Number of Foreign Students in the US Decreases
The number of foreign students studying at American universities has been falling for the past two years, but the decline that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, is already weakening. As Gazeta.Ru reports, such data were published on November 14 in a report by the Institute of International Education. According to the institute, in the 2004-2005 academic year the percentage of foreigners among students fell by 1.3% to 565,000 people, while in the previous year the decline was 2.4%. At the same time, the report notes that just a few years ago there was a steady increase in the share of foreigners.
France to Extend State of Emergency Until Mid-February
The French government has asked parliament to extend the state of emergency in the country by three months. The corresponding decision was made at a cabinet meeting last Monday, Reuters reports.
The document allows local authorities to introduce enhanced security measures, including a curfew and a ban on gatherings in public places. The bill also allows for the state of emergency to be lifted before the end of the term if circumstances permit.
The state of emergency was introduced in 38 French localities on November 9. Initially, the enhanced security measures were introduced for 12 days.
London Underground to Tighten Passenger Controls
UK Transport Minister Alistair Darling has unveiled a pilot plan to introduce screening at the country's underground and railway stations to better protect passengers from the threat of terrorism, Interfax reports. This is the authorities' response to the series of terrorist attacks on July 7 on London's public transport, which killed 56 people and wounded more than 700.
The new screening methods, the minister said, will be tested next year. In accordance with the Transport Ministry's plan, equipment similar to that used in airports will be installed at the capital's Paddington underground station. The trials will then be extended to several more underground and suburban train stations.
About 3 million people use the London Underground every day, and implementing the pilot plan over four weeks should determine the effectiveness of this measure in such a large city.
Three More Countries Prepare to Switch to Euro
Lithuania, Slovenia and Estonia have signed agreements with the European Commission on partnership for the transition to the euro. The introduction of the single European currency in these countries is scheduled for January 1, 2007. As ITAR-TASS reports, the agreement was signed in Brussels by the economy and finance ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia and European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Policy Joaquin Almunia.
According to the document, the European Commission will finance national programs to inform these countries about all aspects of the upcoming transition to the euro. The final decision on the possibility of introducing the euro in the three countries from January 1, 2007 will be made by the EU Council on Economic and Financial Affairs. This will happen after examining the European Commission's report on the countries' compliance with the "Maastricht criteria," which set the necessary macroeconomic indicators for countries seeking to join the euro zone.
Germany Begins Issuing Electronic Passports
The other day, German Interior Minister Otto Schily personally presented a Berlin resident with the first electronic passport made in Germany, containing a chip with data and an electronic photograph of its owner. RIA Novosti was told this by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"The new e-Pass (as the electronic document is abbreviated in Germany) improves the possibilities for establishing identity, increases protection against forgery, prevents malicious use of the document, and ensures compliance with the requirements of international standards of increased reliability," the press service quotes the minister's statement made during the presentation of the first passport.
Schily expressed hope that electronic passports would soon become a widespread identity document in Europe. "In the near future, when crossing Europe's borders, it will become possible to check travelers on the basis of their biometric data. Those who come to Europe have no reason to hide their identity," Schily believes. He noted with satisfaction that Germany is the first EU country to introduce the e-Pass. "It should be noted that many technologies, for example, chips, printing and the method of biometric data reading, were developed in Germany," said the interior minister.
Any German citizen willing to do so can, starting from November 1 of the current year, receive a new electronic passport to replace an expired one. For now, the chip embedded in the new passport will store only a digital photograph of the owner; fingerprints will be added only from March 2007. The Interior Ministry previously said that there would be no forced transition to e-Pass; old passports remain valid until the expiration date indicated in them. According to the ministry, the replacement of passports may last until 2015. Due to the increased costs of producing such a passport, it will cost citizens €59 for a 10-year passport, but young people under 26 who receive a passport for 5 years will pay €37.5 for it.
Special System to Detect Unattended Suitcases
In Australia, a computer surveillance system is being developed that can find a suitcase left in a crowded airport, determine whether it is a suspicious object or not, and also check what happened to the owner of the luggage.
It is assumed that the system will be able to distinguish a suspicious suitcase whose owner has left the building from a suitcase whose owner is standing in line for coffee nearby. For this, a combination of advanced software and surveillance cameras will be used, which will allow identifying a strange "permanent" object that appeared in a "familiar" place to the computer that had previously been empty.
Besides, it is planned to include in a special catalog objects that are not considered dangerous. For example, a wheelchair may be included. But if someone leaves a suitcase in the wheelchair, the system will detect it, since it periodically checks the "emptiness" of the chair by geometry, color and contrast. The time an object can remain in place without attracting the system's attention is determined depending on the situation. So, for luggage at a train station it will be 5 minutes, for a car near the embassy walls - 30 seconds. It is worth noting that while the system does not yet perform object checks very successfully, its modernization continues.