3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
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25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
29th September 2016 Guatemala City
Travels in Guatemala, Part 2
Tikal As offered, this is the second part of the blog about the adventures we had on holidays in Guatemala, hope you enjoy! The following day we drove up through Flores (a really delightful town on its compact little island in lake Peten Itza) and on to Tikal. Tikal is the jewel of all Mayan […]
29th September 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Celebrating Turks and Caicos Islands’ Success: governors farewell praise for the Islands
Our Ambassador to Japan, Tim Hitchens, noted recently that leaving a Post can be both sad and challenging. Jill and I have experienced that with all our postings, and Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is certainly no exception. I have been wondering how to “sign off” these blogs, and a radio interview I was asked […]
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29th September 2016 London, UK
Stimulating the debate: early warnings for protection and resilience
Phil Evans, Met Office Government Services Director, during the opening session Arriving at Wiston House in West Sussex in glorious sunshine yesterday was a little incongruous with the topics, which will be under discussion this week. My colleagues and I are attending a Wilton Park event designed to stimulate dialogue on building and improving early-warning […]
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28th September 2016 London
Through greater international scientific collaboration we can solve the greatest global challenges
When it comes to science, research and innovation, the UK undoubtedly punches above its weight. Despite our small size and being home to less than 1% of the global population, we account for 3.9% of the world’s researchers, 6.4% of all journal articles and 15.9% of the world’s most cited articles. Our world-leading universities and […]
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28th September 2016 Bern, Switzerland
Introducing the Swiss Personalised Health Network
Switzerland is known for having one of the highest concentrations of healthcare specialists in the world. The Swiss Health Valley in Western Switzerland is host to a large number of research organisations and leading companies in life sciences, biotechnology, medical technology and medicine. It is therefore not surprising that the country is embarking on a nationwide […]
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28th September 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Visit to Solovky Island – a remote, spiritual place with some unexpected British history
My latest trip in the North West Federal District of Russia took me to Solovetsky Island, or Solovky Island, which is located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea. The main Solovetsky Island is part of an archipelago of six islands. This is a beautiful, remote, some say spiritual place, with a rich history […]
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28th September 2016 Mumbai, India
Potential UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology
Earlier this month, Dr Ian Stanton, Strategy and Policy Officer with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) participated in the UK-India workshops on industrial biotechnology in Mumbai and Chennai. In this blog, Ian outlines his thoughts on the future of UK-India collaborations on industrial biotechnology. September saw my first visit to India for […]
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27th September 2016 London, UK
Our house, in the middle of King Charles Street
Every year iconic buildings across the capital open their doors to the public as part of Open House London. When the organisation was founded in 1992, they wanted to open up coveted spaces to the public to enhance their appreciation and understanding of architecture and design. For 20 years the Foreign Office has been one […]
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26th September 2016 London, UK
Open Youth Academy Croatia 2016
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend we sent James Cattell to meet our colleagues in Croatia and participate as a judge at Open Youth Academy Croatia. This is his guest blog post. The open youth academy is an annual event in Croatia. It aims to foster greater understanding and use of open data. Its also […]
26th September 2016 Athens, Greece
A tyrant, a poet and three chamois
Early last week, I found myself standing next to the tomb of Ali Pasha, in the inner enclosure of the Ottoman fort at Ioannina. As I gazed on the iron feretory, I mused on how strange it was that Byron, who gave his life for the freedom of Greece, should have first sought out the […]