Latest news

FE watchdog names new chief
David Bell, chief executive of Bedfordshire County Council, is to be the new head of the schools and further education watchdog Ofsted from next month. Mr Bell has been a primary school teacher in Glasgow and a head teacher in Essex. He was a Harkness fellow at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Human rights president seeks exile
Seif Marouki, a law professor at the University of Tunisia and president of the country's Human Rights League, has gone into voluntary exile to escape arrest. He has been critical of the government’s human rights violations and may be charged with sedition if he returns, but risks losing his university job if he stays away for a long time.

Cornell squares up to $100m legal fight
Computer giant Hewlett-Packard faces a $100 million law suit by Cornell University over alleged infringement of copyright for a technique patented by one of the university's former academics for designing high-speed microprocessors.         

Wider reach for meningitis jab
Millions more young adults are to be offered vaccination against meningitis C, the government announced today. Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the vaccine, which has already cut the number of cases in under-20s, was to be made available to all those under 25.

Mobility is a question of sports science
Sports scientists more used to working with top athletes are pioneering research aimed at reducing falls suffered by the elderly. The research led by Mark Goss-Sampson, from the sports and exercise science centre at the University of Greenwich and registered osteopath Guillaume Climant, uses osteopathic treatment to increase mobility.