9th December 2025
Why We Need Data, Courage, and Community
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
31st July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
My first six months at the Holy See
The following is a guest blog by Steve Townsend, Deputy Head of Mission. It is difficult to think that I have already finished the first six months of my four-year posting to the Holy See. The time seems to flown past. Why did I apply for the job? I am interested in “soft power” – […]
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30th July 2013 Ottawa, Canada
Canadian High Performance Computing and Big Data Capabilities
National infrastructure for supercomputing-powered research High performance computing (HPC) has become an indispensable and enabling technology across all research fields. Some fields have a long history with computing such as computer science, astrophysics, weather (climate modeling) and engineering. In Canada, researchers are managing and analyzing immensely large and complex data sets from sources such as […]
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30th July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Honduras: Judicial and Community leaders working together for crime prevention
To kick off this week, we have another guest blogger. This time it’s Sara Del Cid, our Security and Justice Officer who has written about her recent visit to Honduras. Over to you Sara. One of the Embassy’s priorities in Honduras is to support the security and justice sectors. LA couple of weeks ago we […]
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30th July 2013 Washington DC, USA
Nostalgic for 2012: The Olympic Legacy
Nostalgia is defined as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period of place with happy personal associations.” With this weekend marking one year on, was I feeling nostalgic about the London 2012 games, which I experienced from more than 3,000 miles away? I most definitely was. While I couldn’t […]
30th July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Greening Ethiopia – the road from London to Rio
This morning it was pouring with rain when I first looked out of the window. So I was pleased that it had cleared a couple of hours later when my Brazilian colleague Isabel and I stood on a hillside overlooking Addis Ababa in our wellington boots. Actually, it was perfect conditions for tree-planting, and we […]
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30th July 2013 Budapest, Hungary
Innovation was GREAT at the Hungarian Grand Prix!
Formula One is the most internationally watched sport. But it is a peculiarly British sport. Though it may not seem like it, 8 of the 12 F1 teams are based within 100 miles of each other in England. Britain has produced more champions than any other country and UK-based teams have won well over half the […]
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30th July 2013 Cape Town, South Africa
Food is GREAT Britain in South Africa
David Edmondson works at the British Consulate General Cape Town building commercial relationships in The Cape and supporting UK companies across South Africa in the Food and Drink, Agribusiness, Tourism and Leisure and Marine sectors. His colleagues in Cape Town focus on the Design and Creative sectors and they are part of a large UK […]
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30th July 2013 Chevening, UK
Saying Farewell to our Chevening Class of 2012/13
On 23 July 2013 we bade a sad farewell to our Chevening class of 2012/13. FCO Minister Hugo Swire hosted and Malaysian scholar Ruth Garnet Maran, representing the class, gave the valedictory address. There are several defining moments, both positive and negative in life that define and redefine who you are. These events shake the consciousness with […]
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30th July 2013 New Delhi, India
Innovation is GREAT round up
At the UK-India Summit in February this year our Prime Ministers issued a declaration in which they “welcomed the rapid expansion of India-UK research and development cooperation, which is helping to generate and develop high quality, high impact research partnerships leading to new knowledge creation”. But they also stated there was “considerable potential for expanding […]
30th July 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Should’ve gone to Specsavers
“Should’ve gone to Specsavers”. Millions of Australians have. Last week they were voted Australian Retailer of the Year and Retail Employer of the Year. A remarkable success story for a company which has grown to nearly 300 stores in just five years since coming to Australia. I visited their Asia Pacific HQ in Melbourne to […]