25th April 2024
Reflect & Remember: Anzac Day 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy
23rd April 2024
Good English – A Key to Panama’s Future Success
21st March 2024
Forests in focus on International Day of Forests
9th February 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Volunteering in Ethiopia
Earlier this week, I met a group of volunteers from the British NGO Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) – some newly arrived in Ethiopia, several who have been working here for some time. VSO has a long and very successful history of operations in Ethiopia. And it is easily one of the most highly regarded charities […]
8th February 2012 London, UK
Completing the Digital Single Market
It is unbelievable that in a 21st century Europe there are still barriers to online transactions between EU Member States. Over 40% of Europeans buy goods online but less than 1 in 10 of us have bought something online from a trader in another EU country. It astounds me to see that there are still […]
8th February 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Australia in Oxford
There is a significant Australian presence at Oxford University, as in so many other aspects of UK life. I have just spent a fascinating day there. First, I attended the opening of the new global HQ of Australian company SAE Institute which runs 54 creative media training institutions in 26 countries around the world. The […]
6th February 2012 Washington DC, USA
A tale of Internet freedom and Charles Dickens
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… going to the UK this weekend. Flying into Heathrow on Saturday morning, I found Britain in great excitement about Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday. So it was clearly the best of times to head to Broadstairs, Dickens’ favourite holiday destination where he spent his […]
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6th February 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
60 Years of Service
6 February saw the start of the celebrations of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will culminate this summer in a spectacular pageant on the River Thames in June. We can expect parties and fireworks, ceremonial and reflection on an extraordinary life devoted to public service. The Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August will […]
3rd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
A Uniquely American Breakfast
Yesterday morning I had breakfast with three thousand people. It’s not every day that I can say that. This was the 60th annual National Prayer Breakfast, a key date in the political calendar of this city and country. It was a remarkable occasion. The sheer scale of the event was dizzying. So was the guest […]
2nd February 2012 USA
The REAL (Screen) Producers of DC
This week Washington welcomed the best and brightest in reality and unscripted television industry to the (sold-out) 14th Annual RealScreen Summit. Home to non-fiction powerhouses like Discovery Communications, The National Geographic Channel and PBS, the event here brought together the top creative talent who develop the shows we love (or love to hate), like Wife […]
2nd February 2012 Chevening, UK
Iraq, My Homeland, Or So I'm Told
Our latest Chevening Conversations blog is by Iraqi scholar Seja Majeed. Seja studied law at Brunel University in 2009/10. Iraq, my homeland, or is it? Yes my parents are Iraqi, thus by default I am also Iraqi. But isn’t there more to one’s identity then simply deriving your parents genes. Just like ‘relationships,’ is it not right […]
2nd February 2012 Washington DC, USA
A Pivotal Period in Britain’s History
It has been a whirlwind three weeks since my arrival in Washington. I’ve visited the White House to present my credentials to President Obama and watched from the House gallery as he delivered his State of the Union address. I’ve travelled outside of D.C., seeing the South Carolina Republican primary at first-hand and meeting with […]
2nd February 2012 Toronto, Canada
UK releases Climate Change Risk Assessment
Last week, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affiars (DEFRA) released a comprehensive report into the risks and opportunities presented to the UK by climate change. The report, the first of its kind and the first in a five-year cycle, assesses 700 impacts (100 in exhaustive detail) across 11 sectors and is available to […]
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