Contact

Blacktower

In Focus News & Insights

Posts matching 'In Focus'

Hide and seek was a great game many decades ago!

Remember saying “Ready or not here I come”?

Well, a substantial number of my generation have forgotten the rules.

I was quietly having a cappuccino in Starbucks in Cascais, minding my own business and reading the weekend Financial Times, but I couldn’t help myself from listening to the people on the table next to me, a loud elderly crowd speaking in English.

Spain’s growing economy is good news for jobseekers

In the first quarter of 2017, Spain's Gross Domestic Product (GPD) grew by 0.8 per cent, according to preliminary figures from the Spanish Statistical Institute (INE), which was marginally higher than the previous three months' growth of 0.7 per cent.

The was a larger expansion than many had predicted, causing the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, to update the country's economic growth forecast for 2017 from 2.5 per cent to 2.7 per cent.

"Recent data for the first quarter of the year, as well as national and international forecasts, have pushed us to revise our growth forecast," the Prime Minister said.

Expats can enjoy Spain’s top quality beaches

Although the country may not have had much success in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, Spain has many other reasons to celebrate.

For instance, there is one very strong factor that makes Spain such a popular destination for many holidaymakers and expats (other than its music scene): it is home to many glorious beaches.

The best cities in Germany to live for expatriates

If you’re planning to leave your home country and set yourself up in a brand new location, then you will need to put a lot of thought into where that destination will be. Luckily, there are numerous resources to help with this. For instance, the world’s largest HR consulting firm, Mercer, releases an annual Quality […]

Inflation begins to bite

On Thursday the Bank of England (BOE) rate committee met to discuss interest rates, and, even though inflation is growing, yet again they have decided to leave the base rate at 0.25%. They obviously feel this is the best option as they assess the extent of any consumer slowdown and while they continue to play the waiting game regarding how the EU Brexit divorce negotiations pan out. The BOE seems to be playing a deliberate wait and see game, and with economic news continuing to be negative in the last few weeks, it now seems likely that the base rate could stay at this level until at least 2019.

Sweden’s best city for study

Nordic countries have a very good reputation with international students, and Sweden is no exception. But where in the country offers the best environment for study?

The Swedish National Union of Students (SFS) has recently announced the winner of its 2017/2018 Student City of the Year award. The award goes to the city that actively works to improve the welfare of students, and this year it went to the city of Gävle.

Gävle is the capital of the Gävleborg County, located at the very lower end of Norrland. It's the country's 13th most populated city and is perhaps best known to the public for its unique Christmas tradition. Every year, a large straw goat, known as the Gävleblocken (or "the Gävle Goat"), is erected in the centre of the city and then, in a more unofficial tradition, tends to get destroyed by the locals.

Getting your numbers right

During the last political year, we have been given statistic after statistic by politicians who sound like they know what they are talking about. They can, at times, sound very convincing and even believable. But how do we know what is right and what is not?  The average person has no idea how much being a member of the EU costs per day. While even experts don’t know precisely how much the UK will save by not having to pay the EU after it exits the European Union.

Can expats vote in May’s surprise general election?

Following Theresa May's shock announcement that there will be a general election on June 8, many long-term expats were left wondering if they would get the chance to vote.

Britons who have lived abroad for more than 15 years were previously denied the right to vote in the 2015 general election as well as the EU referendum last year. The latter was viewed as particularly unfair by many seeing as the result of the referendum, Brexit, is likely to have major impact on the future for many British expats.

Select your country

Please select your country of residence so we can provide you with the most relevant information: