State of Child Health report in UK reveals devastating impact of austerity

Liz Smith

Poverty and social inequality are blighting the lives of nearly one-in-five children in the UK according to a new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

In its State of Child Health 2017 report, the RCPCH looked at 25 health indicators including asthma, diabetes and epilepsy as well as obesity, breast feeding and mortality rates.

The RCPCH found infant mortality (children under one year) is more than twice as high in the poorest compared with the richest socio-economic groups.

The UK ranks 15 out of 19 European countries for infant mortality, with only Denmark, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia having higher death rates.

While rates of infant death have declined in the last 40 years, this trend has slowed in the last 20 years compared to other European countries.

Neonatal (before 28 days) mortality accounts for between 70 and 80 per cent of infant deaths. The great majority of these are due to perinatal (22 weeks prior to one week after birth) causes.

Conditions related to preterm birth are the most common cause of death in infancy. Here, there is a strong relationship with maternal health as well as congenital (hereditary) malformations.

The RCPCH argues that many of the factors causing preterm births could be prevented by reducing poverty and promoting social health. Smoking and poor maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy play key roles, as does maternal age—where the infant mortality rate is 6.1 deaths per thousand for those under 20 years as opposed to 3.4 per thousand for mothers aged 25-29 years.

In 2010, the Child Medical Officer—the most senior advisor on health matters in government—produced a report showing the critical role of a child’s early years in determining life chances. But the government’s regressive social policy has meant deep cuts to early years’ services.

In the last six years, over 313 children’s centres—which ensured the most vulnerable families were supported during pregnancy and early years—have been closed nationally. Dozens of NHS maternity units have been shut since 2010, while a recent State of Health Visiting survey found that caseloads for 85 percent of qualified and registered nurses and midwives have doubled over the past two years.

Amongst older children (1-9 years) the main causes of death are cancer, injuries, poisonings, congenital conditions and neurological and developmental disorders. Preterm birth also contributes to mortality for up to 10 years after birth.

There is a strong association between deprivation and the risk of death throughout childhood, with children in deprived areas more likely to die. In 1970, the UK was among the best 25 percent of countries for childhood deaths, and by 2008 in the bottom quartile.

The gap in health inequality between rich and poor is highlighted in Wales. Between 2009-2013, the rate of death in children less than eight years living in the most deprived quintile of the population was 70 percent higher than in the least deprived quintile.

Among school age/adolescent children, the chief causes of death are injuries, violence and suicide, followed by cancer and substance misuse. Again, the data show a strong relationship between deprivation and health inequalities. A recent study of suicide deaths in England from 2001-2011 found the mean rate of suicide among 15-19 year olds living in the most deprived areas was 79 percent higher than those living in the least deprived areas. In the latter part of the decade, the gap began to narrow.

The RCPCH also examined dental care. It found that 31-41 percent of children across the UK show evidence of tooth decay. This is the most common reason why children aged 5-9 years are admitted to hospital. The causes cited are high sugar diets, poor oral hygiene and lack of access to dental care.

Poor oral health can have a major impact on a child’s physical health—causing pain, infections, altered sleep and eating patterns—leading to school absence and the need for dental extraction, say the report’s authors.

Poverty due to falling income is linked by the report to large numbers of households experiencing food poverty, with a subsequent impact on nutrition. Food parcel donations to families increased from 128,697 in 2011-2012 to over one million in 2014-2015. The report draws particular attention to the steep rise in housing costs—which has increased for those living in relative poverty from 19 to 29 percent.

One of the most common long-term medical conditions among children and young people in the UK is asthma. The report finds the UK has the highest prevalence of emergency admission and death rates for childhood asthma in Europe. Asthma rates in the UK are among the highest in the world, with an estimated 1.1 million children currently receiving treatment. The number of reported deaths is also amongst the highest.

The RCPCH found that Type 1 diabetes is an increasingly common childhood condition. The UK is currently sixth-highest in the world for new cases of Type 1 diabetes with 28.2 per 100,000 being diagnosed per year. Early diagnosis is essential. Otherwise diabetes can become life threatening. The report found that there is a strong social gradient in diabetes control, with more deprived groups having poorer outcomes.

