3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
19th December 2012 London, UK
Consular Christmas blogs: An alternative Christmas in Goa
The end of the year is a fun time to be in Goa. The festive season starts with the Hindu festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali, then you have the various church feasts that honour the patron saints of each village. In December, Roman Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint […]
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19th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Promoting LGBT Rights in Turkey Through KAOS
A guest blog by Peter Spoor, Head Press and Projects Team at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey KAOS GL is a small but perfectly formed Turkish organisation which is seeking to overturn prejudice in Turkey on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) issues. KAOS’ aim is to ensure that the country’s LGBT citizens can […]
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18th December 2012 Vancouver, Canada
Walls and Windmills
There’s a Chinese proverb that says: “When the wind of change blows, some build walls while others build windmills.” It reminds me of Darwin’s theory which states that it is the best adapted of the species that survives. Every change to the context of our existence provides an opportunity to flourish or the potential to […]
18th December 2012 New Delhi, India
SINners best bits of 2012
Keeping in line with the many ‘highlights of the year’ lists that are released during December we thought we would do a ‘best bits of 2012’ blog. It has been a busy year with a huge number of visits facilitated, workshops run, events attended and collaborations formed. My highlight has been getting the opportunity to […]
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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