British firms eye Oman's health, education sectors

Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) as well as Oman Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) and firms from the oil and gas sector.

With London and the UK's south east region contributing the majority of the UK's £500mn trade with Oman, the region is looking to consolidate Britain's place as the No 1 investor in Oman, said Dermot Shean, trade adviser with UK Trade and Investment South East.

Although retaining its traditional focus on the defence and oil and gas sectors, Shean told Muscat Daily that UK companies are looking at expanding into a range of other sectors including ports, infrastructure, healthcare and education.

Throughout the visit, the delegation held a series of one-on-one meetings with Omani counterparts at the OCCI as well as visits to a host of government departments, from which many delegates left with genuine interest, said UK Trade and Investment international trade adviser Carolyn Bentley.

"After the meeting at the OCCI, where each company had a table, some of them made some very useful contacts and are going on to further meetings this week while they are here."

NEWS BY:http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Stories-Files/British-firms-eye-Oman-s-health-education-sectors

UK students switch to US universities

Within four years, a quarter of sixth formers at a leading UK independent school will be heading for universities in the United States.

That's the prediction of Anthony Seldon, head of Wellington College in Berkshire.

Dr Seldon, one of the UK's most prominent head teachers, says that ambitious teenagers are looking further afield than ever before in their university choices.

The lure of well-funded US universities, with more broad-based course options, is proving increasingly attractive to youngsters in the UK, he says.

At a recent talk with pupils, he said that about 40% claimed to want to go to US universities, with the expectation that many of these will actually go on to enrol.

This surge in academic wanderlust reflects the experience of the Fulbright Commission, which promotes educational links between the US and UK.

The level of interest is "rising sharply" this year, says commission director Lauren Welch.

They were taken aback when 4,000 students turned up for a US university recruitment fair in London last month - double previous years.

When admissions figures are known in the new year, she expects a spike in applications.

The most recent figures, from this autumn's intake, saw big increases in applications from students in the UK to universities such as Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

Students wanting to apply to US universities can take the SAT common entrance test in the UK - and the College Board which runs the test reported a 30% increase in such UK candidates.

The introduction of higher tuition fees at UK universities, up to £9,000 per year, is pushing students to think much harder about their options. It's also changing the balance of what is affordable.

Dr Seldon says that universities in the UK are going to have to take more care about what they're offering in terms of contact hours, subject options and pastoral care. The competition is now global.

He says that for the price of UK fees, students are being offered courses in Hong Kong, with change for the air fares home. There are also pupils looking at universities in Canada, Australia, China, South Africa and in continental Europe, he says.
Budget Harvard

The headline price of US universities can be dauntingly high - the top bracket are above $50,000 (£32,000) per year - but this is often offset by high levels of means-tested financial support.

Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal says the university has seen growing numbers of students from the UK and that families with "low and middle incomes will likely pay no more to send their students to Harvard than to a UK university".

From next year, students at Harvard from families earning below $65,000 (£41,000) per year will not have to pay any tuition fees.

The most competitive US universities, hungry for the most talented students, recruit from around the world, with means-tested support available.

So what's it like to go from a school in England to an Ivy League institution?

Jason Parisi, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, has started this term at Yale and talks enthusiastically about his experiences.

He says he was drawn by the quality of the course on offer, and the belief that the international experience would give him an advantage in the jobs market when he returned, marking him out from the rest of the graduates.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15963688

University students protest higher tuition

TALLAHASSEE -- Some students protested tuition increases. Some lamented cuts to the Bright Futures scholarship program. And some said they were only after the extra credit.

But when the 200 or so university students cheered, chanted and booed on the Capitol steps Thursday, they all seemed to have one common goal.

“Being a student means you’ve sometimes got to speak truth to power, and let them know where you stand,” Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, said in preacher’s cadence, drawing wild cheers from the crowd.

Many of the students were en route to Tallahassee before dawn, on buses from the state’s 11 universities. Nearly three dozen attended from the University of South Florida.

The rally came at a time when tuition has hiked 60 percent in four years, said Michael Long, chairman of the Florida Student Association.

The proposed House budget would bump tuition another 8 percent. Most universities also expect to seek an additional “differential” tuition of up to 7 percent. The Senate’s budget proposals are not out.

“We don’t mind contributing to our education, as long as it’s reasonable,” Long said.

The Florida Student Association, which organized the rally, handed out pamphlets with three legislative goals.

•  Maintain the current level of state funding.

•  Increase money for Bright Futures but strengthen qualification requirements.

•  Reject proposals pending in the Legislature that would allow the governor to appoint the student member on the Board of Governors. Traditionally, Florida Student Association members elect the position.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, in his speech, promised to protect Bright Futures and criticized former legislatures for misspending money that could have gone toward education.

“For those who don’t know, Florida has the fifth-lowest tuition in the United States today,” he said.

“Keep it that way!” a student shouted.

NEWS BY:http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/27/2610838/university-students-protest-higher.html

Robert Pattinson, Sarah Palin And “Prometheus” In New TRAILER PARK

Three trailers have reached the Web as people attempt to scurry away from their laptops and enjoy the holidays with friends and family. But they are worth watching, so take a moment and enjoy the cinematic teases.

First, Ridley Scott has dropped our first look at “Prometheus,” a sci-fi adventure with a stellar cast (Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace) that most thought would be a prequel to his seminal “Alien” (and many still believe will be connected somehow). Either way, Scott’s return to science-fiction heralds attention no matter what he’s attempting, and so “Prometheus” is high on our radar heading into 2012.

Next up is “Bel Ami,” Robert Pattinson’s steamy period romance that finds the “Twilight” heartthrob sleeping his way through Europe in search of wealth and power. Now that sounds like a tough task for the young actor, don’t you think? “Bel Ami” opens in March. The trailer is an MSN exclusive.

Finally, Julianne Moore and Ed Harris tackle real-life politicians Sarah Palin and John McCain in HBO’s “Game Change,” the adaptation of the best-selling book about their failed presidential campaign. “So find me a woman,” Harris’ McCain says when looking for a game-changing running mate. And Moore’s impersonation of Palin is a game changer, indeed.

I take it back. That’s not an impersonation. That’s the spitting image of Palin. It’s scary. And the movie looks scary good, no matter what side of the political fence you fall on. All three films will be out next year.


Source:
hollywoodnews.com