- Baghdad has been rated the world's worst city to live
in.
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- A new study by a UK research company puts the occupied
Iraqi capital last of 215 cities it profiled throughout the world.
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- Mercer Human Resource Consulting based its overall quality
of life survey on political, social, economic and environmental factors,
as well as personal safety, health, education, transport and other public
services.
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- It was compiled to help governments and major companies
to place employees on international assignments.
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- The study, released on Monday, said Baghdad is now the
world's least attractive city for expatriates.
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- Top Swiss cities
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- Placed 213th out of 215 cities last year, Baghdad's rating
has dropped due to ongoing concerns over security and the city's precarious
infrastructure.
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- The survey revealed that Zurich and Geneva are the world's
top-rated urban centres.
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- The rating takes into account the cities' schools, where
standards of education are now considered among the best in the world.
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- Cities in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia continue
to dominate the top of the rankings.
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- Vienna shares third place with Vancouver, while Auckland,
Bern, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Sydney are joint fifth.
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- US cities slide
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- However, US cities have slipped in the rankings this
year as tighter restrictions have been imposed on entry to the country.
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- Several US cities now also have to deal with increased
security checks as a result of the "war on terror".
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- Meanwhile, other poor-scoring cities for overall quality
of life include Bangui in the Central African Republic, and Brazzaville
and Pointe Noire in Congo.
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- Mercer senior researcher Slagin Parakatil said: "The
threat of terrorism in the Middle East and the political and economic turmoil
in African countries has increased the disparity between cities at the
top and the bottom end of the rankings."
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- © 2003 Aljazeera.Net
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- http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3D9630AF-4683-492E-BB0E-BEF75C36E98F.htm
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