THE TOP 10 MOST PROMISING DESTINATIONS FOR SUN LOVERS
Malta, Costa Rica, and Cyprus spoil expats with sunshine, while those moving to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands should not forget their umbrellas
- Countries such as Cyprus, Greece, Brazil, and Portugal can offer great weather, but are often rated poorly in terms of working abroad.
- The weather in the UK and Ireland is rated the worst in the world by far: six out of ten expats there were not looking forward to the climate in their new home.
- Good weather seems to also affect people’s happiness: the vast majority of expats in Malta (90%), Costa Rica (92%), and Cyprus (81%) is happy with their life in general.
Munich, 02 August 2017 — The weather seems to be play a crucial role in expat’s choice of destination: almost seven out of ten (67%) say the climate in their new home was a factor to consider before moving abroad. This means that people are just as likely to think about the weather as they do about the costs of living and general living standards when contemplating their new home (67% and 70%, respectively). Based on the insights of more than 14,000 expats from over 191 countries in the annual Expat Insider survey, InterNations, the world’s largest network for people who live and work abroad, compiled a so-far unpublished ranking of the most promising destinations for sun lovers.
Sunny Destinations Influence the Quality of Life but Also WorkA better climate is one of the things Finnish expats moving abroad were looking forward to the most, as nearly seven out of ten (66%) considered it a potential benefit before to relocating — 20 percentage points more than the global average (46%). Other nationalities feeling this way are the Irish (64%), the British (63%), and Russians (62%), whose countries of origin can all be found among the worst countries to move to for the weather. Luckily, there are plenty of options for those who are fed up with the rain, such as Malta, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, and Ecuador. Not only did expats consider the weather a potential benefit of moving there, the ranking also suggests that a great climate may have a positive impact on the quality of life: these countries are all among the top 20 destinations for this. However, a sunny climate is not everything: Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil are great for relaxing in the sun, but rank among the ten worst countries for working abroad.
The Top 10 Most Promising Destinations For Sun Lovers
1. Malta — Where Friends Are Easy to FindWith 92 percent of expats considering the climate as a potential benefit, Malta leads the list of countries to move to for better weather. Under the Maltese sun, it is very easy for expats to settle down: in fact, nine out of ten expats in Malta state that it is easy to settle down there, while the global average is only 59 percent. This is surely helped along by the fact that almost seven out of ten expats in Malta (69%) find it easy to make local friends, compared to a global average of only 45 percent. “Fantastic weather, ease of making friends and contacts, beautiful scenery,” summarizes a British expat living in Malta.
2. Costa Rica — Where Expats Are on Cloud NineCosta Rica shows that sunny weather and personal happiness might be related: not only do nearly nine out of ten expats (89%) say they considered the climate in Costa Rica as a potential benefit, a similar percentage (92%) also state they are happy with their life in general. Two in five even say that they are very happy, compared to a global average of a mere 19 percent, positioning Costa Rica 1st out of 67 countries in regards to personal happiness. This positive rating might also be connected to most expats in Costa Rica being on cloud nine: with only four percent facing a long-distance relationship, nine out of ten expats who are in a relationship are satisfied with this aspect of their life. More than half (56%) are even completely satisfied, compared to a global average of only 39 percent.
3. Cyprus — Where Nothing Is Ever UrgentThe climate in Cyprus, which was considered a potential benefit by 86 percent of expats before moving, seems to have a strong influence on daily life: “The sky is always blue and nothing is ever urgent”, a Belgian expat says about living and working on the island. This attitude strongly reflects on the working hours, as Cyprus offers one of the shortest full-time workweeks in the world with only 41.5 hours per week. Besides that, expats do not find many positive things to say about working in Cyprus. Especially the job security (56th out of 67 countries) and the career prospects (65th) pull it down: nearly half of expats in Cyprus (46%) are unsatisfied with their career prospects and nearly two out of five (36%) are unsatisfied with their job security, compared to only 24 and 22 percent globally.
4. Morocco — Where Incomes and Costs Are LowMorocco slides into fourth position with 84 percent of respondents considering climate and weather a potential benefit. Being perceived somewhat mediocre in many areas of life abroad, the North African country does well in terms of personal finance with 84 percent of expats saying that their disposable household income is enough or even more than enough for daily life. Close two out of ten expats in Morocco (19%) even say that it is a lot more than enough — nearly doubling the global average of just 10 percent. This is particularly interesting, as more than two out of five expats working in Morocco (42%) say they would get a higher income for the same job back home, compared to a global average of only 27 percent saying the same. The low costs of living seem to make up for this though: seven out of ten rate them positively, while only about half of expats (49%) say the same on a global level.
