Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

19th February 2014

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Religion, Violence and Sectarianism

Baroness Warsi is the first ever British Minister for Faith in a British government. She is also Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In both roles, at home and abroad, and with the strong support of the Prime Minister, she has made religious freedom a personal priority: promoting and protecting people’s […]

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19th February 2014

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by Peter Millett

Ambassador to Libya, Tripoli

The Wrong Mansaf

Jordanians are proud of their national dish. And rightly so: this tasty dish of rice, lamb and jameed (a kind of yoghurt) is a symbol of Jordanian tradition and an essential part of major occasions. Mansaf is also a regular part of the visits that diplomats make to parts of the country. And of course, […]

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19th February 2014 Mumbai, India

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by Vijay Iyer

Senior Science & Innovation Adviser

Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult

Imagine a place where scientists, engineers, and businessmen are jointly creating the next best technology, which will change the way our world functions – welcome to the Catapult centre! The Technology Strategy Board (TSB)  has created a network of Catapults in the UK to support innovation, and thereby drive economic growth. Currently, there are seven […]

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18th February 2014

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by Jonathan Allen

Former Ambassador to Bulgaria

Welcome to The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award to Bulgaria

Yesterday, I took part with the President in the official launch of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme in Bulgaria. This was not just an offical duty, but a personal pleasure too, because from the age of 14- 18, at school, I participated in the Scheme. The lessons I learned then stay with me now. As […]

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18th February 2014

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by Bruce Bucknell

Former British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

Incentive

An advantage for English speakers trying to speak another language is that so many of our words find their way into other languages.  Russian is no different.  But I can imagine that the creep of anglicisms into Russian is as galling for Russian speakers, as it is for speakers of other languages. One word that […]

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18th February 2014 Mumbai, India

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by Vijay Iyer

Senior Science & Innovation Adviser

Interview with Dr. Paul Ellsmore, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult centre, Glasgow

A 5-member UK delegation participated in the recent workshops (03/02 & 06/02) on offshore wind energy organised by the UK Science & Innovation Network India in Ahmedabad and Chennai. I met with Dr. Paul Ellsmore, Academic & Cross-Catapult Manager from the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult centre, Glasgow to find out more about the centre’s […]

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18th February 2014 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

The impact of invasive Acacia in conjunction with fire on the Kerangas forest of Brunei

This is a guest blog by James Margrove, a post graduate student from the University of Aberdeen, who is currently in Brunei doing an internship at the Universiti Brunei Darussalam studying the impact of invasive Acacia in conjunction with fire on the Kerangas forest of Brunei. I was first informed about the internship opportunity with the […]

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17th February 2014

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by Matt Field

British Diplomat

A year to remember

The first few weeks of the year can be slow for many of us, waiting for the busy times to kick in. That’s certainly the theme of a ‘Calendario Brasileiro 2014’ which I see flying around on social media, suggesting we may only have a couple of working months in the year as a whole, […]

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17th February 2014

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Let’s End the Illegal Wildlife Trade

On 13 February the UK hosted governments from across all five Continents to galvanise international action on the illegal wildlife trade – The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. Our focus was to improve law enforcement to catch and punish those responsible; support the development of sustainable livelihoods in areas affected by wildlife crime; and […]

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