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Privacy issues raised as lists of friends analysed to indicate sexual orientation. Jon Marcus reports

A round-up of higher education news from across the globe

Watchdog demands that ¡®misleading¡¯ information and ¡®inconsistencies¡¯ are addressed.

US dominance slips, UK improves position but China and Korea close the gap, writes Phil Baty

Shadow secretary rejects 'clunky business' of pre-defined research outputs. Melanie Newman writes

Academic is thought to have threatened legal action over accusations, writes Zo? Corbyn

Sutton Trust highlights domination of sector and calls for change. Rebecca Attwood reports

Academics from top-ranked universities describe what makes their institution a world-beater

Science and the arts benefit but IT and education miss out in proposed system, writes Hannah Fearn

America's superpower status is slipping as other countries' efforts to join the global elite begin to pay dividends. Phil Baty reports

Outgoing chief tells Rebecca Attwood about rude committees and the need for autonomy

The World 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings are compiled using a mixture of quantitative indicators and informed opinion

Physicists lament as financial woes see STFC temporarily cut funding lengths. Zo? Corbyn writes

Harry Lewis reflects on how Harvard's unique ethos, constructive confusion and unreconciled tensions ensure its continuing success

Universities in East 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ are showing strength even in the humanities, a subject in which they traditionally have fared poorly

V-c facing ?3.5m clawback insists Wolverhampton correctly reported figures, writes Melanie Newman

UK Universities are highly regarded around the world. They must not allow complacency to set in and endanger their enviable position, says David Lammy

Rankings are here to stay - the challenge is to make them more accurate and useful, argue Jamil Salmi and Roberta Malee Bassett

Universities should say merit plays no part in getting a place, professor argues. Melanie Newman reports

India's increasing productivity may lead to a 'new geography' of research worldwide. Phil Baty reports

Higher education news from around the globe

Delight as Somerset, Crawley, Milton Keynes, Swindon, Thurrock and the Wirral are chosen to receive funding for campuses

Striving for excellence in universities to achieve a new renaissance is the only choice, says report to European Commission. Zo? Corbyn reports

Early repayment of student loans mooted to finance university expansion. Hannah Fearn reports

Imperial scholar finds that in terms of spelling and grammar, foreign students know best. Rebecca Attwood reports

Council plans to slash funding bands, raising the possibility of cuts in some subjects. Hannah Fearn reports

Cambridge v-c believes selective policy adoption would strengthen UK higher education. By Melanie Newman

UK loses second place in publication output volume, but share of citations increases

Fights break out as Brunel law students queue overnight to avoid unpopular supervisors in first-come, first-served system. Melanie Newman reports

Four UK institutions receive tiny return on millions invested in U21Global. Melanie Newman writes

Top scholar may have broken PNAS rules when advocating unorthodox study. Zo? Corbyn reports

Warning that internal divisions are weakening the sector's response to cuts. Melanie Newman writes

Teaching is top of David Willetts' agenda for a Tory-ruled academy. Melanie Newman reports

Scholar says community work should be part of teaching and research. Hannah Fearn reports

Staff complain of being given time-consuming 'housekeeping' duties. Melanie Newman reports

Curriculum aspires to produce the flexible students demanded by industry. Hannah Fearn reports

Hefce report places communication at heart of proposals to build trust. Rebecca Attwood writes