Today's news

Universities target cash from 35,000 more foreign students
English universities are aiming to attract 35,000 extra overseas students in the next three years. The statistics from the Higher Education Funding Council for England predict a 20 per cent rise in non-EU students, compared with a 4 per cent increase in undergraduates from Britain and the EU.
The Guardian

Oxford to pay for Afghan refugee
An Oxford college has agreed to pay the fees for an Afghan student fighting to remain in Britain so that he can continue his studies in engineering. St John’s College announced that it was prepared to pay up to £15,000 tuition and college fees as well as maintenance costs towards Azim Ansari, 18, if he is awarded a student visa.
The Times

Court challenge to cloning licence
A legal challenge to Britain’s first stem cell research licence is to go ahead. It is a decision that will re-ignite the controversy over human cloning, and the move could have implications for a separate ruling expected today on the pioneers who created Dolly the sheep.
The Scotsman

Lab monkeys 'scream with fear' in tests
Secret documents describing how some monkeys can scream in misery, fear and anger during experiments were produced in the high court yesterday as evidence that the laws intended to protect laboratory animals are being flouted.
The Guardian

Brideshead behaviour
Anthony Howard comments on The Independent's coverage of Chris Patten's speech.
The Times

Verdict on new legal test
Marcel Berlins comments on the initial findings of the new exam devised by eight top university law schools for choosing the best candidates.
The Guardian

Hubble telescope 'will die in orbit'
The ageing Hubble Space Telescope will be left to die in orbit under the 2006 budget for Nasa proposed yesterday. The United States space agency’s total budget would rise by 2.4 per cent over 2005 to about $16.5 billion (£8.8 billion), but only $93 million would be spent on Hubble, with $75 million of that aimed at bringing the observatory down to Earth safely, Nasa’s financial controller said.
The Scotsman

Finance chiefs go back to college
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve and Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, receive honorary degrees from Edinburgh University.
The Independent

Letter
Cambridge can hold its own against MIT.
Financial Times