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RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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The climate crisis and gender-based violence
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Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
28th May 2012 London, UK
When two Prime Ministers met: an insider’s view
You’ve seen the photographs of the Prime Ministers outside the door of Number 10 Downing Street. But after the politicians and cameras have left, what does it add up to? I’m one of the behind-the-scenes people in London and Islamabad. You won’t see any of us in the photos, but we’re the ones who made […]
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28th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Falklands: a way forward?
I’m sitting next to a senior diplomat from a respected European country at dinner when conversation turns to the Falkland Islands, known to Spanish speakers as the Malvinas. “A key fact,” I say, “is that the 3,000 people who live in the Islands want to remain British.” “Ah,” says the top diplomat. “But how do […]
28th May 2012 Chevening, UK
Chevening Scholars meeting Her Majesty the Queen
Benedict Carandang is a Chevening Scholar from the Philippines pursuing his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Westminster. He currently resides at Goodenough College located in Bloomsbury, London. In our latest blog Benedict tells us about the time he met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. The Diamond Jubilee is coming up, […]
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28th May 2012 Warsaw, Poland
The UK in Poland – Where’s the Business Opportunity and more to the point where are we?
Today is a Great day – it marks a week long British Week in Poland to mark the 20th Anniversary Year of the British Polish Chamber of Commerce which culminates in The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration on the 4th June. Shortly after Poland and the UK embark on two global sporting spectacles – UEFA Euro […]
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25th May 2012 USA
Big Business: The Prime Minister in the Windy City
Chicago isn’t an easy city to impress. The undisputed commercial capital of the US Midwest (an economic area comparable in weight to Germany), the second US financial centre after New York, and President Obama’s home town, it is used to high level attention. But even The City Of Broad Shoulders paused for thought when confronted […]
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25th May 2012 Washington DC, USA
Our man in Florida
I guess everyone has a mental image of a place, born from reading books or watching films and TV. So when I travelled to Miami to meet up with the British Consul General, Kevin McGurgan, and his remarkable team, the tropical storm that greeted the plane when it tried to land the first time took […]
25th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
England fans are coming!
There’s growing excitement in England about the build-up to Euro 2012 in Ukraine. The British Embassy in Kyiv is working hard to ensure that the thousands of England fans we expect to visit during the championships are properly prepared for the visit with a “Know Before You Go” campaign. We’re also working hard to ensure […]
24th May 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
“We don’t have mango trees…”
On Saturday I was invited to the little village of Bhallah in the Punjab for the opening of a new road. I had never heard of Bhallah before, but it’s a village with lots of links to the UK. Councillor Mohammad Bhatti, MBE, comes from Bhallah. He moved to the UK in his 20s. He […]
24th May 2012 Beirut, Lebanon
Beauty and the beast: The Lebanese paradox
Monday marked 100 days until the London Paralympics. We had prepared a programme of events promoting the milestone, raising the profile of London and the UK, and encouraging greater focus on disability rights in Lebanon. But the disturbances of the weekend meant that we took a decision to focus on those instead. In a country […]
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24th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Canberra’s 100th Anniversary
On 23 May 1912, exactly 100 years ago, the Australian government announced the winners of the competition to design the country’s new capital. I hosted a public lecture by the renowned architectural historian Alasdair McGregor, as the culmination of a series of Canberra Centenary lectures celebrating the 100th anniversary. Alasdair spoke about the controversies surrounding the choice […]