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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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OSLOBOĐENJE BEOGRADA
11th October 2024
Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
27th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Parliamentary Rules
Members of Parliaments across Europe are finding themselves subject to more and more scrutiny these days from public institutions, the press and from their own electorates. Romania has the National Integrity Agency (ANI) which is setting new standards in public life. This month an MP’s mandate was revoked on the grounds of incompatibility, implementing ANI’s […]
27th September 2012 Yerevan, Armenia
Doing GREAT business in the UK and Armenia
Phew – here at the Embassy we are just recovering from our first Ministerial visit in six years. Mr Lidington, the Foreign Office’s Minister for Europe, was a great visitor – engaged, full of energy, and really keen to make a difference in UK-Armenian relations. And we are really delighted that we were able to use the […]
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25th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Colourful Meskel!
Ethiopia is one of the few countries that celebrate their New Year at this time. On 27 September, the ceremony of Meskel will be observed by many Ethiopian Orthodox Christian believers. Meskel is one of the most significant holidays for the Orthodox Church: arrays of vivid colours, religious chants, huge bonfires (Demera in Amharic) and […]
25th September 2012 London, UK
Digital Strategy: delivering FCO priorities
The Foreign Office is working up a Digital Strategy looking at how we can use digital to work more effectively and deliver more effectively for UK citizens.
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25th September 2012 London, UK
Made in Pakistan: exporting the right image
Brand new bed linen from one of the department stores for which London’s Oxford Street is famous. Unwrapping the layers of packaging I noticed the label: made in Pakistan. I wondered if it had come from the factory whose owner I had met in Lahore, where we discussed everything from electricity shortages, to labour law […]
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25th September 2012 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
‘Daddy, is it okay if I give the Princess a kiss?’
As I sit on the most beautiful stretch of white sand on Pulau Redang, I finally have time to reflect on what was, by any measure, the most extraordinary of weeks. I am feeling a strange mix of exhilaration and exhaustion: exhilaration because I think we organised a royal visit that was rich in diversity […]
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24th September 2012 USA
Aston Martins – a nice way to spruce up your residence
The following is a guest post by Zachary Zimmerman, a business development associate with UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy in Washington. The British Ambassador to the United States has a nice house. Some argue that, since it is Sir Edwin Lutyens’ only architectural work in America and is adorned with a priceless display […]
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24th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
More power to the Pumas
The Royal Air Force is about to take delivery of one of its newly upgraded helicopters from the Eurocopter plant at Ghimbav, near Brasov. I was there on Friday to see the helicopter make its first flight post-upgrade, along with Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Lord Davies, chairman of the All-Party Group on Romania […]
24th September 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Great British Supercars Set the Pace for UK Trade & Investment
To mark the visit of the Right Hon William Hague, MP to Warsaw recently the British Embassy in co-operation with Aston Martin Warszawa, Lotus Warszawa and JLR Polska hosted a British Motoring Hall of Fame. A superb line up of British Motoring Excellence. Never before has the Embassy seen so much horsepower on one occasion. […]
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24th September 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
Growing Older, Getting Colder
My second week of the Council session got off to a particularly bad start as I managed to put my back out while playing with my son at the weekend. My boss Ian cheerfully put it down to age catching up with me. I like to think I’ve a few good years left in me […]