Opinion: The 'friendliest city in the world' cannot be divided by separatism - Calgary Herald

NewsLocals in these cities really know how to make visitors feel at homeSharePhotograph: anaganeva / Shutterstock | People at a restaurant in Vila Nova de Gaia with Porto Old Town over the riverIf you’ve ever been rescued by a stranger while staring blankly at a metro map, you’ll know how much a friendly local can make a trip. Condé Nast Traveller has just revealed the friendliest cities in the world for 2026 as part of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, and this year the top spot has gone to Melbourne. The rankings are voted for by readers, who are asked where in the world they’ve had the warmest welcome, whether that’s a local helping them decode a restaurant menu or pointing them in the right direction on the underground. Each city is then given a score out of 100.

Where in the world have you encountered the friendliest welcome? If you voted in Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards this year, your vote will have influenced the results below. These are the cities we turn to for the warmest hospitality, where we’ve encountered locals willing to help whether we’re struggling to navigate a neighbourhood restaurant’s menu or look perplexed en route from A to B on a new metro system. From laid-back hotspots Down Under to South Korea’s neon-hued capital, these are the friendliest cities in the world for 2026. Clifton Beach, Cape Town Getty Images10. Cape Town. Score 96.00Cape Town holds onto a position in the top ten – although it’s a slight tumble from third place in 2025. The colourful port city sits on the cusp between ocean shores and mountain ranges, so drift up by gentle cable car to the flat-topped peak of Table Mountain, or marvel at the penguin colonies on Boulders Beach. A traditional South African barbecue, or “braai”, is also essential to understanding the social culture here, where loved ones gather to share stories, laughter, and plenty of flame-grilled food. Dusk in Chinatown, Bangkok

Israeli settlers have attacked European diplomats, including a French mayor, near the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank. The delegation was visiting Palestinian olive harvesters on Saturday when the Israeli attackers confronted the group. The attack comes a day after settlers assaulted a US journalist north of Ramallah. In Saturday’s incident, the settlers targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said. “A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged,” Prevot said, linking the attack to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and pledging to push for further European Union sanctions. French mayor Bernard Baudoux, who was assaulted, told the AFP news agency that the violence suggests that “there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government” towards settler violence. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said the settlers surrounded the diplomats’ vehicles, pelted them with stones and smashed their windows.

AtlanticNova ScotiaNew BrunswickPrince Edward Island Newfoundland and LabradorCalgaryLethbridgeKitchenerGuelphNorthern OntarioSudburyNorth BaySault Ste. MarieTimminsOttawaKingstonBrockvillePembrokeReginaYorktonSaskatoonPrince AlbertTorontoWatchWeatherPeelHamiltonDurhamYorkHaltonNiagaraQueen's ParkToronto City HallIn PicturesVancouverVancouver IslandCanadaLocal SpotlightRoyal FamilyPoliticsNanosPower PlayQuestion PeriodFederal Election 2025WorldMideast ConflictRussia-Ukraine WarWatchLatestCaptured on CameraPoliticsLifestyleConsumerHealthExplainedEntertainmentTechnologyDeception DecodedAutosEnvironmentBusinessInflationReal EstateAutos

What researchers uncovered through lab testing and surveillance footage, prosecutors said, was a plot by his fellow graduate student to intentionally poison him.