The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday released the guidelines for Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduate (CUET-UG) admissions.
NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday released guidelines for the Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduate (CUET-UG) admissions in central universities. The online registration process for the test will begin from April 2. The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday made it mandatory for all central universities to conduct undergraduate admissions only on the basis of CUET-UG. However, the universities will be allowed to keep some minimum eligibility criteria for applying with them in terms of class 12 marks. The NTA notification issued on Saturday said CUET-UG will be a computer-based, objective-type test and will be conducted in 13 languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The last date of the submission of forms will be April 20 (on cuet.samarth.ac.in). The test is likely to be conducted in the first week of July over multiple days. The exam will be strictly based on the class 12 NCERT syllabus. “All questions in various testing areas will be benchmarked at the level of Class 12 only. Students having studied Class 12 board syllabus would be able to do well in CUET-UG,” the agency said. NTA has advised the aspirants to refer to the information bulletins of respective universities for their eligibility criteria and for selecting the courses being offered by them. Structure of CUET The CUET-UG will be divided into four sections i.e I-A, I-B, II, and III. Section I-A and I-B will consist of language subjects. Section II will be domain specific and section III will be a general test. It is not mandatory for the candidates to choose options from each section. They can choose the sections based on the requirements of the desired University. A candidate can choose a maximum of any three languages from Section I-A and Section I-B together, and up to six domain subjects. However, the third language can only be chosen as the sixth domain subject. It means, overall, candidates can take a test in a maximum of nine subjects i.e 2 languages + 6 domain specific subjects + one general test or 3 languages + 5 domain specific subjects + one general test. “Flexibility being provided to help a candidate apply for many universities depending on their eligibility conditions,” NTA said.
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![]() Usha Martin is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of wire rope. Established in the year 1960, today Usha Martin is a multi-unit and multi-product organization. The wire rope manufacturing facilities located in Ranchi, Hoshiarpur, Dubai, Bangkok and UK produce one of the widest ranges of wire ropes in the world. The infrastructural facilities are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art high-capacity machines to manufacture world-class products. Our Global R&D centre located in Italy is actively engaged in designing wire ropes and uses proprietary design software to develop products that are the best in class. Usha Martin also has a comprehensive R&D facility in their manufacturing unit at Ranchi in India. Long-standing application in diverse sectors like Oil & Offshore, Mining, Crane, Elevator, Infrastructure etc. is the testimony of their expertise in manufacturing high-quality wire rope products. As a business entity, they have always focused on delivering value-added products and services to the customers. To ensure the commitment to quality percolates through every sphere of their operations, they have built a robust network of capabilities spread across the globe. The distribution centers are located in the UK, North America, South America, Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Kazakhstan and Iran. Usha Martin’s facility at Ranchi is one of the world’s largest wire rope manufacturing facilities under one roof. Other than wire rope, this unit manufactures LRPC strands, customized to have diversified applications in Infrastructure, Renewable energy installations, Bridges etc. Usha Martin has enriched experience in manufacturing & supply of pre-stressing machines & accessories, backed up by expert installation teams for Pre-stressing jobs. Mr Rajeev Jhawar is an Indian industrialist with over three decades of experience in strategic management is the managing director of Usha martin. He is an alumnus of Ranchi University and London Business School. He started his journey as Sr. Vice President (Commercial) and became the Managing Director of Usha Martin Limited in 1998. In the three decades that he has been at the helm of the Usha Martin Group, Rajeev Jhawar has accelerated growth, built a meritocracy and enhanced stakeholder value. His leadership qualities, sharp business acumen, in-depth understanding of business administration and strategic decision making has taken the Group to an altogether higher growth trajectory. Rajeev Jhawar is on the Boards of various corporates including Orient Cement Limited (part of CK Birla group companies) and Neutral Publishing House Limited which has a leading regional newspaper under the flagship title ‘Prabhat Khabar’ published in the Indian cities of Patna, Dhanbad, Ranchi, Jamshedpur & Kolkata. He is also a director on the boards of Usha Martin’s overseas subsidiaries, i.e Usha Martin International Limited in the UK, Usha Siam Industries Public Company Limited in Thailand and Brunton Wire Ropes FZCo in Dubai. Rajeev Jhawar has been the Managing Director of Usha Martin Limited since May 19, 2008. He is a director of Neutral Publishing House Limited. Rajeev Jhawar has been the Vice Chairman of Usha Martin Education and Solutions Limited since September 2010. The