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UK: Universities UK is lobbying the government to create a net migration count that excludes university students from abroad - with some billing it as the only way for the government to hit its target to cut the immigration figure.

INDIA: Octopus tentacles, anyone? The Indian student who went up to the Laos stall for seafood salad suddenly discovered a tight knot in her stomach at the sight of octopus bits on her plate.

INDIA: Following the depreciation of the rupee against most major Western currencies in 2011 – including an 18% fall against the dollar – reports this week warned that Indian study abroad traffic could wane in 2012. News that Indian banks are reigning in student loans over fears of a shrinking graduate job market has compounded the situation.

UK: In the highly competitive international education sector, higher education officials told that during the academic year 2010-11, there were 8,340 students living and studying in India who were enrolled at UK institutions for higher education qualifications.

AUSTRALIA: IN an op-ed in The Australian on Monday, Julia Gillard flagged in a single sentence that funding reform of the vocational education sector would include a HECS-style arrangement for student fees.

AUSTRALIA: In another competitive gesture, Australia has launched a research project to explore the viability of extending student loans to international students for the first time.

UK: Turkey, Jordan and Georgia are the latest countries to join a new system in which all UK visa applications must be paid for online and in dollars. The countries will join the system from January 30

GLOBAL: The centre of gravity of the global economy is shifting eastwards. More than 20 of the world’s top 50 cities ranked by gross domestic product are projected to be located in Asia by 2025, up from eight in 2007, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. It contends that accelerated urbanisation will result in a larger number of households with higher purchasing power.

US: In the last of our predictions series, we ask HE leaders in the US, Australia, India and South Africa to share what trends and issues could have the most impact on the sector

GERMANY: Indian enrolments at German education institutions shot up 24% in 2011, according to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). There were a total of 5,038 indians studying in the country last year, up from 4,070 in 2009/10.