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28th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Running the gauntlet: why English is wonderful
What is a “Chicken Chernobyl”? How about “the Order of the Golden Toecap” or “buckets of sunshine”? I’ve blogged before the constant evolution of the English language (see “Brainiacs, dwarf planets, podcasts and tweets in Kyiv“). For another take on this, setting out the contribution made by the British Royal Navy with what is known […]
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27th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Almost a triathlon
Some weeks ago I wrote about several of my colleagues’ swimming accomplishments at Lake Valence. Now, inspired by the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, they have been entering foot and cycling races too. On 4 September, 3 colleagues competed in the Budapest half-marathon. One male colleague ran alone, and two other female colleagues ran in […]
27th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How to make Ukraine more European
Negotiations at a summit later this week will revolve around the question of “how European is Ukraine”? It sounds a bit academic, since anyone looking at a map can see that Ukraine is a European country. But negotiations at the Eastern Partnership Summit on 29-30 September will revolve around the question not of geography but […]
26th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Diplomatic Cable
The UK’s Business Secretary Vince Cable (photo) will be visiting Romania this week. This is a follow-up to President Basescu’s visit to London in June when he agreed with David Cameron to strengthen commercial ties, and to join forces in Brussels to promote EU growth. Vince Cable’s visit comes at a critical moment for the […]
26th September 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
False starts, prizes and little bits of history
The second week of the September Human Rights Council session was a typically frantic affair, as delegations scrambled to finalise the resolutions that they would present before Thursday’s deadline. Getting resolutions in tends to be a quite scrappy business, more like a school sports day three-legged race than a gracious Olympic sprint. Countries have quite […]
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26th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Strategic Dialogue talks in London, Olympic sites in Stratford
Last week I attended the annual Strategic Dialogue talks with senior officials from the Foreign Office, Defence and other agencies, and their Australian counterparts. They took place at the Foreign Secretary’s historic London residence in Carlton Gardens. We covered a very broad range of foreign policy issues from Asia to Afghanistan, the Middle East and […]
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24th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Habeas Corpus
Many important 20th anniversaries have been marked in Central and Eastern Europe recently. But so far no one has recalled that it is 20 years since the British Embassy in Budapest staged Alan Bennett’s “Habeas Corpus” to an ecstatic local audience. At that time there was a dearth of Englsh language theatre in Hungary. The […]
23rd September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Friends in Need
Our Foreign Secretary has just written to thank Foreign Minister Martonyi for the outstanding help provided by the Hungarian Embassy in Tripoli over the past few tumultuous weeks. During this time, the Embassy has provided vital help and support to nationals from the UK and other EU countries – travel documents, practical advice and liaison […]
23rd September 2011 Toronto, Canada
Canada-UK joint declaration: "A stronger partnership for the 21st century"
Yesterday saw the signing of a joint declaration by the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and Canada. As part of a wider North American trip, David Cameron made a brief visit to Ottawa yesterday and signed the Canada-UK joint declaration entitled A stronger partnership for the 21st century. Of particular interest to the Science […]
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23rd September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Lviv literature
A guest blog by Martin Dowle, Director, British Council The west Ukrainian city of Lviv is an intriguing location for a literature festival. Breath-taking views of spires and domes, offset with hidden courtyards, make this city on the cusp between East and West a crossroads for cultural exchange. Some 300 events are packed into four […]