25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
23rd April 2024
Good English – A Key to Panama’s Future Success
21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
11th April 2019 Vienna, Austria
The Hare with Amber Eyes – live in Linz
A family is torn apart by war and discrimination. Many family members are murdered. Years later, a descendant of one of the survivors tries to find out what happened. This might not sound a promising premise for a musical. But at the Landestheater Linz on 6 April, the world premiere of the musical “The Hare […]
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4th April 2019 Morocco, Rabat
Thoughts in the Rain
The rain was falling as I left the house. I had the forethought to put both waterproof jacket and umbrella in the car. And I was very glad I did. / By the time we got to Tour Hassan Mosque, it was tipping down. Puddles were forming on the floor as the masses poured through […]
4th April 2019 Stockholm, Sweden
NATO at 70: The Alliance stands with Ukraine
Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The Alliance was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War by a group of European and North American countries, united by their desire to create a lasting peace in Europe. Much has changed in the world since 1949. Security threats are more diverse […]
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2nd April 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
El Mirador trek: channelling your inner Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones made archaeology sexy. In the UK, though, it’s difficult to replicate that sense of adventure around archaeological digs. One of the most famous discoveries in recent years was that of the remains of King Richard III (died 1485) – he was found under a car park in Leicester. It somehow lacks the exoticism […]
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2nd April 2019 London,UK
Mad Day Out
This week is English Tourism Week, an annual celebration of the people, places and experiences which make holidays in England so great. I thought I would mark the occasion by blogging about my attempt to retrace an English journey which took place more than fifty years ago. The Beatles, the most famous band in the […]
2nd April 2019 King Charles Street, London
Tackling the Plastics Problem – SIN India
The input and build-up of plastic debris in our oceans is a major and increasing environmental problem. Plastics now comprise the majority of debris found in the sea, and are the most durable and persistent part of it. Estimates vary, but over 100 million tonnes of plastic may now be present in the oceans. While […]
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29th March 2019 Vienna, Austria
Vienna to Bratislava: a very British journey
What is British and travels from Vienna to Bratislava? The answer is the new “Twin City Liner”, a catamaran built by the Wight’s shipyard in the Isle of Wight, which starts a new service along the Danube between Vienna and Bratislava on 29 March. I was delighted to be invited before the launch of the […]
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29th March 2019 Geneva, Switzerland
New UK Report on Implementation of International Humanitarian Law
Here in Geneva yesterday we celebrated the publication earlier this month of the UK’s first ever report on national implementation of international humanitarian law (IHL). Alongside UK Ambassador Julian Braithwaite and Michael Meyer (Head of International Law at the British Red Cross), I spoke at a reception for IHL experts from permanent missions and international […]
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29th March 2019
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
You are not alone
Last week I visited Una-Sana Canton, to see first-hand some of the UK’s support work for local communities there. By chance, this coincided with the festival of Nowruz, so during my visit to one of the temporary accommodation facilities for migrant families, I was able to join their colourful, musical Persian New Year celebrations. In […]
28th March 2019 Skopje, North Macedonia
How well do you know your world?
This was the title of the presentation I had the pleasure to hear during my visit to Kumanovo this week during an English language class in one of their high schools. The theme of how well we know our world seemed to be the central topic of the hospitality I received during the visit. In […]