In Mercer Consultings annual Quality of Living Survey, Europe once again dominates the list of 215 countries around the world.

The top three cities are, by rank, Vienna, Zurich (last years winner), and Geneva.

Commonwealth nations fare pretty well, too, winning 9 of the top 30 spots, even though London comes in only at 38.

Zurich’s iconic luxury city resort, the Dolder Grand, has been honoured in the 2009 Design Awards by prestigious international travel and design magazine, Wallpaper.

The historic Zurich landmark transformed by world-renowned London architects Foster and Partners in a US$400 million facelift was voted ‘Best New or Renovated Hotel’.

Designed in 1899 by Jacques Gros, the Zürich’s Dolder Grand Hotel has a wonderful city location overlooking Lake Zürich and the Alps.

Paintings by some of the world’s most famous artists have been stolen by an armed gang from a museum in Zurich.

Four oil paintings worth more than 112,000,000 Euros by Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet were taken in the weekend robbery from the E.G. Buehrle museum.

A police statement said three robbers wearing ski masks and dark clothing entered the museum half-an-hour before closing on Sunday. While one of the men used a pistol to force museum personnel to the floor, the other two robbers went into the exhibition hall and collected the four masterpieces.