Students sue Oxfordshire college for ?100K damages
A group of students has been cleared to sue Rycotewood College for damages after a judge ruled they had been denied the practical experience needed to launch their careers. The case is unique in that the students gained degree-level HND qualifications, but are suing on the basis that the award was meaningless without the "hands on" experience they had been promised on their vehicle restoration and conservation course. (Independent)

Teaching reforms are 'non-negotiable'
Examination league tables, national tests and private-sector involvement in education are "non-negotiable" parts of school reforms, education secretary Estelle Morris will say today. (Independent)

British workers' morale hits all-time low
Job satisfaction among British employees has slumped to unprecedented levels because of uninspired leadership, a damning report says today. The problem is at the root of a productivity crisis that means the output of the typical worker is 30 per cent less than that of our keenest competitors in Europe and America, says the report by the Industrial Society, which is renamed the Work Foundation from today. (Independent)

Blair way behind in power stakes
Prime Minister Tony Blair has a long way to go before he makes it on to the front rank of British politicians. Or even the second rank, for that matter. According to Politico's Power Index of the 100 most powerful politicians of the past 100 years, the current Downing Street incumbent is in 34th place. (Daily Telegraph)

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New breath test to identify criminals
City of London police officers are to be given new advice in preserving crime scenes after scientists from South Bank University developed the technology to identify criminals from traces of their breath. Tiny specks of moisture emitted from the mouth during speech can provide sufficient material to pinpoint a suspect using supersensitive DNA techniques. (Independent)

Scientists sniff out pharaohs' perfume recipe
French scientists have discovered the secret of the original Egyptian perfume used by the pharaohs and recreated it for the first time in 3,000 years. The discovery was made by experts from the cosmetic manufacturer L'Or¨¦al, who combined their knowledge of oils found in 500 toiletry vessels looted by Napoleon's forces with pictorial recipes on two Egyptian temple walls. (Times)

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There's no place like Rome
The joint classical conference at Edinburgh University discussed the mass media image of Ancient Rome as modern metaphor yesterday. The popularity of sword and sandal epics, with Russell Crowe flashing his pecs and thighs through his toga, demonstrates the eternal symbolism of the Eternal City. Fascism and Nazism adopted the imagery of the Romans, from the fasci through the eagles and the trumpets to the terrible drums. (Times)

Single jab may combat Alzheimer's
A single jab could eventually improve the memory of people with Alzheimer's disease, say scientists. They have found that an injection of an antibody called m266 has the effect of 'cleaning up' the proteins that form in the brains of those with the disease. (Daily Mail)

Doubts over 'first human clone'
The world's first human clone is that of a 'very important' Arab, it was claimed yesterday. A woman in the eighth week of pregnancy is said to be carrying the embryonic clone, which has so far cost ?200,000 in research fees - much of which has come from Asia and the Arabic world. Claims about the experiment by Italian fertility expert Severino Antinori emerged as the condemnation of his work grew. (Daily Mail)