company has been bringing rich experience in the management of industrial enterprises for more than a decade, the company said in a regulatory filing. His leadership qualities, sharp business acumen, deep understanding of business administration and strategic decisions led the group to a high growth trajectory as a whole. ![]() Britain’s negotiations with Iran aimed at securing the release of dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe are “going right up to the wire”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Mr Johnson said talks with Tehran over the fate of the mother of one were “moving forward” but he could not say more as “negotiations continue to be under way”. Liz Truss, the UK’s foreign secretary, said the government’s priority is to pay Iran the £400 million debt and reach an agreement with Tehran to allow Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 43, to return to Britain. Hopes were raised on Tuesday that she might finally be freed after six years when a London MP disclosed that her British passport had been returned to her. Labour’s Tulip Siddiq said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been talking about coming back to the UK as “the day that she’s been dreaming about for six years now”. The MP for Hampstead and Kilburn represents the constituency where Mr Ratcliffe and his daughter live. “We know that there is a British negotiating team in Iran, and it’s difficult to think why they would be there if there wasn’t some leeway in what was happening, that there may be some progress made on the case. Certainly Richard [Nazanin's husband] is feeling hopeful," the MP told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday. “I also was in touch with Nazanin as well, who definitely sounds a bit more stressed and a bit more nervous than Richard does. But at the same time is talking about coming home, being reunited with her husband and her daughter, being back at home in West Hampstead and saying that this is the day that she’s been dreaming about for six years now.” Speaking to reporters at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, during a visit to the UAE on Wednesday, Mr Johnson confirmed there was a British negotiating team in the Iranian capital vying for her release. “It is true and it has been for a long time that we’re negotiating for the release of our dual nationals in Tehran,” the prime minister said. “There are some very sad cases, including Nazanin. “I really don’t think I should say much more, I’m sorry, although things are moving forward. “I shouldn’t really say much more right now just because those negotiations continue to be under way and we’re going right up to the wire.” Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in April 2016 as she prepared to fly back to the UK, having taken her daughter Gabriella – then not even two years old – to see relatives. She was accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government and sentenced to five years in jail, spending four years in Tehran’s Evin Prison and one under house arrest. Both the British government and Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe have denied the allegations. Ms Siddiq said Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains at her family home in Tehran while discussions are ongoing. Ms Truss told Sky News on Wednesday Britain is exploring ways to pay Iran the £400 million debt. The sum relates to an order of 1,500 Chieftain tanks and armoured vehicles that Tehran had paid the UK for before London cancelled the contract following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Ms Truss said “we are working very hard and I’ve made a priority, as foreign secretary, to secure the release of Nazanin” and other British citizens detained in Iran. She said the Conservative-led government had also “made it a priority to pay the debt that we owe to Iran”. She acknowledged the sum of cash is “a legitimate debt that the United Kingdom owes Iran” and said “we are looking for ways to pay it”. She declined to elaborate on the possible ways in which the money could be repaid and refused to say whether Iran had already received the lump sum. “It’s a desperate situation and my heart is with the families who have suffered so greatly,” Ms Truss said. ![]() Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson landed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for talks with senior officials over the war in Ukraine and the global energy crises. Mr Johnson was greeted at Abu Dhabi airport by British Ambassador to the UAE Patrick Moody and UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash. He was guided through a guard of honour before travelling across the city to Emirates Palace. Boris Johnson, who will later on Wednesday visit Riyadh, will talk to officials about boosting oil production to ease spiking fuel prices linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, the UK's Press Association agency reported. Speaking to British media at the Emirates Palace hotel, Mr Johnson said: “It’s not just a question of looking at the Opec countries and what they can do to increase supply, though that is important, there’s also the issue of Emirati investment in UK wind farms, already huge, what more can they do. “When we look at the dependency the West in particular has built up on Putin’s hydrocarbons, on Putin’s oil and gas, we can see what a mistake that was because he’s been able to blackmail the West and hold western economies to ransom – we need independence.” He said the British government would be setting out the energy strategy “next week” to include a “massive jump forward on renewables, more nuclear, using our own hydrocarbons more effectively” and sourcing fossil fuels from outside Russia. Mr Johnson