Seher Asaf

Public trust in science is stable despite prevailing narratives but there are divides along political, religious and generational lines, researchers have told the European University Association conference. @sehra852 reports from Istanbul timeshighereducation.com/news/increase-…

Long read: With polls predicting defeat for Viktor Orbán in Sunday’s elections there are hopes that controversial governance reforms – copied by Donald Trump and other populist politicians – will be abolished. Yet not all scholars are convinced that reversing a decade of contested legislation criticised for restricting academic freedom would be straightforward, says @sehra852 timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-hun…

There are also concerns around aggressive recruitment and opaque tactics, such as not giving students enough information about the programme content and fees. Private equity-backed education groups have also become more involved in the for-profit education sector

Staff and students protest after controversial scholar Nathan Cofnas moves to Ghent following free speech row at Cambridge timeshighereducation.com/news/universit…

Users could paste their work into Grammarly and get AI-generated feedback from well-known authors like @neiltyson and @StephenKing (it appears without their consent). CEO Shishir Mehrotra told me the feature had “missed the mark" but legal claims are "without merit".

Long read: As the geopolitical order shifts, the case for greater collaboration among like-minded nations on research and innovation seems obvious. But will a greater European focus on its own industrial competitiveness dissuade the likes of Canada, Australia and Japan from signing up? @sehra852 reports timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-nex…

US & Greenlandic scientists have long collaborated on research key to understanding climate change. But political tensions are straining ties. Meetings have been cancelled, a researcher has withdrawn from a project and there are fears work could stall rb.gy/024tud

Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowships went to less than 10% of applicants, the lowest in years. A record surge in applications helped drive the drop. There was also a sharp rise in US academics applying amid funding cuts under Trump timeshighereducation.com/news/brutal-su…

Europe’s leading research and university groups have urged the European Commission to ensure the European Research Area Act supports funding and academic freedom without piling on extra rules and bureaucracy for universities, reports @sehra852 timeshighereducation.com/news/era-must-…

“It’s a really challenging time in the world to be taking on this role,” Anuradha Joshi says, pointing to the #Trump administration’s drastic cuts in foreign aid and the UK moving to reduce its aid budget timeshighereducation.com/news/new-ids-c…

The new director of the Institute of Development Studies speaks to @sehra852 about stepping into the role after 25 years, the impact of USAID cuts and the benefits of collaborating with the University of Sussex timeshighereducation.com/news/new-ids-c…

Big cut in enrolments seen as way of modernising Greek universities but some warn further changes are needed to stop students lingering for years. @sehra852 reports timeshighereducation.com/news/greek-pur…

Trump says US is pursuing third oil tanker linked to Venezuela bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Rabbi says Jewish community in pain after attack bbc.in/4pHrbzp

Undersea cables can be damaged by anchors dropped by ships but can also be targeted in attacks bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

"It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it's a crime against humanity," Judge Choudhary said in his order. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Famine confirmed in Gaza City for first time, UN-backed report says

If a Putin-Zelensky summit takes place, where could it be? bbc.in/3HMOBT9

The big fat 'fake' Indian wedding - Gen Z's latest party trend bbc.in/4lg24Rd