Today's news

Computer pioneer gives Oxford £60m to solve the world's biggest problems
A British-born computing guru has donated £60 million in an endowment to Oxford University to help it become a world leader in solving the most pressing problems of the 21st century. The donation by the 70-year-old computing pioneer Dr James Martin is one of the biggest received by a university in the UK and will cement Oxford's place as a top-ranking institution for international research for years to come. Dr Martin, now based in the United States, is a former adviser to the US government who accurately predicted the arrival of cellular telephones, the world wide web, the internet and e-mails in the 1970s.
The Independent, The Times, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard

Academic deported from Botswana
Botswana approved the deportation of a foreign academic yesterday in a case that has raised questions over the country's democratic credentials. A court upheld a deportation order served in February against Kenneth Good, an Australian lecturer of politics at the University of Botswana. Mr Good was ordered to leave the country shortly before he was to deliver a lecture criticising the country's democratic standards under the presidency of Festus Mogae.
The Financial Times, The Scotsman

Edinburgh launches £37m vet school drive
Edinburgh University is to build a new £37 million veterinary school, next to the existing prestigious small and large animal hospitals at Easter Bush, Midlothian. All the teaching activities of the Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh will be united in the purpose-built facility, designed to support top-class veterinary education in the 21st century.
The Scotsman

Brain damage link to cancer treatment
People who survive cancer may subsequently suffer damaged brain function, a study at the University of Southern California suggests. The study, in which twins were compared, showed that survivors were twice as likely to develop problems such as a failing memory as those never treated for cancer.
The Times

Call for inquiry over departure of Ulster vice-chancellor
An MP has called for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the departure of the vice-chancellor of the University of Ulster, Gerry McKenna. Last week, Professor McKenna announced he would stand down as vice-chancellor following an investigation by the university's ruling council.
The Guardian

Universities can't afford to lose languages
If current trends continue, it won't be long before modern languages are taught in only a tiny handful of universities. Falling numbers are forcing vice-chancellors to close what are seen as unprofitable departments. The only way many universities manage to meet their quotas is by offering courses from scratch to students who may have acquired no linguistic skills during their secondary education.
The Daily Telegraph

Open access online veterinary journal launches
The push to make research freely available on the web received another boost today when the open access publisher BioMed Central launched BMC Veterinary Research , the first international open access journal to cover veterinary science and medicine. BMC Veterinary Research will publish peer-reviewed research and methodology articles. It will consider original research articles in all aspects of veterinary science and medicine.
The Guardian

Research boosts hope for stem cell therapy
Cambridge scientists believe that they have settled another doubt about embryo stem cell therapy, the controversial technique that could offer new hope for people with diabetes, Parkinson's disease or even spinal injury. But experiments with mouse embryo stem cells had raised a worry: would the complex chemical machinery of development in some way trigger damaging genetic changes in laboratory-grown human stem cells? If so, they would not be safe for transplantation.
The Guardian, The Times, New Scientist

Letters
Regarding the AUT boycott of Israeli universities.
The Independent