France plans to introduce new aviation fees
The French authorities plan to introduce new fees on air ticket sales from 2006. The money raised will go to humanitarian aid. French President Jacques Chirac made this statement, Gazeta.Ru reports.
As the head of state noted in his address, he asked the government to take the necessary measures so that such fees would be introduced as early as next year. It is worth noting that earlier Jacques Chirac called on other world leaders to introduce similar fees to provide additional aid to African countries.
Immigrants Suspected of Terrorism to Be Deported from Europe
The European Commission proposes to deport from EU countries immigrants and refugees suspected of involvement in terrorism. As RIA Novosti reports, EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini announced this at a press conference in Brussels.
The European Commission has drafted a directive under which EU member states will be able to revoke residence permits and deport immigrants and refugees from third countries if they pose a threat to public security or are suspected of involvement in terrorism.
According to Frattini, after the deportation of a person, he or she will be banned from entering any of the 25 EU states. The European Commissioner said that over the past three years, an average of up to 225,000 people from third countries have been deported from EU states annually.
Czech Government Wants to Postpone Euro Introduction
The Czech government intends to postpone by one year the transition to the single European currency, the euro, which had been planned for 2009, RIA Novosti reports. The Czech authorities believe that exactly one year is needed to complete the reform of the country's fiscal policy in light of its accession to the EU states that are part of the eurozone.
Thus, the Czech Republic plans to switch to the euro in 2010, the same year as Hungary and Poland. It is expected that Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia will be the first among the new EU members to introduce the euro in 2007. Cyprus, Slovakia, Malta and Latvia, in turn, intend to join the euro group in 2009.
Of the EU countries, 12 EU states have adopted the euro: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, France and Finland.
Denmark Has the Toughest Punishment for Traffic Violations
Truly draconian measures, including car confiscation, now await in Denmark those who like to drink and then get behind the wheel. A new set of penalties for traffic violations, developed by a commission under the Ministry of Justice, has come into force here, reports ITAR-TASS.
It is envisaged that the already high fines for drunk driving will be significantly increased. For example, if the blood alcohol concentration exceeds the permissible 0.5 per mille in Denmark, the offender will be forced to pay a fine, the amount of which directly depends on monthly income.
A Dane with a large income will be fined 51,000 Danish kroner for a minimal excess and a first offense. Previously, he would have paid only 4,000. In addition, the driver will lose his license.
If the alcohol content exceeds 2.0 per mille, a suspended prison sentence of 20 days will be added to the fine. The most severe punishment will be for those who, within three years, are stopped three times for drunk driving and each time have an alcohol content exceeding 1.2 per mille. In such a case, the new document provides for confiscation of the car.
After the new regulation takes effect, police and road safety experts expect the number of accidents in the country to significantly decrease.
One in Eight Americans Lives Below the Poverty Line
About 37 million U.S. residents, or one in eight, lived below the poverty line last year, the Los Angeles Times writes, citing a recently published report by the U.S. Census Bureau containing data on the country's population as of 2004. The last time such a high poverty rate was observed in the country was in 1998.
The poverty level in the United States last year for a family of three was about $15,000 per year. At the same time, the average household income in 2004 was $44,389. Compared with 2003, the number of poor people increased by 1.1 million, with half of them living in the Midwest, although traditionally the southern regions of the country are the poorest. Interestingly, white native-born Americans became poorer than others, while poverty barely affected immigrants who acquired U.S. citizenship.
In addition, Census Bureau officials note that 45.8 million Americans (almost one in six) did not have health insurance in 2004. At the same time, corporations are increasingly less likely to provide such insurance, and a growing number of citizens use government insurance programs, whose budget Congress plans to cut by $10 billion over the next five years. In addition, experts note that the reason for the low official unemployment rate may be that many Americans do not want to find a job.
However, Census Bureau workers emphasize that even for the third year of economic growth, the trend of increasing poverty rates is not unusual. In doing so, they cite the experience of the early nineties, when poverty rates rose for four consecutive years.
The Most Expensive Housing Is in London
Among European cities, the highest average market rent per square meter of living space is set in London and amounts to €35, RIA Novosti reports.
According to the results of a study published in Brussels and conducted by the French Real Estate Federation, Rome (?21,7) and Paris (?19,8) took second and third places in terms of the cost per square meter of rental housing. Geneva and Madrid, where the average market rate reaches €19,4 and €16 respectively, came in fourth and fifth.
According to experts, in Munich the rent for one square meter of housing will be €11,8, in Stockholm - €9,9, in Amsterdam - €9,7, in Brussels - €7,9.