5. Spain — Where Expats Enjoy Endless Leisure OptionsSunny Spain is the go-to destination for expats looking for fun in the sun. While more than four out of five expats (84%) considered the climate a potential benefit before they make the move, they love the leisure options once arrived in their new home. Nearly nine out of ten expats (88%) rate the available leisure activities positively, compared to 72 percent globally, and not one respondent thinks they are very bad. “Incredible work life balance with fantastic climate, which means you can really enjoy the outdoors after work,” states a British expat in Spain, “you can do sports, meet friends for open air drinks and dinner and the children have a maximum of time to play outdoors.”
6. Portugal — Where Expats Make Less Than at HomeWhile more than four out of five expats in Portugal (83%) considered the climate to be a potential benefit, 26 percent expected the economy and labor market to be a disadvantage, compared to only 11 percent globally — and they turned out to be right. In terms of yearly household income, more than seven out of ten expats in Portugal (72%) have less than 50,000 USD at their disposal. “I never earn enough to save anything, which makes me worried about my future,” says a British expat. One of the reasons might be that nearly half of the expats working in Portugal (48%) make less than a comparable career in their home country would offer. More than three out of ten (32%) even say that their income is a lot lower than back home, compared to only 11 percent saying that globally.
7. Greece — Where Finances Remain an IssueGreece shows that nice weather is not the only thing that counts when moving abroad: even though 81 percent of expats considered the climate a potential benefit, the island is not very popular among expats in general. The country in the Balkans does especially poor in terms of working abroad and personal finance: only a quarter of respondents are generally satisfied with their financial situation, in contrast to 64 percent globally. What is more, 45 percent worry about their job security, which is more than twice the global average (22%). Greece also is not a great choice for families: only 15 percent of expat parents in Greece find the education options numerous and easy to get, and not one respondent agrees completely with this statement.
8. Uganda — Where the Locals Are Friendly and WelcomingBesides the weather, the attitude towards expats and families is also warm in Uganda: while 77 percent of expats considered the climate a potential benefit before moving, nearly nine out of ten expats in Uganda (89%) rate the friendliness towards foreign residents positively. In addition to that, every expat with dependent children in Uganda says that the attitude towards families and children is good, with nearly seven out of ten (68%) even rating it “very good”, compared to only 39 percent globally. A South African expat in Uganda, for example, especially likes “the quality time I can spend with my children and the quality of life I can give them here.” Interestingly, even though 70 percent rate the quality of education positively, Uganda is the country where parents are most likely to homeschool their children with 23 percent, compared to a global level of only 4 percent.
9. Ecuador — Where Housing Is Very AffordableWhereas the sunny climate still is considered to be a potential benefit by eight out of ten expats, Ecuador has to face some clouds: being voted the best destination by expats two years running 2014 and 2015, the shiny champion lost its crown in 2016. Especially in regard to working there, Ecuador lost 23 places, occupying a very mediocre 30th rank. Overall, only half of expats in Ecuador are satisfied with their level of job security. Still, more than four out of five (81%) are satisfied with their financial situation: even though 41 percent of working respondents state that their income is lower than what they would get back home, 91 percent have enough or even more than enough to cover daily life. This might be related to the low cost of living, which is rated positively by 77 percent, and the affordability of housing, which more than four out of five expats in Ecuador (85%) regard as good.
10. Brazil — Where Expats Should Not Expect Too MuchAlthough 80 percent of expats in Brazil considered the climate a potential benefit before moving, it is just not enough to compensate the poor work conditions. Compared to 2014 results, Brazil dropped from 33rd place to 65th out of 67 countries in terms of working abroad. Doing especially poor for job security (66th), more than four out of five respondents in Brazil (85%) regard the state of the economy negatively, reflecting reports on rising unemployment and falling real wages in 2015 and 2016. In addition to that, Brazil also is rated the worst country for families which mostly results from the poor quality and high costs of education: not even three out of ten expat parents (28%) are satisfied with the quality of education, compared to a global average of 64 percent, and only 14 percent think that education is affordable.
