider of the World Affairs Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the City of San Antonio for hosting me.

You will all be aware of Britain's role in the birth of Texas. Richard Ballantine of Scotland, William Blazeby of England, Samuel Burns of Ireland, and 23 others born in the British Isles, were among those who crossed the line in the sand drawn by Colonel Travis at the Alamo. During Texas’s period as an independent country, between 1836 and 1845, Britain was one of the few nations in the world to recognise it.

If you visit London’s St. James Street today, you can still find a plaque marking the building which housed the Texas Embassy for those nine years. You have to look up though. It’s quite high on the wall. I understand this is less a reflection of the height of the average Texan, and more to do with the fact that a number of Texan tourists, so overcome with pride at finding their Embassy, tried to take the plaque home as a memento.

A couple of weeks ago I took my seat in Washington’s Capitol building and listened to the President’s State of the Union address. What struck me most – apart from an almost Westminster-like level of boisterousness – and that was just in the Diplomatic Corps seats – were the challenges. They are, by and large, the same challenges that my government faces. How to ensure sustained economic recovery; boost job creation; increase our skills and research base; build a new energy economy for the 21st century? And do all of the above against the backdrop of budget deficits the likes of which we have not seen since the Second World War?

These are all shared challenges. Because we live in an increasingly interconnected, globalised world, we must work through these problems together – two champions of open markets, the UK and Texas – or they will not be solved. This is the common agenda I’d like to discuss with you today.

READ REMAINDER OF SPEECH

11-Feb-10 5:00 PM

HPI, LLC receives the FastTech 50 and Enterprise Champion awards

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:00:00 GMT

HPI, LLC, a leader in the supply of turbine control solutions and turnkey power plants, has been recognized as one of the FastTech 50, and is also a recipient of the exclusive Enterprise Champion Award. The FastTech 50 awards are presented annually by the Houston Business Journal and are awarded to Houston based high-tech companies that experienced the greatest percentage of revenue growth in the prior year (2008). The Enterprise Champion Award is reserved for select FastTech 50 companies that are particularly adept at innovation, skilled at overcoming significant challenges, and are active in the community. Top executives of the FastTech 50 were honored at the official awards luncheon on November 4, 2009. Hal Pontez, President and Founder of HPI, launched the company in 2002 following his work at Vosper Thornycroft controls. HPI has experienced dramatic growth since its start and an unprecedented zero turnover rate in core staff. HPI has an impressive project track record that includes the six month commissioning of a 300 MW power station, lending to their reputation as a “fast-track” company.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as a FastTech 50 company”, says Hal Pontez,President & CEO of HPI. “Our work in international markets and the growing demand for power in developing countries has strongly contributed to our success. HPI is also providing mechanical services and turbine control solutions to our domestic customers,who are seeking to extend the life of their existing power generation equipment. I look forward to the future and the continued growth of HPI as a provider of a full range of power generation services.”

About HPI, LLCHPI (www.hpi-llc.com) remains a technological leader in turbine solutions includingretrofit control, mechanical inspection/overhaul, turnkey engineering, procurement, andconstruction of power plants. HPI provides unique solutions to meet specific customerrequirements, utilizing in-house talent experienced in project management, engineering,and design, while improving overall plant reliability and safety. Founded in 2002, manyof the engineers and managers of HPI received their start in the industry from their workat Hawker Siddeley Dynamics Engineering. HPI has expanded its capabilities fromstand-alone turbomachinery control to complete balance of plant systems. In 2005, HPIexpanded its Mechanical Group to offer non-destructive testing and mechanical turbineoverhaul services, which enables the company to offer a full lifecycle of services, frominitial FEED studies to on-going maintenance of systems in the field.

11-Feb-10 3:00 PM

Endeavour Completes Financing Transaction

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Endeavour International Corporation (NYSE Amex: END) (LSE: ENDV) today announced the closing of a new $25 million (USD) lending facility with Bank of Scotland PLC.

