After an exhausting year in Britain with three prime ministers, a budget fiasco, a surge in food and energy prices, a crisis in the health service and a wave of industrial unrest, the feeling that “nothing works” has become a catchphrase.
The British despair is being watched with interest from abroad as other countries try to tempt people to relocate.
Near London’s Piccadilly Circus, workers laid off by tech companies were greeted with posters telling them: “Got fired by Meta or Twitter? Move to Vilnius.”
The capital of EU member Lithuania is offering to cover relocation costs of up to €3,000 ($3,190) and says its rental prices are two thirds more affordable than in London.
The poster campaign is about “showing thousands of potential newcomers that there is a world beyond London which offers amazing opportunities for talents”, Pija Indriunaite, from tourism agency Go Vilnius, told The National.
“We wanted to bring to the talents’ attention that qualified employees are truly welcome in other European countries and are offered plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills.”
A recession in Britain is expected to stretch into 2024, inflation could remain high for two years, property looks ever more unaffordable and many feel that the UK is becoming a second-rate economy.
A survey last year by TotalJobs suggested 4.5 million people were considering emigrating from Britain, with almost half of them saying the rising cost of living was to blame.
Ms Indriunaite said 3,000 people from Britain had used a Vilnius talent website aimed at recruiting people with tech skills.
Migration figures show 90,000 Britons followed through on their ambitions and moved abroad in the past year, up from 66,000 in the lockdown-affected year before.
Many more non-British nationals left the country after working or studying in the UK, and they are also on the radar of Britain’s competitors.
After leaked plans to cut the number of foreign students in Britain dismayed many MPs and academics, diplomats from Germany saw their chance.
“For foreign students, Germany is an attractive place to study,” the German embassy in London said, in an online post advertising the country’s cheap tuition fees and many English-language courses.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was visiting London on Thursday, has her eye on reopening doors to Europe that were closed by Brexit for British students and workers.
Brexit is a consideration for some people. In 2022, Ireland received 100,000 passport applications from UK nationals. In Germany, more than a quarter of eligible Britons took up citizenship before exit day.
Some foreign doctors who left Britain after qualifying in medicine reported feeling unwelcome after the EU referendum.
But the desire for new opportunities and a better quality of life ranks higher among people’s motivations to leave Britain.
A French property exhibition will take place in West London at the end of January as couples, pensioners and families seeking a laid-back rural lifestyle consider relocating across the Channel.
Demand from British buyers is strong, with push factors in the UK accompanied by the pull of France’s climate, cuisine and scenery, said Karen Tait, the editor of French Property News.
Ms Tait said prices could be favourable in 2023, although British expatriates face competition from French city dwellers looking for larger country homes after the pandemic.
“Any dissatisfaction with their current lifestyle and country will push people to look for alternatives where the 'grass is greener', so the current crises in the UK may prompt some people to move sooner rather than later,” she said.
“Of course, France is experiencing the same crises as the UK and other countries globally.
“However, rural France is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to offer lower living costs, and certainly the change to a simpler lifestyle sought by many Brits when moving to France can come with lower costs.”
Australia, which like European economies is dealing with labour shortages, is another country hoping to cash in.
Adverts taken out on British radio networks urge people to “build a life in Western Australia”, which boasts of its beaches, food and thriving construction industry.
The campaign is aimed specifically at Britain and Ireland and is meant to plug gaps in construction and manufacturing.
Elsewhere, a town in southern Italy, Presicce-Acquarica, made headlines last year for offering a €30,000 golden handshake to newcomers who buy property there.
If these recruiters succeed in luring Britons, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may find that his promise to reduce net immigration from more than 500,000 people a year is met — but not in the way he intended.
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Oppenheimer
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
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What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
