Today's news

Students' watchdog upholds complaint against Oxford Brookes
A complaint made by a group of osteopathy undergraduates against Oxford Brookes University has been upheld by the watchdog for students. In its draft decision, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for higher education said there were "failings" in the university's BSc degree that meant students "were delayed in achieving their professional goals and in starting new careers, and suffered disappointment and stress relating to the course over about four years".
The Guardian, The Times Higher Education Supplement (June 3)

OU ad campaign runs on people power
The Open University is to attempt to shed its late night TV and kipper ties image by lauching a £2 million advertising campaign next week. Based on the theme "powering people", the campaign hopes to attract new students to the university by raising its profile and improving its image. "We want to put the university back on the map... back on the shopping list," Jan Smith, director of sales and marketing at the OU, said. The campaign will begin on June 5 with a 30-second TV commercial, to be followed by shorter, 10-second adverts and a campaign of national press advertising and direct mail. A second TV campaign, calling for people to contact the university directly, will follow within weeks.
The Guardian

Computers and TV 'not to blame for child obesity', say academics
Academics have challenged government claims that television and computer games are creating a "couch potato" generation of obese youngsters. Dr Michael Gard senior lecturer in health studies at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales and Jan Wright professor of education and associate dean at the University of Wollongong, in New South Wales, say no scientific study has shown a clear link between children's weight and the amount of television they watch, or how long they spend surfing the internet.
The Daily Telegraph

Scientists puzzled over power lines link to leukaemia
Children who live near power lines are at an increased risk of leukaemia, a study has proved - but the power lines are not to blame. The largest study into the theory that power lines cause cancer has left scientists none the wiser about the link between the two. This is because the increase in risk extends to a distance of 600m (1,970ft) from the lines, so far away that the magnetic fields that they generate are insignificant. The results suggest another explanation. The authors of the research yesterday refused to rule out the possibility that their conclusion had arisen by chance.
The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent

Scourge of dictatorship wins world Booker prize
An Albanian dissident novelist and poet, whose books were banned under Communism, beat four Nobel prizewinners yesterday to win the first international Man Booker prize for fiction. Ismail Kadaré, 69, who has lived in France since the 1990s and who has often been a Nobel contender, was singled out for the £60,000 award, expected to become one of the most eminent in literature.
The Times

Research claims cannabis can ease mental illnesses
Severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bi-polar depression could be eased with cannabis, according to research today. While some experts have warned about the long-term mental damage that cannabis smokers risk, scientists at Newcastle University believe in regulated doses it can ease manic attacks. Professor Heather Ashton, who led the study by the department of psychiatry, stressed the medicinal use of cannabis was quite separate from heavy, recreational use.
The Scotsman

Easy does it for Napier
Napier University has appointed the first member of its new senior management team. Dr Peter Easy will take over as vice principal this September after spending 14 years as vice chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire. He will be responsible for academic quality and customer service.
The Scotsman

Inbreeding threatens rare bumblebees with extinction
Rare bumblebees could be facing extinction because inbreeding is changing industrious females into lazy males who do not work, according to research. Scientists at the University of Southampton discovered that isolated species on nature reserves are breeding with relatives because they are trapped within areas of farmed land. A bumblebee queen usually produces a large number of worker daughters to help in the nest and with gathering nectar and pollen. But if she mates with a relative, then many of her offspring which are genetically female develop into sterile males instead.
The Scotsman

There is no need to cut your salt intake, say scientists
Advice on reducing your sodium intake should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to the latest research. Not only is there no need to eat less of it but it can also be positively dangerous for some people's health. Scientists across Europe have completed three studies which contradict a British Government health warning that people should cut their intake to six grams a day. Research from the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands, to be published this summer, showed that there was no material benefit from a lower intake.
The Daily Telegraph