Children living in the most deprived areas are far more likely to be overweight or obese compared to children in the least deprived areas: in England, 25.8 percent compared to 18.0 percent; in Scotland, 25.1 percent compared to 17.1 percent; and in Wales, 28.5 percent compared to 22.2 percent. This is in stark contrast to the early 1970s where obesity prevalence was greater in children from the most affluent areas than in the most deprived

“At the beginning of the 20th century, one-in-six infants did not live until their first birthday in the UK,” writes the report’s senior editor Professor Russell Viner. The RCPCH warns that there have been huge improvements in child health in the UK in the past 100 years, but that there “has been a slowing of progress” in the last two decades.

The implications of this assessment—that the long arc of progress in public health is slowing, threatening a return to the conditions of the Victorian era— is a devastating indictment of the relentless austerity imposed by successive Labour and Conservative governments, and their partners in the trade union bureaucracy.

Trump’s Homeland Security memos: Millions at risk of deportation as crackdown looms

Eric London

The Trump administration is set to give final approval to two leaked memos signed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, according to multiple press reports. The basic content of the memos will be largely unchanged from the versions made public over the weekend. An official announcement adopting the memos is expected this week.

The full implementation of these protocols would fundamentally alter the demographic makeup of the United States and would result in one of the largest forced migrations in world history. The new DHS protocols place millions of migrants at risk of removal and threaten to upend the lives of millions more family members and friends.

A Texas immigration lawyer who wished to remain anonymous for fear the government would punish her clients told the World Socialist Web Site, “The highlights of the memo have shaken the core of those we serve as fear has seeped in, leaving them doubtful of the immediate future.”

The total number of migrants who can be arrested, detained and deported immediately without a court hearing is likely in the hundreds of thousands, as the memos expand the “expedited removal” process to include migrants located anywhere in the US who cannot prove two years of residence. Previously, only migrants captured within 100 miles of the border and within 14 days of their entry could be removed without appearing before a judge.

The memos prioritize the removal of migrants with criminal records, as well as those who have been charged with a criminal offense; those who have “abused any program related to receipt of public benefits” or those who “in the judgment of an immigration officer otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security.”

Though it remains to be seen exactly how officials will implement these sweeping and vaguely worded protocols, the Los Angeles Times estimated that 6 million migrants entered without documentation or inspection and technically fall under the new priority standard. In addition, parents who pay to help their children join them in the US will now be deported or criminally prosecuted on the absurd ground that they are aiding “human trafficking.”

The deportation of even a significant fraction of those affected will require a massive police presence in major American cities. The new DHS protocols will deputize tens of thousands of local police to stop immigrants with “reasonable suspicion” that they are an undocumented worker. This will result in mass racial profiling of Latinos, Africans, Asians and others, not limited to US border regions.

The memos call for the hiring of 10,000 immigration agents and 5,000 border patrolmen, who will fill the courts and detention centers with immigrants, in many cases tearing them away from their children, parents or other loved ones. These officials, local police, the National Guard and perhaps other branches of the military will be mobilized to crush resistance to deportation in heavily migrant neighborhoods and among sympathetic demonstrators.

Conditions at the border will become extremely harsh. All migrants captured crossing the border will now be placed in detention centers either before they are removed without trial or as they await their potentially years-long legal process to conclude. These facilities will become increasingly crowded and conditions will worsen. Deaths in detention facilities are already common as guards withhold medicine and otherwise deny migrants’ medical care.

“The Rio Grande Valley is one of the most highly policed areas of the country,” said John-Michael Torres of La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) in an interview with the WSWS. LUPE is an immigrant rights group based along the Texas-Mexico border. “Border communities are similar to the rest of the country: we are made up of diverse, tight-knit communities from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, with people who are proud of where they live…We don’t want our communities to be divided by border walls and our families divided by deportations.”

Under the DHS memos, asylum seekers will now have to prove they have a “significant possibility” of satisfying the complex legal requirements for asylum to avoid expedited removal, whereas before they only needed to show they had a “credible fear” of returning to their home country to win a hearing before a judge.

