6. Rate rises nearing peak. The Bank of England rose interest rates for the 10th time in a row, as the benchmark rate went go up from 3.5% to 4%. However, experts believe the rises are nearing their end. “Analysts believe rates will peak at 4.5% in the summer”, lower than predictions had suggested when the government was in turmoil after its mini-budget was badly received. Although policymakers are keen to avoid pushing the UK into a recession by raising borrowing costs, their mandate is to keep inflation at around 2%. BBC
7. The word’s 10 best universities. The Times Higher Education rankings score 1,799 global universities across 13 major metrics, from teaching quality to the strength of a school’s international outlook. The University of Oxford tops the rankings for the 7th year running. The US has the most institutions in the top 200, with 58, followed by the UK with 28.The rankings are: 10 Imperial College, 9 Yale University, 8 University of California, Berkeley, 7 Princeton University, 6 California Institute of Technology, 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3= Stanford University, 3= University of Cambridge, 2 Harvard University, 1 University of Oxford. World Economic Forum
8. Ofcom asked to intervene on phone bills. The regulator is being urged to respond to concerns that mobile and broadband operators are “lining their pockets” with £2.2bn of above-inflation price rises. Some providers have already announced increases of more than 14% and experts believe price rises for some customers could be as high as 17%. Citizens Advice, said: “We keep calling on these firms to do the right thing and axe their price hikes, but they’ve not listened. It’s now time for Ofcom and the government to force them.” The Daily Mail
9. High street caffeine levels vary significantly. Caffeine levels in high street coffee varies wildly, according to testing. After measuring the caffeine in cappuccino, espresso and filter coffee at Caffè Nero, Costa, Greggs, Pret a Manger and Starbucks, the consumer group Which? found Pret’s single espresso had six times as much caffeine as Starbucks’s. Costa had the strongest medium cappuccino with 325mg of caffeine and a Starbucks cappuccino contained the least at 66mg - less than the 75mg in a single tea bag. Research shows you may be consuming significantly more, or less, caffeine than you bargained for. Which?
10. The bottom line. Pollster UnHerd Britain found that 54% of adults in Great Britain now agree that “the UK was wrong to leave the EU”, including 37% who strongly agree. 28% disagree (19% strongly). 18% neither agree nor disagree. The most “Bregretful” constituency is Bristol West. The least is Boston and Skegness. The Independent
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