They can:
* Issue emergency passports;
* Contact relatives and friends and ask them to help you with money or tickets;
* In an emergency, cash you a sterling cheque worth up to £100 if supported by a valid banker’s card;
* As a last resort, in exceptional circumstances, and as long as you meet certain strict rules, give you a loan to get back to the UK, but only if there is no one else who can help you;
* Visit you if arrested or put in prison, and arrange for messages to be sent to relatives or friends;
* Help you get in touch with local lawyers, interpreters and doctors;
* Tell you how to transfer money;
* Arrange for next of kin to be told of an accident or a death and advise on procedures;
* Put you in touch with organisations who help trace missing persons;
* Speak to local authorities on your behalf;
* Give you a list of local lawyers.
But they cannot:
* Intervene in court cases; Read the rest of this entry »
Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth’s surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK’s strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.