This will be difficult for migrants to do, especially without a lawyer present. ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials regularly block attorneys from contacting their clients in prison, trick migrants into signing incriminating documents with the false promise of release and write reports including false testimony that ruin a migrant’s asylum case. To make matters worse, the memos also call for sending asylum seekers back to the country from which they entered the US (almost always Mexico) while they wait for their case to conclude. This will result in an abrogation of their basic due process rights, which attach to non-citizens only when they are on US soil, as evidenced by the memos’ requirement that migrants participate in any court hearings by teleconference only.

The order calls for the construction of a new militarized infrastructure of walls and jails that will house new entrants and those waiting to be deported. The language of the memo signed by Kelly calls for ICE and CBP to “take all necessary action and allocate all available resources to expand their detention capabilities and capacities at or near the border with Mexico to the greatest extent possible.”

The orders also severely restrict both prosecutors’ ability to halt removal proceedings based on their discretion and the government’s ability to temporarily allow immigrants to exit and re-enter the US for humanitarian reasons, like to visit a dying parent in Mexico.

Millions of migrants in the US are making urgent plans for the possibility of deportation as fear grows of additional round-ups. Last week, the Trump administration arrested 680 migrants, including a student with valid DACA paperwork, and many without criminal records.

Families across the country are now scrambling to organize their paperwork and to make arrangements to place their citizen children in the care of friends or family. Immigrants are flooding the consulates of their home countries with calls for help. Rumors of ICE raids spread rapidly across social media even when unfounded, giving a sense of the level of fear and desperation. Teachers in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods report high levels of fear and anxiety among young children, many of whom are US citizens, who worry that the government will take their parents away.

The defense of the millions of migrants facing deportation in the US and of the millions more seeking refuge in Europe requires mobilizing the working class internationally. This must take place on the basis of a socialist, anti-war and anti-capitalist program.

The conditions that give rise to migration—war and poverty—and the harsh conditions migrants face in the US and Europe are both the product of the capitalist system and cannot be solved by appeals to capitalist politicians. Only by reorganizing the world economy on a socialist and egalitarian basis can the right to travel freely across the world without fear of detention or deportation be secured for all.

How many people would die in a war between the US and Russia?

Andre Damon

The American ruling class is locked in a ferocious internal conflict centered on issues of foreign policy and war. The Democratic Party, along with a section of Republicans and most of the media, is conducting a hysterical campaign against Donald Trump for his supposed conciliatory attitude toward Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. These forces are fronting for the intelligence establishment, which is determined to prevent any retreat from the policy of aggressive confrontation with Moscow carried out by the Obama administration.

Trump, for his part, speaks for elements in the ruling elite and the state who view Iran and China to be the more immediate targets for US provocation and preparations for war, and would like to tamp down the conflict with Russia for now so as to peel it away from Tehran and Beijing.

There is not an ounce of democratic content on either side of this struggle between reactionary and war-mongering factions of US imperialism. The Democrats, however, are seeking to use unsubstantiated allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election to hijack popular opposition to the Trump administration and corral it behind the drive to war with Russia.

For months, the front pages of leading newspapers have featured “news” stories, based on the alleged statements of unnamed officials, about supposed meddling by Russia in the political affairs of the US and other countries. Nationally syndicated columnists have denounced Putin as a dictator, tyrant and murderer bent on dominating Europe and subverting American democracy.

Members of congress have declared Russia’s alleged intervention in the US election an “act of war” (in the words of John McCain) and vowed to “kick Russia’s ass” (Lindsey Graham).

This campaign takes place in the context of a major buildup of US and NATO military forces—troops, tanks, heavy weapons—on Russia’s western border, and an imminent military escalation in Syria, where US-backed “rebel” militias are fighting Syrian government forces supported by Iranian troops and Russian war planes and military advisors.

Whether in the Baltics or the Middle East, conditions are present for a clash between US and Russian forces, even if unintentional, to spark a full-scale war between the world’s two biggest nuclear-armed powers.

Yet neither the media nor the politicians agitating for a more aggressive posture toward Moscow discuss where their policy is leading, much less the likely consequences of a war between the US and Russia.

