Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

Jihan Shoaib, Staff Reporter

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, directed to reduce the percentage of acceptance in scholarships from the grants section of Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas, in the University of Sharjah and the American University of Sharjah, for students who passed the secondary education certificate at a rate of 70%, instead of 85%.

Sheikh Sultan approved 375 new scholarships, added to 788 scholarships adopted by His Highness the last few days.

Thus the total number of scholarships granted for Bachelor’s students at the two universities amounted to 1,163. It is expected that national service graduates can apply for the grants as of next December.

Khawla Bin Hadda, head of the Scholarships Department at the authority, said, “Now it is open for students to register at the website of the authority for scholarships, provided the student is a citizen of the emirate, has a university number in one of the two universities, and has to be a graduate of the secondary education for 2021, and is not employed.”

Khawla previously said that the beneficiaries will be messaged alerting them to the need to abide by the requirements, including a cumulative rate of not less than “2”, and the school hours not less than “12”.

New Zealand thanks UAE for evacuation support in Afghanistan: Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, thanked the United Arab Emirates on Monday for supporting her country’s evacuation efforts in Afghanistan.

Peeni Henare, New Zealand’s Minister of Defence, has called Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs, earlier on Monday to commend the UAE’s role too.

Ardern said at a press conference, “I can say that the group were evacuated from Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates, where arrangements were made for their travel to New Zealand with the help of Australia’s Defence Force.

“I do want to thank our partners, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the US who worked on securing the airport and for their continued support in what remains a very difficult situation on the ground.” Matthew Hawkins, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the UAE, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM), “The UAE’s unwavering support in getting New Zealanders home from Afghanistan demonstrates the strength of our relationship.

“More importantly it shows a kindness and generosity that is already felt by the 4,000 New Zealanders who live, work and raise their families in the United Arab Emirates.”

For his part, Group Captain Nick Olney, New Zealand Defence Force Senior National Officer for the NZDF contingent, said, “I’d like to thank the UAE for its generosity in hosting the NZDF contingent as we undertake our biggest evacuation effort for many years.

“With the UAE’s support, we are working with partners to bring New Zealand citizens, permanent residents who are in Afghanistan and their immediate families to safety, as well as those who have been put at risk due to their direct connection to New Zealand efforts in Afghanistan,” Olney added.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of DRC in UAE: Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, received Christophe Lutundula Apala, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, Sheikh Shakhbout lauded the significant progress in the relations between the UAE and DRC, stressing there are many opportunities for further development.

He also conveyed to the Congolese minister the greetings of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his best wishes for further progress and overall prosperity to the DRC’s government and people.

Both sides then discussed their overall bilateral relations and ways of boosting them to achieve the mutual interests of their countries, along with several topics of mutual concern, including their efforts to combat terrorism.