Saudis deny boycott

Saudi Embassy in London has denied a newspaper report that it is urging Saudi students to boycott British universities in protest over spiralling fees and poor-quality courses. In a statement to the Al-Watan newspaper, an embassy source said there was no truth in the claims made in The Observer article. The British Council told The Times Higher that the number of Saudi students coming to the UK rose by more than 30 per cent in 2002-03 and was expected to continue growing.