How many people would die in such a war? What are the odds that it would involve the use of nuclear weapons? On these life-and-death questions, the commentators and politicians, who drone on endlessly about Trump’s supposed softness toward Putin, are silent.

Behind the scenes, however, the intelligence agencies and Pentagon, along with their allied geo-strategic think tanks, are engaged in intense discussions and detailed planning premised on the possibility, indeed inevitability, of a major war with Russia. Plans are being laid and preparations made to wage and “win” such a war, including through the use of nuclear weapons.

One does not have to look far to find the people who are heading up the war planning. Yesterday, President Trump appointed Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, an army strategist, as his new national security advisor.

The selection of McMaster is broadly seen as a concession to Trump’s anti-Russia critics in the political and intelligence establishment. He is the leading figure in an Army project called the Russia New Generation Warfare study, whose participants have made repeated trips to the battlefields of eastern Ukraine to study Russia’s military capabilities and devise strategies and weapons systems to defeat them. McMaster has called on the US to prepare for high-intensity conventional war with Russia, involving not only long-range missile systems and stealth aircraft, but also “close” combat.

Beyond conventional warfare, US think tank strategists are discussing what it would take to “win” a nuclear war. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) recently put out a 140-page report, “Preserving the Balance: A US Eurasia Defense Strategy,” which discusses this issue in detail. The CSBA is headed by Andrew Krepinevich, the report’s author, and includes on its Board of Directors figures such as former Under Secretary of the Army Nelson Ford, former CIA Director James Woolsey and retired general Jack Keane.

“There is a need to rethink the problem of limited nuclear war in which the United States is a direct participant, or between other parties where the United States has a major security interest,” Krepinevich writes. “As opposed to the global apocalypse envisioned in the wake of a superpower nuclear exchange during the Cold War, there will very likely be a functioning world after a war between minor nuclear powers, or even between the United States and a nuclear-armed Iran or North Korea. US forces must, therefore, be prepared to respond to a range of strategic warfare contingencies along the Eurasian periphery.”

In an earlier report entitled “Rethinking Armageddon,” Krepinevich argued that the use of a “small number” of battlefield nuclear weapons should be included among the appropriate responses by a US president to conventional threats from Russia.

During the Cold War, the “limited” use of nuclear weapons was seen as an invitation for a full-scale nuclear exchange and the destruction of the planet. Now such discussions are considered “respectable” and prudent.

These plans are being realized in the US military arsenal. The US is currently in the midst of a $1 trillion nuclear weapons modernization program commissioned under Obama. The program centers on the procurement of lower-yield, maneuverable nuclear weapons that are more likely to be used in combat. However, the Defense Science Board, a committee appointed to advise the Pentagon, recently called on the Trump administration to do more to develop weapons suitable for a “tailored nuclear option for limited use.”

What would be the human toll from such an exchange? Numerous Pentagon war games conducted during the Cold War concluded that the “limited” use of nuclear weapons would not only cause millions of civilian casualties, but quickly escalate into a full-scale nuclear exchange that would destroy major cities.

A 1955 war game titled Carte Blanche, which was responding to a Russian invasion of German territory with the use of a “small” number of battlefield nuclear weapons, resulted in the immediate deaths of 1.7 million Germans, the wounding of 3.5 million more, and millions more dead as a result of fallout radiation.

In one 1983 war game code-named Proud Prophet, NATO initiated a limited nuclear first strike on Soviet military targets. But rather than backing down, the USSR initiated a full-scale nuclear retaliation, prompting the US to reply in kind. When the proverbial dust had settled, half a billion people were dead and European civilization destroyed.

More contemporary studies have shown similarly disastrous outcomes. A 2007 report by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War suggested that a “limited” nuclear exchange could lead to the deaths of over a billion people, mostly as a result of widespread climate disruption. The US National Academy of Sciences concluded that a “large-scale nuclear war” would lead directly to the deaths of up to four billion people.

