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KGMU Signs International MoU with Canadian University to Boost Medical Research and Student Exchange King George's Medical University and the University of Manitoba have decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in medical education, research, and academic exchange. The MoU signing ceremony took place on Thursday at a function held in Brown Hall on the KGMU campus.

KGMU students will benefit from the collaboration as they will be able to avail the international exchange programme, specialised training, and joint research activities in Canada. Also, faculty members of the two universities will collaborate on research work and present their findings at international academic forums.

Vice chancellor Soniya Nityanand stated that the partnership is intended to broaden the academic exposure and enhance the research output. The agreement, she said, would allow the students to obtain clinical experience abroad and improve their learning in practice through advanced healthcare systems.

The MoU is anticipated to facilitate the exchange of latest medical technologies, evidence- based reproductive practices and global patient care standards. Working jointly with faculty members could additionally result in publish together, present at conferences and conduct training courses in new medicine fields.

University administrators are of the opinion that joint ventures with foreign universities will contribute to enhancing their reputation, create opportunities for research grants, and lead to an overall improvement in the quality of postgraduate education.

Besides that, the initiative also conforms to India's endeavor to make higher education globally recognized and to support academic mobility.

Recently, KGMU has been tremendously increasing its international exposure, and this MoU could be yet another example of Indian medical education being an important part of international research networks. The joint venture is likely to bring about advantages for students, scholars as well as patients by fostering innovation, sharing of knowledge and getting acquainted with varied medical practices.

As the focus on international academic partnership keeps growing, the alliance between KGMU and the University of Manitoba might be instrumental in equipping medical graduates to work in healthcare systems that are globally linked and in highly sophisticated clinical research settings.

According to data from the Ministry of Education, the number of Indian students going abroad for higher studies has been declining for the last three years. The Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, revealed the information.

Majumdar provided data that at one time, over 908, 000 Indian students went abroad for higher studies till 2023, but this figure has fallen to 770, 000 in 2024, and to 626, 000 in 2025 respectively. The numbers are for the years 2023 and 2025 and were sourced from the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

The Minister of State quoted, "Going abroad for studies is usually a privilege of the person and depends on various factors such as the person's affordability, getting a bank loan, familiarizing oneself with foreign cultures, the person's aptitude for a particular subject, etc. The government also realizes that there is a global workplace, especially in the knowledge economy era, "

"Besides, the government is also looking at the diaspora as the major developers of the country by their sharing of knowledge and expertise." The Minister was quoted as saying that the government has implemented several measures consistent with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for the purpose of elevating higher education standards in India. The measures include efforts to upgrade facilities, strengthen accreditation, and promote research and innovation besides spreading digital education.

"As part of this, Foreign Universities have been allowed to set up their campuses in India to offer world class education in India. 14 foreign universities have been given the go ahead so far, whereas, five international universities have been allowed to conduct their operations in GIFT City in Gujarat, " Majumdar said.

The renowned Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics 2025 has been granted to CMS global collaboration over the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). As reported by Pars Today, this worldwide prize recognizes the team's outstanding work in identifying extremely rare phenomena that served as the basis for the in, depth comprehension of nature's most minute scales.

Among the recipients are researchers from the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM) in Iran, who, as active members of the CMS collaboration, are recognized as part of this esteemed international award. This award is the result of the Iranian CMS team at one of the world's most advanced scientific laboratories having persevered for years in their scientific, technical, and operational work.

On another matter, at least a thousand citizens each in Sydney and Melbourne took to the streets to protest against the official visit of Isaac Herzog, head of the Israeli regime, to Australia. In Sydney, the police resorted to pepper spray to scatter the demonstrators, and some were also arrested. Even though the protests in Australia were limited due to judicial and security measures, the general public annoyed with Herzog's visit is nevertheless indicated by these protests.

Naim Qassem: With perseverance, there is no defeat

From Lebanon, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, said in a speech at the inauguration of the Lebanon Medical Center: “With perseverance, there is no defeat.” He further elaborated that in terms of popularity, geography, and practicality, Lebanon has great potential which can give it a breakthrough to become a developed country.

