3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
7th September 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
In Lebanon’s Hands
Lebanon tends to be high on our August watchlist. This year there was no major single crisis, but five developments raised anxiety. Israel accused Hizballah of involvement in the Bourgas terrorist attack. A pro-Assad former Minister was arrested. Kidnappings returned in a dangerous 48 hours. Some Gulf countries told their nationals to leave. The Tripoli […]
7th September 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Namibia brings back gold!
Namibia is celebrating after female paralympic sprinter Johanna Benson won gold in the Women’s T37 200 metres final in London on Wednesday night – marking the first Olympic gold for the country after a remarkable career. Johanna had also picked up a silver medal earlier in the week for coming in second in the women’s […]
6th September 2012 Washington DC, USA
UK and US Fashion Continue to Excite Across the Globe
As we descend into fall, there is one thing on the mind of hundreds of thousands around the globe: fashion. New York Fashion Week will open this evening with the illustrious Fashion’s Night Out. What began as an initiative to boost consumer confidence at the height of the recession has become a night full of shopping, […]
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6th September 2012 London, UK
Brunei and the Paralympics
You can tell a lot about a country from the way it treats it citizens with disabilities. You can tell a lot, that way, about the planet as a whole. That’s the message of the London 2012 Paralympic Games: a call for “Enlightenment” and a celebration of the fact that athletes with disabilities are taking […]
6th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Australian sports minister rows Olympic Course at Eton Dorney
Back in London again for the Paralympics, Australian Sports Minister Senator Kate Lundy this week fulfilled her side of the gold medals wager with her UK counterpart Hugh Robertson. When Hugh was here in March, Kate had promised to row the Olympic Rowing course at Eton Dorney if Britain got more gold medals than Australia. […]
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5th September 2012 Bucharest, Romania
Guest blog: The Paralympic Games through the eyes of Cristina Bazavan
This week I invited Cristina Bazavan, blogger and friend, to guest blog about the Paralympic Games. Cristina has just returned from the Games in London so she can tell us more about the unseen side of the people, the places and the emotions she experienced. Let’s find out more! Check Cristina’s blogs in Romanian. Find […]
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5th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Welcome!
Welcome to our blog. It is an honour for me to be Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras, two vibrant, dynamic and interesting countries. And I’m very pleased that you have come to find out more about what the UK does here. You also can keep up to date with what we are doing and the […]
5th September 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Religion and Public Life
I am often asked why we have an Embassy to the Holy See. Sometimes the question is an expression of curiosity. Occasionally, it is a reflection of hostility to the Catholic church, or religion in general. The subtext is often a sense that religion is somehow irrelevant to modern public life, and that therefore a […]
5th September 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Helmand Development Conference – Why would anyone invest in Helmand?
Today I will be attending the Helmand Development Conference in Kabul. Helmand’s Governor, Gulab Mangal, and his team will paint a picture of the progress in Helmand and set out the opportunities for donors, NGOs and the private sector. There is no question that Helmand still has a branding challenge. The progress that has been […]
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4th September 2012 Toronto, Canada
SIN launches engineering innovation workshop at the Paralympics
The XIV Paralympic Games open in London on 29 August, with around 4,200 athletes competing in 503 events across 20 disciplines. Assistive technologies play a huge part in these Games, allowing the competitors to perform at the highest level and bringing new developments and innovations to the non-sports markets. Aiming to capitalise on the concentration […]
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