The eruption of such a war at the hands of the nuclear arsonists who preside over crisis-ridden American capitalism is a real and present danger. In fact, as the McCarthyite-style anti-Russia agitation indicates, absent the independent and revolutionary intervention of the working class in the US and around the world, it is an inevitability.

Such is the criminality and recklessness of the American ruling elite and its political representatives on both sides of the aisle. Escalating war is a conspiracy of the elites, into which the masses of people are to be dragged and sacrificed.

Anyone who doubts that the American ruling class is capable of such acts should look to the historical record. The United States dropped nuclear bombs, which today would be considered “low-yield” and even “tactical,” on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just to warn off the Soviet Union. Truman and company killed over 100,000 people on the day the bombs were dropped, and another 100,000 died from radioactive poisoning over the ensuing four months.

Today, when the United States faces economic and geopolitical challenges far greater than those of an earlier period, it will operate all the more ruthlessly and recklessly.

The growing movement in opposition to the Trump administration must be inured against any and all efforts of the Democratic Party to infect it with the virus of imperialist war-mongering. The ongoing protests against Trump’s billionaire cabinet and his attacks on immigrants and democratic rights are only the heralds of a movement of the working class. It is necessary to politically arm this emerging movement with the program of socialist internationalism and the understanding that the fight against war and dictatorship is the fight against capitalism.

United Nations Volunteer Programme 2017

Application Deadline: 19th March 2017

Eligible Countries: All

Type: Short program/Volunteer

Eligibility: 

• Master’s degree in social sciences, political science, public or business administration, economics or related fields
• 5 years of relevant professional experience and proven track record in managing and implementing programmes in the context of development or in the area of humanitarian relief or in crisis management. Work experience with the United Nations is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. However, since many of the upcoming vacancies require bilingual candidates, we strongly encourage candidates who are fluent in English and, in addition, French or Spanish or Portuguese to apply. Any additional language (such as Arabic or Russian) is an asset, and another UN official language is highly desirable.

Selection: The selection process may include the following steps: telephone screening/video interviewing, technical assessments and competency based interviews. Since this process will be for a group of candidates, and not be limited to one assignment, we do expect the entire process to take up to three months.

Eligibility criteria for UN Volunteers and UNV Programme Officers who are currently serving will be communicated separately to all UNV Field Units.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Duration of Program: Not stated

How to Apply: UNV is currently building up a Talent Pool, which includes qualified, pre-assessed and evaluated candidates earmarked to become the next generation of UNV Programme Officers.

Already registered candidates are able to apply by using the application code indicated in this general Description of Assignment (DOA). Non-registered candidates have to use the application code available in the DOA after registering their profile in the UNV database. The current call goes from February 16th until March 19th 2017.

Visit Program Webpage for details

Award Provider: United Nations Volunteers

City University of London President Scholarships for Undergraduate International Students 2017/2018

Application Deadline: 30th September 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): UK

Type: Undergraduate

Eligibility: To qualify for the President’s International scholarship, candidate must:

• Be an international student (i.e. from outside the UK/EU and paying the overseas fee)
• Be applying for your first year of undergraduate study in 2017/18
• Achieve grades AAA or above in ‘A’ levels or IB 35 or above in the International Baccalaureate* with the exception of courses in the Cass Business School (see below) and the School of Arts and Social Sciences (see below)
• For courses in the Cass Business School, achieve grades A*AA or above in ‘A’ Levels (or A*A*A for Actuarial Science) or IB 38 or above in the International Baccalaureate (or IB 39 for Actuarial Science)
• For Journalism based in the Schools of Arts and Social Sciences, achieve grades A*AA or above in ‘A’ Levels or IB 38 or above
• Accept an offer from City as your first choice

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: £2,000

Duration of Scholarship: For 3 years

How to Apply: Students will have to register by 30th September 2017 in order to be considered for the Scholarship.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: City University of London

Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) PhD Scholarships for Developing Countries 2017/2018

Application Deadline: 31st March 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Developing Countries

To be taken at (country): Belgium

About the Award: The Catholic University of Louvain is Belgium’s largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve, which was expressly built to house the university. UCL has satellite campuses in Brussels, Charleroi, Mons and Tournai. The PhD scholarship for students from developing countries reflects its wish not only to help strengthen the academic systems of developing countries but also to create new partnerships between UCL and research or higher education institutions in these countries.

