Topic: University of Oxford

The world's Top 10 universities

QS released its annual World University Rankings list of the top 200 universities Wednesday. The UK's University of Cambridge overtook former No. 1 Harvard University, the first time the leading US university was not in the No. 1 spot. Click right arrow to see school's ranked in ascending order.

Elena Kagan confirmed to Supreme Court

Elena Kagan was confirmed to a seat on the Supreme Court Thursday. The Senate voted 63-37, mostly along party lines, to make Kagan America's 112th Supreme Court justice.

Opinion: Imminent war in Sudan? Not exactly.

Fear of war in troubled Sudan is intensifying, and observers are calling on President Obama to act urgently and assertively. What Washington really needs to do is take a deep breath and support the ongoing negotiations.

London tries next revolution in connectivity: talking, not Tweeting

Theodore Zeldin's 'Oxford Muse' program encourages deep, in-person, one-on-one conversations that promote understanding. Some participants call it 'liberating.'

Orrin Hatch's 'no' on Elena Kagan a template for GOP opposition

In a detailed essay, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch laid out the reasons he will not support Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Republicans look set to follow his lead.

Venus might have been habitable once, study suggests

Venus, currently one of the most inhospitable places in the solar system, may once have had an ample supply of water – possibly even oceans – and may have been a potentially habitable place, a new study suggests.

Despite global warming, gains in fighting malaria, study finds

Public-health efforts and increasing urbanization have overwhelmed any effects that global warming has had on malaria, according to a new analysis.

Thailand has a chance if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva can stop the killings

Former foreign minister of Thailand weighs in on Thailand's crisis.

Opinion: British election: political animal Brown vs. technocrats Clegg, Cameron

To his credit, Gordon Brown cut his teeth through left-wing activism. Nick Clegg and David Cameron were groomed as professional political managers, insulated from the people.

Stephen Hawking aliens theory doesn't scare planet hunters

British scientist Stephen Hawking says that aliens might 'conquer and colonize' Earth. His colleagues disagree.

Leonardo da Vinci: painter, sculptor, Hollywood movie star

Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate Renaissance man. He's now a Hollywood movie star in a Warner Bros Indiana Jones-style action hero film to be called 'Leonardo da Vinci and the Soldiers of Forever.'

Beyond the minaret ban: Some European nations are more tolerant of Muslims

While a backlash persists in some nations, others are including Muslims in debates on national identity.

Top universities: Britain pushes Oxford and Cambridge to recruit more widely

Top universities Oxford and Cambridge draw 43 percent of students from private schools that educate 7 percent of the population. They face pressure to take applicants' social and economic background into account.

Opinion: Swiss minaret ban: Can Europe learn to trust its Muslim citizens?

Switzerland's ban on minarets is based on inflamed stereotypes that Islam is in conflict with Swiss values.

Opinion: The Vatican's cynical gesture to Episcopalians

Overtures to join Rome shouldn't be based on a Catholicism-lite.

Obama's Nobel Peace Prize hailed and questioned

Britain's Cameron – prime minister-in-waiting?

At the Conservative Party's conference Thursday, David Cameron will try to project a more compassionate image even as he calls for public-spending cuts and tax hikes.

Is US strategy in Afghanistan working?

The debate over sending more US troops frames a larger clash over counterinsurgency strategy as the new template for war.

On foreign affairs, Kennedy challenged presidential power

His most important vote, he said, was against the Iraq War. But he also had major impact on human rights and other issues.

Opinion: The 'genocide' in Darfur isn't what it seems

Activist hype, though well-intentioned may have misdirected funds that could have saved lives.

Galaxy Zoo wants YOU for its supernova hunt!

Now sworn in, Ahmadinejad could crack down harder

Top opposition candidates, including defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, are among those who may be targeted.

Dangerous Games

Margaret MacMillan warns of what can happen when history is misappropriated.

Opposition skips out on Ahmadinejad's swearing-in

Leading reformist politicians signaled their intent to continue protest over what they say was a fraudulent election.

Language that is in good taste

An English chef's experiments with synesthesia give new meaning to the promise 'I'll eat my words.'