The British government allocated 2.1 billion pounds to rebuild and “level up” many areas.
British universities want to diversify their enrollment and reduce their dependence on Chinese students
UK government pledges £2.1bn to upgrade and rebuild 111 areas
Enrollments at Russell Group universities fall sharply to curb grade inflation
Charles III pumps royal profits into coffers to help people through cost of living crisis
The average profit from selling a house in the UK in 2022 will be nearly 110,000 pounds, a record high
Edinburgh announces that schools and other places will no longer serve meat products
Harry, Meghan’s popularity plummets in US after book release
British universities want to diversify their enrollment and reduce their dependence on Chinese students
According to the “Financial Times” report, British universities are seeking to attract more overseas students from countries other than China to reduce their dependence on Chinese students for income.
According to data released by the British Home Office (Home Office) last September, the number of Indian students studying in the UK in 2022 will exceed that of Chinese students for the first time.
In the year to September 2022, the UK Home Office issued 127,731 student visas to India, compared with 116,476 for Chinese students, a drop of 2% on 2019.
During the same period, student visas for Indian students increased by 273%, and visas for Nigerian students increased by 650%.
Data from Universities UK, the British university alliance, also shows that in the 2017–18 academic year, China was the largest market for 55% of British university graduate students, but in the 2020–21 academic year, this proportion dropped to 35%. Over the same period, the proportion of Indian students studying abroad rose from 15% to 46%.
Vivienne Stern, head of Universities UK, said: “UK universities are definitely making a clear effort to diversify. In terms of risk, they don’t want to be overly exposed to volatility in any one country…I haven’t come across any that haven’t. University with a diverse admissions strategy.”
Paul Inman, a former international education consultant at the University of Reading, said universities were not reducing overall international enrollments, but were looking to attract students from outside China.
He said: “The main strategy is how to replace students (from China). South Asia is currently a key market. The British government reintroduced the PSW visa, which also mobilized more students from Nigeria and India.”
UK government pledges £2.1bn to upgrade and rebuild 111 areas
According to the official website of the British government, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Rishi Sunak) announced 2.1 billion pounds of funding for 111 regions, focusing on upgrading and rebuilding (Levelling Up) town centers, transportation, cultural and traditional assets to narrow regional gaps, Achieve balanced development across the UK.
In terms of funding distribution, £672 million will be used to improve the transport system, £821 million will be used for community revitalization, and £594 million will be used to restore local historical and cultural heritage.
Among them is the Eden Project in Morecambe, Lancashire, which will receive £50m to convert a disused seaside site into an eco-tourism attraction.
A further £50m has been earmarked for a new direct train service linking Cornwall’s largest metropolitan area.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond will receive £19m to develop the Catterick Garrison town centre.
Other noteworthy projects include:
New railway between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central Station (£50m)
Shetlands Ro-Ro ferry on Fair Isle (£27m)
Carbon neutral educational campus in Blackpool city center (£40m)
Redevelopment of Gateshead Quays (including new arena, exhibition center and hotel) (£20m)
Refurbishment of the Grand Pavilion at Porthcawl (£18m)
Construction of a leisure center in Caerphilly, including gym and swimming pool (£20m)
Restoration and reconstruction of three industrial sites in the lower Swansea Valley, including Morfa Copperworks and Swansea Museum (£20m)
However, according to the “Guardian” analysis, constituencies controlled by the Conservative Party received more funds for upgrading and reconstruction than poorer areas, and on average £19.47 more per person.
Enrollments at Russell Group universities fall sharply to curb grade inflation
In order to alleviate the over-enrollment phenomenon caused by score inflation, the 24 universities of the Russell Group in the United Kingdom will reduce the number of new students admitted in 2022 by an average of 10%, and the largest drop is as high as 25.9%.
The latest figures show undergraduate enrollments at Russell Group universities have fallen from 156,990 in 2021 to 140,735 in 2022, the biggest drop since records began in 2006.
Among them, the University of Exeter has the largest reduction in enrollment among all Russell Groups, with a decrease of 25.9%, which is equivalent to reducing enrollment by more than 2,000 people. In addition, the number of new students admitted by Durham University decreased by 24%, the University of Edinburgh decreased by 21%, the University of Bristol decreased by 19.7% and the University of Leeds decreased by 17.3%.
Of the 24 Russell Group universities, only Newcastle University (8%) and London Economics and Political Science (LSE) (25%) saw enrollment growth.
Charles III pumps royal profits into coffers to help people through cost of living crisis
In order to help British families in the midst of a cost of living crisis, King Charles III of the United Kingdom announced that the wind power profits from his Crown Estate will be used to enrich fiscal revenue and use it for wider public services.
According to British media reports, the British royal family has donated up to 1 billion pounds to the public finances, from the profits generated by six new offshore wind farms, which can provide electricity for 7 million homes.
According to regulations, all the net profits of the Crown Estate need to be handed over to the British Treasury, and then 15% to 25% of it will be allocated to the royal family for its daily expenses. But Buckingham Palace said the king wanted the British public to benefit from the profits, given the “marine energy windfall”.
Most of Crown Estate’s assets are real estate, and it also holds more than 140,000 hectares of agricultural land and forests in the UK, and owns seabeds across the UK, as well as a large number of offshore wind power projects.
The average profit from selling a house in the UK in 2022 will be nearly 110,000 pounds, a record high
The latest survey by Hamptons, a British housing agency, shows that in 2022, house sellers in England and Wales will earn an average gross profit of nearly 110,000 pounds, a record high.
The latest figures show that sellers in England and Wales will make a gross profit of £108,000 on the sale of their properties in 2022, £11,780 more than sellers in 2021, representing a 12% appreciation in value over the past 20 years.
Among them, London sellers earned an average of £219,110. Among London boroughs, Kensington & Chelsea (£684,510) had the highest yield in the UK, with Westminster (£473,180) and Richmond (£319,350) coming in second and third.
The real estate agency said the increase in seller profits was largely driven by larger homes. In 2022, villas accounted for 19% of home sales, and 35% of properties generated six-figure profits for sellers.
Edinburgh announces that schools and other places will no longer serve meat products
According to British media reports, Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has pledged to remove meat products from the menus of schools, hospitals and nursing homes to reduce carbon emissions, becoming the first “capital city” in Europe to take this measure.
Edinburgh has reportedly voted in favor of a plant-based treaty to be launched in 2021, pledging to promote vegetarianism over animal products.
Since then, Edinburgh has become the second city in the UK to ratify the treaty, after Heath Town in West Sussex.
Harry, Meghan’s popularity plummets in US after book release
Harry and Meghan have been popular in the United States since leaving the British royal family to settle in the United States. However, the duo’s popularity in the US plummeted following the release of their controversial new book, Spare.
According to the latest survey by Newsweek, an American polling agency, Harry’s approval rating has dropped to -7 since the release of “Spare Tire”, and his previous approval rating was +38. Meghan’s approval rating also fell from +23 to -13.
The survey also found that women dislike Meghan less than men. When asked whether Harry was right in revealing his conversations with his family in the book, 44 per cent thought he was wrong, while just 26 per cent thought he was right.