Summarizing the major challenge Lebanon is facing, Sheikh Qassem stated that it is mainly a result of the combined attacks from Israel and the United States.

He stated it is a crucial country that besides still existing as an independent nation, has also reclaimed the lands and nowadays is a model of sacrifice and devotion.

Sheikh Qassem remarked: "We resist the enemy by our unity, power, and patience." Resistance, its people, and those with it have protected Lebanon for 42 years.”

Russia: Human Rights Council has become a political body

Continuing the criticisms from independent countries over the inaction of international organizations, Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative at the United Nations office in Geneva, said that the Human Rights Council has become one of the most controversial and politicized UN bodies. He added that, due to the efforts of the West and its allies—who form the majority in the council—this human rights body has turned into a platform for political score-settling under the pretext of human rights, aimed at smearing countries deemed “undesirable”.

Joint statement by 8 Islamic countries condemning Israel’s illegal actions

The foreign ministers from eight countries Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar strongly condemned the decisions and actions of Israel that are illegal and that are aimed at imposing illegal sovereignty, consolidating settlement activities and implementing a new law in the West Bank that is designed to speed up the efforts for illegal annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people. They pointed out that the Israeli regime has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories. These foreign ministers of the Arab and Islamic countries have issued a warning against Israel's continuous expansionist policies and illegal measures in the occupied West Bank that contribute to the eruption of violence and conflict in the region.

In the wake of unprecedented technological acceleration, education has become a field of competition and cooperation among emerging powers. Analytical pieces in international media reveal that, while culturally and historically different, the BRICS countries are focusing on shared educational challenges through modern technologies and aiming to take a greater lead in the global education agenda.

This Pars Today news package examines digitalization, online education, and artificial intelligence in the education systems of BRICS countries, which you can read below:

BRICS: Key players in global education

Referring to the report of the BRICS Expert Council in Russia, in the 2023, 2024 school year, nearly 35.9% of children who are of school age worldwide were residing in BRICS nations, and more than a third of the world's schools were in these countries. India is at the top of the list with a student population of more than 365 million, then comes China, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. These figures indicate the significant role of these countries in the education sector of the world in the future.

Experts continually point out that the BRICS nations face very similar challenges.

These challenges involve the whole gamut starting from providing access to compulsory and inclusive education at equal terms, to teacher shortages, educational staffs' migration, and linguistic diversity.

On the one hand, rapid population growth in some countries requires expanding educational infrastructure. On the other hand, rural depopulation due to migration has brought about school closures in some areas.

Technology, a door to further progress or just another hurdle?

Introducing digital education, neural networks, and artificial intelligence to the BRICS education systems is essentially viewed as a means to work towards cutting down inequalities and widening access.

Nevertheless, issues such as the quality of web- based education, the teacher's role, and whether or not these learning platforms can produce good professionals still remain.

Experts are of the opinion that education's future does not necessarily entail the ending of traditional models. Rather, it is the bridging of face, to, face and computer, based educational ways.

Diverse strategies in BRICS countries

BRICS countries have developed education strategies tailored to their national circumstances. China focuses on the equitable distribution of high-quality education across the country, India and South Africa aim to reduce school dropouts, and Russia and China seek to ease educational pressure on students. In Brazil, inclusive education has become a primary policy priority.

Educational cooperation and joint projects

BRICS educational cooperation at the university and research levels has expanded in recent years. Initiatives include faculty and student exchanges, networked educational programs, and joint online courses. Estimates indicate that by 2030, the number of students participating in BRICS joint programs could reach 100,000.

Future outlook for education in BRICS

Analysts believe that the digitalization of education and the development of shared scientific resources could become one of the most important public services in BRICS countries. Although challenges such as the digital divide and limited financial resources persist, BRICS experience shows that education can become a driving force for human and economic development in the Global South.