Type: PhD, Research

Eligibility: To be eligible, applicants must fulfil ALL of the following criteria:

• originate from a developing country
• have the support of at least one member of UCL’s academic staff;
• have been accepted to study for a doctorate by the subject-specific doctoral committee (CDD) (for doctorates at UCL) or a research diploma (for doctorates in the applicant’s own institution) in their field of research;
• not be required to give any undertaking to return to their home country to an organization that has funded a training course;
• in the case of students who have already started their doctorate and are duly enrolled at UCL, not be in receipt of a study scholarship.

Selection Criteria: After consultation with the Research Board (Conseil de la Recherche – CREC), the International Action Board (Conseil de l’action internationale – CAI) will select the recipients of the PhD scholarships based on the following criteria:

• the opinion of the UCL supervisor and, where applicable, the local supervisor;
• the applicant’s academic credentials;
• the scientific merit of the proposed research;
• the feasibility of completing the research in the proposed time;
• the quality of the resources made available to the applicant at the different sites where he/she will carry out the research;
• the prospects for employability and for exploitation of the thesis to further development goals.

In the event of applications of comparable quality, the CAI will give priority to applicants who:

• because of their geographical origin or social situation, do not have access to other sources of funding;
• propose a split-site research project; this involves the PhD student carrying out some of the doctoral work in his/her own institution under the supervision of a local academic contact person and some at UCL.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value and Duration of Scholarship: Successful applicants will receive a UCL PhD grant, paid out in no more than 36 monthly instalments. If necessary, UCL will also cover the cost of one or more return flights between the international airport nearest to their place of residence and Brussels airport.

How to Apply: Applications must be submitted by the applicant’s UCL supervisor, using the appropriate form, to the Chair of the Conseil de l’action internationale (CAI) c/o ADRI, 1 Place de l’Université, L0.01.06, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve by 31 March 2017 (before 12:00 pm Belgian time). An electronic version of the complete application, as one single PDF file, must be sent to Ms Catherine.goossens@uclouvain.be  by the same date.
The CAI will select the successful applicants at the end of June 2017 and the applicants and supervisors will be notified of the results.

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Award Provider: Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)

The Jean d’Alembert Scholarship Program for Outstanding Young Scientists 2017 – IDEX Paris Saclay

Application Deadline: 31st March 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): South Korea

About the Award: The content of the project to be developed as well as the duration of the fellowship must be defined before the application in connection with the Paris-Saclay reception team.

Two different programs are proposed:

• Scholarships “young researcher  ” for candidates who have obtained their doctorate for less than ten years,
• Scholarships “senior researcher” .

In both cases the 6-12 month visit may be divided into a maximum of two distinct periods of at least three months, separated by a maximum of 12 months between the end of the first period and the beginning of the second period.

Type: Postdoctoral, Research

Eligibility:   The content of the project to be developed as well as the duration of the fellowship must be defined before the application in connection with the Paris-Saclay reception team.

Two different programs are proposed:

• Scholarships “young researcher  ” for candidates who have obtained their doctorate for less than ten years,
• Scholarships “senior researcher” .

In both cases the 6-12 month visit may be divided into a maximum of two distinct periods of at least three months, separated by a maximum of 12 months between the end of the first period and the beginning of the second period.

1. Diploma of Doctor (PhD) or equivalent, obtained less than 10 years at the time of application for the Young Researchers program.
2. The candidate must have been recruited for a post of researcher, engineer or teacher-researcher at the institution of origin (Tenure track possible).
3. Candidates who have resided in France for more than six months at the time of application are not eligible.
4. French citizens may apply to the program, provided that their usual place of residence and work has been abroad for at least five years.
5. The head of the host laboratory will recruit the chairholder. When applying, the host laboratory must ensure that the age limit for recruitment is not exceeded before the end of the contract.

