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RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
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Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
7th January 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
The Importance of Social Movements on Women’s Rights and their role in Politics and Creative Informal Economy – guest blog by Célia Sacramento
Located in the state of Bahia, Salvador is a Brazilian city whose population is mostly composed of afro-descendants. These afro-descendant women have always had a distinct position either as head of the household or working informally. It is reasonable to say that they were the first individual entrepreneurs in Brazil. For a long time, […]
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6th January 2014 Havana, Cuba
Seven wishes for 2014
A new year brings the opportunity to reflect on the past twelve months and look forward to the future. It’s a time to make resolutions and plan for the coming year. Here are my seven wishes for Cuba in 2014. 1. More measures are introduced that unleash creativity, innovation and entrepreneurism. Cubans are great people, amongst […]
6th January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Taking the Pledge
Last Friday I was a guest speaker at an event to help UK company Diageo launch their “Shoom Shufair”/ Don’t Drink & Drive Campaign. This aims to encourage anyone planning to drink alcohol to appoint a designated driver (who abstains from alcohol) to take them home afterwards. Similar Diageo campaigns elsewhere in the world have been very […]
5th January 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
الحوار الوطني في اليمن – الطريق إلى النجاح
احظت خلال الأسبوعين الماضيين أن هناك على ما يبدو إصرار متجدد لإنهاء مؤتمر الحوار الوطني على الرغم من أن هناك لا يزال جدل حاد عمّا يجب أن تتضمنه المخرجات النهائية: ما يجب الاتفاق عليه الآن وبشكل قاطع وما يمكن طرحه بالتفصيل في وقت لاحق. بينما كنت خارج اليمن لفترة أسبوعين قضيتها مع الأهل والأصدقاء، سألت […]
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4th January 2014 Sana’a, Yemen
Yemen’s National Dialogue – the road to success
Over the past week or two I have observed that there seems a renewed determination to bring the National Dialogue Conference to an end, though there is still keen debate about what should be in the final outcomes: what needs to be agreed definitively now, and what might be worked out in detail later. While […]
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3rd January 2014 Havana, Cuba
More public opinon polls in Cuba? Yes, please!
I was delighted to discover last week that Granma, one of the two daily newspapers in Cuba, has come round to the idea that public opinion surveys are a good basis for a news story. They definitely are and they are also useful for public policy makers – we’ve been using them in the UK […]
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3rd January 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
The Relevance of Brazilian Cultural Diplomacy in the International Scenario
Cultural relations are actions inserted in the practical reality of every internationalist, diplomat or political scientist. These relations have expanded, and the specialist has the opportunity to contemplate an extensive range of themes that show the need for adjustment, organisation and interaction with the world, by means of a constant demand of economic and cultural exchange.
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3rd January 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Christmas and New Year at the Vatican
The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy to the Holy See. This has been my first Christmas and New Year at the Holy See. With services at St Peter’s Basilica on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and the Urbi et Orbi message on […]
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31st December 2013 Athens, Greece
2014 – A year of opportunity?
On the banks of the magnificent Rhine, in my room on the sixth floor of the Hyatt Hotel, I’m watching the comings and goings of the container boats that ply their trade between the industrialised cities of the Rhineland. From above it’s as if they’re gliding effortlessly, bearing their cargo without sound, without propulsion. The […]
31st December 2013 New Delhi, India
Review of 2013
2013 has been quite a year for the UK Science and Innovation Network and our partners in India. In January, we took part in the visit of UK Health Minister, Anna Soubry. Health was a major theme of our work this year, which covered medical devices, regulations, an MoU signing, and preparations for workshops on […]