Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

24th October 2013 New Delhi, India

UK Innovation Showcase: Calling all R&D intensive businesses in India

Over the last five years, UK and India have together invested over £100 million in joint research programmes and this continues to grow. Our joint research covers: energy security; food and agriculture; and climate change, as well as looks at the enormous social and cultural changes that are taking place in India. It’s an impressive […]

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23rd October 2013 Lima, Peru

Words from a chocolate maker

by Duffy Sheardown, Chocolate Maker, Duffy’s Chocolate Foreword by Ben Rawlings, Head of Economic and Sustainable Development at the British Embassy in Lima As far as we know, chocolate was discovered in Central America three to four thousand years ago, and was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus when he landed on Guanaja, an island […]

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23rd October 2013

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by Peter Millett

Ambassador to Libya, Tripoli

Away Day

A Malay proverb says “clapping with the right hand only, produces no noise.” When it comes to being effective in our day-today work, how can we make sure we make noise, ie produce effective results that make a difference? One way is by working together better. Team-building is an essential part of running any office. […]

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23rd October 2013

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Guest blog: Romania offers serious business opportunities in the transport sector

This is the message from Romanian Transport Minister Mrs Ramona Manescu during a speech she delivered for the Mass Transport Conference, an event hosted by the British Embassy in Bucharest and the UK Trade & Investment. I joined the Minister on the occasion together with the director of EBRD Romania, James Hyslop, and the Team […]

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22nd October 2013 USA

American Football goes East, Football goes West

In the 1980’s, Channel 4 brought American football into teenage British living rooms. Mike Ditka, John Elway and William “The Refrigerator” Perry became household names as schoolkids started to “Go Long”, call “Set, Hut!” and grapple with the new language of football. Many were convinced that the novelty wouldn’t last. Fast forward 25 years and […]

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22nd October 2013 Tripoli, Libya

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by Nicholas Hopton

Head of UK Embassy to Libya

يوم عمل المدونات 2013 : حقوق الإنسان

لقد مرت فترة من الزمن على كتابة آخر مدونة لي، وقد انتقلت بعدها من اليمن لتولي منصبي الحالي كسفير للمملكة المتحدة في دولة قطر. ويسعدني الآن أن أعمل في الدوحة، في هذا الوقت بالذات، خاصة وأن البلاد تمر بمرحلة تطور سريعة بالإضافة إلى لعب دولة قطر دورا دوليا أكثر أهمية من أي وقت مضى. لقد […]

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22nd October 2013 Madrid, Spain

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by Daniel Pruce

British Ambassador to the Philippines and to Palau

My first blog

This is my first blog. So I thought I should begin by explaining who I am and why I am blogging. ‬ I have been working at the British Embassy in Madrid since the middle of last year. I am the Deputy Head of Mission. Before coming to Madrid I spent 3 years working as […]

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22nd October 2013

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by Carolyn Browne

Former ambassador to Kazakhstan

What’s in a name?

As Shakespeare famously observed, “What’s in a name? …a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. This is Juliet – as in Romeo and Juliet – talking to herself about the slightly inconvenient problem that the man with whom she had just fallen in love comes from the clan who are sworn enemies […]

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