said there is “no way Ukraine is going to join Nato anytime soon” but stressed that the decision had to be for the country’s president to take. “I talked to Volodymyr (Zelensky) again yesterday and of course I understand what he is saying about Nato and the reality of the position," he said. “And everybody has always said – and we’ve made it clear to Putin – that there is no way Ukraine is going to join Nato anytime soon. “But the decision about the future of Ukraine has got to be for the Ukrainian people, and Volodymyr Zelensky is their elected leader and we will back him. “And the most important thing is that Putin’s aggression, his absolutely barbaric attacks on Ukraine should stop and they should not be seen to have succeeded, and they won’t succeed.” ![]() North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile that exploded in mid-air shortly after launch, South Korea said on Wednesday. The failed launch was likely a test of Pyongyang's so-called "monster missile", analysts have warned. The suspected ballistic missile "seems to have exploded in mid-air shortly after launch," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP. The launch was North Korea's 10th suspected weapons test this year. The US said the nuclear-armed country was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] "at full range" for the first time since 2017. North Korea, despite international sanctions, conducted seven missile tests in January and twice launched components of what it claimed was a "reconnaissance satellite". South Korea and the US said last week those tests were actually of a new ICBM system that has never been launched before. The Hwasong-17, dubbed a "monster missile" by analysts, was first unveiled at a parade in October 2020. The launch at about 9.30am local time was from the Sunan area in Pyongyang, the same site as the February 27 and March 5 "satellite" tests. Nuclear-armed North Korea has long coveted an ICBM that can carry multiple warheads. The US said last week the recent tests marked a "serious escalation" of the country's weapons programmes. But the specialist NK News site reported that Wednesday's launch ended in "catastrophic failure" with a red-tinged ball of smoke zig-zagging across the sky as debris fell near the capital. "Signs indicate the North test-fired Hwasong-17 today," Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute told AFP. "With Russia now highly unlikely to agree to additional sanctions on the North in case of such a test-launch amid its invasion of Ukraine, Pyongyang appears to have judged it was the optimal time to proceed." The failure of the Wednesday launch will be closely studied by Pyongyang, he said. It can take about three tests to ensure the missile is functioning. "I expect the North to conduct one or two more test-launches before April 15," he said. North Korea has carried out three ICBM tests, the last in November 2017 of a Hwasong-15 – deemed powerful enough to reach Washington and the rest of the continental US. But the country has been observing a self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range and nuclear weapons since leader Kim Jong-un embarked on a high-level diplomacy drive in 2018. The US military this week said it had "enhanced" missile defence systems in South Korea. ![]() The UAE’s biggest telecoms operator, e&, said on Wednesday that it has made an offer to increase its stake in Saudi telecoms company Etihad Etisalat, better known as Mobily, to 50% and one share. Formerly known as Etisalat, e& owns a 28 per cent stake in Mobily, which was founded in 2004. "The purpose of the discussions is for e& to come to an understanding with the Mobily board of directors in respect of the conditions applicable to the potential offer (including its implementation) which the Mobily board would be able to recommend to Mobily’s shareholders," e& said in a regulatory filing to Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, where its shares are traded. ![]() Philippine economic managers rejected calls to suspend excise taxes on petroleum products, instead pitching for more subsidies to affected sectors and a shorter work week to cut costs. The government is expecting to collect 131.4 billion pesos ($2.5bn) this year from excise taxes on fuel, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Wednesday. Yielding to some politicians and transport groups’ call to suspend the levy will cut this year’s revenue by 0.5 per cent of gross domestic product, he said. Instead, Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua pitched for more direct aid to affected sectors including the poorest 50 per cent of households. He also proposed a four-day work week to reduce costs for businesses and workers, a move done in past oil shocks. A three-month wage subsidy has also been proposed by the country's Department of Labour and Employment. Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine has fanned oil prices, sending shock waves to nations including the Philippines, which imports most of its fuel requirements. The commodity’s rise retreated as attention turned to possible reduced demand amid a Covid-19 flare up in China. Suspending the excise tax on fuel will increase this year's deficit to 8.2 per cent of GDP from a projected 7.7 per cent and the debt ratio to 61.4 per cent of GDP from a 60.9 per cent estimate, Mr Dominguez said. Increasing jeepney fares by 1.25 pesos will add 0.4 percentage point to inflation, while a 39 pesos hike in the capital region's daily minimum wage will add 1 percentage point, Mr Chua said. Meanwhile, the labour department is seeking approval of a 24bn peso wage subsidy that may run for three months to benefit 1 million workers, assistant secretary Dominique Tutay said. Another key area touched upon