Update 12:20

Umist 'now bankrupt', says local AUT
The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology has astonished staff by announcing 120 job cuts as a part of measures to deal with a £3.8 million deficit. Joe Marsh, secretary of the local Association of University Teachers, said: “I believe that Umist is now bankrupt. We should be under no illusions, we face a very difficult future."

NI employer survey to target skills needs
Northern Ireland’s department for employment and learning is launching a telephone survey of 7,000 public and private-sector employers to assess the province’s skills needs. Employment and learning minister Carmel Hanna said the survey would help the department decide where to target resources.

Tory leader: 'We are the party for public services'
Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith was today visiting Hackney Community College to claim that the Conservatives are the only party that can deliver fairness and efficiency in public services. He will say that the party must “look more deeply into the social challenges facing our country’s most vulnerable communities”, particularly the young in those communities. 

St Andrews harrassment case settled out of court
Elaine McGonigle, a former St Andrews University employee who accused principal Brian Lang of sexual harassment and bullying, has settled her dispute with the university only minutes before the start of an employment tribunal hearing. Neither side has yet commented.    

Eco-conference gets under way
Environmental campaigners and business leaders were debating the battle to curb climate change at a conference in Birmingham today. The meeting, "Climate change our business", takes place as 186 countries including the UK have agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, which for the first time sets legally binding reductions in harmful greenhouse gases.

CPS to review case of student killed by train
A criminal prosecution could take place over the death of a student who was killed by a train in Vauxhall, south London, while working part time for a railway maintenance sub-contractor. A jury at Southwark Coroner’s Court returned a verdict of unlawful killing on Michael Mungovan, 22, the student. The British Transport Police has announced that it will send details of its investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Oxford Brookes honours actor and journalist
Author and actor Stephen Fry and BBC journalist Kate Adie OBE are to receive honorary degrees from Oxford Brookes University in September.

Portugal plays host to WEM
Public-private partnerships in the supply of learning technologies is the main theme of the third World Education Market, which opens in Lisbon, Portugal, today bringing together industry, education and government representatives. Speakers will highlight the the main trends and initiatives on teacher training, the creation of industry standards, public and private-sector investment, international partnerships and knowledge management. This is the first time WEM has been held in Europe.