26th September 2011
Geneva, Switzerland
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
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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12th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
One of the best things about being an ambassador is the opportunity to meet a wide range of people. So I was delighted on 10 September to attend the Day of Physical Culture and Sport in Kyiv to talk about London 2012. Ukraine has a terrific sporting tradition and it was a privilege both to […]
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8th September 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Today, September 8th, is International Paralympic Day. The main celebrations will be hosted right in the centre of London, in Trafalgar Square. The UK was the birthplace of the paralympic movement, and so the games will be coming home when the Olympic and Paralympic Games are held in London in 2012. There will be a […]
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17th August 2011
New York, USA
Guest blog by Amita Randhawa, UKTI Regional Director, North-East USAThough August is traditionally a quiet month, New York has been positively buzzing over the past few weeks. Following the exciting arrival on 1 August of our new Consul-General, Danny Lopez, we welcomed Susan Haird, acting Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment, last week for […]
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5th August 2011
Windhoek, Namibia
The final 12 month countdown to the greatest show on earth has now started. London 2012 will explode into action in the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, on 27 July next year.The preparations are all on track. The Park’s construction is now 88% complete and set to provide a spectacular showcase for the very […]
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29th July 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Australian Olympic experts were extraordinarily complimentary about the London Olympics at events I attended in Canberra and Sydney on Wednesday to mark the milestone of ‘One Year To Go’. The Sydney event, a fundraising dinner for the Australian team, was a fantastic spectacle. There were 800 people including some 80 Olympians. The room was decked […]
Read more on The Poms’ Olympics may be even better than ours | Reply
28th July 2011
New York, USA
Guest blog by Sir Alan Collins, Consul-GeneralThe last month has been pretty typical of my four and half years as Consul-General in New York: almost every engagement has provided evidence that the relationship between the UK and US is special and essential. 27 July, my final day as Consul General and Head of UK Trade […]
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27th July 2011
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A year to go to the London Olympics! And all is on track for a great Olympics and Paralympics Games in 2012 – 90% of venues (and all the major ones) are complete and the Olympic Park will be delivered on time and within budget. These are sustainable and cutting-edge designs too, that will ensure […]
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27th July 2011
Ottawa, Canada
British Consul General Alex Budden guest blogs for the High Commissioner from Vancouver. Where Olympic spirit remains high after the 2010 Winter Games. Today, in one year’s time, London will host the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. These are officially the 30th Olympiad to be held since the modern Olympics began in 1896 and […]
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