A drastic decrease in global aid especially by the United States and major European donors could reverse the progress made over several decades in the fight against infectious diseases and result in 22.6 million more deaths globally by 2030, a new study published in The Lancet Global Health on Tuesday has revealed.

The study, which was peer, reviewed, and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain, warns that a fall in official development assistance (ODA) will severely affect 93 low, and middle, income countries, including India It is notable that the estimated death figure comprises a staggering 5.4 million children under five years of age.

Sub Saharan Africa is likely to be the region most affected as there are 38 countries out of the 93 examined which are located there. In Asia, 21 countries including India are vulnerable, followed by 12 in each of Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa. Ten countries in Europe, including Ukraine, may also be impacted.

“Withdrawing this support now would not only reverse hard-won progress but would translate directly into millions of preventable adult and child deaths,” said Davide Rasella, Coordinator of the study and ICREA Research Professor at ISGlobal. “Budget decisions made today in donor countries will have irreversible consequences for millions of people for years to come.”

The research points out that Official Development Assistance (ODA) had a vital influence during 2002 and 2021 when the global under- five mortality rate dropped by 39 per cent, deaths from HIV/AIDS went down by 70 per cent, and fatalities caused by malaria and nutritional deficiencies declined by 56 per cent. These achievements were made in the countries where about 75 per cent of the world's population live.

In 2024, international aid went down for the first time in six years as the US, UK, France, and Germany considerably cut their donations, a fall which has not happened for almost three decades.

Researchers developed two scenarios and estimated the associated risks from 2025 to 2030. A moderate defunding scenario, with aid decreasing at 10.6 per cent per year, may result in 9.4 million unnecessary deaths. Among the fatalities will be 2.5 million children under five. If the aid budgets are slashed seriously, a defunding scenario with a $32 billion cut from 2024 to 2025, it could lead to over 22.6 million deaths including 5.4 million children under five.

These results reveal the huge ethical price of using a zero sum perspective for global aid, stated Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation that backed the research. “They are an urgent call to action to prevent avoidable human suffering.”

Sagebrook International School hosted an inauguration ceremony for its West Hyderabad campus on Friday, the same day it also announced a strategic academic partnership with UK, based Whitgift School, a top, ranked institution. Members of the Whitgift senior leadership team were present at the unveiling, which signaled a new era of educational cooperation with curriculum co, design, faculty development, and international academic pathways in focus.

The Whitgift team was led by Headmaster Toby Seth, who was accompanied by Director of International Education John Chisholm. Alongside them was Zo L. Hauser, Head of School at Sagebrook International. Seth applauded the joint spirit that led to the collaboration in his keynote speech, pointing out that the new campus is a testament to the commitment that both parties have made to purposeful, values, driven education and future, oriented learning spaces.

The Sagebrook campus, built to international standards, is a signpost for a sustainable and student, centered approach to learning. It is equipped with modular open, classrooms, green or eco, design, LED lighting, and recycled as well as low, emission materials, along with being neurodiverse, friendly all aimed at creating a secure and flexible academic environment.

Praveen Raju, Founder of Suchitra Academy and Founding Partner of Sagebrook International, said that Suchitra Academy was always planned to be a center of educational excellence in the world, but at the same time, the core values of the community and ethics should be very strong. He further mentioned that the collaboration with Whitgift school reinforces Sagebrooks ongoing dedication to the creation of a world, class educational environment in Hyderabad.

Zo L. Hauser, Head of School elaborated on Sagebrook's academic philosophy saying the curriculum of Sagebrook is a blend of the core aspects of IB Primary Years Programme, Montessori, and the Reggio Emilia approaches with an emphasis on inquiry, based and experiential learning which fosters curiosity, creativity, and connection with the real world.

As an IB PYP candidate school, the institution will include the Beginnings Programme that will cater to kids as young as 12 months. A parent caf and co, working space dedicated to the parents will also be available to promote interaction within the community. As part of the launch celebrations, Sagebrook will host a citywide experiential event titled “When Why Finds Joy” on February 7, introducing families to its learning philosophy through interactive activities.