Countries to Avoid If You Are Looking for the SunBesides Kazakhstan and Russia, the bottom ten destinations for sunseekers are all located in Europe: it comes to no surprise that the United Kingdom and Ireland are leading the list of countries to avoid on the search for the sun by a large margin (13 percentage points), with six out of ten expats now living there having considered the weather as a potential disadvantage before moving. When asked about negative aspects, a Brazilian expat living in the UK names the “horrible weather almost all year. It is always cloudy, rainy and windy”. However, there are also 8 percent of expats in the UK and 11 percent in Ireland who considered the weather a potential benefit, showing how much can depend on the perspective. “The cooler weather is great”, says an Australian expat who had lived in Abu Dhabi for eight years before moving to the UK.
About the InterNations Expat Insider 2016 SurveyFor its annual Expat Insider survey, InterNations asked about 14,300 expatriates representing 174 nationalities and living in 191 countries or territories to rate and provide information on various aspects of expat life, as well as their gender, age, and nationality. Participants were asked to rate 43 different aspects of life abroad on a scale of one to seven. The rating process emphasized the respondents’ personal satisfaction with these aspects and considered both emotional topics as well as more factual aspects with equal weight. The respondents’ ratings of the individual factors were then bundled in various combinations to make a total of 16 subcategories, and their mean values were used to draw up five topical indices: Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, Family Life, Personal Finance, and Cost of Living. These were further averaged in order to rank 67 expatriate destinations around the world. In 2016, the top ten were Taiwan, Malta, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Australia, Austria, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic.
About InterNationsWith 2.7 million members in 390 cities around the world, InterNations (http://www.internations.org) is the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad. InterNations offers global and local networking both online and face-to-face. At around 6,000 monthly events and activities, expatriates have the opportunity to meet with other global minds. Online services include country and city guides created by a team of professional writers, guest contributions about life abroad, and discussion forums to help members with topics such as local housing and job searching. InterNations membership is by approval only.
The InterNations app is available for Android and iOS and can be downloaded for free onGoogle Play and the App Store.
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BOOK LAUNCH | “INDIA TRANSFORMED: 25 YEARS OF ECONOMIC REFORMS”
Launch of book edited by Rakesh Mohan, Distinguished Fellow, Brookings India, published by Penguin India and Brookings India.
The book will be released by Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India followed by a keynote address by Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
A panel discussion with Arvind Subramanian, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Uday Kotak, moderated by TN Ninan will follow.
Friday, Aug 04, 2017 5:30 PM-8:00 PM IST
At Auditorium, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library,
Teen Murti Marg
New Delhi
DECISIONS TAKEN BY THE UNION CABINET
v Cabinet apprised of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Spain on India-Spain cooperation in renewable energy
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Spain on India-Spain Cooperation in renewable energy. The MoU was signed on 30th May, 2017 at Spain . The MoU will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries with the exchange of expertise and networking of information.
Both sides aim to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit equality and reciprocity. The MoU envisages to establish a Joint Working Committee to review, monitor and discuss matters relation to areas of cooperation.
v Cabinet approves MoU between India and BRICs countries to set up BRICS Agriculture Research Platform
The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed among India and various BRICs countries for establishment of the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP). BRICS-ARP will be the natural global platform for science-led agriculture-based sustainable development for addressing the issues of world hunger, under-nutrition, poverty and inequality, particularly between farmers’ and non-farmers’ income, and enhancing agricultural trade, bio-security and climate resilient agriculture.
v Cabinet approves construction of doubling of line with electrification between Vanchi-Maniyachchi- Nagercoil via Tirunelveli
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of double line with electrification between Vanchi-Maniyachchi- Nagercoil via Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The total length of the line will be 102 km. The estimated cost of the Project will be Rs.1003.94 crore and completion cost of Rs.1114.62 crore with 5% escalation per annum.
The project is likely to be completed in four years by 2020-21. The project will generate direct employment during construction for 24.48 lakh mandays. The project would not only speed up the operation of goods and coaching trains, but also provide additional capacity for meeting the increase in traffic in future.
v Cabinet approves construction of doubling of line with electrification between Madurai-Vanchi and Maniyachchi-Tuticorin
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of double line with electrification between Madurai-Vanchi and Maniyachchi-Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The total length of the line will be 160 km. The estimated cost of the Project will be Rs.1182.31 crore and completion cost of Rs.1272.51 crore with 5% escalation per annum.
