World

This European city was named the world’s most liveable city – again

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2023

This European city was named the world’s most liveable city – again

Vienna has retained its crown as the world’s most liveable city, according to Economist’s annual index. But other European cities have not fared well.

Have you ever visited a city and left with such a good vibe from it that you immediately begin checking property listings and job adverts once you return home?

Anyone who has visited any of the top ten cities on the Economist’s annual Global Liveability Index can perhaps relate.

The 2023 listings give an insight into where it’s preferable to live this year and include cities from every continent. In recent years, there have been recurrent entries for certain cities in the top 10, making you wonder whether they have cracked the secret to better living.

How are the best cities chosen?

Of course, when compiling the Global Liveability Index, it’s not just a good vibe that sets cities apart for the Economist’s Intelligence team.

The overall score – out of 100 – is determined by examining a plethora of factors, including the quality of healthcare, education, cultural scene, infrastructure, and so on.

Many cities out of the 173 cities studied as part of the report saw an uplift in their scores after the last COVID-19 restrictions eased and life regained some semblance of pre-pandemic normality.

In fact, the average index score across all cities (excluding Kyiv) survey has now reached 76.2 out of 100, up from 73.2 a year ago, the highest score in 15 years for the original list of 140 cities compared.

Is Europe on the slide?

Despite a shift for the better for the majority of cities post-pandemic, one of the noticeable shifts in this year’s report compared to 2022 is the number of European cities slipping further down the rankings.

This is partly due to instability scores plunging, with some cities feeling the effects of the Ukraine war.

Frankfurt and Amsterdam both crashed out of the top 10, having previously occupied 7th and 9th spots in 2022.

Cities in the UK were among the European cities with the most significant declines. Edinburgh, which broke into the top 50 for the first time last year to take the 35th spot, fell to 58th in 2023.

Likewise, London (34th in 2022) and Manchester (32nd last year) both suffered poor scores this year, dropping 12 and 16 places respectively.

On a global scale, regional scores across the board improved on those attained in 2022. Despite a number of its cities sliding, Western Europe retained its poll position, improving its score of 91.4 last year to 92.3 this year.

The biggest improvement was noted in the Asia-Pacific region which achieved a score of 73.5, making noteworthy gains on last year’s figure of 69.1. Furthermore, eight of the 10 biggest climbers in the rankings were from the region; the most notable climber Wellington in New Zealand jumped 35 places to land in 23rd position.

So, which cities made the top 10?

10. Auckland, New Zealand

As the city with the second biggest improvement in the past year, Auckland – New Zealand’s biggest city – leapfrogged an impressive 25 spots to reach joint 10th position in this year’s index.

10. Osaka, Japan

The end of COVID-19 restrictions saw a significant boost to many cities in the Asia-Pacific region. Osaka, Japan’s third most populous city and one of its most multicultural, was one of the beneficiaries of increased scores in its culture and environment ratings thanks to the withdrawal of the COVID-era measures.

9. Toronto, Canada

The lowest-ranking Canadian city in the top ten, Toronto is another consistent performer when it comes to the annual rankings. While it has slipped one spot from 8th place to 9th in 2023, its stability score increased this year after anti-vaccine protests last year had caused a dip.

7. Geneva, Switzerland

Continuing the trend of European cities falling back in the rankings, Geneva has retained a spot in the top 10 again this year. While it slipped from 6th to 7th place, the Swiss city saw a boost to its education scores this year. It is generally rated as one of the best cities to live but it is also one of the most expensive to live in, with consultancy firm Mercer rating it third in its annual global list.

7. Calgary, Canada

Europe is not the only continent to have seen a slip in the rankings. While no cities from the United States appear in the top 10, Canadian cities are usually well represented. However, in 2023, cities like Calgary have also dipped. It was joint third in 2022, but this year the biggest city in Alberta province has slid to joint 7th this year. Its culture and environment score was its biggest drawback, pulling down its overall index score in spite of perfect scores in stability, infrastructure, education, and healthcare.

6. Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland’s largest city Zurich has slipped down from third place to sixth over the past year. While it is included in the top 10 of the Global Liveability Index, Zurich – like Geneva – was also rated as one of the world’s most expensive cities to live and work in as an expat, according to Mercer’s 2022 Cost of Living Survey. It was second only to Hong Kong in the consultancy firm’s annual report.

5. Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver is a non-mover in fifth spot, with its stability score up from last year after anti-vaccine protests dragged it down.

4. Sydney, Australia

COVID-19 had a very notable impact on Australian cities like Sydney, but the easing of restrictions has seen them dethrone European cities in the top 10. As well as its healthcare system getting a perfect score, the city’s education and infrastructure also received scores of 100.0.