in the briefing included a government plan to collect as much as 26bn peso in additional value added tax should Dubai crude average $110 per barrel. ![]() The seven-year war in Yemen will only end by forcing the Iran-backed Houthi rebels to the negotiating table, the United States' senior diplomat in the UAE said. The conflict has sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and also threatens the stability of the wider region. The Houthis have also targeted the UAE and Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and drones. "Right now the Houthis are the aggressor in that war. And we are working very, very intensely with our partners in the region, with the UAE, with Saudi Arabia and also with the United Nations to try to bring the fighting to a stop," Charge d'Affaires Sean Murphy said. Efforts to broker a peace between the Houthis and the internationally recognised-government, who are backed by a Saudi-led coalition, stalled last summer after the rebels launched fresh offensives. "We've seen a greater recognition within the international community in the past six months, indeed, over the past year, that it is the Houthis and their Iranian backers who are fueling the war at this point, that the other parties are interested in peace, and the Houthis and their Iranian backers are interested in fighting and war at this point," Mr Murphy told The National's Business Extra podcast. "There are a lot of efforts underway to try to bring pressure to bear on the Houthis to stop fighting," he said. The UAE has asked the Biden administration to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group after the rebels launched attacks on Abu Dhabi in January following significant defeats at the hands of pro-government militia in Yemen’s oil-rich Shabwa province. Washington taking more action to thwart the Houthis has been a sticking point between the UAE and US since the Biden administration came in to the White House. Mr Murphy stressed the importance of the US-UAE relationship, which he acknowledged "has had its ups and it's downs over the years". "It's built on solid foundations. And it's built on these interpersonal connections between people, between business people, between scientists, between students, between academics. And so we're very confident that that the success of the [last] 50 years, will continue into the next 50 years of the UAE's history." Mr Murphy said the US is keen to demonstrate its support for such an important partner in all areas, in particular defence and security. In the wake of a deadly attack on Abu Dhabi in January, the UAE criticised international efforts to rein in the Houthi rebels as “appeasement” and called for tougher sanctions and other measures against the group. "We certainly recognise that the UAE faces a very significant national security threat right now, due to the the the terrorist drone and missile attacks, that the Houthis have launched since January 17," he said. "We are doing everything we can to try to be responsive to those to those concerns." The American response includes providing anti-missile defence systems, moving a guided missile destroyer into the region and placing a squadron of F-22 fighter jets in the country, he said. "We're collaborating with greater information and intelligence sharing. We're doing things to enhance interdiction efforts of war materials that Iran attempts to illegally introduce into Yemen ... we're collaborating on programmes to improve integrated air defence," Mr Murphy said. "Ultimately, it's critical that the war stops and of course the it's the war that has created such a devastating humanitarian situation in in Yemen. That's of enormous concern to us, and enormous concern to the international community," said Mr Murphy. More than 160,000 people in war-torn Yemen will be affected by famine during the second half of this year — five times the current figure — several UN agencies and international aid groups have said. The actions of the Houthis in Yemen highlight a wider concern about the risk Iran represents to regional stability. Almost a year of negotiations in Vienna have brought closer the prospect of a new nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers. The previous agreement in 2015, made under the Obama administration, failed to address the concerns of the US' allies in the region, including the activity of proxies and Iran's ballistic missile programme. Regardless of any deal, the US remains committed to "the defence of the region, to helping the region resist Iran's malign behavior", said Mr Murphy. "It's not 2015 anymore ... we've recognised that publicly," said Mr Murphy. "We know that whatever happens in Vienna, Iran remains a challenge. And it's a challenge that we're committed to continuing to work on with our partners." The Dubai resident has missed a few instalments but has been offered a job outside the UAE3/15/2022 ![]() I have a Dh70,000 personal loan with a bank in the UAE. I have been unable to pay the instalments for a few months as I have been having financial problems and my salary is not enough to cover the payments. I have been applying for other jobs in the hope of increasing my salary and have been offered a position outside the UAE. The salary is higher than what my current position pays. Is it possible to pay my loan balance from another country? If so, what do I need to do to ensure that I will have no issues with the bank and move countries to start my new job without a problem? RL, Dubai You can pay your debt from another country. However, the crucial point to note here is to communicate with your bank. As soon as you change employers, your bank will be aware of your employment status. Also, if a bank knows that somebody is leaving the country and is expected