NSF PFAS push: The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded $7.9M to create Vermont’s PFAS Environmental Research Network (PERN), linking Bennington, Landmark, Middlebury, UVM and state partners, with students collecting water and soil data. AI skilling in India: Karnataka’s AI University consultation committee held its first meeting, mapping a phased launch and immediate certificate-to-executive programs in generative/agentic AI, cybersecurity and infrastructure. Campus power reliability: Nigeria’s Energising Education Programme is moving universities off the national grid with dedicated solar mini-grids to protect labs, teaching and student life from outages. Student protest over discrimination: A Dalit PhD scholar at Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University in Kerala began an indefinite hunger strike, alleging caste- and gender-based harassment and stalled research. Education tech rules: New York City restricted generative AI tools for students up to eighth grade, aiming to protect reading, writing and problem-solving skills. Research breakthroughs: University of Michigan researchers reported a gut-microbe metabolite that strengthened cancer immunotherapy in mice, and Sungkyunkwan University named a professor as an Asian Young Scientist Fellow for conductive hydrogels. Higher-ed governance and access: Oxford University approved repatriation of 39 Naga ancestral remains from a UK museum, while Lucknow University reported 5,278 completed internships under India’s NEP push.