16th January 2017
Why UK higher education is attractive to international students
Foreign Office Blogs
A unique insight into UK foreign policy
18th January 2017
When Great Minds Think Alike – and Save Lives
19th January 2017
SIR DAVID BELL – FCO’S GLOBAL BRITAIN CAMPAIGN
20th January 2017 Skopje, Macedonia
Записи во дневникот 26 август 2027 година
Во висините на Шар Планина воздухот има вкус како шампањ. По пет часови насладување, бевме уморни, но среќни од нашата прошетка. Драго ми е што сум повторно назад во Македонија. Последен пат пешачев на Шар Планина пред девет години. Тогаш, додека служев како британски амбасадор во Скопје прошетките како оваа денес ми беа прибежиште број […]
20th January 2017 Skopje, Macedonia
Shënime nga ditari, 26 Gusht 2027
Në malet e larta të Sharit në Maqedoni, ajri ka shije të shampanjës. Pas pesë orëve duke e pirë, ecja jonë sot na raskapiti por na gazmoi. Është e mrekullueshme të rikthehem në Maqedoni. Ka nëntë vjet që nga çasti kur eca në Malin Sharr. Aso kohe, kur isha në postin e Ambasadorit Britanik në […]
20th January 2017 Gaborone, Botswana
A GLOBAL BRITAIN: PLANNING FOR BREXIT
January is traditionally a time for looking ahead and setting out a vision for the year. For some of us, our goals may be simple – more time with family, lose weight, travel or study. For politicians however, sometimes the vision encompasses a major or historic change in international relations. UK Prime Minister Theresa May […]
19th January 2017 London, UK
How and why we hosted an Instagram event
A photographer is on his knees, stealthily taking pictures of Ambassador Leigh Turner from behind a Christmas tree. Another stands in the corner, facing the wall. Unnoticed by the other guests, she points her camera at the ceiling and triggers the shutter. Has the Ambassador’s residence in Vienna been infiltrated by foreign agents? Not quite. […]
19th January 2017 Vienna, Austria
The wonders of Instagram
Which leading Austrian Instagramer features photographs of a figure in a yellow sou’wester? I was pleased to welcome to the Embassy recently a group of mostly young Austrians with leading accounts on the social media, like Instagram. In instagramese, this would read: Great to welcome @igersvienna to #BritishEmbassy #grambassador. One of the challenges of social […]
18th January 2017 Skopje, Macedonia
Diary entry 26 August 2027
High up in Macedonia’s Shar Planina mountains the air tastes like champagne. And after five hours of drinking it in, our walk today has left us tired but happy. It’s great to be back in Macedonia. It is nine years since I walked in the Shar Planina. Back then, when I was serving as British […]
16th January 2017 Toronto, Canada
Leaders in the connected lane: UK and Canada look to make cars safer and smarter
Imagine being able to hop into a vehicle, tell it where you want to go, then be able to pull out your laptop and watch some TV, or get some work done on the way to your destination!
16th January 2017 London, UK
Volunteering for development: the double benefit
In December last year I had the thrill to meet Hiwot and her six month old baby boy in Hosanna hospital in Ethiopia. Hiwot had complications in her pregnancy that were life threatening for her son and for her. Luckily, VSO volunteer health specialists had worked with Ethiopian medical staff to establish a specialist care […]
16th January 2017 New Delhi, India
A sociologist in a Chem lab!
I attended a workshop on nano- bio materials for water purification in the picturesque district of Kottayam in Kerala. It was a Newton Bhabha funded researcher link workshop led by British Council in collaboration with Royal Society of Chemistry. Researcher links workshop is one of the many programs run under the ‘people’ pillar of the […]
13th January 2017 London, UK
New Year’s Resolution – Giving up… time?
At this time of year I am reminded of Christmas 1989. Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed. The eyes of the world were on Romania. The media focused on the infamous children’s homes – all in utter disrepair, filled with neglected, wide-eyed children in their cots. This was the moment when […]