Latest news with #BritishAcademy
IOL News
21-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
UCT's Rajend Mesthrie joins prestigious ranks as Fellow of the British Academy
In a significant honour for South African academia, Rajend Mesthrie, the revered linguist and emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been elected as a Fellow of the British Academy. This prestigious accolade stands as one of the highest recognitions for distinguished scholars in the fields of humanities and social sciences, honouring exemplary contributions to the discipline. Mesthrie joins a cohort of luminaries, consisting of 58 new fellows from the UK, 30 international fellows, and four honorary fellows, all elected this year. The newly inducted fellows reflect a diverse array of expertise that spans across various critical fields, including the sociocultural contexts of 20th-century music, the structural causation of poverty, environmental law, and the fascinating neuroscience behind memory, language, and cognition. Each of these experts contributes a unique perspective aimed at addressing some of the pressing challenges faced by contemporary society. Following the announcement of the fellowship, Professor Mesthrie expressed his profound gratitude, noting that despite never having studied in the UK, his work has been significantly influenced by British scholarship, particularly in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, and the historical nuances of the English language. 'I am rather pleased to be recognised in this way by the British Academy. This recognition is a testament to my lifelong commitment to teaching and research in South Africa and the manifold linguistic streams that flow through our country,' he stated.
Bloomberg
18-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Harrow Pitches $75,000 Boarding School to NYC, International Parents
Wealth Spending & Earning Harrow International School New York, an outpost of the historic British academy, will open a co-ed campus on Long Island in September.
Middle East Eye
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
UK academic body accused of trying to force Palestinian scholar into Israeli court system
A Palestinian-American academic is taking his British employer to court after it attempted to force him to sue the organisation for wrongful dismissal in Israel instead of the UK. In 2023, the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) Kenyon Institute in East Jerusalem fired Toufic Haddad, a leading scholar in Palestine Studies, who was employed as the institute's director, citing funding cuts from the British Academy. Haddad believes the CBRL unfairly dismissed him because of political discrimination linked to his scholarly work and public position on Palestine, where he has opposed Israel's war on Gaza and its ongoing clampdown against Palestinian academics. He noted that these actions came in the wake of the 7 October attacks, when trustees of the CBRL called on Haddad to "maintain a low profile and not talk to the media". Following his dismissal, the CBRL, a UK-registered academic institute publicly funded by the British Academy and British government and based in London, attempted to block Haddad's unfair dismissal claims by insisting that an Israeli court hear his claim instead of a British one. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Haddad's legal team is contesting the move to hear his case in Israel by providing a 50-page witness statement, backed by more than 3,000 pages of evidence, to prove that his employment is more closely connected to the UK than to Israel. The CBRL, which has an office in Jordan, is not a registered entity in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories from where it operates. However, when they decided to hire Haddad, they gave him an Israeli contract despite giving British contracts to its other directors in Amman. Unfair dismissal claim Haddad is now attempting to take the CBRL to a British court for unfair dismissal and discrimination based on his anti-Zionist political beliefs and trying to deny jurisdiction to UK courts in favour of Israel. He is contesting the move to try his case in Israel over concerns that Israel's legal system - which rights groups have criticised for being discriminatory towards Palestinians - will not give him a fair hearing because of his Palestinian background. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me' - Toufic Haddad Since 1967, Israel has illegally occupied East Jerusalem and imposed a military occupation that is deemed illegal under international law. Unlike Israeli citizens, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are issued permanent residency cards by the Israeli state but not full citizenship. These residency cards can be revoked at any given time by Israel, making their legal status precarious. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me," Haddad told Middle East Eye. "What happened to me exposes rotten interests and instincts within CBRL, British academia and its funding structures, which questions their commitment to academic freedom, labour rights, and human decency.' The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the University and Colleges Union (UCU) are supporting Haddad's case. British institutions 'complicit' Tasnima Uddin, a spokesperson for the ELSC, said the case "lays bare the complicity of British institutions still operating in Palestine today. UK police arrest Israeli academic Haim Bresheeth after pro-Palestine speech Read More » "CBRL is trying to silence a Palestine academic; it is asking a British court to hand him over to Israel's apartheid legal system, legitimising annexation and racial domination that the International Court of Justice has ruled illegal." Sean Wallis, who serves as the London region secretary for the UCU, said Haddad's case represents a wider issue on worker's rights for academic staff employed at British research institutes and universities overseas. "The British government says that academic freedom is essential for universities, and the British academy trumpets its defence of academic freedom," said Wallis. "Dr Haddad was dismissed, and the research institute he was the director of was shut down because he spoke out about his area of research, which is Palestine studies. "So it is shocking to see a British Academy-backed research institute engaging lawyers to prevent Dr Haddad exercising his right to argue his case in the UK courts."
