2nd December 2025
In cybersecurity, there are no limits – only new voices ready to lead
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
14th October 2025
Lost and Found (but mostly lost)
13th October 2025
UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls: September visits to Sarajevo and New York
21st May 2018 Canberra, Australia
A whale of a story: Talking science with FameLab winner Vanessa Pirotta
It’s not often you get the chance to hear masterclasses on dark matter, heart disease, solar windows and kangaroo breath all in the same evening. This year’s Australian FameLab final had it all – but it was the whale snot that stole the show. FameLab is the world’s leading science communication competition by the British […]
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21st May 2018 Tokyo, Japan
Salt roads and burning straw – Golden Week in traditional Japan
Japan is a country of matsuri or festivals, usually based around the changing seasons. The “Golden Week” holiday in May, when three public holidays mean that most Japanese take the whole week off, found us in the village of Otari in the Japanese Alps, for the Shionomichi (salt road) matsuri. Dressed as peasants, though I […]
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18th May 2018 Canberra, Australia
IP Commercialization and Academia Industry linkages
A successful bilateral symposium on Industry-Academia linkages was organised through Newton-Bhabha Fund by the Royal Academy of Engineering with their Indian partners (CIPAM {DIPP}) and Department of Science and Technology’s Policy Centre) in Chandigarh on April 16 and 17, 2018. The symposium emphasised on ‘Driving Growth and Innovation through Industry Academia Partnerships and working in […]
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17th May 2018 Canberra, Australia
Australian courage remembered on 75th anniversary of Dambusters raid
Note: This article originally published in The Australian newspaper on 16th May 2018. This is a year of commemoration. We have just witnessed the poignant 100th anniversary of the battle of Villers-Bretonneux and the centenary of the Royal Air Force. On November 11 we will mark a century since the armistice ended World War I. And today […]
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10th May 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Naija means business
Moving from Kigali to Lagos last year, I expected a pretty jarring experience. I was going from a country of 12 million to a city of 22 million, from one of the world’s most pristine, orderly, safe places to what I expected to be, well, pretty loud and chaotic. And in many ways, Lagos did […]
9th May 2018 Vienna, Austria
Four future women ambassadors?
‘So,’ I say, ‘what do you think you might to do for a career?’ ‘Diplomat,’ says the first young woman. ‘Yeah, diplomat,’ the second says. ‘Us, too,’ say the third and fourth members of the group. As part of #girlsday, or #toechtertag, the British Embassy in Vienna this year invited young women to apply to […]
8th May 2018 London, UK
The Red Cross and Red Crescent: everywhere for everyone
Today (8 May) is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, a day to celebrate the incredible work of our staff and volunteers around the world. Every year the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement supports millions of people affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies through its network of 191 national societies,14 million […]
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8th May 2018
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Britain in Craiova
As part of our ongoing campaign, #BritainInRomania, to illustrate the close ties between our two countries, the British Embassy has been working with museums across Romania in all those cities which have at one stage hosted a British Consulate. This took me last month to the Museum of Oltenia in Craiova, for the launch of […]
7th May 2018 Beijing, China
Improved Life Ahead with Newton Fund Projects
This March, I visited three research and development projects jointly funded by Chinese and UK government that are tackling the problem of clean energy, mobility and aging via the Newton Fund: China-UK Research and Innovation Bridges competition. Transition and access to affordable, reliable and clean energy systems is vital for mitigating further climate change and […]
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3rd May 2018
South African wildlife photographer on saving Africa’s rhinos
Remember that heart-wrenching picture that flashed round the world last year of the poached rhino with its horn roughly sawn off by the waterhole against South Africa’s grey skies?
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