8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
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OSLOBOĐENJE BEOGRADA
11th October 2024
Busting the gender myths – women and organised crime
20th January 2012 USA
American football is GREAT
The following is a guest post by Melinda Goforth, Consul, Head of Trade and Investment — Washington. George Bernard Shaw once said that America and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language. But I think the quirky differences in our respective ways of phrasing can actually bring us together, a point illustrated […]
20th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
Haircuts are a sign of the times
I’m not sure if it was nerves, enthusiasm, or a combination of the two, but the atmosphere in the Embassy here in Washington DC was palpably different this week. Ties and new haircuts had been acquired by colleagues over the weekend. And—clearly a sign that something was up—we were all early to the regular Embassy-wide […]
20th January 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
London Conference on Somalia: Enhancing Security, Supporting Stability
Thank you for the fantastic response to my previous blog. It’s great to see so many comments. For my next few blogs I intend to focus on the key themes of the London Conference, and would like to ask that comments try to focus on each of those issues. So, in this blog I want […]
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20th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Moldova overtakes Ukraine in Freedom House rankings
In a recent blog “Is Ukraine democratic?” I noted an “Economist”, report, The Democracy Index 2011 (pdf file), which showed Ukraine’s democratic ranking falling from 67th in 2010 to 79th in 2011 out of 167 countries. I noted that we should not read too much into a single report; and said it would be interesting […]
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19th January 2012 USA
Our prosperity depends on better design
Last week at the National Building Museum, I had the pleasure of listening to Jim Eyre, one of the founders of the London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects. Over the years, Wilkinson Eyre has unveiled futuristic designs for gardens in Singapore; skyscrapers in Guangzhou, China; and a number of innovative UK projects. One of the firm’s projects […]
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19th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
An honour and a privilege: Serving at the heart of the special relationship
It is an immense privilege to return to Washington as British Ambassador, and a great honour to serve at the heart of a relationship that is not just special, but – as our respective leaders have said – essential. I begin my assignment this week at the start of what will be a very exciting […]
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19th January 2012 Athens, Greece
An energised political team
When I tell those who might be interested in asking what I do for a living that I am the British Embassy’s Political Officer most people ask “so, do you think that we shall have an early election?” or “what do the British think of the latest polls?” So, they are surprised if they get […]
19th January 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Clever cheetah conservation in Namibia
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Centre this weekend and was delighted to discover a number of British scientists and volunteers based at the field research, conservation and education centre near Otjiwarongo. Namibia is home to the world’s largest number of free-ranging cheetah, boosting some 20% of […]
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19th January 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
“I think I have the best job in the British High Commission.”
Guest blogger, Susan Hyland, joins Adam Thomson’s blog to share a few impressions from her first weeks as Political Counsellor at the British High Commission in Pakistan. Six weeks ago, one of my colleagues met me at the airport when I arrived in Islamabad for the first time. As I write this, I am again […]
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18th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Meanwhile in Antarctica
One hundred years ago, the great British explorer Captain Scott and his companions arrived at the South Pole. To mark this occasion, British Prime Minister David Cameron sent an audio message to the scientists and support staff at British bases in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. You can read more about the Prime Minister’s message […]