University students in England get two-thirds of funding of a decade ago, analysis finds

University leaders says planned levy on international student fees will leave many institutions even worse off

University students in England get just two-thirds of the funding they would have received a decade ago, after inflation and government cuts have reduced the resources available for teaching, according to vice-chancellors.

University leaders said the situation was likely to get worse if the government went ahead with a new levy on international student fees in Wednesday’s budget.

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Civil liberties groups call for inquiry into UK data protection watchdog

Campaigners including Good Law Project describe ICO ‘collapse in enforcement activity’ after Afghan data breach

Dozens of civil liberties campaigners and legal professionals are calling for an inquiry into the UK’s data protection watchdog, after what they describe as “a collapse in enforcement activity” after the scandal of the Afghan data breach.

A total of 73 academics, senior lawyers, data protection experts and organisations including Statewatch and the Good Law Project, have written to Chi Onwurah, the chair of the cross-party Commons science, innovation and technology committee, calling for an inquiry to be held into the office of the information commissioner, John Edwards.

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Australian federal MPs warned to turn off phones when Chinese delegation visits Parliament House

Liberal party senator calls Department of Parliamentary Services email ‘incredibly concerning’

Politicians and staff in parts of Parliament House have been urged to turn off their phones, laptops and internet during a visit by Chinese officials, with parliament administrators warning building occupants about interruptions to wifi service.

The shadow cybersecurity minister, Claire Chandler, called the warning “incredibly concerning”, saying the parliament advisory raised worries about threats to sensitive data.

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‘Culture cringe’: experts dismiss Coalition claims Chris Bowen cannot remain minister while leading Cop31 negotiations

Opposition claims key diplomatic role at next year’s conference in Turkey would make Bowen a ‘part-time minister’ while Australians face inflated energy prices

Experts have dismissed claims Chris Bowen cannot remain a senior minister while playing a leading role in international climate negotiations, with one describing the argument as evidence of an Australian “culture cringe”.

Australia failed in its long-running bid to co-host the Cop31 climate summit with Pacific nations next year after Turkey refused to withdraw from the consensus process despite limited support.

Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

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Suicide bombers in northwest Pakistan kill at least 3 at security force headquarters – CBS News

  1. Suicide bombers in northwest Pakistan kill at least 3 at security force headquarters  CBS News
  2. Pakistan: Five dead in suicide bombing on paramilitary headquarters  BBC
  3. Attack in Pakistan’s Peshawar: What we know about victims, attackers  Al Jazeera
  4. Suicide bombers kill 3 at Pakistan paramilitary HQ  Reuters
  5. 3 FC men martyred in suicide attack on force’s headquarters in Peshawar  Dawn
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Udo Kier, German actor who starred in 200 films spanning Lars von Trier to Ace Ventura, dies aged 81

Actor who appeared in My Own Private Idaho, Blade, Armageddon and Dogville, as well as Madonna music videos and video games, died on Sunday

Udo Kier, the German actor who appeared in 275 roles across Hollywood and European cinema, including multiple films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Gus Van Sant and Lars von Trier, has died aged 81.

Kier died on Sunday morning, his partner Delbert McBride told Variety. The actor died in hospital in Palm Springs, California, his friend the photographer Michael Childers announced on social media. No cause of death was given.

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Theresa May and Cate Blanchett to guest edit BBC Today programme

Former PM to examine issue of trust in politics and Oscar-winning actor’s show will discuss AI

The former prime minister Theresa May is to guest edit Radio 4’s Today programme and use it to explore the issue of dwindling trust in politics.

May, who resigned in 2019 with a tearful statement about the honour she felt in holding the office, will edit Today on New Year’s Eve.

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‘An inner duty’: the 35-year quest to bring Bach’s lost organ works to light

Musicologist Peter Wollny chanced upon the manuscripts in 1992 and authenticating them took half of his lifetime

The best fictional detectives are famed for their intuition, an ability to spot some seemingly ineffable discrepancy. Peter Wollny, the musicologist behind last week’s “world sensational” revelation of two previously unknown works by Johann Sebastian Bach, had a funny feeling when he chanced upon two intriguing sheets of music in a dusty library in 1992.

His equivalent of the Columbo turn, from mere hunch to unravelling a secret, would take up half his life.

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Israeli strike on Beirut kills top Hezbollah military official – The Washington Post

  1. Israeli strike on Beirut kills top Hezbollah military official  The Washington Post
  2. Israel Says It Assassinated Top Hezbollah Commander in Lebanon  The New York Times
  3. Who was Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah official killed by Israel?  Al Jazeera
  4. Israel-Gaza live updates: Lebanon president condemns Israeli attack in Beirut  ABC News
  5. Israel says it killed a senior Hezbollah official in first strike on Beirut in months  Politico
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Airlines cancel flights to Venezuela after FAA’s “heightened military activity” alert – Axios

  1. Airlines cancel flights to Venezuela after FAA's "heightened military activity" alert  Axios
  2. 6 airlines cancel flights in Venezuela after FAA warns of dangers from "heightened military activity"  CBS News
  3. FAA warns all pilots of risks of flying over Venezuela over ‘worsening security situation’  AP News
  4. Several international airlines cancel their flights in Venezuela after US warning  Reuters
  5. Airlines Cancel Venezuela Flights as US Warns of Security Risks  Bloomberg.com
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Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire – BBC

  1. Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire  BBC
  2. Unrwa says Israel is blocking aid as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis worsens  Middle East Eye
  3. Updated Gaza data shows famine claims likely inflated by UN-backed monitor  The Times of Israel
  4. As the Occupying Power, Israel Must Let Gaza Feed Itself  Haaretz
  5. WFP Palestine Food Security Analysis - Market Monitor - Palestine, November 2025  ReliefWeb
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