Gulf cities including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah have risen in the rankings of the world's most liveable cities, while Tel Aviv registered the sharpest drop on the list due to the war in Gaza.
Sustained investment in health and education was a significant factor for the strong performance of the UAE cities, with both Abu Dhabi and Dubai rising two spots from last year, the Economist Intelligence Unit said in its Global Liveability Index 2024, released on Thursday.
“This year, Dubai has joined Abu Dhabi in achieving the highest tier of liveability in our index [a score of 80 or above out of 100],” said Barsali Bhattacharyya, deputy industry director at EIU.
“Both cities score highly on stability, infrastructure and education and have seen steady improvements in overall ratings over the past few years.”
Saudi cities have also seen “strong investment in domestic infrastructure, education and health in order to become more attractive to foreign tourists and expatriates, and diversify their economies”, she said.
Meanwhile, Israel's Tel Aviv dropped 20 places from last year to 112th, as the Gaza war continues to weigh heavily on liveability.
Vienna was named the world's most liveable city for a third year, scoring 98.4 out of 100, among the 173 cities ranked on the index on 30 indicators measuring stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
It was followed by Copenhagen with a score of 98 and Zurich with 97.1.
Syria's capital, Damascus, retained its ranking as the least comfortable city in the world, with a score of 30.7, with results for stability and health care “particularly poor”. Libya's Tripoli was ranked the next worst city with a score of 40.1, followed by Algiers with 42.
Overall, the average score across the 173 cities in the survey increased marginally to 76.1 out of 100.
“Geopolitical conflicts, civil unrest and a housing crisis across many of the cities” have been affecting liveability globally, EIU said.
Mena a 'mixed bag'
The Mena region presents a “mixed bag”, with some cities recording strong growth on the index, while others fell or remained low.
The biggest increase in scores was registered by the cities in the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar).
Abu Dhabi was the highest ranked in the Mena region, placed 76th globally, up two spots from last year, with a score of 81.7 out of 100. It was followed by Dubai, which ranked 78 globally, also up two spots from the 2023 index, scoring 80.8.
“Health care has been a policy and investment priority in the UAE in recent years to improve general population health, as well as reduce outbound medical tourism, and public healthcare spending is likely to keep increasing over the next five years," Ms Bhattacharyya said.
Partnerships with global educational institutions, as well as an increasing number of international schools with different curriculums, also helped boost the education ratings, she added.
Kuwait City in the 93rd position globally, Doha (101st) and Bahrain's Manama (106th) rounded off the regional top five.
The GCC region has been investing heavily in social infrastructure along with its focus on economic diversification.
The region's economic growth is forecast to strengthen to 2.8 per cent in 2024 and 4.7 per cent in 2025, the World Bank said this month.
Last month, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were also ranked among the top five most popular destinations for professionals to relocate to, according to a report by management consultancy Boston Consulting Group.
People primarily choose a destination based on the quality of job opportunities there, followed by quality of life and factors related to income, the Dream Destinations and Mobility Trends report found.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv dropped “as its scores for stability, culture and environment, and infrastructure deteriorated”, the EIU report said.
“This points to the damage inflicted by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, and the subsequent war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel is under pressure to declare a ceasefire in Gaza, but is likely to continue its campaign there in some form during 2024,” it said.
Israel's economy grew 2 per cent in 2023 even though it shrank by an annualised 19.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to official data.
It is expected to expand by about 2 per cent this year, depending on how long the war extends.
Liveability 'under pressure'
While the conflict in the Middle East has pulled Tel Aviv down the rankings, the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine has led to Kyiv remaining among the bottom 10 cities, EIU said.
“An increasing incidence of protests in Europe around causes ranging from agriculture to immigration policies has damaged the stability scores of cities in the region,” it said.
The cost-of-living crisis is also dragging on in many countries, with housing costs emerging as one of the stickiest elements of inflation.
The situation is “particularly worrying in Australia and Canada”, where the availability of rental properties is at an all-time low and prices have continued to rise despite interest-rate increases, “further fuelling anti-immigration sentiment”, EIU said.
“Global liveability has risen fractionally over the past year but risks to stability remain,” Ms Bhattacharyya said.
“Dissatisfaction with government policies ranging from agriculture to immigration have accompanied rising polarisation in many countries as a record number of the world’s population vote in national elections.”
She said that growing instances of civil unrest and demonstrations around the world, including riots in Noumea in New Caledonia and campus protests across the US suggest “continuing stress on liveability that is unlikely to ease in the near future”.
Predictions
Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:
- Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
- Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
- Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
- Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
- Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai
Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mobile phone packages comparison
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
England ODI squad
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Read more about the coronavirus
More on Quran memorisation:
Upcoming games
SUNDAY
Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)
MONDAY
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
