3rd December 2024
RENEWING OLD TIES: THE NEW BISHOP OF LONDON
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
25th November 2024
The climate crisis and gender-based violence
8th November 2024
Ecolabels: A Catalyst for Sustainable Food Choices?
23rd June 2011 Toronto, Canada
ISSCR 2011
This is John Preece guestblogging about the recent International Society for Stem Cell Research Annual Meeting that took place in Toronto last week. ISSCR is the largest event on the stem cell / regenerative medicine calendar, and it attracted over 3500 researchers, biotech representatives and policymakers, including some of the most preeminent scientists in the […]
23rd June 2011 Ottawa, Canada
UK Cross Country Aerospace/Composites Visit
Did you know that there is an amazing amount of composite materials research that is going on in the UK? I knew there was a lot, but until this week (and what I’ve visited is by no means comprehensive) I wasn’t aware of just quite how much! I’ve now had the opportunity to see several […]
Read more on UK Cross Country Aerospace/Composites Visit | Reply
22nd June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Wales and Hungary
The “Bards of Wales” project came to fruition last night with a performance of the world premier of Karl Jenkins’ cantata at the Palace of Arts. Almost all 1800 seats were full and the audience (including President Schmitt) gave the work a rapturous reception. British Minister David Jones of the Welsh Office visited Hungary for […]
22nd June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Student exchanges on the increase to and from India to Britain
For two consecutive Fridays I have had an opportunity to get a glimpse of how British universities are making their mark in India. On the first occasion I attended the launch of an initiative by Glasgow Caledonian University with the Deccan Education Society at Fergusson College, part of Pune University. Held at the College’s […]
Read more on Student exchanges on the increase to and from India to Britain | Reply
20th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Budapest Pride Week
Some weeks ago I blogged about the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. This week (11-19 June) the Budapest Pride Festival is taking place, with the annual March due tomorrow. The police have pledged that the March will be secure and safe (though there has been an announcement about a possible far right counter-demonstration in […]
17th June 2011 New York, USA
British entrepreneurship – inspiring Ga Ga and creating Zsa Zsa
The UK’s reputation in innovation is longstanding, well-founded and diverse – reaching back to the industrial revolution and still going strong. At New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Costume Institute’s Alexander McQueen – Savage Beauty, celebrates the work of one high profile, provocative, innovative, rule breaker. A Londoner, McQueen learnt his craft on Savile Row, […]
Read more on British entrepreneurship – inspiring Ga Ga and creating Zsa Zsa | Reply
16th June 2011 Ottawa, Canada
Heading to Canada’s north
I head off on Friday for a week in Canada’s vast Arctic north. With other heads of mission and Canadian officials, we will travel from Iqaluit and Pond Inlet in the east, to Dawson City, Whitehorse and Yellowknife out west, en route back to Ottawa. It’s an adventure on many levels: a chance to learn […]
16th June 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Oil and Gas boom in the ‘Top End’: Visit to Darwin
I visited Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory this week. Although NT covers a vast land area, as seen in the Nicole Kidman film “Australia”, it represents only about 1% of Australia’s population and GDP. Once a sleepy backwater, Darwin is poised to become a major oil and gas hub for the vast offshore reserves […]
Read more on Oil and Gas boom in the ‘Top End’: Visit to Darwin | Reply
16th June 2011 Bucharest, Romania
Meet a Brit – media training coming soon
As economic recovery and competitiveness are at the heart of the European agenda, the British Embassy plans to run a media training programme on this heavyweight issue in the autumn. The idea is to bring a senior British business journalist to Romania to share from his/her experience in reporting and commenting about the challenges and […]
Read more on Meet a Brit – media training coming soon | Reply
15th June 2011 Chevening, UK
Chevening and the Global Scholars Symposium
On July 6 and 7, two Chevening Scholars attended the Global Scholars Symposium held in Oxford. The event brought together more than 150 postgraduate scholars studying in the UK on a variety of scholarships (including Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Clarendon, Gates, Fulbright) to discuss world challenges. The two days were intense, with whole group and small […]
Read more on Chevening and the Global Scholars Symposium | Reply