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A new open-access journal that will allow researchers to publish a paper every year for a one-off fee of just $99 (£64) has prompted hopes that a more competitive market in open-access fees may soon emerge.

Head of fledgling Saudi institution restates pursuit of global excellence. David Matthews reports

Sky's not the limit for international recruitment, British Council report cautions. Jack Grove writes

A Welsh-language version of a film documentary that followed a team of Swansea University glaciologists on a field trip to Greenland had its premiere last week.

Scholars join up as veil of secrecy lifts, outgoing MoD chief scientific adviser tells Elizabeth Gibney

Complaints over penalties a growing concern for the sector, says OIA. Jack Grove reports

Throughout most of the 20th century, student intake from state schools was generally higher at the University of Oxford than at the University of Cambridge, although the latter overtook its ancient rival in 1988, a House of Commons Library briefing on Oxbridge "elitism" has found.

Four-to-one stand against general secretary's plans. Jack Grove reports from Manchester

Academics face a lifetime on part-time or fixed-term contracts unless action is taken to fight the creep of casualised labour within universities, lecturers have warned.

The Peoples' Olympiad was organised as a protest against the notorious 1936 "Hitler Olympics" in Berlin.

Comprehensive app tackles Shakespeare's strange tools for seduction. Matthew Reisz reports

Delegates say 'bully's charter' fails feedback test and requires a health warning. Jack Grove reports

Bath conference considers 'dying in the digital age'. Matthew Reisz offers his condolences

Libya plans campus construction and closer UK links as preparation for greater university autonomy, minister tells David Matthews

Elite to put a price on their greatness, rather than having it thrust upon them, writes Elizabeth Gibney

The economic crisis in Europe could open up a major divide in university funding across the Continent, the European University Association has warned.

An ambitious free festival exploring everything from the iconic London Underground map to brain scans of cab drivers and novelist Will Self will take place at University College London later this week.

By Louis White, for

Labour’s shadow business secretary has warned that moving responsibility for universities from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department for Education would cause “disruption and uncertainty” for the sector.

Ministers are to move forward with plans to lower the qualifying threshold for university title from 4,000 to 1,000 students, the government has confirmed.

By Scott Jaschik, for

Accreditation of US universities should depend less on “input” measures, such as the number of lecturers with PhDs, and more on measures of outputs such as student loan default rates.

The economy is boosted by £227,000 for every student the state puts through A levels and a degree, a report has found.

At least 30 per cent of the membership of a reformed House of Lords should be independently appointed if scientific expertise is not to be lost, a lobby group has claimed.

Universities are struggling to balance recommendations to send PhD students on internships with the fact that their supervisors often fail to see the value of such placements, a conference has heard.

Malcolm Grant's successor must look abroad while keeping an eye on home. Elizabeth Gibney reports

Colleagues laud devotion to duty in our #loveHE competition to find sector stars. John Elmes writes

US universities aim to attract students and business by opening cross-country branches

Of around 20 surviving maces made for universities in the Middle Ages, three are owned by the University of St Andrews. Probably the finest and most valuable is the St Salvator's College Mace shown here.

Over-recruitment penalties soar in costly guessing game over enrolments, writes John Morgan

Harvard-based Satellite Sentinel Project offers cutting-edge support to humanitarian initiatives. Jon Marcus reports

The group charged with thrashing out how the UK should expand access to publicly funded research has decided against setting any guideline figures for open-access article charges, raising concerns that it will not stop commercial publishers' alleged profiteering.

Job losses and 'crude metrics' add up to mandate for walkout vote at Queen Mary. Paul Jump reports

Universities could be forced to sign up to the proposed Concordat to Support Research Integrity as a condition of public funding under proposals being considered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Hefce-backed campaign aims to channel funds to social enterprises. David Matthews reports

This image of Manchester's Chinatown by photography student Hannah Mitchell was one of many taken for a project to provide images for 60 bedrooms at a newly opened health facility.

Sally Hunt moves to avoid showdown over reforms at annual conference. Jack Grove reports

By Scott Jaschik, for

More international students cite safety as a factor in their decision to study in the UK than was the case five years ago, despite worldwide coverage of the violence and looting that swept many English cities last August.

Astronomers have welcomed a partial reprieve granted to the UK’s northern hemisphere telescopes, but have described the closure of two major facilities in Hawaii as a “sad day for British astronomy”.

The universities and science minister has said that he expects the number of international students at UK universities to grow.

The US Department of State has been accused of making “ill-informed and misguided” policy statements against the use of international student recruitment agents and “doing significant harm to the higher education industry” in America.

Publishers of humanities and social science journals could go bankrupt if all academic papers became freely available after six months, a report commissioned by publishers has warned.

A senior civil servant in charge of implementing the government’s higher education policies has been named the new vice-chancellor of the University of London.

The government has scrapped plans to cap the amount of tax relief individuals can claim from charitable donations.

Achieving world-class status is a marathon, not a sprint, but notes Jamil Salmi, rapid progress can be made with the right regimen - particularly when starting from scratch

Lowering university offers to reflect social deprivation may be misguided because decisions are being based on unreliable data, the head of the UK's admissions body has warned.

Phil Baty explains how the 100 Under 50 ranking was created and emphasises the dynamism of the table

The sole surviving chick from a pair of peregrine falcons nesting on a Nottingham Trent University building has been cooed over by more than half a million people since its first appearance via the institution's webcam.

The 100 Under 50 table is built on the criteria used for the World University Rankings, but with a twist

A university has defended a senior manager who encouraged staff to improve student-completion rates by resubmitting work, giving "generous" deadline extensions and passing assignments before they had been seen by external examiners.