UK Confucius Institutes are not a form of ‘soft power’, but "formally part" of the propaganda system of the Chinese Communist Party, a report has said.

The UK government has announced a new package of support for Ukraine's research sector, including supporting a university twinning program and allocating nearly £10 million to support at-risk academics.

Academics and NGOs have expressed "deep concern" about the policies, which would limit the number of international staff and students eligible to teach and study at universities in the West Bank.

UK-based academics have expressed concern that they may face professional reprisals for speaking out on sensitive China-related issues, according to the British Association for Chinese Studies.

HE stakeholders have urged the Iranian government to release the Swedish-Iranian scientist Dr Ahmadreza Djalali following fears his health is deteriorating.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has accused the Chinese Communist Party of “poisoning the well” of US higher education, adding that schools were censoring themselves due to “fear of offending China”.

Despite Hedges release, the academics' union UCU has called for a wholesale review of UK TNE operations in the Gulf state.

The UK HE sector has championed the importance of academic freedom following the UAE sentencing a British PhD student to life imprisonment for alleged spying.