to leave behind substantial debts, it can apply to the courts for a travel ban. Banks can enforce collection even if you are in another country or jurisdiction, especially within the GCC region. I would advise you to reach out to your bank, explain your situation and intention to continue paying the loan after leaving the country. Based on specific circumstances, a borrower’s track record of timely repayments and a willingness to pay back their debts in full, the bank may agree to a repayment plan. Interest rates and some other terms might change, so it is important to know what these are so you can plan accordingly. Requesting repayment breaks while looking for a job or moving to another country will provide you with some breathing space. You can also request the bank to change the repayment structure to only interest repayments in the short term, with the principal to be paid later. It is important to note that the bank would rather receive regular repayments that lead to a debt being paid off rather than the borrower being unable to pay it because of an unmanageable payment structure in the short term. Read More : https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/2022/03/16/the-debt-panel-can-i-pay-off-my-dh70000-loan-from-another-country/ ![]() Close to 40 per cent of young people aged 18 to 24 in the Middle East struggled with their mental health last year, a global study has found. The Mental State of the World Report ascribed the worrying trend to the Covid-19 pandemic with its repeated lockdowns, study at home and long spells of enforced isolation. But it also said the surge in mobile phone and internet use meant people spend less time making human connections, a trend the study’s authors believe needs “immediate attention”. Researchers polled 223,087 people in 34 countries with widespread internet access. The results were published by Sapien Labs, a US non-profit. It measured mental health in people of all ages but found the global deterioration in the youngest adults to be of most concern. “The results, quite honestly, surprised us,” said Tara Thiagarajan of Sapien Labs and Jennifer Newson, the lead scientist for the report. “The reasons behind this decline are likely numerous and complex but add to the ongoing debate around the consequences of growing up in an internet-dominated and inequitable world.” Among young adults, defined as those aged 18 to 24, polled, half in the Anglosphere – US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand – reported struggling or distress. The figure was 38 per cent for the Middle Eastern countries surveyed – Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen. Statistics published in the report showed people spend an average of seven to 10 hours online per day, depending on the country. “It is perhaps not the use of the mobile phone and internet per se that has been damaging but rather that it occupies such a large fraction of waking time that it crowds out time that previously would have been spent on the in-person social interactions that are required to build and maintain a strong social self,” the report said. Among those aged 65 and over, nine per cent of people in the Middle East reported they were struggling or distressed. In general, 30 per cent of those polled in the Anglosphere had mental wellbeing scores in this category compared with 23 per cent in the Middle East and 18 per cent in Europe. Mental wellbeing increased with higher levels of education for all regions of the world. There was also a substantially greater mental wellbeing among those who were employed than in people who were unemployed or not able to work. The mental health wellbeing gap between older and younger generations was more profound (30 per cent) than that of any other criterion studied, such as education, employment, location or sex, and the report said this warrants urgent attention. This was exacerbated by Covid-19 and stands in “stark contrast to the happiness and wellbeing patterns documented prior to 2010 across several regions of the world, where young adults 18 to 24 typically had the highest wellbeing”. School principals in the UAE said encouraging young pupils not to brush mental illness under the carpet was crucial. “Be honest about how you’re feeling and seek help,” said Clare Turnbull, head of the junior school at The Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai. She said pupils needed to be taught to have the grit and determination to know what to do for themselves, to allow themselves to relax and regenerate. Teachers must be “unashamedly determined to prioritise the emotional wellbeing of young people alongside their academic and social development and have that as a central aim”. David Cook, headmaster at Repton Dubai, in Nad Al Sheba, said promoting positive mental health should be viewed in the same way as promoting positive physical health. “Ten or 15 years ago, nobody really talked about the fact that mental health is as important as physical health. I think the first thing that schools and families and society need to do is say it’s OK to talk about it.” He said schools needed to prepare young people to stand on their own feet. “What we do in the 10 years before university is really important. And the question that schools are wrestling with is how do we actually promote positive mental health?” said Mr Cook. “How do we teach young people it’s OK to fail at some things; or that life doesn’t always go well; or you don’t always get the job interview; [or] you don’t always feel great; [or you] don’t always get picked for the team. “What we need to do is to make sure children understand that from really a young age, so that they know it’s OK to feel low or depressed.” |
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