Cypriot airliner crashed in Greece
On August 14, the worst air disaster in the history of Greece occurred. A Boeing 737 of the Cypriot airline Helios Airways crashed on approach to Athens about five minutes before its scheduled landing. According to initial reports, the airliner had covered at least half of its route when the pilots were already unable to control it. What happened on board the aircraft has not been definitively established.
Blair urged not to send immigrants to torture
The UN has warned the British government that the tightening of immigration policy announced by British Prime Minister Tony Blair could lead to violations of international human rights law. As the UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, told Lenta.ru, when deporting immigrants to countries where the death penalty is retained and torture is used, it is unacceptable to rely on diplomatic guarantees.
Last week Blair said the British government was in talks with about ten countries to obtain guarantees of humane treatment for deported immigrants. Blair did not give a full list of these countries, mentioning only Algeria and Lebanon. It is believed that Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Morocco, the UAE, Syria and Tunisia may also be involved. Britain has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan on this issue.
The UN official said that the diplomatic guarantees Britain is seeking are worthless. At the same time, Nowak spoke of a recent case in which an immigrant deported from Sweden to Egypt was subjected to torture, despite promises by the Egyptian government not to allow ill-treatment.
Blair announced the tightening of immigration policy in response to the July attacks in London. According to the British prime minister, Britain will deport not only those suspected of involvement in terrorist organizations, but also those who approve, justify and advocate methods of terror. Blair said he was ready to make changes to the human rights law if necessary for the fight against terrorism.
Immigration police being created in France
An immigration police force is being created in France to combat the entry of illegal migrants into the country, reports RIA Novosti. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, the new unit will include about 300 officers who will have to cooperate, on the one hand, with the border police service, and on the other, with the authorities of departments and regions.
The main task of the immigration police, as Le Figaro writes, will be to identify underground networks that organize the illegal arrival and accommodation of migrants in France. Until now, work was carried out only at border control points at airports and railway stations. Meanwhile, illegal immigration channels operate throughout France. “We need a special service to deal with them,” the newspaper quotes a representative of the interior ministry as saying.
In recent years, the number of departments where illegal migrants settle has expanded significantly, and now “no region is protected from their penetration.” As an example, Le Figaro reports that migrants from Moldova and Georgia have taken a liking to the Calvados department in the north of the country, Chechens are settling in the Ardennes in eastern France, and people from Kosovo and Bosnia are settling in eastern and central areas. The total number of illegal migrants in France is estimated by the interior ministry at 200,000 to 400,000.
According to data provided by the ministry, in 2004, 15,660 illegal migrants were administratively deported to their home countries. This year, the interior ministry intends to increase the number deported to 23,000. In addition, more than 15,000 are to be sent to the European countries through which they entered the Schengen area.
New traffic rules in Spain
In Spain, a new traffic law has come into force, tightening liability for road violations, RIA Novosti reports. In particular, driving without seat belts, as well as talking on a mobile phone while driving without a hands-free system, will now result in a fine of €300 instead of the previous €90.
Fines for driving without a driver's license, with an expired license, and without passing a technical inspection will be increased from €300 to €600. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as exceeding the speed limit by more than 50% of the legally permitted speed, will be punishable by a fine of up to €1.5 thousand and deprivation of a driver's license for a long period.
Exceeding the speed limit on Spanish motorways, where the permitted speed is no more than 120 km/h, while the actual speed is on average 160-170 km/h (some daredevils bring it up to 200 km/h and above), is the main cause of fatalities in traffic accidents. Moreover, the road fatality rate in Spain is the highest in Europe.
Thanks to the strengthening of control on Spanish roads, this year compared with last year it was possible to reduce the number of fatalities by 4.7%. However, despite this, in 2005, 2,027 people died in traffic accidents in Spain and more than 900 were seriously injured. Since 2006, it has been decided to make special marks about violations in driving documents to strengthen control on Spanish roads.
Czech hotels will not get more expensive
The opinions of Czech politicians, tourists, and hotel owners completely coincided on the reluctance to raise prices for hotel rooms - after all, this could lead to a decrease in the tourist flow to the Czech Republic. Therefore, on September 16, the Parliament of the Czech Republic will consider a proposal to abolish the 19% VAT rate for hotels, which was supposed to come into force on January 1, 2006.
As reports Turist.ru. Deputies propose to impose a five percent tax on hotels. In the Czech Republic, it is not the first time that they have threatened to raise accommodation prices - this was said as early as 2003 in connection with the republic's accession to the EU. But politicians then insisted on freezing the VAT level in order to preserve the Czech Republic's reputation as a country with inexpensive recreation.
Americans are twice as happy as Europeans
A recent survey conducted by the marketing research company Harris Interactive showed that Americans are quite satisfied with their lives, The Washington Times reports.
58% of surveyed Americans said they are "extremely satisfied with their lives." In EU countries, on average, only 31% of respondents hold this opinion. 56% are confident that their lives have improved since 2000. In Europe, only 26% of respondents think so. Moreover, 65% of surveyed Americans believe that their lives will continue to improve over the next five years. In Europe, only 44% of respondents think so.