Moscow world’s most expensive city for expats

LONDON: Moscow is the world’s most expensive city for expats, while Tokyo has pipped London to move into second place, according to a global cost of living survey published on Thursday. The study takes New York as the base measure for prices, comparing over 200 items, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment, in 143 cities across the globe. Europe and Asia dominate the top 10 in the study by British-based consultancy firm Mercer, while the Paraguayan capital Asuncion is the least expensive for the sixth straight year. The weakening dollar has a key impact on costs for expatriate staff, making American cities comparatively cheap for non-Americans while US executives sent abroad by their firms face huge bills in dollar terms. “Moscow’s position as the most expensive place for expatriate living has been strengthened by the appreciation of the ruble against the US dollar and ... rising accommodation costs,” said Mercer research head Yvonne Traber.



Syrian opposition activists freed

DAMASCUS: Two detained members of the opposition who signed the Damascus Declaration demanding democratic and radical change in Syria were released on Thursday, a human rights group said. Mahmoud Najjar, arrested in the northern town of Aleppo last month, and literature student Hassan Qassem, held two weeks ago in Aleppo, were freed, the National Organisation of Human Rights in Syria (NOHRS) said in a statement. Secular opposition parties in Syria and the London-based Muslim Brotherhood in 2005 drew up a statement demanding “democratic and radical change” in a text entitled the Damascus Declaration. Najjar and Qassem helped arrange a national council in Syria last December. Since then, 15 members of the council have been arrested, the NOHRS said. Of 13 Damascus Declaration signatories remaining in custody, 12 have been charged and their trial is set to begin on July 30, the NOHRS said.



Australian police raid Muslim charity

SYDNEY: Australian Federal Police raided a Muslim charity’s Sydney office, it was reported on Thursday. Police raided the office believed to belong to Muslim Aid Australia (MAA) on Thursday morning, the Sydney Morning Herald website reported. A police spokeswoman confirmed a search warrant had been executed in Lakemba, the centre of Sydney’s Muslim community, but would not reveal further details. The Australian newspaper reported earlier this month that the government was considering referring the charity to police over alleged links to a group banned as a terrorist organisation in Australia. The organisation, Interpal, is a British-based pro-Palestinian organisation that the newspaper said had worked with MAA to distribute aid in Gaza. MAA could not be contacted for comment.



Egypt shuts Iranian TV station

CAIRO: Egypt, irritated with Iran over a film on the assassination of President Anwar Sadat, shut down the Cairo offices of an Iranian television station that it said was not properly licensed, security sources said on Thursday. The sources said police closed the offices of Iran’s state-owned Arabic Al-Alam television on Tuesday because it did not have a broadcasting licence, and confiscated computers and photo equipment. They gave no further explanation for the move. But the closure came weeks after Egypt summoned the head of the Iranian interest’s office in Cairo over an Iranian film on the killing of Sadat, who made peace with Israel. State media said the film would damage improving ties between the countries.