Selection Criteria: Candidates are selected solely on the basis of the quality of the scientific dossier and the project to be developed:

• Quality of the candidate’s scientific dossier (professional background, impact and originality of the scientific contributions),
• Quality of the proposed project (importance in its field, relevance of the proposed approach, feasibility, resources available in support besides those of the stock exchange, impact expected for the host laboratory and more broadly for Paris-Saclay Terms of training, valorisation or transfer).

Number of Awardees:  Not specified

Value of Scholarship: The award includes:

• A monthly salary supplement of € 2600 net for the “young researcher” program and € 3300 net for confirmed researchers,
• Accompanying costs, which may include operating costs necessary for the implementation of the project and, more generally, the costs associated with the temporary establishment of the fellow in the laboratory in France.

The beneficiary will have to be able to benefit, through the host laboratory, from assistance related to the search for housing, the schooling of children, the learning of the French language, etc.

• Scholarship covers whole tuition fee
• Monthly Stipend

How to Apply: An acknowledgment will be sent. Responses will be given approximately one month after the deadline for applications. In all cases, the contract must be signed before December 31, 2017, and the contract end date may not exceed December 31, 2020.

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Award Provider: IDEX Paris Saclay

TOTAL/Quay d’Orsay Masters Scholarship for Nigerian Students 2017 – France

Application Deadline: 25th February 2017

Eligible Countries: Nigeria

To be taken at (country): France

Fields of Studies: The scholarship is dedicated to students interested in applying for a master degree in France in the following fields:

• Management 
• International Law 
• Economics

Type: Masters

Eligibility: 

• Only Nigerian nationals are eligible to apply
  • Students should have graduated between 2013 and 2016
  • Must hold a first degree with at least Second class upper division relevant to the fields defined above 
  • Must have completed 1(one) year mandatory NYSC programme

Selection:  The selected applicants will come at their own cost to write Aptitude Tests for English comprehension and numeric computational analysis skills. Applicants who are successful at these tests will be interviewed during the month of March, 2017

Number of Awardees: 3

Value of Scholarship: Fully-funded

Duration of Scholarship: Duration of candidate’s program

How to Apply: 

Copy of your certificates (WAEC, NECO, Bachelor degree etc.…);
• Transcripts;
• Detailed resume or CV;
•Motivation letter explaining clearly your educational path, professional experience (if any) and your future prospects;
• Valid means of identification, i.e.: National ID card or international passport.

French proficiency is not required but can be an advantage.
All master programmes are taught in English.

Interested applicants should send their complete application latest by February 25th 2017 to nigeria@campusfrance.org in a single PDF file saved as Name_Surname_Total_French_Embassy_Scholarship_2017.

No paper applications will be accepted.
Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for tests and interviews.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: French Embassy

Masdar Institute Masters and PhD Scholarships for Study in UAE 2017/2018

Application Deadline: 31st May 2017

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: UAE and international students

To be taken at (country): UAE

About the Award: Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is the world’s first graduate-level university dedicated to providing real-world solutions to issues of sustainability. The Institute’s goal is to become a world-class research-driven graduate-level university, focusing on advanced energy and sustainable technologies.

Type: Master’s and Doctorate

Eligibility: Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for this scholarship:-

For Masters:

• A relevant undergraduate degree in science, engineering or IT from a recognised and accredited university;
• A minimum CGPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or equivalent (2nd class upper in the British system);
• A minimum GRE Quantitative score of 155 (700 on the old scale)*;
• A minimum TOEFL score of 91 (iBT)) or equivalent paper/computer based scores, or a minimum academic IELTS score of 6.5;
• Three Recommendation Letters;
• Statement of Objectives.

For Doctoral:

• A relevant undergraduate and Master’s degree in science, engineering or IT from a recognised and accredited university;
• A minimum CGPA of 3.0 in the undergraduate degree and a minimum CGPA of 3.2 in the master’s degree, or equivalent;
• A minimum GRE Quantitative score of 155 (700 on the old scale)*;
• A minimum TOEFL of 91 on the internet-based test (iBT) or equivalent paper/computer-based scores, or a minimum academic IELTS score of 6.5;
• Three recommendation letters;
• Statement of Objectives;
• Research proposal.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship:  Qualified Master’s and Doctorate degree applicants to Masdar Institute will be provided with full scholarship benefits upon admission. The Masdar Institute Scholarship benefits include the following:

• 100% of all tuition fees;
• All required textbooks;
• A laptop;
• Reimbursement of GRE and TOEFL exam/test fees;
• Masdar Institute housing;
• Monthly stipend;
• Health insurance;
• Annual return ticket home (if applicable).

