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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
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International Day of Women in Diplomacy: UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls visit to Geneva
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14th November 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – Mike Boddington
This article is part of a series of guest blogs contributed by Brits who have lived and worked in Laos, or who have other interesting links to Laos. My love affair with South East Asia began in 1971, when I was fortunate enough to be appointed to a short-term consultancy with the United Nations Economic Commission for […]
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13th November 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 4-10 November 2013
[View the story “Canadian science news: 4-10 November 2013” on Storify]
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13th November 2013 Chennai, India
Royal Visit to Kerala: Day 2
Today is the most challenging day. Two separate programmes for their Royal Highnesses mean that all our staff will be in the field, leaving limited surge capacity to handle any unexpected issues. and weather forecasts predicting the start of the monsoon add to the risks. His Royal Highness will visit Cochin Shipyard where UK companies […]
13th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Opening of Australia’s new Parliament
The 44th Australian Parliament opened yesterday. The diplomatic corps were invited to attend and observe the splendid ceremony. The Australian system is a hybrid: with an elected upper chamber it has some important differences from Westminster; but there are many similarities in procedure. First the members of the House of Representatives were sworn in, either by […]
12th November 2013 Houston, USA
UK Chief Scientific Adviser explores energy in Texas
I recently had the opportunity to join Sir Mark Walport, the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, on his trip through Texas before he headed on to Canada. Our Science and Innovation teams coordinated his visit, which focused on the potential for building UK-North America links in energy and sharing best practices in policy and regulation. […]
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12th November 2013 Havana, Cuba
Dirty money – tackling organised crime together
This week’s blog is a guest blog written by my colleague Rhys Patrick, Second Secretary, Political and Public Affairs. Organised crime and terrorism are two of the world’s biggest security challenges. They can affect anyone at anytime, from people forced into human trafficking to those caught up in terrorist attacks. And they spawn other illicit activities […]
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12th November 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Remembering
We held the annual ceremony of remembrance on Sunday. The ceremony was led by a selection of local religious figures from the Christian and Jewish faiths. And Ambassadors from many countries, together with Tamas Vargha Parliamentary State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, came to lay wreaths. It was a moving and a memorable morning as […]
12th November 2013 Brasilia, Brazil
A light at the end of the tunnel
What makes a young person want to pursue International Relations(IR) studies? Enter factors such as personal preferences, labour market, interest in the subject, among others. In Brazil, whatever the main reason is one thing we know for sure, it is clearly working. In times of globalizations and complex interdependence, talking about international relations sounds very […]
12th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Remembering the Fallen: Working to end Conflict
Every year since the First World War came to an end in 1918 at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, it has been a tradition on the Sunday closest to it to commemorate and remember all those lost as a result of conflict and its aftermath. Sudan sadly is no […]
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12th November 2013 Chennai, India
Royal Visit: Day One
It’s hard to describe the maelstrom that is a big, high-level visit. The calm before the visit is transformed instantly into high-octane excitement. Impressive convoys that had been sitting idle moments earlier roar into action. Massive crowds seem to suddenly materialise everywhere, many with hastily written welcome placards. The first visit was to the hugely […]