26th February 2026
Different Memories, Shared Futures: Why Inclusive Remembrance Matters for Serbia and the Region
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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22nd December 2025
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17th December 2025
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30th August 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The secret to getting a visa
Many people raise visa issues with me. They think I have a conjurer’s wand and can magic one up if they can only convince me of their case. Actually there is almost nothing I can do to assist even if I wished to do so. These days we do not even issue visas from the […]
29th August 2013 USA
Wounded Warriors bring British inventor’s dreams to life
It is rare to witness the moment when an inventor sees his dreams realised; the culmination of years of testing, adapting and perfecting inventions suddenly paying off. I had the pleasure of witnessing one of those extraordinary moments while attending the 33rd National Veterans Wheelchair Games last month in Tampa, Florida. When I visited Tampa […]
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28th August 2013 Harare, Zimbabwe
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, visits the Helmand PRT
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, flew in to Lashkar Gah on 27 August to see for himself the progress which international forces and the Afghan authorities have made in bringing security, stability and prosperity to Helmand. As holder of the British Government purse-strings it’s important that he satisfies himself with the impact the […]
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28th August 2013 USA
Dr King’s British Legacy
Today I will have the honour of representing the UK government on the fiftieth anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s historic “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. I’ve represented my country at many big events in my 20-year diplomatic career, from G8 and UN Summits to the State of the Union […]
28th August 2013 Toronto, Canada
Canadian science news: 19-25 August 2013
[View the story ” Canadian science news: 19-25 August 2013″ on Storify]
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28th August 2013 Vancouver, Canada
To Write or Not to Write
Never write about Shakespeare. It’s like inviting friends to watch you skate when the Sedins are on the ice. In fact, given the very existence of Hamlet and King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night – to write or not to write, at all, about anything, should be the question. . .
28th August 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A week in an Aboriginal community
Indigenous Australians have been on this continent for around 40,000 years. So it was a great privilege to spend 5 days in the Aboriginal community of Hopevale, in Cape York in the far north of Queensland. My principal impression was the warmth of the people I met. Each evening a different family invited me to […]
27th August 2013 Ottawa, Canada
Reading the (trade) tea leaves
I will admit trade policy isn’t always edge-of-your-seat material, but lately it has been getting its fair share of press. From a new Director-General at the World Trade Organisation, to the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and the start of bilateral trade talks between the EU and US, there are a lot of potential game changers for global trade on the horizon. . .
27th August 2013 Windhoek, Namibia
Visiting drought stricken areas in northern Namibia
Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba declared a national emergency on 17 May in response to the country’s failed rains and worsening drought situation. An estimated 330,000 people have now been classified as food insecure – 14 % of Namibia’s total population of 2.3m, with an additional 447,577 classified as moderately food insecure. The drought hit especially […]
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27th August 2013 Bangalore, India
Water chemistry bonds researchers
Moreshwar Hude from the Royal Society of Chemistry writes about a two-day workshop titled “Indo UK Water quality perspective: Threats, Technologies and Options” on 13-14 August 2013, which was jointly organized by the UK Science and Innovation Network, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. Water is unique and […]