A Chinese headmaster has been fired after a secret stack of crypto-currency mining machines was found connected to his school’s electricity supply. Teachers at the school in Hunan became suspicious of a whirring noise that continued day and night, local media report. This led to the discovery of the machines, which were mining the crypto-currency Ethereum. They racked up an ...

A successful American political strategist once said “it’s the economy stupid” or something very similar. It was a statement about the key issues a good election campaign needs to focus on. Just a few days before the Congressional elections, President Trump had some helpful economic news – on employment – to put some wind into his sails. The final bit ...

Universities in the UK which benefited in previous centuries from the slave trade should contribute to a £100m fund to support ethnic minority students, says a university leader. Geoff Thompson, chair of governors of the University of East London, says it would be “ethical and right” for universities to contribute. He says it would help young people who otherwise could ...

Nearly 16,000 babies are growing up in households where they are at risk of severe harm, a report by England’s Children’s Commissioner is warning. The report says that of 19,640 under-ones identified as being “in need”, 15,820 were still living at home. It also estimates that 8,300 babies are growing up amid the “toxic trio” of drug or alcohol addiction, ...

A top UK university is planning a “unique” post-Brexit arrangement with a German university in which staff will be appointed jointly by both institutions, with the aim of keeping access to EU research funding for UK academics. Imperial College London, ranked as one of the top 10 universities in the world, has signed a partnership with the Technical University of ...

One in three girls in the UK has been sexually harassed in public when wearing school uniform, a new report has suggested. And two-thirds of girls say they have experienced unwanted sexual attention in public, it adds. The figures come from a report by children’s charity Plan International UK, which said many girls feel street harassment is “all part of ...

Cambridge University is to open its doors to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who show great potential but have not met the entry grades. Vice-chancellor Prof Toope said it was time to dispel the stereotype of the highly selective university as a “bastion of privilege”. Under the plan, some students who have faced “educational challenge” will be asked to join a ...

More than 40 university bosses have written to the education secretary calling for so-called essay mill companies to be banned. Some students pay for bespoke, original assignments – which cannot easily be detected by anti-plagiarism software. But the letter says these essay-writing services should be targeted rather than those who pay for their services. Such services undermine the integrity of ...

A previously unknown letter from the first suffragette to be jailed in the campaign for the vote has been discovered by an Oxford historian. Written the day after Annie Kenney was released from prison in Manchester in 1905, it is being claimed as the earliest known letter from a woman involved in the militant protests. The letter, to her sister, ...

A security analysis of cyber-attacks against universities and colleges in the UK has discovered staff or students could often be responsible, rather than organised crime or hacking groups. A government-funded agency that provides cyber-security has examined the timing of 850 attacks in 2017-18. Jisc found a “clear pattern” of attacks being concentrated during term times and during the working day. ...