3. Melbourne, Australia

As with Sydney, Melbourne’s ranking was dented by significant pressures on many aspects of city life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several waves of the virus threatened to overwhelm the city’s healthcare system but this year, this particular factor has been given a perfect score of 100.0 by the Economist, helping Melbourne to return to the top 10.

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

In second place for a consecutive year is Copenhagen. Denmark is consistently listed as one of the happiest countries in the world in which to live, and this is certainly reflected in the scores for each category in the Economist’s liveability report. It continues to have high scores across the board, including perfect scores of 100.0 for education, infrastructure, and stability.

1. Vienna, Austria

No change at the top – Vienna retains its crown as the most liveable city in the world for another year. The Austrian capital has dominated the rankings in the last 10 surveys, coming first in eight of them. It was only knocked off its perch by the COVID-19 pandemic when many of its museums and restaurants shuttered their doors.

The report noted that Vienna continues to offer “an unsurpassed combination of stability, good infrastructure, strong education, and healthcare services, and plenty of culture and entertainment”. The only flaw, it said was a lack of major sporting events.

Honourable mentions

While its ranking plummeted in last year’s list following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has returned to the index though with low scores. Bombardments and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital saw its scores for infrastructure and stability plunge, but it has made a significant return to the overall rankings if only with a lowly 165th out of 173 cities.

Related Topics:Copenhagen Featured liveable cities quality of life Quality of Living Ranking Vienna Zurich

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World

Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine Ex-President, Is Arrested on I.C.C. Warrant

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2025

Press Room

Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine Ex-President, Is Arrested on I.C.C. Warrant

Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, was arrested on Tuesday in Manila, after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity in his war on drugs in which, human rights groups say, tens of thousands of Filipinos were summarily executed.

He was taken into custody at the airport in Manila after returning from a trip to Hong Kong, according to the Philippine government. Mr. Duterte’s lawyer, Salvador Panelo, said the arrest was unlawful, partly because the Philippines withdrew from the court while Mr. Duterte was in office.

Mr. Duterte, 79, who left office in 2022, is a populist firebrand who remains one of the Philippines’ most influential politicians, and he has enjoyed relative immunity despite several accusations against him in connection with his antidrug campaign.

But Mr. Duterte’s arrest could be a major step toward accountability for thousands of Filipinos who have long sought justice for their loved ones, many of whom were gunned down by police officers, hit men and vigilantes. Activists say the vast majority of victims were poor, urban Filipinos, some of whom were minors and people who had nothing to do with the drug trade.

Only a handful of people have been convicted in connection with the killings, which rights groups say totaled roughly 30,000.

“I am very happy that Duterte has been arrested so we can finally have justice,” said Cristina Jumola, whose three sons were killed during the drug war. “We waited so long for this.”

It was unclear whether Mr. Duterte would be forced to surrender to the I.C.C., which is based in The Hague. The case will be a high-profile test of the court, which in recent months has sought the arrest of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the head of the military junta in Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, accusing both men of crimes against humanity.

Minutes before he was arrested, Mr. Duterte was characteristically defiant.

“You would have to kill me first, if you are going to ally with white foreigners,” Mr. Duterte said as he was getting off the plane from Hong Kong, according to a video posted by GMA News, a Philippine broadcaster.

For years, Mr. Duterte seemed untouchable. As mayor of Davao, the second-largest city in the Philippines, for more than two decades, he ran a deadly antidrug crackdown with impunity. In 2016, he parlayed his law-and-order credentials into a victory in the presidential election, even though experts said the country did not have an outsized problem with drugs.

At his final campaign rally that year, Mr. Duterte told the crowd to “forget the laws on human rights.”

“You drug pushers, holdup men and do-nothings, you better go out,” he said. “Because I’ll kill you.” He said he would give himself and his security forces immunity from prosecution and pardon himself “for the crime of multiple murder.”

While in office, Mr. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the I.C.C., which had begun looking into the extrajudicial killings.

Mr. Panelo, Mr. Duterte’s lawyer, said the arrest was unlawful in part because the Philippine police had not allowed the former president’s attorneys to meet him at the airport. He said he planned to bring criminal complaints against the police and the officials who ordered the arrest.

He added that the arrest was illegal because the arrest warrant “comes from a spurious source, the I.C.C., which has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.”

But the Philippines is still a member of Interpol, which can seek the arrest of Mr. Duterte on behalf of the I.C.C. A representative of the international organization was present when Mr. Duterte was arrested.

This is a developing story.

Marlise Simons contributed reporting from Paris.

World

Rubio says mineral deal ‘not main topic on agenda’ in Ukraine meeting

Published

3 hours ago

March 10, 2025

Press Room

Rubio says mineral deal ‘not main topic on agenda’ in Ukraine meeting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that the mineral deal, sought by President Donald Trump, is “not the main topic on the agenda” for the meeting set with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

“I wouldn’t prejudge tomorrow about whether or not we have a minerals deal,” he told reporters on board a flight to Saudi Arabia. “It’s an important topic, but it’s not the main topic on the agenda.

