World watch

Asunción
Paraguayan students this week demonstrated over poor government funding for education, health and social programmes, excessive military spending and political corruption.

Wellington
A standoff over funding between the New Zealand government and universities has ended with the announcement of a one-off extra NZ$35 million (£10.5 million) by tertiary education minister Steve Maharey.

Washington DC
A US Census Bureau survey shows that the average amount charged for college tuition, room and board for in-state students at four-year public colleges and universities rose more than 60 per cent between 1989-90 and 1998-99.

Beijing
China is to increase the number of university students to 16 million over the next five years, from about 11 million in 2000, the People's Daily reported.
 
Algiers
Many African university students' organisations stayed away from the 15th World Youth Festival in Algiers because of political tension within Algeria and fears of attacks by anti-government Islamic organisations.

Gainesville
Black student enrolment at the University of Florida is expected to fall by nearly half this year as a result of governor Jeb Bush's ban on racial preference in public university admissions.

Brasilia
Brazil's science and technology minister, Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, has announced plans to increase scientific research investment from the present 1.4 per cent of gross national product to 2 per cent in 2005.

Rome
Italian scientists have appealed to the government for increases in research funding. An open letter points out that Italy is the only European Union nation in which research spending has not increased between 1990 and 2000.

Moscow
More than 130,000 Russian specialists in high technology, mathematics and programming are working in the United States. Germany would like to acquire a further 50,000, according to Arkadii Volskii, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.