Latest UK news

Tribunal tackles copyright row
The copyright tribunal called by Universities UK to settle its dispute with the Copyright Licensing Agency opened in London yesterday. The two sides disagree about how much universities should pay per full-time student for photocopying and about how artistic works in books should be licensed.

Institutions make big strides in openness
Universities and colleges have made good progress in meeting the goals set by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said a review published yesterday. The recommendations included that students should have the right to appeal to an independent body and that staff should be able to speak freely in the public interest.

Floods leave farmlands awash with lead
Research into the long-term effects of last winter’s flooding in the Vale of York has found dangerous levels of lead on agricultural land. Mark Macklin, from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, said the contamination washed downstream from upland former mining areas onto flood plains could remain at dangerous levels for decades.

Mandarins more accountable since devolution
The civil service north of the border has become more accountable since the Scottish Parliament was created, according to researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University. There has been a huge rise in the number of Scottish officials summoned by Holyrood committees compared with Westminster.