Here is a summary of the latest media coverage for King's and higher education prepared by Public Relations (ext 3202). Included are headlines from national and international newspapers, specialist journals, tv and radio, with a link to the article where possible. There is also a searchable Archive (see left).
King's stories
Anybody's guess how the oil price fell
Alex Callinicos, Professor of European Studies, writes explanations of oil prices.
The west shares the blame for Georgia
The bloody conflict over South Ossetia will have been good for something at least if it teaches two lessons. The first is that Georgia will never now get South Ossetia and Abkhazia back. The second is for the west: it is not to make promises that it neither can, nor will, fulfil when push comes to shove writes Professor Anatol Lieven, Department of War Studies.
Your lifestyle is your downfall
The Independent (p7) 13th August 2008
A King's student's fears are answered in this article listing ways to save money whilst studying.
Georgia crisis exposes Europe's diplomatic limits
Russia's actions suggest its leaders are not too worried about possible symbolic reprisals such as shelving a proposed EU-Russia partnership agreement or blocking Russian entry into the World Trade Organization commented Denis Corboy, Caucasus Policy Institute.
Good Evening Wales
BBC Radio Wales 13th August 2008
Discussion with Vivian Moses, Visiting Professor of Biotechnology at King's College London, and Robin Maynard, Campaigns Director of the Soil Association.
Gum disease clue
Scientists at King's have found a new species of bacterium that they believe encourages gum disease and toothe decaya in humans.
Study sees benefit in prostate cancer surgery
Professor Lars Holmberg, from the Division of Cancer Studies at King's, who led the study, comments: 'in order to avert one man's death from prostate cancer, about 20 men must undergo radical prostatectomy.'
*Also reported in the New York Times and Boston Globe
Budgeting Clinic
In an article on student finance, advice is given to a second year law student at King's, to save money by using the new digitised book system, and re-applying to halls for further accomodation.
Motor neurone disease killed my father
Article about Motor neurone disease and a new documentary being made about the condition mentions that trials in the UK for pacemakers are taking place at King's.
Analysis: roots of the conflict between Georgia, South Ossetia and Russia
Anatol Lieven, International Relations and Terrorism Studies, writes a commentary piece about the situation in South Ossetia.
New mouth bacteria species found
A brand new species of bacteria has been found by King's scientists among the hundreds which thrive in our mouths. The bug, named "Prevotella histicola" by its discoverers is thought to contribute to gum disease and tooth decay.
*Also appears in the Herald and PA online
Low marks linked to schizophrenia
Discusses a study by Dr James MacCabe, Institute of Psychiatry at King's, which found that poor performance at school was linked to developing schizophrenia.
Higher education stories
Universities braced for new A-level record
Record numbers of A-level students will get straight As when their results arrive today, triggering the toughest ever competition for university places.
*Also reported in the Daily Mail, Independent, Times and Telegraph
Leeds Met caps tuition fees for a fourth year
Leeds Metropolitan University has announced that it will keep its fees capped at £2,000 for the fourth successive year.
Filtering tips
Applications from would-be students are increasingly less likely to be seen by an academic as universities turn to new ways to sieve the burgeoning number of applications, feature claims.
1,000 British academics given ratings on US website
THE (p4) 14th August 2008
More than 1,000 British academics have a score on a controversial American website that allows students to rate their tutors' teaching and appearance.
Average student debt now £4,500 a year
Student debt levels have rocketed by almost twice the level of inflation during the past year - with those starting at university this autumn expected to owe more than £20,000 by the time they graduate.
*Also reported in the Daily Mail
Fees see rise in numbers of poorer students stall
The introduction of top-up fees in 2006 has not dented the rise in numbers of students starting university but increases in the proportion from the poorest homes have stalled, according to a report from UUK.
England overtakes Scotland in university take-up
Scotland has lost its lead over England in attracting young applicants to university, new figures show.
A-levels 'now two grades easier than 20 years ago'
Sixth-formers of the same ability awarded C grades in the late 1980s can now expect to gain As, say researchers from Durham University.
Oxford backs new diplomas
Oxford University will help develop the Government's controversial new diploma qualifications, ministers have said.
University fees 'have not affected' student demand
The introduction of top-up fees has had no effect on demand for student places, according to research published by UUK.
Wage gap varies by degrees
Students graduating from top universities are likely to earn up to 16 per cent more than those leaving a former polytechnic, research suggests.
Tinkering and confusion driving students from A levels, say Tories
Days before thousands of teenagers receive their exam results, figures published by the Conservatives show that by last summer the numbers studying for the qualification had dropped from 258,285 to a six-year low of 249,552 in 12 months.
New diploma 'could leave pupils high and dry'
Thousands of pupils starting out on the new diploma qualification for 14 to 19-year-olds could be left with nothing to show for their studies at the end of two years, the head of one of Britain's leading exam boards, AQA, has said.
Minister questions wisdom of higher education
The universities secretary has acknowledged that some young people would be better off not going to university.
Plan to spur greater take-up of science subjects
Financial Times (p2) 11th August 2008
Richard Lambert, Director-General of the CBI, has unveiled a 'five-point proposal' to encourage young people to study science subjects.
Student rents rise by a fifth
Experts have blamed the credit crisis for the market's woes, saying many landlords are now opting to rent to young professionals who cannot afford to get on the property ladder.
Oxford delays on A* grade offers
Oxford University says it will not make conditional offers for places based on the new A* grade at A-level when it is first awarded in 2010.
Universities threaten to ignore top grade
Daily Mail 11th August 2008
Leading universities are planning to ignore the new A* grade at A-level to avoid having to take more pupils from private schools.Oxford, bristol, Bath and Exeter are listed as the institutions 'highly unlikely' to use the A* in offers until 'there is a sense of the probable grade distinction.
Bosses say education has worsened
Nearly half of senior managers believe education in the UK has declined over the last 10 years, despite improvements in exam results, a study suggests. The majority of managers polled in an Institute of Directors study also said young people's skills, particularly in writing and mathematics, had weakened.
Oxford delays on A* grade offers
Oxford University says it will not make conditional offers for places based on the new A* grade at A-level when it is first awarded in 2010.
Education spending spree has 'failed pupils'
The literacy and numeracy of new employees have tumbled over the past decade despite Labour's £28 billion increase in annual education spending, according to research by the Institute of Directors.
The Oxbridge net widens
Article discovers the latest tactics in the battle to bring top university places to the most deprived.
Universities accused of 'fixing' admissions
Sunday Telegraph 10th August 2008
Top universities are at the centre of a new social enginnering row over plans to reject the new A* grade at A-level, the paper claims.
Students to 'trade up' for better
Pupils who do unexpectedly well at A-level will be given five days after receiving their results to shop around for a more prestigious university.
