17th May 2024
Reflections on IDAHOBIT: International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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Value with Values: UK Commitment to Climate Partnership
25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
17th August 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Public speaking and championing women in the board room
It is always a rather heart-stopping moment when you arrive at an official function as a diplomat and find you’re billed as a key note guest speaker with no prepared speech to deliver. It happened to me a week into my first African posting in Swaziland. I turned up at a rural event to discover […]
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16th August 2012 Toronto, Canada
DECC releases new innovation assessments for low-carbon technologies
DECC, the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change, has released the latest round of Technology Innovation Needs Assessments (TINAs). These reports “aim to identify and value the key innovation needs of specific low carbon technology families to inform the prioritisation of public sector investment in low carbon innovation.” Currently available on the DECC website […]
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16th August 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Olympics Indian style
Although for millions of Indians visiting London is not even a remote possibility, everyone here with access to a television, radio or newspaper will have been aware, however vaguely, of the 2012 Olympic Games going on in a city far away. It may have been difficult for many to comprehend the exhilaration of the 16 days’ […]
16th August 2012 Bangalore, India
Spirit of Eco Entrepreneurship
Sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship are buzz words heard everywhere, including in business, academia and social circuits. All these elements came together at a reception hosted by my colleague Tom Wells last month. About 25 representatives from the Bangalore cleantech community shared their innovative ideas in the cleantech space at this informal gathering. The entrepreneurial and […]
16th August 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
All Hail the Olympians
I’ve just returned from two weeks in the UK, when our whole nation was on the edge of our seats watching the captivating spectacle of the London 2012 Olympic Games – whether at the venues themselves, in the big parks where the events were screened live or at home in front of the TV. Let […]
16th August 2012 London, UK
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri
On behalf of my family, and all my colleagues at the High Commission, I wish a joyous Hari Raya to His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam; members of the Royal Family and all the people of the “Negara Zikir”. My Foreign Secretary, William Hague, who was here in Brunei […]
15th August 2012 Washington DC, USA
Blossoming relations between small Islands and a large nation
You know you’re British when the first conversation starts, and continues, with the weather. I descended upon the Falkland Islands in the early afternoon to glorious sunshine and a cool breeze – exactly what I needed after a long flight full of recycled air. As soon as my ride picked me up from Mount Pleasant […]
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15th August 2012 London, UK
The EU competitiveness challenge – from track & field to the economy
The Olympic medal table has received intense attention from Britain over the last few weeks. I’m sure this was the case across Europe too – with half of the top ten places in the table awarded to European countries; as Simon Kuper in the FT commented ‘European nations are still Olympic powerhouses’. One can’t help […]
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14th August 2012 Washington DC, USA
McIlroy showcases GREAT British sport in America
On Sunday evening, as the London 2012 Olympics were coming to a close in his native UK, golfer Rory McIlroy was on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, winning his second career major tournament at the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship held there over the weekend. McIlroy’s unofficial “Gold” takes the form of a silver trophy, adding […]
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14th August 2012 Cape Town, South Africa
Promoting the UK
I love my job – traveling the world, meeting new people, supporting UKPLC amongst other activities. But even when this involves living in a place like Cape Town, I really do miss home – especially when we’ve just put on one of the best Olympics of all time. I watched the games with great pride, […]