“The minerals deal is on the table that’s continuing to be worked on – it’s not part of this conversation, per se,” he said, noting that Tuesday’s meeting in Jeddah can be considered successful even without securing such an agreement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with the media on his military airplane as he flies to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: ONLY WAY TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA IS WITH A ‘GUN ON THE TABLE’

“It’s certainly a deal the president wants to see done, but it doesn’t necessarily have to happen tomorrow,” Rubio added.

The Ukrainian delegation is set to include Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not only involved in initial talks with Russia following its February 2022 invasion, but who also survived a poisoning attack after a peace meeting in March that year.

Rubio will meet with the delegation in the city of Jeddah around noon local time on Tuesday.

“The important point in this meeting is to establish clearly their intentions, their desire, as they’ve said publicly now, numerous times, to reach a point where peace is possible,” Rubio said, adding that he will need to be assured that Kyiv is prepared to make some hard decisions, like giving up territory seized by Russia, in order to end the three-year war.

Ukraine’s National Police said seven people are dead and five wounded in a mortar strike east of Kyiv, in Makariv. (National Police of Ukraine)

“Both sides need to come to an understanding,” he said. “The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it will be very difficult for Ukraine, in any reasonable time period, to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014. So the only solution to this war is diplomacy and getting them to a table where that’s possible.

“Then we’ll have to determine how far they are from the Russian position, which we don’t know yet either. And then once you understand where both sides truly are, it gives you a sense of how big the divide is and how hard it’s going to be,” Rubio explained. “I’m hoping it’ll be a positive interaction along those lines.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets well-wishers upon arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on March 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT WARNS TRUMP PUTIN ‘DOESN’T WANT PEACE’

Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East who has increasingly been involved with the talks regarding Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News’ Dana Perino on “America’s Newsroom” Monday morning, that the Trump administration has “gone a long way” to “narrow the differences” when dealing with Moscow and to get it to the negotiating table – though he did not go into detail.

Witkoff suggested relations with Ukraine began to once again improve after Zelenskyy sent Trump a letter in which he apologized for the Oval Office exchange that went sour late last month after he refused to sign a mineral deal and angered the Trump administration – resulting in a series of explosive outbursts on live TV.

While a mineral deal is unlikely to be achieved this week, according to Rubio, he said he hopes that with a successful meeting in Jeddah, he can secure the resumption of aid to Ukraine, though he did not detail if this would include the defensive aid the Trump administration halted, despite Russia’s continued bombardment against Ukrainian targets, or the intelligence sharing which the U.S. also stopped following the Oval Office showdown.

“The pause in aid broadly is something I hope we can resolve,” Rubio said. “I think what happens tomorrow will be key to that.”

Trump and Zelensky were involved in an Oval Office shouting match. (Fox News )

Rubio also said that Russia will see its own consequences if it doesn’t agree to negotiate on ending the war in Ukraine, including additional sanctions.

“It should be clear to everyone that the United States has tools available to also impose costs on the Russian side of this equation,” Rubio said. “But we hope it doesn’t come to that.

“What we’re hoping is that both sides realize that this is not a conflict that can end by military means,” he added.

On Friday, in a posting on the Truth Social platform, Trump threatened Russia with “large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs,” until a ceasefire and peace settlement are reached.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.

World

French President Macron meets Moldovan counterpart Sandu for talks

Published

4 hours ago

March 10, 2025

Press Room

French President Macron meets Moldovan counterpart Sandu for talks

Sandu warmly thanked the French President, adding Moldova was open for business, which will not just profit France but all EU member states.

French President Emmanuel Macron met his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday evening.

Macron reiterated French support for Moldova in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as well as their accession bid to the European Union.

Sandu told reporters that: “Russia breaks every promise. It pledged to withdraw its illegal troops from our territory by 2002. Never did. It cut off gas, violating its own supply contract.”

“It imposes embargoes on Moldovan produce, ignoring trade agreements. It interfered in our elections, flouting basic bilateral principles. These aren’t isolated acts.”

She concluded by saying Moldova hopes to achieve EU membership by the end of the decade. ”EU accession is not just the destination. It is the path to a stronger country.”

Her arrival in Paris comes ahead of a Tuesday vote on a new €1.9 billion Reform and Growth Instrument for Moldova, to accelerate the country’s socio-economic reforms, strengthen its resilience and promote its integration into the EU through grants and low-interest loans.

The European Parliament also said it will open an office in Moldova to further strengthen Parliament’s engagement in the Eastern Partnership region.