Parliament was told in a briefing last week that proposed changes to laws governing tertiary institutions should not be seen as a "blank cheque" giving Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande unrestricted powers, writes Bekezela Phakathi for BDLive. Read more...

“Education cannot be regulated by the market,” declared Peru’s President Ollanta Humala following the approval of the ‘University Law’ which ushers in some of the most sweeping changes that Peruvian higher education has ever seen, writes Simon Wilson for Latin Correspondent. Read more...

Visa requirements for foreigners applying to study in Indonesian universities have been eased in a bid to attract more international students, writes Liza Yosephine for The Jakarta Post. Read more...

North Korea has announced the arrest of a university student from Ohio accused of posing as a tourist to commit a “hostile act” against the reclusive nation, writes Alexandra Zavis for the Los Angeles Times. Read more...

Advances in the physical, mathematical and biological sciences in the past 20 to 30 years underpin A$330 billion (US$233 billion) a year of Australia’s economic output. These advances also support nearly 1.2 million Australian jobs, or 10% of total employment. Read more...

By Elizabeth Balbachevsky. The concept of a 'New Flagship University' as portrayed in John Douglass’ new book brings together two different ideas of what a leading university should be. First is the traditional one of the university as a place of outstanding academic performance. Second, it imbues the university with a pro-active role in social and regional development. Read more...

By Edward Vickers. On a visit to Shanghai, China, in August last year, I spotted a headline in the ‘Oriental Morning Post’ (Dongfang ZaoBao): "Half of Japan’s national universities to cut humanities courses". Read more...

By Marguerite Dennis. There are few corners in the world where rapid change is not occurring, geopolitically, economically and politically. The worldwide higher education sector is not immune to change and is likely to experience more and varied disruptions in the year ahead. Read more...

By Mary Beth Marklein. It might be easier to describe the Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute, a recent entrant into the world of higher education, in terms of what it is not rather than what it is. Read more...

By Mary Beth Marklein. Academic fraud such as bribery, bogus universities and falsified research findings is hardly a new phenomenon but it seems to be escalating worldwide, prompting quality assurance professionals meeting last week in Washington, DC to grapple with how, if at all, they can help combat the problem. Read more...