Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

14th August 2014 Bucharest, Romania

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by Raluca Bragarea

Head of Communications, Bucharest

Volunteers for the summer

On 19th July, Mark Flewitt and Tim Tofts – Trustees of The Libra Foundation – visited the embassy on to talk about the charity’s plans for the future. The charity volunteers and trustees were excited about a 5 week programme that was about to start, full of activities aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged […]

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14th August 2014 Mumbai, India

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by Vijay Iyer

Senior Science & Innovation Adviser

Workshop on Advanced Manufacturing in Bengaluru

As a follow up to the UK-India manufacturing round table held in New Delhi in April this year, I’m collaborating with my UKTI colleague, Venkatesh, to organise a one-day UK-India workshop on advanced manufacturing in Bengaluru on September 12, 2014. If you’re interested in finding about the outcomes of the round table meeting, you might […]

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13th August 2014

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Una muestra del Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas en Honduras

El 9 de agosto es el Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas, cuando alrededor del mundo se celebra la historia, cultura y derechos de los pueblos indígenas. La ONU lo proclamó así para abogar por la no discriminación e inclusión de los pueblos originarios en procesos legislativos en todos los niveles. En Guatemala hay más […]

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13th August 2014 Sana’a, Yemen

Jane Marriott, British Ambassador to Yemen

by Jane Marriott

British Ambassador to Yemen

اصنعوا السلام، لا الحرب

قال الفيلسوف الاسباني جورج سانتايانا “أولائك الذين لا يستطيعون تذكر الماضي يُحكم عليهم بتكراره”. لدى اليمنيين ذاكرة ممتازة ومع هذا فأن دورات العنف، والثأر والسلطة مستمرة. كما رأينا في مؤتمر الحوار الوطني غالبية الشعب اليمني يريدون السلام والاستقرار والحقوق الاقتصادية والاجتماعية الأساسية. وقد أعطت مخرجات مؤتمر الحوار الوطني اليمنيين خارطة الطريق للوصول لهذا الهدف بالرغم […]

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13th August 2014 Sana’a, Yemen

Jane Marriott, British Ambassador to Yemen

by Jane Marriott

British Ambassador to Yemen

MAKE PEACE, NOT WAR

Spanish philosopher George Santayana said that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yemenis have very good memories and yet the cycles of violence, revenge and power continue. As we saw in the National Dialogue, most Yemenis want peace, stability and basic economic and social rights. The NDC outcomes gave Yemen a plan to get […]

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13th August 2014 New Delhi, India

‘IISc is very keen on expanding its network’

This month, Professor Balaram stepped down as Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) after nearly a decade at the helm. He was also recently in the UK to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of York, recognising his enormous contributions to science. I caught up with him, just prior to his departure […]

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13th August 2014

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Death to the Death Penalty?

The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See On 13 August 1964, Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans made British judicial history, although not in a way they would have appreciated. They were the last people executed in the United Kingdom. Throughout the […]

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13th August 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Dr Who mania hits Sydney

I no longer cower behind the sofa at the opening bars of the Dr Who theme tune, but it still summons up something of the frisson I remember from Saturday nights in my childhood. Interestingly, I just learned that the melody was composed by an Australian, Ron Grainer, for the first series back in 1963. […]

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12th August 2014

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by Sarah Dickson

Ambassador to Guatemala (June 2012 - June 2015)

Chamusca a la Británica……

Para conmemorar el Día Internacional de la Juventud, he invitado a Paúl Menchú, Secretario General de ACJ-YMCA Guatemala, a que comparta la maravillosa experiencia que tuvimos en marzo de este año, en la cual compartimos con 300 jóvenes de diferentes centros educativos de Retalhuleu. ACJ-YMCA es una asociación que se fundó en 1964 y desde […]

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