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18th May 2011 Bucharest, Romania
The vision for excellence in the Foreign Office
An exhilarating week for me, with plenty of networking during and on the margins of the Leadership Conference and opportunities to interact with other colleagues, locally-employed by the Foreign Office, from all around the world. I was impressed with the support that the Foreign Office received from the Prime Minister who gave recognition to the […]
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17th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Why is it necessary to have such a day? Well, because same-sex relations remain criminalised in more than 70 countries. Discrimination against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity continues to occur even in countries where laws exist to […]
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17th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Romania – an asset to the EU and NATO
Foreign Minister Baconschi’s visit to London yesterday marks a new step in Romania’s relations with the United Kingdom. As he said in his press conference with his counterpart William Hague, we are building on the strategic partnership created between both countries in 2003. But the context today is quite different from eight years ago. The […]
12th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
UK-Ukraine military co-operation
A couple of people have commented on my recent Oxford speech that they were surprised to see how much military co-operation went on between Ukraine and the UK. Having listed various other areas of joint work (EU, energy, macro-financial assistance) I said: A final key area of cooperation is military. There’s a lot the UK […]
10th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How Ukraine can lead Europe
Of what 47-member body is Ukraine about to assume the Chairmanship, followed by the United Kingdom? The answer is of course the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), whose Chairmanship Ukraine will take on on 11 May. The UK, in turn, takes over the chairmanship from Ukraine in November. CoE Chairmanships are […]
6th May 2011 Toronto, Canada
February and March in Canadian science
This month’s SIN Newsletter (actually a bumper two-month edition), covering science and technology news in Canada, is out! Click here to download the PDF version. If you would like to be added to the mailing list and receive it automatically in your inbox, leave a comment below or send us an e-mail. Some highlights from […]
6th May 2011 Toronto, Canada
April in Canadian science
This month’s SIN Newsletter, covering science and technology news in Canada, is out! Click here to download the PDF version. If you would like to be added to the mailing list and receive it automatically in your inbox, leave a comment below or send us an e-mail. This is John Preece assisting Nicole Arbour on […]
6th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Life lessons from Deep Purple
From the moment the lights go down and the familiar heavy metal chords ring out through the vast indoor space, it is clear that Deep Purple have lost none of their ability to rock. We’re in the Kyiv International Exhibition Centre and the ur-British rockers are here for one night only as they cut a […]
5th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How to sell land
Is it good or bad for Ukraine to allow the sale of agricultural land and, if so, under what conditions? There is muted excitement in Ukraine that the authorities may soon bring forward proposals to allow the sale of agricultural land, either later this year or in early 2012. Although most agricultural land in Ukraine […]
4th May 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
World Press Freedom Day
Today is the annual celebration of World Press Freedom Day. On this day participants commemorate the fundamental principles of media freedom; highlight long-standing and emerging threats to that freedom; and pay tribute to journalists and activists who have risked their safety to advance public access to news and information. The main theme this year is […]