How to Apply:  

Applicants are required to complete the online application and submit the following documents:

• Copy of undergraduate/graduate transcripts;
• Statement of Objectives;
• Copy of GRE and TOEFL (or IELTS) scores;
• Copy of CV (including education, list of publications, awards, professional experience, etc.);
• Name and email address of 3 referees (It is preferable that the email addresses provided are university/professional email addresses and not common Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc., addresses);
• To apply, prospective students do not need to submit originals or certified copies of documents. However, if selected, certified documents and a completed undergraduate degree in a relevant field will be required for final admission.

The Statement of Objectives is a very important part of your application and we encourage you to write it carefully. We seek a statement of one to two pages (approximately 400 to 1,000 words) explaining your reasons for wanting to complete your graduate studies at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: Masdar Institute

KU Scholarships for International Students 2017/2018

Application Deadline: 

• 1st March 2017 for the funding term summer (1 April 2017 – 31 August 2017)
• 1st September 2017 for the funding term winter (1 October 2017 – 28 February 2018)

Eligible Countries: International

To be taken at (country): Germany

Type: PhD, Masters

Eligibility: 

• Academic qualification
• Personal qualification
• You have not yet exceeded the maximum funding period (36 months) for this scholarship.
• You are enrolled as a student at the KU (campus Eichstätt or campus Ingolstadt) during the funding period.
• Advanced studies with good study performance (from 3rd semester onwards)
• Financial need.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: This scholarship includes 324,00 € per month.

How to Apply: 

• application form
• matriculation certificate
• proof of academic achievement or Transcript of Records
• at least one letter of recommendation from a KU professor (degree-seeking students) or a professor from your home university (exchange students)
• CV in tabular form in English
• letter of motivation (one page)
• declaration of need
• proof of nationality
• Application declaration (See Application form)

Please send your complete application as a single file PDF to: KU International Office incoming@ku.de

Subject: Scholarship: Promotion of internationalisation

Please note that we only accept complete applications sent as a single PDF-file.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider:  This scholarship is funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Education and Culture, Science, and Art.

NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature 2017 for Young Nigerian Writers

Application Deadline: 7th April, 2017

Eligible Countries: Nigeria

To be taken at (country): Nigeria

About the Award: The yearly literary prize is sponsored by Nigeria LNG (NLNG) to honour the best book by a Nigerian author between the last 4 years. The prize rotates around four literary genres: Prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.

Type: Contest

Eligibility: 

• No book published before January 2013 will be accepted
• An author will enter only one published work. More manuscripts will not be accepted
• No book  previously submitted for this competition may be re-submitted at a later date even if major revisions have been made or a new edition has been published.
• the prize will be rewarded for no other reason than excellence

Selection: Winners will be announced in October and will be presented to the public on a later date.

Number of Awardees: 4

Value of Contest:

How to Apply: 

• Ten copies of the entries and if available, an e-copy together with evidence of Nigerian citizenship (photocopy of Nigerian passport or I.D card) may be submitted either by authors or publishers in accordance with the genres in competition.
• Books should be submitted to Nigeria LNG’s External Relations Division, promoters of the prize, by the stipulated deadline.
• Complete contact information, including full contact address, phone number(s), email(s), and other relevant contact information will accompany every submission.

Entries shall be sent to:

The Nigeria Prize for Literature,

External Relations Division,

Nigeria LNG Limited,

Intels Aba Road Estate,

Km 16 Port-Harcourt-Aba Expressway,

P.M.B 5660 Port-Harcourt Rivers state

or

The Nigeria Prize for Literature,

External Relations Division,

Heron House

10 Dean Farrar Street,

London, SW1H 0DX

Visit Contest Webpage for details

Award Provider: NLNG