Category: World

I will make three points today: on elections, on the security situation and consolidating peace.  First, the United Kingdom commends the government of the Central African Republic for their efforts, working in coordination with MINUSCA, to ensure that presidential, legislative, regional and municipal elections took place and largely peacefully on 28 December.   We welcome that […]

Trenčín in Slovakia (pictured here with its castle on a hill), and Finland's main port city Oulu jointly carry the 2026 European Capital of Culture crown. CC BY This year the cities of Trenčín in Slovakia and Oulu in Finland took the helm as Europe’s cultural beacon cities. As the Old Continent redefines its role […]

Remarkable new research has shown that a simple, digital intervention that includes gameplay can dramatically reduce intrusive memories of trauma in a month, even to the point of being symptom-free after six months. Using ‘mental rotation,’ the treatment was also very effective at reducing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more generally. Groundbreaking study […]

Around 450 million people live in the 27 EU countries – significantly more than in the USA, which has a population of around 348 million. However, there are considerable differences in living conditions when it comes to key social indicators. Life expectancy is higher in the EU, infant mortality is lower, as are murder rates […]

Amid mounting concerns surrounding climate mitigation in the agriculture and forestry sectors, science-based evidence suggests a need for more effective, fair and coherent policy frameworks for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union and further afield. International policies to protect the environment are at a crossroads: bold targets coexist with fragmented priorities, threatening the […]

Statistics on International Development (SID) focuses on the main international measure of Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend. SID is published twice a year: provisional ODA spend in the spring and final ODA spend in the autumn. The provisional SID publication is based on summary data with limited sector and geography breakdowns. The final SID publication […]

As good citizens, we diligently fill the recycling bins provided by our local authorities with all manner of plastic trays, boxes, bottles and bags. But as these bins fill up quicker and quicker each week, an awkward question arises: is all this effort actually doing any good? Many of us would answer with a sceptically […]

As we mark this grim anniversary, I want to reflect on three personal encounters I’ve had with Ukrainians from all walks of life.  They show what Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war is doing to civilians, to vital infrastructure, and fundamentally to the rules we are all here to uphold, our United Nations Charter. First, a year […]

On a test track in southern Germany, engineers watch as an automated vehicle drives through simulated heavy rain. As the vehicle pushes through sheets of water and poor visibility, researchers are recreating one of the toughest sensing challenges for automated driving. “Bad weather is one of the situations the car will face, and the car […]

The British embassy in Azerbaijan can offer help but will not be able to get you out of prison or get you special treatment because you’re British. Find out what help the embassy or consulate can offer. Family and friends can contact: British Embassy in Baku45 Khagani Street AZ1010, Baku, AzerbaijanTelephone: +994(12)4377878(Option 1 for English, then […]