The donation to Dorothy’s Dream, a community school for underprivileged children in Chainda, Lusaka, is part of the many activities that Chevening Alumni, a body of scholars who where sponsored by the British Government to study in the UK, has planned to support communities and contribute to Zambia’s development.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Acting High Commissioner Andrew Hamilton said:

“I am delighted to see Zambians who have studied at top UK universities using not only their skills and knowledge acquired to contribute significantly to Zambia’s development but also supporting their local communities through volunteerism, a culture that is common both in the UK and Zambia.”

“The UK has a global reputation for excellence in the field of education and skills, rooted in our centuries-old yet forward-looking educational system. It’s a tradition of learning that we continue to share with the world, including Zambia. It is gratifying to see Zambian future leaders who spent time studying in UK contributing to such a worthwhile cause.”

Mr Hamilton said one of the Information Technology (IT) experts from among the Chevening Alumni has volunteered to train pupils and staff at the school so that they are empowered with IT skills that will enable them to use the computers effectively.

1. Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. The programme makes awards to outstanding scholars with leadership potential from around the world to study Postgraduate courses at universities in the UK.

2. Since 1985, over 150 Zambians have studied in the UK under the Chevening Scheme. In 2017, the UK government will be sending seventeen Zambian scholars under Chevening Scholarships to study in the UK in various fields at universities. Chevening and its predecessor schemes have been operating in Zambia since 1983. Over 150 Zambians have studied in the UK under the Chevening Scheme.

3. The four universities in the world’s top six are: Oxford, Cambridge, University College London and Imperial College London. Oxford has educated more world leaders than any other university, and Cambridge graduates have won 65 Nobel Prizes.

4. Chevening Scholarships are aimed at future leaders, influencers and decision-makers. The aim is for them to return to their country of origin after their studies.

5. Chevening Scholarships are currently offered in approximately 110 countries, in most regions of the world. In the current academic year, there are over 1500 Chevening scholars at universities across the UK. In Zambia, Chevening Scholarships are administered by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) on behalf of the FCO.

6. Application window for Chevening Scholarships for the academic year 2017/18 will open and must be submitted online between 7 August and 15 November 2017 on the Chevening website. Applicants should read the online guidance and be able to demonstrate how they meet the Chevening selection criteria before submitting an application.

7. For further information on Chevening Scholarships please visit our social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter and our website.

8. Numbering around 46,000 worldwide, Chevening Alumni are an influential and highly regarded group comprising people that have studied at some of the UK’s top universities under the prestigious Chevening scholarship scheme. The Chevening Alumni Zambia chapter is a registered association of former recipients of the Chevening scholarships formed to serve as a platform for networking amongst alumni and to use their professional skills to contribute to the development of Zambia.

For more information contact:

The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life has today published the terms of reference for its review on the intimidation of parliamentary candidates, MPs and other public office holders, and invited anyone with an interest to submit evidence.

Perdita Hunt OBE, DL has been reappointed by the Prime Minister as a Trustee of NHMF/HLF for a term of three years, ending on 21 July 2020

At around 14:37 hrs on Friday 7 July, an explosion took place inside an under-floor equipment case on the 14:37 hrs Guildford to London Waterloo service, as the driver applied power to depart from Guildford station.

There were no reported injuries. However, debris, some quite sizable, was deposited on public platforms and the car park.

The train comprised two four-car class 455 units coupled together and the explosion took place under the third carriage of the leading unit.

Class 455 trains are undergoing a programme of retrofitting new traction equipment, which started in May 2016. The traction equipment involved was of the new design and the mechanism which caused the explosion was believed to be understood by the industry parties involved. Similar, smaller explosions, have occurred on at least two previous occasions where debris scatter was much more confined. The previous occurrences had been attributed to a manufacturing defect, leading to a build-up of explosive gas within the traction equipment. Industry parties were in the process of devising possible solutions to the problem at the time of the 7 July accident and are continuing to do so.

Since the immediate cause of this accident is already understood, our investigation will focus on:

• the change management processes that were applied to the retrofitting programme
• the response to the previous similar incidents
• the adequacy of any risk control measures that had been implemented
• any other relevant underlying management factors

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

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