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6th December 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Celebrating Torture Prevention
You wouldn’t expect an international meeting on torture prevention to be a happy occasion but November’s global forum on the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture had the feel of a large and joyous family gathering. Given that the Optional Protocol is still in its youth, the atmosphere was more one of Barmitzvah than […]
5th December 2011 Washington DC, USA
Elementary My Dear Watson
We spend a lot of time here at the Embassy talking about the interconnectedness of the UK and US. Our defence relationship, both historic and present; our mutually essential trade links; and the cultural roots that underpin this special relationship – this is the bread and butter of what the Comms team here does. And […]
5th December 2011 Toronto, Canada
PM launches Strategy for UK Life Sciences
This is John Preece reporting on the launch of the Strategy for UK Life Sciences, announced earlier today by Prime Minister David Cameron. You can read the full document on the BIS website, and the press release on NDS. Here’s what the Prime Minister had to say: We can be proud of our past – […]
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5th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The first mosque in Kyiv
Shortly after I arrived in Ukraine in 2008, the Mufti of Ukraine, Sheikh Akhmed Tamim, invited me to visit him at the site of the proposed new Kyiv mosque, the first in the city. I was pleased to take up this invitation and had an interesting discussion with him about Islam, and the history of […]
5th December 2011 Chevening, UK
Ethnicity and Nationality: Thoughts from a Chevening Scholar
Our latest blog entry is from one of our Malaysian 2011/12 Chevening Scholars, Niki Cheong. Niki is studying MA in Digital Culture & Society at Kings College London. You can read more posts by Niki on his blog. Ever since my first visit as a 16-year-old teenager, London has remained at the top of my list of […]
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5th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
UCL Graduation Ceremony in Adelaide
I was honoured to be the guest speaker at University College London’s (UCL) first ever overseas graduation ceremony in Adelaide last week. UCL is a great British institution, regularly ranked in the top ten universities in the world. It recently established its first overseas campus – a School of Energy and Resources – in South […]
4th December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
"Sírva vigad a brit"
I leave Budapest today at the end of a 4 year tour as Ambassador. I have been proud to lead and work with a great British Embassy team during an active period which has witnessed the Hungarian EU Presidency and a very full and varied visit by High Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and […]
3rd December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Working with the Disabled
3 December 2011 is the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year’s theme is “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”. In recent years the British Embassy in Budapest has engaged in a variety of projects relevant to this theme: In 2009 our Away Day was at […]
2nd December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Top-End British Design in Kyiv
There are few things which make me happier than to see the ambassador’s residence here in Kyiv packed with British business types. So I was delighted recently when the residence hosted a “British Design Showcase”, bringing together a series of English and Scottish companies specialising in UK-produced textiles, wallpapers, curtain poles, furniture and fabrics. To […]
2nd December 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
British MPs study gambling in Australia
I was in Sydney this week with the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, who are conducting a study on gambling. The group consisted of three Conservatives, one Lib Dem and one Labour MP, and was led by committee chair John Whittingdale MP, who I used to work with 25 years ago […]
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