Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals with demonstrable leadership potential who also have strong academic backgrounds. The scholarship offers full financial support for future leaders to study for any eligible master’s degree at any UK university whilst also gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural experiences. Since the programme was created in 1983, over 50,000 outstanding professionals have had the opportunity to develop in the UK through Chevening. There are more than 1,500 scholarships on offer globally for the 2020/2021 academic year, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment towards developing the leaders of tomorrow.

The call for new applicants follows the selection of four scholars from Guatemala, who won an award to study at a UK university this year. Successful applicants have been sharing their stories through the #ChosenForChevening hashtag on Twitter and Instagram

Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. The scholarships support study at UK universities – mostly one year taught master’s degrees – for individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion formers. The British Ambassador to Guatemala, Carolyn Davidson, said:

We are looking for ambitious, professional, and innovative future leaders from any walk of life, who will study hard in the UK, and be open to immersing themselves in the opportunities that arise. Our alumni network is full of dynamic influencers who have shared the same experience that you will. They can offer encouragement, mentorship, advice, and contacts. When you return home after your studies, you should feel well equipped to start making a real difference professionally or socially. There is a lot to potentially gain from submitting a thoughtful application, so if you have what it takes to be a Chevening Scholar, I would encourage you to apply before the 5 November deadline.

Applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply

More information Visit www.chevening.org/Guatemala for detailed information on the eligibility criteria and scholarship specifications.

How to apply for a scientific licence to import, move or keep material that’s usually prohibited, fees you must pay and how to move it.

Dear UK nationals in Slovakia,

It was great to meet some of you in person at our public meetings in the spring when we expected Brexit to happen on 29 March and then on 12 April.

As you will know, Boris Johnson has succeeded Teresa May as Prime Minister. In his first address to Parliament, the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK will leave the EU on 31 October.

Whilst the UK government would prefer to leave with a deal, no deal remains a very real prospect. It is therefore essential that you register your residence with the Slovak Foreigners Police if you have not already done so. We would advise you to do this as soon as possible, as there is likely to be increased demand in the autumn as new international students arrive and the Brexit date gets nearer.

The Prime Minister gave a clear guarantee to EU nationals living in the UK, thanking them for their contribution to UK society, guaranteeing their right to live and remain in the UK, and reassuring them that their status will never be used as a bargaining chip. Like other British embassies across the EU, our team here have been working hard to ensure that our host countries reciprocate the UK’s offer in full and communicate these reassurances and actions to UK nationals across Europe.

The Slovak government passed it’s own ‘No Deal’ legislation in March to fully reciprocate the UK’s offer and allow UK residents to continue to live, work, study and do business in Slovakia, as long as they registered their residence before Brexit. You should by now have received a letter direct from the Slovak Foreigners Police. If you have not, please get in touch with your local Slovak Foreigners Police to register as soon as you can.

In addition, the Slovak No Deal legislation also provides for continuing current arrangements for reciprocal healthcare, pensions, recognition of qualifications and social security at least until the end of 2020. In the absence of a deal, this will provide some continuity until the longer-term arrangements beyond 2020 are agreed.

The Slovak No Deal Act also provides for recognition of UK issued driving licences in Slovakia in a no deal scenario. So there is no immediate need to exchange your driving licence for a Slovak one, but we recommend you consider doing so after 6 months of being resident in Slovakia. This is because, if you no longer have a UK address, you will not be able to renew your UK driving licence when it comes up for renewal. However, if you exchange your UK licence for a Slovak one, you will, in future, be able to exchange your Slovak licence for a UK one if you need to.

Please continue to check our Living in Slovakia Guide for the latest information and sign up to email alerts.

There is more detail and advice in the guide, but the key things for you now are:

• correctly register as a resident in Slovakia (if you have not already done so)
• check your passport is valid for travel (after Brexit, in the absence of a deal, you will need a certain amount of validity left on your passport to comply with Schengen rules when travelling)
• pets: depending on whether your pet has a UK or an EU pet passport, and whether you intend to travel with your pet after Brexit, there may be actions you need to take now (for example blood tests needing to be taken in advance of travel). Please check our Living in Slovakia Guide for more information.

The Living in Slovakia Guide is your first port of call for advice, but if you have any specific questions, there is a telephone line and email service. You can find details in the Contact Section of the British Embassy website and you can follow the Embassy on Facebook and Twitter.

We will continue to do everything we can to keep you updated. Protecting the rights of UK nationals in the EU is an absolute priority for the UK government.

Yours faithfully,

Kimberly Gillingham

Chargé d’Affaires

British Embassy

Bratislava

5 August 2019

Global corporation Toshiba has found itself at the centre of a landmark legal moment that will feature in the timeline of UK trade mark history. The organisation is the first to have its distinctive multimedia ‘motion’ mark (a moving trade mark) registered under changes to UK trade mark law implemented in January this year.

Whilst it has been possible to register motion marks before this, submissions were required to be illustrated graphically. Under the new system, applicants can now submit their moving, hologram or sound trade mark using a multimedia file.

View the Toshiba registered multimedia motion mark.

Tim Moss, Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) said:

Trade marks are likely to become increasingly innovative in the digital age, as organisations explore imaginative ways of reflecting their distinctive brand personalities using creative intellectual property.

Under the amended trade mark law, submission of motion marks, hologram trade marks and sound marks via multimedia format now enables examiners to see exactly what the creator of the mark intended.

Worldwide corporation Toshiba was the first to have its multimedia motion mark registered in the UK under the new system. Based on the art of paper folding known as Origami, the graphic motif was created by the company to reflect the Toshiba brand.

Matt McDowell, Head of Communications, Toshiba Europe, said:

We are thrilled and honoured to be the first brand to legally protect our motion mark in the UK using a multimedia graphic representation. The Toshiba brand is synonymous with innovation and reliability and this initiative further demonstrates that our brand identity guides the business in both our communications and our behaviours in delivering our brand promise.

As a forward-looking and entrepreneurial company, we have developed a new brand identity that provides a strong and consistent framework for all communication. This is more than just a refreshed logo. Our communication strategy is a content centric, digital first strategy, and because of this, we believed it was essential to trademark all aspects of the brand, including our motion mark.

Toshiba applied for its multimedia motion mark via London based Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, Marks and Clerk.

Jason Chester, Associate and Chartered (UK) and European Trade Mark Attorney at Marks & Clerk said:

The filing of the UK’s first multimedia ‘motion mark’ is a milestone in the history of UK trade mark law and we are proud to have worked with Toshiba to be part of it. The Bass & Co. Pale Ale triangle logo made history when it became the first UK trade mark registration in 1876 and is still in use today. We hope that people are still talking about the Toshiba multimedia motion mark in 142 years’ time, when branding is likely to have taken on further new dimensions.

The UK’s first hologram trade mark has been registered – by Google – under the updated law, but the first sound mark is yet to be registered under the new system.