26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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22nd December 2025
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17th December 2025
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30th August 2016
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A Potsdam Prism
In January 1992 in the early days of a reunified Germany I visited Potsdam after dropping off the Vilnius Diplomatic Bag at the British offices in the old Berlin Olympic Stadium. I wanted to see the Palace of Sans Souci, where Frederick the Great had employed Quantz and CPE Bach. But even after three years […]
29th August 2016 Bangalore, India
UK-India aerospace partnership can scale new heights
Aerospace is a UK manufacturing success story in the global business of making planes. We are a world leader in innovation, design and manufacturing parts for planes. Over the past several years the UK Science and Innovation Network and Department of International Trade have worked together to boost collaboration between the UK and India. This […]
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26th August 2016 Tripoli, Libya
LIBYA’S YOUTH
My last visit to Tripoli included a meeting with young activists. They were very clear about what they wanted: a voice in their future. They were no different from young people anywhere in the world. They wanted a better world: security, a job and a way to contribute to decisions that affect them. If you […]
25th August 2016 London, UK
Configuring the emergency travel documents web application
A while ago, I blogged about the vast levels of complexity we faced digitising the application process for Emergency travel documents. Today I’d like to look at a little more detail at one of our responses to that: building a data-driven application and how we control what is displayed. In my earlier blog, I talked […]
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23rd August 2016 Mogadishu, Somalia
UK’s work in Somalia
Over the next few months, I’ll be using this blog to share with you a little of my life and work here in Mogadishu. This week I’ve been struck by the variety of my work. It won’t be a surprise to hear that we’ve been working hard on security and governance issues. They are staples […]
22nd August 2016 Science and Innovation Network
John Kampfner on Our Creative Industries
British culture is famous around the world, with our theatre, our television, our music and our films thrilling millions who have never visited the country and proving a major attraction for many who do. Attention may have shifted this summer from Sherlock, Adele and Harry Potter to our cyclists, gymnasts and rowers at the Rio […]
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19th August 2016 Skopje, North Macedonia
A great year for UK-Macedonia defence engagement
It’s been three years since I was posted as Defence Attaché for Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania and during that time I have enjoyed the opportunity to attend the different army celebration events in the region. For Macedonia it is 18 August, the Macedonian Army Day. It is a day when the President, as Commander-in-Chief, heads […]
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19th August 2016 Bangalore, India
UK-India partnership making waves in the Sunderbans
Last year I had the opportunity to manage an incredibly exciting project on UK-India Cooperation on Tidal Power Research, which included several visits from the UK Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER), hosted at the University of Edinburgh. This builds on our efforts from 2014 when UKCMER members visited Kolkata and the Sunderbans to look […]
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18th August 2016 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Visas made easy…
Since arriving in Sri Lanka, I have become a bit of an expert on visas. In fact, when my phone rings, there’s almost a one in two chance that someone is calling about their visa. Getting a visa can be complex, frustrating and time-consuming. My colleagues in UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) work really hard […]
18th August 2016 Havana, Cuba
One year as a Chevening scholar – tips, anecdotes and real ale mojitos
Once again, I am delighted to publish a blog by one of the Cuban Chevening scholars currently in the UK. This time Claudia Parera explains how her MSc in Advanced Computer Science at the University of Bradford will help her to focus on the Digital Economy while she also offers useful tips for future scholars. […]
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