The world’s 10 most expensive cities to live, eat a Big Mac and buy an iPhone – Bottom Line

Oslo and Zurich clocked in as the most and second most-expensive cities, respectively, in a survey released Friday by Swiss bank UBS.

UBS Wealth Management’s annual survey of 72 cities examined the price of a basket of 122 goods and services, adjusted for currency fluctuations. The cost of living index was calculated by dividing the price of goods by the weighted net hourly wage in 15 sectors.

“In Tokyo it takes nine minutes of work to earn enough to buy a Big Mac, while in Nairobi it takes 84 minutes,” it said.

UBS has been conducting this study since 1970. Some figures are updated yearly, and the entire survey is recalculated every three years. The study was last updated in 2009.

Over a monthlong period, researchers in each respective local market collected more than 50,000 price and earnings data points, creating standardized baskets of goods for comparison purposes. Prices and earnings very converted into a common currency, using exchange rate averages over the monthlong period during which the data was collected.

Researchers noted that currency fluctuations are one main reason why figures can change sharply between one survey and the next. “When comparing data over an extended period, exchange rate trends play an especially crucial role,” they wrote.

Policymakers’ responses to the financial crisis were also reflected in the ranking. “The appreciation of numerous currencies against the major currencies since 2009 has been additionally boosted by the expansive monetary policy in the euro and dollar zones,” the report said.

via The world’s 10 most expensive cities to live, eat a Big Mac and buy an iPhone – Bottom Line.

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Zottel The Goat, Used As A Mascot By SVP, Is Snatched From His Stable In Zurich, Switzerland | Strange News | Sky News

Image by geographyalltheway.com via Flickr

A goat used as a mascot by a far-right political party in Switzerland has been kidnapped by left-wing rivals just a week before the country’s General Election.

Zottel has been used in political hustings and campaigns since 2006 by the Swiss People’s Party SVP.

But sometime during the night of October 14, he and another goat were snatched from their stable in Zurich, at the home of Swiss MP Ernst Schibli.

Mr Schibli said he had received an anonymous letter with death threats to “fascist goat Zottel” this summer.

Left-wing group Anti-Fascist Action have claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a statement posted on the internet – which the SVP responded to by issuing a statement demanding Zottel’s return.

via Zottel The Goat, Used As A Mascot By SVP, Is Snatched From His Stable In Zurich, Switzerland | Strange News | Sky News.

Strange Random Goat Quote:

“Don’t approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from any side.” – Yiddish Proverb

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