UK opens applications for Chevening scholarships

The United Kingdom's applications for the Chevening Scholarships to study in the country are now open with November 3, 2020 being the last date to apply.

The scholarship is the UK government’s international awards programme which aims to develop global leaders, said a press release. The programme is fully funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and offers two types of award - Chevening Scholarships and Chevening Fellowships. Interested applicants apply to the programme via www.chevening.org/apply.

According to the press release, the programme gives the opportunity to outstanding mid-career professionals from all over the world to pursue a one-year master’s degree in the UK. It added that the experience is a life-changing opportunity for those who have ambition, leadership qualities, and a strong academic background.

The British High Commission in Pakistan encourages interested candidates to apply if they meet the scholarship eligibility criteria and other requirements by visiting the Chevening website www.chevening.org/apply. The High Commission’s ambition is to have an equal number of male and female Chevening scholars from Pakistan.

The call for the 2021 applications follows the selection of 53 scholars from Pakistan, who were awarded the opportunity to study at a UK university this year. Successful applicants for 2020 are sharing their stories through the #ChosenForChevening hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

For more information, those interested in applying for the scholarship can visit https://ift.tt/2GvojF5 for detailed information on the eligibility criteria and specifications.

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Another polio case surfaces in Balochistan

A new case of polio virus has been detected in Balochistan, taking the number of children affected by the crippling disease in the province so far this year to 17.

According to the Balochistan health department, a 34-month-old boy has been detected infected with the polio virus in Pashin’s Union Council, Ali Zai.

The child was tested on August 19 and 20 after falling ill. The family of the child was reluctant to administer anti-polio drops to the child, said health department.

On Aug 15, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates, in a telephonic conversation, had discussed Pakistan’s Covid-19 response and resumption of polio eradication campaign, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

Bill Gates appreciated the Pakistan Army for supporting government efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and Pakistan’s success against Covid-19 despite resource constraint.

They discussed safe start of polio eradication campaign and efforts needed for this purpose, said the ISPR.

 

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Another polio case surfaces in Balochistan

A new case of polio virus has been detected in Balochistan, taking the number of children affected by the crippling disease in the province so far this year to 17.

According to the Balochistan health department, a 34-month-old boy has been detected infected with the polio virus in Pashin’s Union Council, Ali Zai.

The child was tested on August 19 and 20 after falling ill. The family of the child was reluctant to administer anti-polio drops to the child, said health department.

On Aug 15, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates, in a telephonic conversation, had discussed Pakistan’s Covid-19 response and resumption of polio eradication campaign, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.

Bill Gates appreciated the Pakistan Army for supporting government efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic and Pakistan’s success against Covid-19 despite resource constraint.

They discussed safe start of polio eradication campaign and efforts needed for this purpose, said the ISPR.

 

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Lebanese army finds 4.35 tonnes more explosive chemicals outside Beirut port

Lebanon’s army said on Thursday it had found 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near the entrance to Beirut port, the site of a huge blast last month caused by a large stockpile of the same highly explosive chemical.

Army engineers were “dealing with it,” according to an army statement carried by the state news agency NNA. The statement said the chemicals were found outside entrance nine to the port.

The catastrophic explosion on Aug. 4 that ripped through the city killed about 190 people. The authorities said it was caused by about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stacked in unsafe conditions in a port warehouse for years.

The blast smashed entire neighbourhoods, gutting buildings and injuring 6,000 people.

Read more: Huge blast in Lebanon, 78 killed, nearly 4,000 injured

Lebanon’s government quit amid public anger in a nation already brought to its knees by an economic crisis. The public remains anxious that more hazardous materials are being stored badly, putting them at risk.

Earlier on Thursday, President Michel Aoun ordered repairs to be made to old refuelling infrastructure at Beirut airport and called for an investigation into a report that thousands of litres of fuel had leaked from the system.

Beirut airport head Fadi el-Hassan told a news conference that a leak of 84,000 litres of fuel had occurred in March 2019 and repairs were completed in two months. He said international investigators had described the repairs as “satisfactory”.

News of the leak added to concerns about public safety. “No explosion is awaiting us,” Hassan told the news conference.

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Education Minister denies "false news'' regarding Schools opening date

Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood tweeted on Friday that some fake social media accounts in his name are peddling false news claiming that schools will remain shut until Oct.

