Vienna Returns as World's 'Most Livable City'

The Austrian capital Vienna has returned as the world's most livable city. JOE KLAMAR AFP
The Austrian capital Vienna has returned as the world's most livable city. JOE KLAMAR AFP
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Vienna Returns as World's 'Most Livable City'

The Austrian capital Vienna has returned as the world's most livable city. JOE KLAMAR AFP
The Austrian capital Vienna has returned as the world's most livable city. JOE KLAMAR AFP

The Austrian capital Vienna has made a comeback as the world's most livable city, according to an annual report from the Economist published Thursday.

The Ukrainian capital Kyiv was not included this year after Russia invaded the country in late February, while Russian cities Moscow and St Petersburg fell in the rankings over "censorship" and the impact of Western sanctions, AFP said.

Vienna snatched the top spot from Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

"Vienna, which slipped to 12th place in our rankings in early 2021 as its museums and restaurants were closed, has since rebounded to first place, the position it held in 2018 and 2019," it said.

"Stability and good infrastructure are the city's main charms for its inhabitants, supported by good healthcare and plenty of opportunities for culture and entertainment."

Europe boasted six out of the top ten cities.

The Austrian capital was followed by the Danish capital Copenhagen and Switzerland's Zurich. Fellow Swiss city Geneva came sixth, Germany's Frankfurt seventh, and the Netherlands' Amsterdam ninth.

Canada also did well.

Calgary came in joint third position, followed by Vancouver in fifth place and Toronto in eighth.

Japan's Osaka and Australia's Melbourne shared the tenth place.

France's capital Paris came 19th, 23 places up from last year.

The Belgian capital Brussels was 24th, just behind Canada's Montreal.

The United Kingdom's capital London was the world's 33rd most livable city, while Spain's Barcelona and Madrid came 35th and 43rd respectively.

Italy's Milan ranked number 49, the US city of New York 51, and China's Beijing came 71st.

Lebanon's capital Beirut, which was ravaged by a 2020 port explosion and is battling a crippling financial crisis, was not included in the ranking of business destinations.

Neither was the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, after the Russian invasion on February 24 forced the EIU to abort its survey of the city.

Russia's capital Moscow saw its livability ranking fall by 15 places, while St Petersburg slipped by 13 places.

"Increased censorship accompanies the ongoing conflict," the report noted.

"Russian cities are additionally seeing restrictions on culture and environment as a result of Western economic sanctions."

Other cities in eastern Europe cities were considered less stable following "raised diplomatic tensions" due to the war in Ukraine.

The capital of war-torn Syria, Damascus, retained its place as least livable city on the planet.



Penguin Memes Take Flight after Trump Tariffs Remote Island

A waddle of King penguins, some of the only inhabitants of the Australian territory of Heard Island -- which is among those targeted by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Matt CURNOCK / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP
A waddle of King penguins, some of the only inhabitants of the Australian territory of Heard Island -- which is among those targeted by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Matt CURNOCK / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP
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Penguin Memes Take Flight after Trump Tariffs Remote Island

A waddle of King penguins, some of the only inhabitants of the Australian territory of Heard Island -- which is among those targeted by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Matt CURNOCK / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP
A waddle of King penguins, some of the only inhabitants of the Australian territory of Heard Island -- which is among those targeted by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Matt CURNOCK / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION/AFP

Donald Trump's tariffs have become a black and white issue on social media, where penguin memes have gone viral after he targeted an island inhabited by the flightless birds, but no people.

One widely shared image on Thursday showed a penguin in place of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office during his recent row with the US president and Vice President JD Vance.

Another meme showed US First Lady Melania Trump gazing up at an emperor penguin -- in place of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- while Trump looks askance.

Trump's announcement of worldwide tariffs on Wednesday certainly received an icy reception in many countries.

But there has also been bafflement about why some of the most remote parts of the world have been targeted.

A case in point: why would Trump slap 10 percent tariffs on all exports from the Heard and McDonald Islands, a barren sub-Antarctic Australian territory without a human population, but four different species of penguin?

"The penguins have been ripping us off for years," Anthony Scaramucci, who was Trump's former communications chief for 11 days in his first term and is now a vocal critic, joked on X.

"Donald Trump slapped tariffs on penguins and not on Putin," posted US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, referring to the fact that Russia was not on the US tariff list.

The White House said sanctions on Russia over President Vladimir Putin's war on meant that there was no "meaningful" trade on which to impose tariffs.

Trump also caused puzzlement with his 29 percent tariff on Norfolk Island, a tiny Australian territory in the Pacific with a population of a little over 2,000 humans.

"I'm not quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Britain's remote Falkland Islands -- home to one million penguins, and most famous for a 1982 war fought by Britain to repel Argentinian invaders -- was hit by 41 percent exports even though the UK only faces 10 percent.

Trump's tariffs have however been no laughing matter for global markets, with US stocks suffering their worst day since the Covid pandemic in 2020.