8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
17th October 2024
OSLOBOĐENJE BEOGRADA
11th October 2024
Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
29th November 2013 Beirut, Lebanon
Waves, Arguments and Cliffhangers: Ten Ways Diplomats Can Communicate Better
French diplomat Jules Cambon saw the dangers of diplomatic openness in 1931, complaining that ‘the activities of the press, and ignorance of a public that insists on being told everything, do not create an atmosphere favourable to prosecution of political designs’. He was right, long before Assange and Snowden, that the media would sweep away […]
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29th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
4th Fastest Ambassador
The amazing 10 kilometre Great Ethiopian Run (GER) took place last Sunday. And despite a number staying away because of security concerns, some 37,000 participants competed. The sight of the flood of runners, most in matching yellow and green shirts, was quite something to behold. The change of course route this year presented a challenge […]
29th November 2013 Mogadishu, Somalia
Creating hope for victims of gender based violence
As part of our support to the 16 days of activism campaign, I have invited some of our partners to share their stories. Sagal Sheikh-Ali is a program Coordinator at the Somali Women Development Center (SWDC). The organisation strives to minimise the number of women who are subjected to violence by empowering them through access […]
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29th November 2013 New Delhi, India
Designing Together | UK and India sign MoU on Design Collaboration
Creative Industries and Design is a relatively new area of interest for the SIN-India, but it has been a regular topic on our blog over the last year and a new call was announced this week to support people to attend the Unbox Festival on Future Cities. Here’s some more hot-off-the-press news on Indo-UK Design […]
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28th November 2013 New York, USA
A Thanksgiving Carol – Or, How I Learned to Quit Grousing and Love the Turkey
Turkey is a dull meat, and for years I associated its blandness with my general apathy towards Thanksgiving. Granted, it’s a day off, but it is also marks the start of the holiday season in the US with the horrid mayhem of Black Friday. And while it has an edge over Christmas in that you are more […]
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28th November 2013 Ottawa, Canada
Canada-UK: A healthy relationship
I was at the beautiful Cumberland Lodge near Windsor, UK, last week for the 2013 Canada-UK Colloquium. The Colloquium is an annual event, taking place alternately in each country, bringing together British and Canadian parliamentarians, public officials, academics…
28th November 2013 Madrid, Spain
Why bother to blog?
I’m still a newcomer to the world of blogging. So I’m particularly grateful to those who have taken the time to read my early blog posts. And thanks also to those following me on Twitter. But one question that has been put to me a few times is: “Why are you bothering? Wouldn’t your time […]
27th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Lundy Island English paradise: my second Turkish video blog
Here is my second video blog in Turkish. It’s about my favourite obsession (who can spot the film reference?): tiny, hidden Lundy Island, Atlantic Ocean. I would say – go and visit the island! But I’d rather it remained, as now, far off the beaten track… If you like the sound of Lundy you might […]
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27th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Holy See as a global (soft) power
From time to time, I continue to receive queries from well-meaning people asking why we have an embassy to the Holy See. It’s not a nation state, they suggest. So what can our interests be? I would hope that regular readers of this blog or our twitter feed have a pretty good idea by now […]
27th November 2013 Mogadishu, Somalia
16 days of activism
I’d like to welcome you to my first blog as the UK Ambassador to Somalia. I have spent my first six months learning about this wonderful country and travelling to as many places as I can. As this week marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, I thought it was a perfect […]