On the fringes – Embassy 36

I spy with my little rock

It’s a plot worthy of a James Bond movie but now we know the truth – the British were, in fact, spying on the Russians using a high-tech transmitter device placed in a plastic rock to steal Russian data. This unexpected revelation was made by Tony Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell and followed newspaper articles late last year of Russian spooks at the Embassy in London.

This may explain why British immigration officials take so long to grant visas to Russian citizens, a bête-noir of Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko. Perhaps the Russians will inspect the paperwork of British visa applicants more closely from now on.

Bulldog spirit
...Speaking of paperwork, we were saddened to hear of another brave British diplomatic dog, Baloo, who had to be left behind in Tehran because his pet passport could not be found. This was after defended his master against rioters in the British Embassy. Fortunately Baloo’s paperwork was retrieved in Hong Kong (his previous posting). UK Ambassador Dominick Chilcott’s dog, Pumpkin, suffered a similar fate, but we are happy to report that both pooches have now been reunited with their owners.

Flagging enthusiasm
On the subject of abandonment, we know the French were vexed when David Cameron decided to say non to a new EU treaty last year, followed by the tabloids gleefully predicting the end of the Union. So diplomats at the French Embassy must have been less than pleased when the British weather joined in, whipping up a fierce storm that ripped the EU flag right off the French Embassy’s flagpost.