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Boost for minority languages in Europe
The United Kingdom today ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which aims to promote their use in public life. Millions of Europeans speak languages that face extinction because they are swamped by the language of the majority of the population. The charter gives special treatment to "non-territorial" languages such as Yiddish or Romany.

International groups back academic freedom in Tunisia
Agencies concerned with academic freedom have asked Tunisia's president to intervene to stop attacks on pro-democracy academics. A letter signed by Yolanda Moses, president of the American Association for Higher Education and co-chair of the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee, cited reports of two recent attacks on a sociologist at the University of Tunis and a professor at the University of Sousse.

Academics protest against Haider
Academics from across the world signed a full-page open letter in an Austrian newspaper last weekend accusing rightwing politician J?rg Haider of anti-Semitism. The letter, addressed to Austria's president, Thomas Klestil, included as signatories deans and professors from universities in Europe, the United States, Asia and Israel. 

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