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Business Standard
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
UK seeks more high-skilled Indian professionals via Global Talent visa
The UK must strengthen its scientific and academic ties with India as the country emerges as a global force in science and technology, said Lord Patrick Vallance, Britain's minister for science, research and innovation. Speaking at the 'Unlocking UK-India Collaboration for a New Era of Innovation' session at India Global Forum's Future Frontiers Forum in London on June 20, 2025, Vallance said there is room to expand the already strong relationship through greater mobility of high-skilled professionals. 'There is already a strong relationship between India and the UK, and I think it's growing,' said Vallance. 'But government-to-government relationships on science aren't actually what drives everything. It has to be a scientist and a scientist as well. There are important academic links. I'd like to see more of that as India becomes an increasingly powerful player in the science and tech space.' He added that the UK government would unveil its new Industrial Strategy 'in a few weeks', which would set out areas of focus for international partnerships, including with India. Push for skilled migration through the Global Talent visa Vallance flagged the Global Talent visa as a key tool to facilitate movement of experts across sectors. This visa route was one of the areas touched upon in the UK government's Immigration White Paper, released in May, which proposed making the application process easier for top scientists and designers. The Global Talent visa is open to individuals working in sectors such as: Science, engineering, and medicine Humanities and social sciences Arts and culture Digital technology Unlike most UK work visas, it does not require a job offer or sponsorship. How the Global Talent visa works • Applicants must be endorsed by a recognised UK body, such as the British Academy, Royal Society, or Arts Council England • They can be classified under 'Exceptional Talent' (established leaders) or 'Exceptional Promise' (emerging leaders) • The visa offers flexibility to work for any employer, switch jobs, or be self-employed • Settlement in the UK is possible after 3 to 5 years, depending on the endorsement type • Partners and children can be included in the application • Visa duration is up to 5 years, with options to extend Special visa for top university graduates in AI In a related move, the UK government in February expanded the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, making it easier for foreign experts in artificial intelligence to stay in the UK. Graduates from top institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Carnegie Mellon University are now eligible. The HPI visa allows foreign graduates to stay in the UK for at least two years. Applicants must have completed a degree within the last five years from a university that features in at least two global rankings: Times Higher Education, QS, or the Academic Ranking of World Universities. The visa is part of the UK's broader effort to attract international talent in key areas of innovation.
New Statesman
09-06-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
What Rachel Reeves can learn from Donald Trump
Photo byNext week, Rachel Reeves will publish the Government's Spending Review, outlining the financial settlement for the coming three years. As she makes her final decisions (they always go to the wire) she might consider lessons from an unlikely source: the US President. In recent months, Donald Trump has taken to trashing areas of deep US strength that were taken for granted so completely that they were invisible to most. Trump has done Reeves a favour, by paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. His actions are a reminder of the importance of investing in the unseen infrastructures that enable prosperity. The British Academy has just published a series of papers exploring what might pull the UK out of its long period of low productivity. The UK has powerful legal, financial, cultural and scientific institutions, but we're not good at organising the economy around our greatest strengths. We have a large population of skilled workers, for example, but they are unevenly spread and mismatched across regions. We do not make the most of our institutional, human and physical capital. Reeves has an opportunity to invest in these strengths and to make the UK more prosperous over the long term. In the US, the government is currently experimenting with the opposite approach. Trump has taken an axe to America's historic strength in research by attacking universities including Harvard, and cutting or freezing research funding. R&D is one of the drivers of long-term prosperity, and the US will be poorer as a result in the medium term. By many measures the UK already punches above its weight when it comes to R&D, particularly in universities. Reeves needs to continue investing in this long-term source of growth, and also find a model for the universities where much of this research is conducted to be financially stable. The Government has recently focused on heavy investment in advanced or 'frontier' technology but a significant share of innovation in the UK's services-dominated economy is not especially high-tech. We innovate well through the humanities, social sciences and the arts, in processes and services, as well as we do in cutting-edge technology. Trump has also reminded us of the dangers of unpredictability. A country whose word cannot be relied upon will suffer economically – even if it is currently the dominant power. The UK faces rather different challenges to the US on the global stage, in that we are not large enough to act unilaterally or bilaterally, nor are we still a member of a major economic bloc. But our deep roots in multilateralism mean we have an opportunity to become the world's most dependable broker. We have an historic role in shaping the major international organisations and we have substantial knowledge of global institutions and international legal norms and practices. In turbulent times this institutional infrastructure is something in which we should invest, with a strategic narrative that the UK economy remains open to the world. Our relatively stable political landscape, strong institutions and low levels of corruption are not just part of the furniture – they are a source of comparative advantage in an increasingly turbulent world. The openness of our economy is an opportunity to attract and develop human capital. We have a valuable infrastructure of knowledge and finance that is well equipped to support and commercialise innovation. The UK government has struggled in its first year to find a positive narrative, to move beyond dealing with a difficult economic inheritance. The public knows we have an economy that has suffered long-term stagnation and that we face mounting geopolitical uncertainty. The Spending Review should be couched in a narrative of investing in the UK's comparative strengths and its deep assets, in the infrastructure that is needed to help secure longer-term growth and resilience. If she can do this, the Chancellor might be even able to say that despite the tight economic circumstances, it is the Biggest, the Best, and the most Beautiful spending review ever. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe [See also: Rachel Reeves should fear the bond market vigilantes] Related