“Not true. Education ministers meet on 7th to finally decide [on reopening of educational institutions] with likelihood of opening on Sept 15 in a phased manner,” he said.

Some fake accounts in my name are spreading false news that schools will remain closed till Oct. Not true. Education ministers meet on 7th to finally decide with likelihood of opening on Sept 15 in a phased manner

— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) September 4, 2020

On Aug 21, Shafqat Mahmood had said a final decision to reopen schools that were closed in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus would be taken at an interprovincial education ministers’ conference on Sept 7.

Speaking at a press conference, he said the Ministry of Health will devise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for educational institutions to follow to prevent the spread of the virus. Schools will reopen from Sept 15 given that the coronavirus situation improves, he added.

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Lebanese army finds 4.35 tonnes more explosive chemicals outside Beirut port

Lebanon’s army said on Thursday it had found 4.35 tonnes of ammonium nitrate near the entrance to Beirut port, the site of a huge blast last month caused by a large stockpile of the same highly explosive chemical.

Army engineers were “dealing with it,” according to an army statement carried by the state news agency NNA. The statement said the chemicals were found outside entrance nine to the port.

The catastrophic explosion on Aug. 4 that ripped through the city killed about 190 people. The authorities said it was caused by about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stacked in unsafe conditions in a port warehouse for years.

The blast smashed entire neighbourhoods, gutting buildings and injuring 6,000 people.

Read more: Huge blast in Lebanon, 78 killed, nearly 4,000 injured

Lebanon’s government quit amid public anger in a nation already brought to its knees by an economic crisis. The public remains anxious that more hazardous materials are being stored badly, putting them at risk.

Earlier on Thursday, President Michel Aoun ordered repairs to be made to old refuelling infrastructure at Beirut airport and called for an investigation into a report that thousands of litres of fuel had leaked from the system.

Beirut airport head Fadi el-Hassan told a news conference that a leak of 84,000 litres of fuel had occurred in March 2019 and repairs were completed in two months. He said international investigators had described the repairs as “satisfactory”.

News of the leak added to concerns about public safety. “No explosion is awaiting us,” Hassan told the news conference.

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Major crack down will be launched on all illegal housing societies: Zulfi Bukhari

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari said Thursday a "major crack down will be launched on all illegal housing societies" that engaged in hoodwinking expatriates.

Making the announcement on Twitter, Bukhari said the crackdown was aimed at "all illegal housing societies selling to Overseas Pakistanis through external channels", such as expos, as well as digital and overseas offices, and promising them fake investment opportunities.

"No one will be allowed to cheat innocent OPs [overseas Pakistanis]," he said. "Will share mechanism to provide better real estate investment channels."

According to a senior official at the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD), most of the complaints lodged by the expatriates were related to the property disputes.

That was why the government had been moving forward briskly with its plan of setting up the first-ever "fast-track" court in Islamabad to ensure a speedy retrieval of the expatriates’ properties from land grabbers, the ministry official told APP.

The project had entered its final stages as the Ministry of Law and Justice would finalise the related summary shortly by approving the official definition of an "overseas Pakistani", he added. One that was done, a final draft would be presented to the cabinet and the parliament for approval.

The official said his ministry had submitted the summary to its Law and Justice counterpart a couple of months ago on Bukhari's instructions. The SAPM had originally come up with the idea of establishing a dedicated fast-track court for the overseas Pakistanis.

Speaking to APP, the special assistant said the primary goal was "to move forward for swift retrieval of valuable properties of Pakistanis living abroad from mafias and bring them to justice".

Bukhari said the fast-track court would ensure disposal of cases within a one-month period. "On special directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government would extend all possible facilities to expatriates for investment in diverse fields of economy.

”The special assistant said the fast-track court in the capital city would be taken as a pilot project after which similar courts would be set up in other cities of the country," he added.

He regretted that the previous government had not paid any attention towards the overseas Pakistanis' challenges despite the fact that they repeatedly highlighted their miseries.

Moreover, the SAPM said a special desk had been set up at Islamabad's police facilitation centre to make sure the overseas Pakistanis' issues were swiftly resolved.

The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation's officials had been working at the special desk round the clock to establish a strong connectivity among the concerned departments to instantly resolve the expatriates' complaints.

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