"The proceeds of this new facility together with the $20 million private equity placement announced last week will supplement the company's cash flow to accelerate our new initiative to explore gas shale plays in the United States while we continue to develop three significant growth potential assets in our North Sea portfolio in the United Kingdom," said William L. Transier, chairman, chief executive officer and president.

READ REMAINDER OF ARTICLE

Note: Endeavour International Corp is a Corporate member of the British-American Business Council Houston

9-Feb-10 8:00 AM

Ambassador visits Texas (February 08, 2010)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

British Ambassador to the United States Sir Nigel Sheinwald will visit Texas the week of 8 February. His second trip to the state takes him to the capital, Austin, and one of America's fastest growing cities in terms of population and employment, San Antonio.

In Austin the Ambassador will meet state and city officials, including the Governor and Lt. Governor of Texas, Mayor Leffingwell of Austin, and political experts and academics, to get a clear view of where Texas is headed in the coming elections and how it is addressing economic recovery.

At the LBJ Library’s Robert S. Strauss Centre for International Security and Law the Ambassador will deliver a major policy speech on Afghanistan, outlining the UK's commitment and the political moves that the Afghan Government must make to stabilise the country in the long term.

READ REMAINDER OF ARTICLE

8-Feb-10 6:00 PM

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL NEW YORK - HEATHROW FLIGHTS FOR SUMMER, WINTER 2010

Corporate Communications — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:00:00 GMT

All Heathrow flights to feature new BusinessFirst flat bed seat from June

HOUSTON, Jan. 29, 2010 – Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) announced today that it will

increase its schedule of flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport

and London/Heathrow, during 2010. The airline will add a fourth daily service to the route in

March and a fifth daily service in October, bringing the total number of Continental daily

departures to Heathrow to seven, including its twice-daily service from Houston.

In addition, Continental announced that effective June 1, 2010 all aircraft scheduled for Heathrow

flights will feature new, flat bed seats in BusinessFirst.

“New York-Heathrow is a flagship route for Continental. As the leading airline in the New York

market, we are excited about introducing these schedule and product improvements for our New

York-London travelers,” said Jeff Smisek, the airline’s chairman, president and chief executive

officer. “All our New York-London customers will benefit from more flight options, while those

traveling to London in BusinessFirst – whether from New York or Houston -- will be assured of a

flat bed seat whenever they choose to fly with us.”

Effective March 27, 2010, the airline’s Heathrow schedule will be as follows:

To London/Heathrow

Origin	Flight no.	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft type
New York/Newark	CO18	9:00 a.m.	9:20 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO28	6:40 p.m.	6:45 a.m.+1	Daily	777
New York/Newark	CO112	7:20 p.m.	7:40 a.m.+1	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO110	8:00 p.m.	8:20 a.m.+1	Daily	757-200

Houston	CO34	3:45 p.m.	6:55 a.m.+1	Daily	777
Houston	CO4	6:25 p.m.	9:35 a.m.+1	Daily	777

From London/Heathrow

Destination	Flight no.	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft type
New York/Newark	CO29	10:25 a.m.	1:15 p.m.	Daily	777
New York/Newark	CO113	10:50 a.m.	1:55 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO111	12:05 p.m.	3:15 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO19	6:30 p.m.	9:40 p.m.	Daily	757-200

Houston	CO35	8:40 a.m.	12:40 p.m.	Daily	777
Houston	CO5	11:40 a.m.	3:50 p.m.	Daily	777

Effective Oct. 30, 2010, Continental’s Heathrow schedule will be as follows:

To London/Heathrow

Origin	Flight no.	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft type
New York/Newark	CO18	9:00 a.m.	9:20 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO28	6:25 p.m.	6:20 a.m.+1	Daily	777
New York/Newark	CO112	7:15 p.m.	7:25 a.m.+1	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO110	9:20 p.m.	9:25 a.m.+1	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO114	10:10 p.m.	10:15 a.m.+1	Daily	757-200

