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
18th December 2012 London, UK
Consular Christmas blogs: A Canadian Christmas
Canada is a wonderful place for the holiday season, with many exciting diversions and snow going hand in hand. Many tourists travel to the west coast, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, to enjoy world class skiing. Others savour the festival of lights at Niagara Falls, or go skating on the world’s largest outdoor ice […]
Read more on Consular Christmas blogs: A Canadian Christmas | Reply
18th December 2012 Athens, Greece
Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict – Guest Blog #3
Sexual violence in conflict situations is as much a terrifying crime as a brutal one, wherever it takes place; it has direct and indirect effects on human lives, leaving deep, indelible scars on the victims as well as society itself. As part of the Preventing the Sexual Violence Initiative that the Foreign Secretary has launched, we host […]
Read more on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict – Guest Blog #3 | Reply
18th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold Rushes… and their modern equivalents
In this season of frankincense and myrrh I have just been reading a really interesting book by David Hill The Gold Rush about Australia’s gold rushes in the second half of the 19th century. On my travels around Australia I have seen some of the physical legacy of the industry in splendid gold mining towns like Ballarat and […]
Read more on Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold Rushes… and their modern equivalents | Reply
17th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Climate challenges after Doha – some light amidst the gloom
The latest round of international talks on climate change ended last weekend in Doha. One of my previous postings was at the UK Mission to the UN so I have firsthand experience of how exhausting and difficult these huge international negotiations can be. From a distance, the outcome from Doha looks like a modest step […]
Read more on Climate challenges after Doha – some light amidst the gloom | Reply
17th December 2012 London, UK
Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas in the land of the midnight sun
Thanks to Joanna Lumley’s wonderful documentary about her trip to Norway – and her frantic search for the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) – Norway has become a popular destination for British tourists all year round. For people searching for beautiful fjords, midnight sun, Northern Lights or rugged mountains, Norway has a lot to offer. But […]
Read more on Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas in the land of the midnight sun | Reply
14th December 2012 Washington DC, USA
GREAT British boxer Amir Khan in Los Angeles
The following is a guest post by Dame Barbara Hay, British Consul-General in Los Angeles. They used to say Amir Khan was the best thing to happen to race relations in Britain. The son of Pakistani immigrants and a practising Muslim, he made all of Britain proud by winning silver at the 2004 Olympics and […]
Read more on GREAT British boxer Amir Khan in Los Angeles | Reply
14th December 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Emerging Europe is GREAT!
Just wanted to catch up at the end of a very busy week. The Emerging Europe message really is great. Everybody is talking emerging market opportunity. For many businesses however they are just too far away – we offer a similar opportunity right on the UK’s doorstep – you can get here and back in […]
14th December 2012 Dushanbe, Tajikistan
New Year holidays in Dushanbe
The following is a post by Steven Mulvain, Vice Consul. It’s almost the end of the year, a time when the embassy starts to feel emptier as our hard-working local staff, as well as the Ambassador and the other British staff, take a well-earned break to enjoy the festive season and spend time with friends […]
14th December 2012 London, UK
Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas in Ibiza
Ibiza is very different in winter. After the hectic, chaotic heat of the summer, winter is chill-out time under the weak winter Mediterranean sun. The clubbers and party-goers have left to recharge their batteries ready for next year and the Islanders do the same. Over the last 20 years the Spanish perception of Christmas has […]
Read more on Consular Christmas blogs: Christmas in Ibiza | Reply
14th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
When BBC stands for the Bosphorus Brewing Company
Where in the world can you buy Istanbul Pale Ale (IPA) with water made to a Burton on Trent recipe to wash down fish and chips made with beer batter? And why is 81 a good name for a beer in Turkey? I was delighted recently to be invited to the opening of the Bosphorus Brewing Company […]
Read more on When BBC stands for the Bosphorus Brewing Company | Reply (1)