Soas's farewell to arms

The School of Oriental and African Studies has decided to abandon all investments in arms companies and draw up an ethical investment policy, just weeks after The Times Higher revealed the extent of the sector's involvement with the weapons industry.

The school said the chair of its investment committee and its investment managers had issued instructions "to dispose of the school's holdings in defence stocks" and "consider a draft ethical investment policy at its next meeting".

The announcement follows an article in The Times Higher in October, followed up in the London Student newspaper last week, which Soas said had directly influenced its decision.