PARIS: Singapore yesterday topped an international survey of the best cities in Asia for expatriates while the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka was named the worst.
Japan took all the other spots in the Asian top five, with Tokyo in second place followed by Kobe, Yokohama and Osaka, according to the annual ranking by the Mercer consulting group.
Worldwide, Vienna, Zurich and Auckland were named as the best places to live, followed by Munich and Vancouver. Paris was
ranked 27th.
The city offering the worst quality of life was Baghdad followed by Bangui in the Central African Republic and the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.
Singapore and Dhaka ranked 25th and 208th respectively with Baghdad in the 223rd position.
Turbulence jolts jet, passengers
HONG KONG: Several passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific jumbo jet hit turbulence over northern Japan, the airline said yesterday, as one passenger likened the experience to a “rollercoaster.”
The Boeing 747-400, carrying 321 passengers and 21 crew, was rocked by sudden turbulence when it flew over Hokkaido prefecture Tuesday.
Cathay Pacific said two crew members and a number of passengers were injured, but did not confirm a total of 12 injuries reported by the South China Morning Post newspaper.
The flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong landed at the southern Chinese city’s airport at 6.26pm local time to be greeted by a fleet of ambulances and emergency vehicles.
E-cash advice for temples
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s central bank boss urged temples yesterday to go hi-tech and accept electronic cash from worshippers as he blamed the custom of offering prayer money for a coin shortage.
Governor Nivard Cabraal told reporters the guardians of shrines in mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka should install a “tap-and-pray” system similar to the “tap-and-go” used for public transport in many nations.
Agencies
