GLOBAL: College freedom reports worldwide

In Syria, a nuclear physicist who is shot in the head is the latest victim of a series of murders targeting scientists in the city of Oms. Iranian Omit Kookaburra, Texas University doctoral student arrested in Terran's Even prison on espionage charges, on trial last week. And in China, the authorities of the class of a prominent Uighur professor at the University Minorities Beijing, and 20 Uighur professors were dismissed from a teaching college canceled in the northwestern region of Xiaoping for failing fluent in Mandarin.

Syria: nuclear scientist killed in Oms

Skein Abdel Khalid, a nuclear physics professor based in Oms in Syria, killed outside his home. His death is the latest in a series of murders targeting scientists in the city, the BBC reported on 28 September.

The academic was shot in the head outside his home in the city of Oms, which has become a central point of suppressing the regime.

The government news agency, Sana, declared the death of the nuclear scientist to be linked to a terrorist group, while another report claims that he was killed in a revenge attack.

But activists blamed the regime for his death and accused President Rasher AL-Assad's government is trying to spread chaos and fear among the population in an attempt to declare void protest.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the United Kingdom, the government aims to "to provoke confessional discord" in Homs by killing scientists.

The announcement of the death of the scientist coincided with reports of clashes between security forces loyal to the regime and deserters in the strategic city Rasta, north of Homs.

His death also occurred during a tense political period as the international community, led by the UK, France, Germany and Portugal, the sanctions requested by the Syrian government, while the repression continues.

According to the United Nations, more than 2,700 people died in Syria since the protests began six months ago.

Iran: Trial Texas University student rescheduled

The trial of Omit Kokabee, a doctoral student at the University of Texas detained since February Iran started on 4 October. He denied allegations that he relations with a hostile country and receiving illegal funds, reported The Statesman. If he is convicted, Kokabee (29) was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Science reported on 22 September that Kokabee was arrested on his way back to the United States after visiting his family in Iran during the Christmas holidays, and held in Even prison in Tehran on charges of espionage. He previously said would begin his trial on July 16, but officials canceled it at the last minute with no explanation.

The student is accused of working with the CIA and the release of Iranian scientific information outside the country. He was in solitary confinement for 36 days.

Kokabee the high levels of support from his colleagues, professors and the scientific community, who all argued that the allegations were nonsense. Recently, a number of scientific groups signed open letters to Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, supreme leader of Iran's call for clemency for Kokabee.