17th December 2025
MAKING LIFE SAFER, FOR EVERYONE
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
18th October 2016 Geneva, Switzerland
FCO Conference on Preventing Violent Extremism: How Freedom of Religion or Belief can help
Violent extremism is of course nothing new, but today we are confronted by the rapid growth of a particular form of it which is linked by its perpetrators to the tenets of one of the world’s great religions, Islam. It is worth just pausing for a moment to consider that violent extremism is not new, […]
Read more on FCO Conference on Preventing Violent Extremism: How Freedom of Religion or Belief can help | Reply (1)
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 […]
Read more on Hurricane Matthew: UK rapid response in Haiti | Reply
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 […]
Read more on Self driving cars: Removing the roadblocks | Reply (1)
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 […]
Read more on Exhibition to mark the 100th anniversary of the Russian ice-breaker, Krasin – built in Newcastle, took part in the Arctic Convoys | Reply
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, […]
Read more on India’s tech start-up acceleration and supporting success | Reply
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 […]
Read more on Exercise Joint Warrior – the need for realistic, live training with multinational defence partners | Reply