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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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The climate crisis and gender-based violence
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Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
7th May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Wombats and Ambassadors join Foreign Minister in Western Australia
80 Ambassadors making the acquaintance of kangaroos, koalas and wombats. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop certainly knows how to show the diplomatic corps a good time. The get to know you session with a collection of iconic Australian marsupials was a fitting end to a fascinating trip to her home state of Western Australia. We had […]
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6th May 2014 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Director of Planning from the Department of Economic Planning and Development, Brunei, attended ASEAN PPP Study Visit in the UK
Today, we have a guest blogger, Hj Aminuddin Hj Md Taib, who has just attended the ASEAN Public-Private-Partnership Study Visit in the UK arranged by our regional FCO Economic and Trade Policy Network. Read on to find out what he has to say about his visit. Back to UK, back home to London. I was […]
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6th May 2014 Mumbai, India
Roundtable on UK-India manufacturing policy
Last month on April 9, my colleagues – Leena Arora (Science and Innovation Network) and Abhirup Dasgupta (UK Trade and Investment) – and I collaborated with the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge to organise a roundtable discussion on UK-India manufacturing policy in New Delhi. While the UK speakers came from organisations including […]
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6th May 2014 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Farewell From The Featherstones
I’m very pleased that Simon Featherstone, the British High Commissioner, has agreed to write a guest blog for me on his three and a half years in Malaysia. Both Simon and Gail will be sorely missed by everyone in the High Commission and we wish them well on their return to the UK. As any […]
5th May 2014 Paris, France
Aiming Higher: lessons from Tour de France Success
On May 6th we are organising an event here in the Embassy on the theme of applying innovation and excellence to raise achievement. We’re calling it ‘Aiming Higher’ and our star guest will be Sir Dave Brailsford
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5th May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
HRH Prince Harry in Italy on 18-19 May
‘A nation that forgets its past has no future.’ Churchill’s words are still relevant today. On the 18-19 May HRH Prince Harry will visit Italy to attend a number of events commemorating the Allied Campaign in Italy during WWII, focussing on the 70th anniversary of the Battles of Monte Cassino. We are honoured that HRH […]
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5th May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Press Freedom Day
Saturday was World Press Freedom Day. I marked the occasion by attending a celebration at the Omdurman University College for Press and Printing Technology. Apparently it’s the first time that an academic institution in Sudan has held such an event. It was well attended by a number of very senior, distinguished and courageous figures from […]
5th May 2014 Vientiane, Laos
April 2014 Monthly Snapshot
April 2014 View our activities this past month! Visit from Warwick University James Kennedy, Director of the International Office of the University of Warwick visited us again, sharing information about studying at Warwick and the UK government’s scholarship programme with Lao students from Soutsaka College and Oxford Education. #OneGreatYear On 2 April, we marked exactly one year since we […]
4th May 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
Beautiful Rila
by David Pert David Pert lived in Sofia from 1996 to 2000 when he worked in the Visa, Consular and Political Sections of the British Embassy Sofia. I’m David Pert, and lived in Sofia from 1996 to 2000 when I worked at the British Embassy. I lived in the wonderful Boyana area of town with […]
3rd May 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Media Freedom for a Better Future
Today is World Press Freedom Day #WPFD. The work that journalists do is often dangerous and difficult. Unfortunately, 2013 was one of the most dangerous years for the profession across the world, with 70 journalists killed. Many of these were caught in the cross-fire of armed hostilities. They had been trying in exceedingly difficult circumstances […]