By Brendan O'Malley – Managing Editor. In World Blog, Hans de Wit explores some of the tensions arising from universities increasingly teaching in English rather than the local language in continental Europe, and highlights a study in the Netherlands that offers a balanced approach to dealing with this complex issue.
   In Commentary, Sjur Bergan and Stig Arne Skjerven contend that the recognition of foreign qualifications is a moral duty that is key to building inclusive societies, and they examine the impact of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and what the future may hold. John Daniel warns universities planning to expand internationally to ‘look before they leap’ as changing political attitudes globally pose challenges for international education and accreditation. Peter Scott writes that universities need to be pragmatic and strike the right balance in their defence of free speech – while free expression is a core value in the academy, no sensible person would argue that freedom of speech should be absolute.
   Also in Commentary, Anand Kulkarni discusses how global and domestic university rankings can be used as a valuable tool for promoting reform in the Indian higher education system, while Angel Calderon compares the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities with the 2003 ranking of the top 500 universities, pointing out significant geopolitical shifts in higher education. And William G Tierney acknowledges the accomplishment of launching the University of Southern California’s new US$700 million campus, but expresses concern about its leaders’ inability to speak out on pressing national issues.
   In Features, Sungula Nkabinde reports on a new economics curriculum for undergraduates developed by internationally renowned economists, which seeks to make economics more relevant to today’s problems, while Tunde Fatunde reports that a strike by public university staff in Nigeria over funding and salary issues is set to continue and campuses will remain closed. More...