Houston	CO34	3:50 p.m.	6:50 a.m.+1	Daily	777
Houston	CO4	6:35 p.m.	9:35 a.m.+1	Daily	777

From London/Heathrow

Destination	Flight no.	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft type
New York/Newark	CO115	8:40 a.m.	12:05 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO29	10:30 a.m.	1:30 p.m.	Daily	777
New York/Newark	CO113	11:15 a.m.	2:45 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO111	12:35 p.m.	4:05 p.m.	Daily	757-200
New York/Newark	CO19	6:00 p.m.	9:30 p.m.	Daily	757-200

Houston	CO35	9:20 a.m.	1:40 p.m.	Daily	777
Houston	CO5	11:40 a.m.	4:05 p.m.	Daily	777

As well as offering a broader range of schedule options for travelers between New York and

London, the flights provide connections at Heathrow to Star Alliance partner British Midland,

which offers over 50 daily departures to 19 destinations across the United Kingdom, mainland

Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In concert with British Midland, Star Alliance carriers at

Heathrow link the world with over 180 daily departures to 67 destinations across the globe.

The new BusinessFirst flat bed seat made its operational debut in November 2009 and is being

installed on Continental’s Boeing 777 and 757-200 fleets, with installation on 767-400ER and 767-

200 aircraft beginning in 2011. The new seat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 feet 6 inches

of sleeping space in the fully extended position on the 777 (6 feet 4 inches on the 757-200), is one

of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 27 inches when the adjustable armrest

is positioned flush with the seat cushion on the 777 (25 inches on the 757-200). Electronic controls

enable customers to easily move the seats to the custom position most comfortable for them. The

seats provide more individual storage space for personal items. Laptop power, headset and USB

plugs are conveniently tucked above the customer’s shoulder. iPod connectivity allows each

customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music, all while their iPod is charging. The

new seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors for customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and

games, and have a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travelers.

Continental’s Heathrow flights operate from Terminal 4.

Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express

and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and

Asia, serving 133 domestic and 135 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance,

which overall offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries through its 26 member airlines.

With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and

Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate

culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World’s

Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World’s Most Admired Companies. For more company

information, go to continental.com.

NOTE: Continental Airlines is a Gols Sponsor member of the British-American Business Council Houston

4-Feb-10 10:00 AM

NASA announces new approach to exploration

Katie McCall — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON -- Houstonian and NASA Chief Charles Bolden provided more details about the space agency's new direction, as outlined in President Obama's 2011 budget proposal. Bolden says the plan to turn over the building of future spacecraft to the private sector will boost technological advancements and create jobs.

READ REMAINDER OF ARTICLE

3-Feb-10 8:00 AM

John Daugherty Realtors Announces Department of the Year Award

Michelle Sandlin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Houston, TX, February 2, 2010: John Daugherty, Realtors has announced that Michelle Sandlin, the company’s Director of Global Relocation Services, was recently presented with the Department of the Year Award for 2009. At the company’s Annual Celebration Breakfast, president and CEO, John A. Daugherty, Jr. presented the award to Sandlin in recognition of the many successes and accomplishments achieved by the department in 2009.

“So many wonderful things have happened over the past 14 months, and so many accomplishments have peppered the way. But, I don’t think that I have had a prouder moment than I had on Tuesday of last week when I was presented with this award. I love what I do so much, and I feel so lucky that I get to do what I love, where I love to do it,” says Sandlin.

Sandlin provides the direction and leadership for John Daugherty, Realtors Global Relocation Services Division, which serves many international corporations, organizations and relocation management companies. Sandlin is also responsible for the management of the company’s Broker-to-Broker referrals though its membership in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.

John Daugherty, Realtors has been servicing the Houston Real Estate market since 1967 with the mission of providing superior service for their clients while encouraging maximum teamwork among the agents and staff.

For more information, please visit www.HoustonRelocationBlog.com.

3-Feb-10 7:00 AM