The project is likely to be completed in four years by 2020-21. The project will generate direct employment during construction for 38.40 lakh mandays. The project would not only speed up the operation of goods and coaching trains, but also provide additional capacity for meeting the increase in traffic in future.
v Cabinet approves construction of doubling of line with electrification between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanniyakumari
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of double line with electrification between Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu.The total length of the line will be 86.56 km. The estimated cost of the Project will be Rs.1431.90 crore and completion cost of Rs.1552.94 crore with 5% escalation per annum.
The project is likely to be completed in four years by 2020-21. The project will generate direct employment during construction for 20.77 lakh mandays. The project would not only speed up the operation of goods and coaching trains, but also provide additional capacity for meeting the increase in traffic in future.
ATHER ENERGY HIRES HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES, SUNITHA LAL
Ather Energy Hires Head of Human Resources, Sunitha Lal
Bangalore, 3rd August, 2017: Ather Energy, the smart electric two-wheeler start-up, today announced the latest addition to their team, Sunitha Lal as the Head of Human Resources. Sunitha’s immediate focus will be on defining the culture at Ather as they scale up towards production and delivery of their first product, the S340. This comes in as another addition to senior industry veteran hires that Ather has seen over the past few months which include Venki Padmanabhan as COO & Thiruppathy Srinivasan as VP of Vehicle Development.
“It is rare to find an opportunity where you can be part of culture building of not just an organisation, but a nascent industry as well. To weave a pervasive culture across everything we do, be it business processes to employee assimilation, is fantastic.” commented Sunitha. “The most enticing aspect of my role is the chance to outline what Ather stands for and perpetuate that through our frameworks, values and our other programs.”
“Sunitha comes with 20+ years of experience across all HR verticals. She is a strong coach and has a significant background in organizational & leadership development, performance & coaching systems & frameworks.” said Tarun Mehta, CEO of Ather Energy. “We have grown as an organisation and it’s the perfect time for us to focus on our team, the development and the systems that enable this. Both Swapnil and I are very excited about the above topics and we look forward to Sunitha’s support in shaping them.”
In 2007, Sunitha was appointed Vice President and HR Head at AIG Systems Solutions which is an offshore development centre for AIG. There she focused on Organization Development and Succession Planning initiatives.
In 2009, as the SVP & Global Head of Talent Management, Business HR Head at Mphasis, she improved upon the functional effectiveness and efficiency for HR business partner practice and focused in aligning design and delivery of talent management programs and practices to drive business goals.
An alumnus of Madurai Kamaraj University, Sunitha took over as the Chief Human Resources Officer at Matrimony.com, in 2012. As CHRO she was involved in organization-wide decision making to shape business agenda on performance & growth. Sunitha played a key role in identifying, developing and implementing organization effectiveness and change management initiatives.
About Ather Energy:
Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd. is an automobile design and manufacturing company founded in the year 2013 by IIT Madras graduates – Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain. Ather is committed to building smart, connected, uncompromising vehicles and seeks to reimagine urban commute with the help of technology. The company has so far received funding from Hero MotoCorp, Tiger Global and Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal. The team of about 250+ employees is currently developing an electric two-wheeler, which will be completely designed and made In India.
They are presently in their stage of product testing and vendor finalization for their first product, the S340. Aided by a breakthrough in-house designed, Lithium-ion battery pack, the Ather S340 has a touchscreen dashboard with cloud connectivity, a host of smart features and offers a top speed of 72 kmph and a range of up to 60kms. Ather is also setting up a charging network with its own smart charging pods. These fast charging pods will be set up initially across its three market cities – Bangalore, Chennai & Pune.
For more information, please visit: www.atherenergy.com
IRAN SAYS NUCLEAR DEAL VIOLATED BY NEW US SANCTIONS
Iran said on Thursday that new sanctions imposed by the United States had violated its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and that the country would respond.
“We believe that the nuclear deal has been violated and we will react appropriately,” deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television, following news that US President Donald Trump had signed the new sanctions into law.
“We will certainly not fall into the trap of US policy and Trump, and our reaction will be very carefully considered.”
Trump signed off the new sanctions — which also target Russia and North Korea — on Wednesday.
The sanctions target Iran´s missile programme and human rights violations, which were not covered under the 2015 nuclear deal.
However, Iran says they go against the spirit of the agreement and said earlier this week that it would lodge a complaint with the commission that oversees its implementation.
