Update: 12:45

Hodge spells out student/parent HE cost responsibility
The government is spelling out, at a conference in London, why students and their parents have a responsibility to contribute towards the cost of doing a degree as the row over top-up fees rumbled on. Higher education minister Margaret Hodge is citing a recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that showed UK graduates got a return on investment in their degree equivalent to a savings rate of 17 per cent.

Oxford's universities support European Culture Capital bid
Oxford's two universities have put £50,000 each behind the city's bid to become European Capital of Culture. The city council and the county council have also pledged £50,000 each on top of the £160,000 already spent.

Government refuses to re-open A-level grade inquiry
The government today rejected calls to reopen the A-level grades inquiry after Liberal Democrats claimed 20,000 to 35,000 students missed out on better grades. Mathematician and statistician Roger Porkess said the Tomlinson inquiry into the A-Levels fiasco had been too narrow and thousands of students still had lower grades than they deserve. Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis has also called for a new inquiry.

St Andrews researchers to create the 'ideal city'
St Andrews University researchers are creating the "ideal city" in an innovative simulated model that will take the best from cities around the world. The three-year research project by the department of management and research consultancy BusinessLab will produce a virtual model to which other cities can aspire, using the latest demographic, educational, infrastructure and social trends.

Path smoothed for foreign students studying in Paris
International students arriving in Paris next autumn will have an easier time thanks to a deal signed yesterday. Paris City Hall and 16 partners have agreed to set up reception centres, an accommodation register, an interactive website and a special police centre for residence permits. Deputy mayor David Assouline, said it was "a dream for many to come to study in Paris which often turned into a nightmare" for the 45,000 student from abroad.