University News from Africa

NIGERIA: Nearly 300,000 denied university places /Tunde Fatunde
More than a million N igerian youngsters wrote qualifying tests conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, hoping to clinch a university place. But universities can accept only 153,000 out of 448,000 successful candidates, meaning that 295,000 qualified would-be students will be denied admission to higher education when the 2008-09 academic year begins in October.Full report on the University World News site

ZIMBABWE: Students look east /Clemence Manyukwe
Zimbabwean students are turning to Asian universities following Australia’s decision to deport eight youngsters whose fathers are accused of propping up the government of President Robert Mugabe – and more students might yet be deported. The United States has also said five students involved in “anti-democratic” activities would be deported, but has not said when or given their names. Unlike in the past, local papers are now awash with advertisements offering students places at Asian universities, mostly in Malaysia.Full report on the University World News site
Student faces death for alleged coup plot /Clemence ManyukweA University of Zimbabwe student appeared in the Harare High Court last week on charges of plotting a coup against the government of long-time ruler President Robert Mugabe. Rangarirai Mazirofa, 21, a second year agriculture student, was arrested in May last year with six other men for allegedly plotting to assassinate the ageing despot with the help of the security forces. He has been tortured in prison. The men all face a death sentence.Full report on the University World News site

MOZAMBIQUE: New research institutions planned / Charles MangwiroMozambique is planning to increase the number of scientific institutions as part of a strategic bid to enable better use of trained staff and to fight grinding poverty currently affecting half of its 20 million people. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Heath have formalised a five-year memorandum of understanding aimed at promoting science and technology research. Full report on the University World News site

EGYPT: Research plagued by plagiarism / Ashraf Khaled
Mohamed Abdel Moneim, a lecturer in the faculty of commerce at the southern Egyptian University of Beni Sueif, was shocked when he came across a book carrying the name of a fellow lecturer – it had the same title as a book he had authored dealing with purchase and warehouse management. “That was not all. The alleged author had plagiarised a large chunk of my book,” Moneim recalls. His case was one of many instances of plagiarism that have been uncovered in recent years, and which experts say have come to plague research in Egypt.Full report on the University World News site

World Trade Report 2008: Trade in a Globalizing World

The World Trade Organisation released the World Trade Report 2008 last week.

The theme of this year's Report is “Trade in a Globalizing World”. The Report provides a reminder of what we know about the gains from international trade and highlights the challenges arising from higher levels of integration.

It addresses a range of interlinking questions, starting with a consideration of what constitutes globalization, what drives it, what benefits does it bring, what challenges does it pose and what role does trade play in this world of ever-growing inter-dependency.

The Report asks why some countries have managed to take advantage of falling trade costs and greater policy-driven trading opportunities while others have remained largely outside international commercial relations.





It also considers who the winners and losers are from trade and what complementary action is needed from policy-makers to secure the benefits of trade for society at large.





In examining these complex and multi-faceted questions, the Report reviews both the theoretical gains from trade and empirical evidence that can help to answer these questions.