Today's news

Polls put Lib Dems as party of education
Labour's reputation as the party of the education sector is likely to come to an end on May 5, as teachers, academics and students turn towards the Liberal Democrats, according to the results of two new polls. Experts put the switch down to a deep sense of disappointment that the Labour Government has not lived up to its promises to reverse the previous Tory Government's underfunding since 1997. Overregulation, a failure to tackle soaring levels of bureaucracy and the Government's refusal to adopt the principles of the Tomlinson reform of 14-19 education are cited as reasons for turning away from the party.
The Guardian, The Times Higher Education Supplement (April 29)

Edinburgh scoops £24m in research aid
Academics are celebrating a £24 million boost to fund five years of maths and engineering research in Edinburgh. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council awarded the cash to Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities.
The Scotsman

Harnessing the power of the sun to clean water
Scientists in Scotland are leading research to develop new technology that can harness the power of the sun to clean up polluted water - while producing electricity at the same time. At the heart of the research at Aberdeen University is a new type of fuel cell that is capable of using sunlight to break down various pollutants in water and produces electricity as a by-product. The results of a £1.2 million three-year research initiative, announced yesterday, could eventually be used to treat water in Third World countries as well as provide cheap water treatment in the oil and gas and water industries.
The Scotsman

Having student neighbours could devalue your home
Squatters are considered the worst possible people to have next door, with nine out of ten home-owners questioned putting them top of their list. But students come not far behind, with almost two in three saying they would rather not be living next to them.
The Evening Standard

Rich-poor health gap 'as bad as Victorians'
Inequality in health is increasing, with the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas the most pronounced since Victorian times, new research says today. Researchers from the universities of Bristol and Sheffield analysed data gathered over the past ten years and found that inequalities in health, which grew during the 1980s and 1990s, have continued to increase in the 21st century.
The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Scotsman

Bid to fight heart blood clots
Scientists are hoping to develop an antibody that will prevent dangerous blood clotting that causes heart attacks, it was announced. It is part of a five-year study based at Cambridge University bringing together world specialists in the fields of biochemistry and haematology. The study will also look at why some people have developed a natural protection against this process.
The Daily Mail

Student's anti-Santa poster scrapped
Plans to mount a piece of student artwork that attacked the commercialisation of Christmas on a billboard in Glasgow city centre have been scrapped. Glasgow School of Art student Darren Cullen was to unveil an advertising billboard in the city today featuring the slogans "Stop Lying To Your Children About Santa Claus" and "Santa Gives More To Rich Kids Than Poor Kids".
The Guardian, The Scotsman

Letters
Regarding the academic boycott of Israeli universities.
The Times