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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
23rd May 2012 Athens, Greece
London calling
The Olympic Flame is in UK hands! On 17 May at the imposing restored marble Panathenaic Stadium, symbolically the venue for the first modern Olympic Games, the Olympic Torch completed its journey around Greece following the Lighting Ceremony at Ancient Olympic and was handed over to The Princess Royal. For me these events were emotional […]
23rd May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Coming soon – Ukrainian Paralympic glory
21st May marked 100 days to go to the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. I’m here at the HQ of the Ukrainian National Paralympics Committee (NPC) in Kyiv for a press conference to mark the event, together with NPC President Valeriy Sushkevych; Simon Minty, a UK specialist on diversity and inclusivity; Sergiy Glushchenko, […]
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23rd May 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
"Green on blue" in Helmand – what the international media don’t tell you
So Chicago has come and gone and the outcome has ensured the international community’s commitment post 2014. The funding pledges for Afghan security forces have been made; the international community has signalled it is with Afghanistan for the long-term but reminded their public of why we are here; “ to stop it becoming a haven […]
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22nd May 2012 Warsaw, Poland
The GREAT British Olympics – Off to a GREAT start in Warsaw
Just hours after BA 2012 landed in Cornwall marking the official 70 day countdown and the start of the Olympic Torch relay round the UK the British Embassy was in action in one of Warsaw’s most prestigious parks. Teaming up with the British Council at the Warsaw Samsung Run we enjoyed a superb opportunity to […]
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22nd May 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Polish-British round table in Krakow
Guest blog by Iain Stewart, Head of Political at the British Embassy Warsaw. My name is Iain Stewart. I lead the political team within the UK Embassy in Warsaw. What does that mean? Our main role is to explain and promote UK government thinking on the EU and international agenda to a Polish audience. To […]
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21st May 2012 Washington DC, USA
Celebrating Olympic values
The countdown clock in our Embassy tells me that the that the London 2012 opening ceremony is barely two months away. The Olympic Torch has begun its tour of the UK. All around the world, athletes are qualifying for their national teams. Here in the US, the first goosebump-raising, Morgan Freeman-voiced Olympics ad hit the […]
21st May 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Reflections on a newly elected Nahr-E-Saraj District Community Coucil
While I was away, the District Community Council elections took place in Nahr-e-Saraj. Read the guest blog from our ‘man on the ground’, Jim Haggerty. At first glance it might appear to be business as usual for the residents of Malgir following the District Community Council elections in Nahr-e-Saraj District. Seven incumbent Councillors re-elected to […]
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21st May 2012 Washington DC, USA
‘Commuter Idle’ – Bike to work day in GREAT style in Washington DC
One of Washington’s favorite radio stations, WTOP, has been running a competition for the past few called ‘Commuter idle’ (you’ll note the spelling). If Simon Cowell is reading this then it may hit a TV screen near you soon! The competition is aimed at finding the person with the worst commute and awards a prize […]
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21st May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A legacy for disabled people
21 May represents 100 days to go to the start of the Paralympic Games in London. The Paralympics are sometimes seen as an afterthought to the “main” Olympic event. This will not be the case for London 2012. As I told Vatican Radio, London 2012 are the first Games that bring the organisation of the […]
21st May 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
The Roadmap: focus on the destination
This week the Roadmap signatories meet in Addis. Their aim? To resolve a number of outstanding issues relating to the political process. And it’s vital they do. Over the next few months, the Signatories have an historic opportunity to make real progress and help Somalia move forward towards greater stability. Theirs is a challenging agenda: […]
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