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Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
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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5th November 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 28 October-3 November 2013
[View the story ” Canadian science news: 28 October-3 November 2013″ on Storify]
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5th November 2013 London, UK
Reflecting on the Balance of Competences
I recently launched the third round of consultations in the Balance of Competences Review, the most extensive analysis of our relationship with the EU ever undertaken. The first six reports were published in July this year, with the next nine due this winter. Marking the launch, I spoke to businesses and civil society organisations about the contribution the reports are making to the wider debate on European reform.
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5th November 2013 Sana’a, Yemen
! لينتهِي العنف
يستمر الحوار الوطني اليمني في إحراز التقدم ولقد باشرت الجلسة العمومية أعمالها مرة أخرى بعد أجازة عيد الأضحى. ولا يزال الحوار يواجه تحديات هامة: هذا هو الوقت للوصول إلى اتفاق حيثما أمكن ذلك والانتقال إلى الخطوات التالية. هناك الكثير مما تم إنجازه من أعمال قيّمة في الحوار الوطني في حاجة إلى أن تترجم إلى أفعال […]
5th November 2013 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Important Bird Areas
Last weekend a colleague and I joined a trip by the Uzbekistan Society for the Protection of Birds (UzSPB – http://www.uzspb.uz/) to one of the country’s Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The IBAs have been identified as part of an international programme, overseen by BirdLife International, to identify, document and protect a network of sites that […]
5th November 2013 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Experience I Would Recommend to Any Colleague
The following is a post by Mark Woodham, Former Deputy Head of Mission in Dushanbe. After just over three years here, I am just about to leave Dushanbe and Tajikistan for pastures new. As always when leaving a place that has been home for several years, the departure is one of mixed feelings: on the […]
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4th November 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Isn’t Knowledge GREAT? Origins of Universe Bring Nobel Prize to UK
Serendipity, “The God Particle” and Turkish-British Collaboration in Science – a guest blog by Dr. Başak Candemir, Science and Innovation Officer, British Consulate-General Istanbul On 8 October, the Nobel Committee awarded the Physics Prize jointly to British scientist Peter Higgs and Belgian scientist Francois Englert. Professor Higgs gave his name to the the “Higgs Boson” or […]
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4th November 2013 Washington DC, USA
Remember, remember! The fifth of November….
The following is a guest post from Carole Johnson, First Secretary Asia in the Foreign & Security Policy Group at the British Embassy, Washington. Returning on the metro from a concert at the Kennedy Center, last Saturday night (and what a fantastic living memorial that arts centre is) I was met with carriages of cartoon […]
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4th November 2013 Vientiane, Laos
Laos through my eyes – James Kennedy
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. Compacting the hot sticky rice into a ball in my fingers and dipping it in chilli sauce, the smell and the adhesive feel of the rice bring the memories […]
3rd November 2013 Sana’a, Yemen
Violence must stop
Yemen’s National Dialogue continues to make progress and the closing plenary has re-started its work after the break for the Id al-Adha. But it still faces considerable challenges: it is time to reach agreement where possible and move to the next steps. There is a lot of valuable work done by the National Dialogue that needs […]
1st November 2013 Brasilia, Brazil
A shared goal: the fight against poverty
Brazilian health minister Alexandre Padilha announced plans on Monday to produce a combined measles and rubella vaccine for developing countries, mainly in Africa. Brazil is following other leading emerging nations such as China and India in investing in biomedical technology to supply vaccines and medicines to developing countries at lower costs than those produced by […]
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