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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
6th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Facing up to the economic chill: Britain’s response
As winter sets in here, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered what’s called the Autumn Statement to Parliament in London on 5 December. The Government’s economic strategy is focussed on reducing the deficit, restoring stability, rebalancing the economy and equipping the UK to compete in the global race. The government’s new decisions relate to three […]
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5th December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Falkland Islands referendum and their right of self-determination
In June this year the Falkland Islands Government announced their intention to hold a referendum on their sovereignty in 2013. The islanders want to tell the world what their views are in a clear, democratic and incontestable way. Their government has decided a referendum is the best way to achieve this. They will be looking […]
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3rd December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Royal firsts in Rome
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were in Rome on 30 November and 1 December. They were here to celebrate the work, teaching and history of the British Pontifical Colleges. They visited the Pontifical Scots College on St Andrew’s Day, where they unveiled a plaque commemorating Henry Stuart, Cardinal York; commemorated the English Martyrs and […]
3rd December 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
A Match Made in Heaven: Can Online Dating Transform British/Lebanese Trade?
Britain and Lebanon are great traders, on the edge of our continents. The Phoenicians were masters of global trade 7000 years ago. Our moment came several millennia later, but we also built our success, in the 19th century, on the back of a readiness to pioneer, to voyage, and to do business. Diplomats cling to […]
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3rd December 2012 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Through the Language Glass
This week is English Week in Tashkent, with a series of events organised by the British Council with the Ministries of Public and Higher Education and other partners. I attended the opening of an annual conference organised by the Uzbek Teachers of English Association (UzTEA) that brought together English teachers from across Uzbekistan. They were […]
2nd December 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A visit to Port Sudan
I visited Port Sudan for a few days last week. A 10 hour car journey that began several hours before dawn finally drew to an end as we weaved through the Red Sea hills into a Port Sudan decked out in bunting for the opening of the 6th Red Sea Festival for Tourism and Marketing […]
30th November 2012 Washington DC, USA
Marshalling the Future
The following is a guest post by James Kariuki, Counsellor and Head of Politics, Economics and Communications Group at the British Embassy in Washington. Educational exchange is one of the most powerful forms of cultural diplomacy. It changes lives—and sometimes it can change history. Had a young Kenyan man not been given the opportunity to […]
30th November 2012 Ottawa, Canada
Roots and Wings
If you look carefully, you will see the Saltire, or St Andrew’s Cross, flying over many British Government Buildings today, including the British High Commission here in Ottawa. That’s because today is St Andrew’s Day – the patron saint of Scotland. St Andrew was one of the apostles, and was crucified on a diagonal cross […]
30th November 2012 London, UK
Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones may not have been foremost in the minds of Ministers as they agreed to open trade talks between the EU and Japan yesterday, but if the negotiations are successful, they could be among those that benefit. The decision to open negotiations between two of the world’s largest economies was a major success […]
30th November 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Why trade is win-win – for Turkey and the UK
Why does trade between countries help prosperity? Many people might say that the answer depends on your politics. But the most open trading economies in the world do tend to be comparatively wealthy. Most of those which seek to cut themselves off from the rest of the world (I won’t name them but you know […]
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