Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

30th August 2010 Ottawa, Canada

What is "Innovation"?

Have you ever asked yourself: “What is innovation?” Maybe not, but as a Science & “Innovation” officer, I ask myself that all the time!  So with this blog posting, I thought I’d give myself the excellent excuse to figure out just what we mean by Innovation, and also, what it means in Canada in particular. […]

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20th August 2010 Ottawa, Canada

More team introductions: Claire Hastings

On to more team Science & Innovation Canada intros!  Continuing with my Toronto theme, let me introduce you to our Science & Innovation Associate, Claire Hastings. Photo by Frank Wimart Claire is a lovely person with a sparkling personality.  She’s bubbly, intelligent, fun to be around, and VERY knowledgeable about all things FCO and UKinCanada […]

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18th August 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Ukraine: the Armageddon button

Ever wondered what the button looked like which would signal armageddon?  Now you can find out. Before 1991, Ukraine contained, on one estimate, enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world three times over.  By the end of the 1990s, every single nuclear missile and every silo on Ukrainian territory had been destroyed. Except for two […]

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17th August 2010 Islamabad, Pakistan

by Adam Thomson

British High Commissioner to Pakistan

An exceptional disaster demands an exceptional response

The devastating floods across Pakistan over the last few weeks are completely heart-breaking.  Our sympathies and prayers go out to the families of those who have died, the families who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and the millions and millions of Pakistanis across the country whose lives have been shaken by this awful  disaster.  […]

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16th August 2010 New York, USA

Brits with Mitts

Guest blog by Mike Niles, Press & Public Affairs, British Consulate-General It is a reasonable generalisation to say that Brits do not really understand baseball. I get it that you try and score a home run by hitting it "out-of-the-park", that you have 9 innings and that you have to get three hitters out before […]

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12th August 2010

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by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

Chancellor of the Exchequer and high powered delegation visit Mumbai

Seen from Mumbai the visit by the Prime Minister David Cameron, six Ministers and a large delegation received a great deal of attention in the Indian and British press.  I don’t want to add to the column inches about the visit – the concluding press statements by the two Prime Ministers give a clear summary […]

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9th August 2010

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Stopping bribery in Ukraine – and the UK

I blogged last December about the urgent need to tackle corruption in Ukraine, which had slid to place 146 (out of 180) in Transparency International’s corruption index for 2009. Since the election of President Yanukovych, the new Ukrainian government has announced several anti-corruption measures, including welcome steps to deregulate business. That in turn could help […]

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