3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
17th October 2016 London, UK
Hurricane Matthew: UK rapid response in Haiti
What happens when one of the smallest UK missions globally is preparing for a long delayed election and gets hit beforehand by a Force 4 hurricane? We found out last week. Preparing for elections which we hoped would deliver a stable government, we were pushed into full crisis mode with the approach of the strongest […]
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17th October 2016 London, UK
UK music: a global leader
Great Britain is a global frontrunner in almost every genre of music. In rock, pop, classical, opera, folk, grime, punk, electronica, techno, blues, country, hip hop, jazz, reggae, R&B, alternative and heavy metal, the UK tops the charts. The language of British music crosses boundaries and borders. Our music creates emotional ties asking very little […]
17th October 2016 Science and Innovation Network
Self driving cars: Removing the roadblocks
In the global race to develop self driving cars, both Singapore and the UK are in the running. For Singapore, smart cars are part of the Smart Nation future. What better example of a technology that can enhance the lives of citizens, and make smarter use of city infrastructure, than autonomous vehicles? It is no […]
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14th October 2016 Kolkata, India
Spirit of place
I hosted my first adda last week. An adda is a very Bengali event – it’s a meeting of a group of people to talk about a particular subject. I attended one on my second day in Kolkata organised by the British Council colleagues for the British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith who was visiting […]
13th October 2016 San Francisco, USA
At the root of it all
UK and US delegates discuss issues in Plant Health Research during a breakout session (photo credit: Stefania Di Mauro-Nava) When our ancestors began cultivating plants and fungi for food, they brought about a massive change in how human civilizations across the globe developed. The agricultural revolution, which began in the UK, propelled us into the modern […]
13th October 2016 Bangalore, India
Age of the robots?
Some say we are in or entering the age of the robots. Why? Because robots are transforming the way we work and live – from manufacturing to farming, space exploration to surgical operations, cleaning our homes to entertaining us. The UK has a rich and colourful story in producing and shaping robotic technologies. The Eric, […]
12th October 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian ice-breaker, Krasin – built in Newcastle, took part in the Arctic Convoys
The Russian ice-breaker, the Krasin, was built in Newcastle in 1916-17 and went on to play an important role in the Arctic Convoys of World War Two. It is one of the most famous ships in Russia and is today a floating museum on the River Neva in St Petersburg. In partnership with Newcastle University […]
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12th October 2016 Delhi, India
India’s tech start-up acceleration and supporting success
The UK Science and Innovation Network is running interactive workshops to support Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) in India through a series of workshops across 4-cities who have confirmed interest in this area. These cities are Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Pune. The aim of this workshop is to share the best practices from established TBI managers, […]
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11th October 2016 London, UK
Exercise Joint Warrior – the need for realistic, live training with multinational defence partners
Fighting forces from nearly 20 NATO countries are gathered off the coast of Scotland this week benefiting from world-class training from the UK and practising their collective response to global crises anywhere in the world. In this blog Captain Andrew Stacey RN writes about the biannual exercise – Joint Warrior – and the unique opportunity […]
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11th October 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A Sleep Out for World Homeless Day
There seems to be a burgeoning range of international days throughout the year designated to raise awareness of all manner of causes and initiatives. Many of these are accompanied by suggested activities, often with a fundraising scope, linked to the theme of the day. I am by nature susceptible to the lure of these. In […]