Health insurance required for Czech visa
The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic draws attention to the fact that, due to amendments to the law "On the Stay of Foreigners in the Territory of the Czech Republic", a medical insurance policy for travel abroad must be presented to obtain a Czech visa.
The original insurance policy must be presented, and a photocopy submitted. The insurance must cover the entire period of stay in the Czech Republic, as well as illnesses, accidents, and transportation of the patient to the state of which he or she is a citizen. The insurance amount must be no less than €30,000.
Poor foreigners will not be admitted to Poland
Starting December 1, 2005, foreigners without sufficient means of subsistence will not be allowed into Poland. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the secretariat of the Consulate General of Poland in Kaliningrad.
"Every foreigner over 16 years of age crossing the border of the Republic of Poland must have financial means guaranteeing coverage of expenses for accommodation, food, travel, and departure from Polish territory," said an agency interlocutor. According to him, foreigners are required to have at least 100 zlotys (about $33) for each day of stay, but no less than 500 zlotys or an equivalent amount in another currency, as well as medical insurance covering treatment costs. "Persons without medical insurance additionally need to have at least 300 zlotys (about $100) or an equivalent amount in another currency for each day of stay in Poland," the representative of the Consulate General reminded about the general rules.
At the same time, he emphasized that from December 1, 2005, checks will be intensified for the presence of financial means to cover treatment costs among foreigners entering Poland, or documents confirming that these costs are covered by an insurance company (medical insurance policies). "If such funds or documents are absent, the foreigner will be denied entry to Poland," stressed the representative of the Consulate General.
The agency interlocutor explained that a foreigner can confirm the availability of funds by presenting, at the request of a border service officer, Polish currency, foreign payment instruments, traveler's checks or credit cards, or a certificate from a bank located in Poland confirming the availability of funds, issued no later than one month before crossing the border.
Visa to Malaysia can be obtained via the Internet
The Malaysian authorities are introducing a simplified procedure for obtaining entry visas. In particular, they will now be able to be processed via the Internet, RIA Novosti reports citing the Malaysian state television channel TV-1.
"Any person, no matter what country of the world they are in, simply needs to fill out an online application form and send it to the specified address. If the decision is positive, they will be offered to pay consular fees online, and then print out confirmation of receipt of the visa. Based on this document, passport control and immigration service officers will make the corresponding mark in the tourist's passport upon arrival in Malaysia," said Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Azmi Khalid. According to him, this simplified procedure will take about a day, which is a significant saving of both time and material costs when obtaining a visa. The new procedure will come into force as early as February 2006.
Estonia's non-citizens want to become citizens
The results of a recent survey indicate that more than half of the non-citizens living in Estonia would like to obtain citizenship of this country. As Interfax reports, the survey was conducted among a thousand stateless persons by the sociological firm Saar Poll on the order of the European Union's Transition Support Fund.
61% of those who do not have citizenship would like to become citizens of Estonia, 13% - citizens of Russia, 6% wish to obtain citizenship of another country, and 17% are satisfied with their current status and do not want any citizenship. The survey showed that the place of birth plays a major role in which country's citizenship the respondent wants to obtain. Thus, 73% of those born in Estonia want to obtain citizenship of this particular country, while among those born outside Estonia, less than half of the respondents want the same.
According to the study, the older a person is, the less he or she generally wants to obtain any citizenship. The main motives for obtaining Estonian citizenship are the desire to feel like a full member of society, to get a better job, and to secure the future of one's children. At the same time, 31% of respondents believe that the state should organize special courses to prepare for exams on knowledge of the constitution and the law "On Citizenship".
As reported by the Estonian Integration Foundation, as of the end of October, 137,900 stateless persons lived in the country (about 10% of the total population).
New US ten-dollar bill to appear in March
The U.S. Treasury officially announced the date for putting the new-design $10 bill into circulation – March 2, 2006. As Gazeta.Ru reports, on that day the new $10 banknotes will begin to be distributed by the U.S. Federal Reserve System and will become available at commercial banks.
In the following days and weeks, the new-design banknotes will be distributed to other countries as foreign banks place orders for banknotes through the Federal Reserve System.
As US financial authorities have already reported, the redesign of banknotes of various denominations is being carried out to reduce the number of counterfeits. The $10 bill is the third banknote in the new series with enhanced security features and a light color background. The design changes to the $10 are similar to those made earlier to the $20 and $50 bills. Several additional shades will be added to the traditional black and green colors. For example, the $20 bill is dominated by blue and peach colors, while the $50 bill is dominated by red and blue shades. According to the US Federal Reserve, this will make it easier to recognize banknotes, especially for people with poor eyesight. The banknote depicts American symbols of liberty and the portrait of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the US Treasury.
Manicure scissors will no longer be considered a weapon of air terrorists
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intends to ease air safety rules. Sources close to TSA leadership reported this on condition of anonymity.
As The Washington Post writes, the agency's director, Edmund Hawley, held a series of briefings last week during which he stated that in early December the TSA will officially announce changes to the rules concerning a number of items. In his opinion, scissors less than 10 centimeters long and screwdrivers whose length does not exceed 15 centimeters do not pose a safety threat during flight. This is explained by the fact that the TSA intends to devote more attention to security issues related to the detection of explosives rather than to the confiscation of cutting objects. The Department of Homeland Security, of which the TSA is a part, believes that the threat of a terrorist attack using explosives is more of a priority than the threat of an attack using stabbing and cutting objects.
TSA press secretary Yolanda Clark declined to comment on this information but confirmed that the TSA would soon announce new plans aimed both at improving safety in airports and on airplanes and at increasing passenger comfort.
As Lenta.ru reports, this initiative was met with disapproval by flight attendants. They claim that manicure scissors and screwdrivers can still be used as weapons. Pilots, meanwhile, will not be affected, as the cockpit is protected by an armored door, but the terrorists' wrath will fall on passengers and stewards.