Photo «Ukrinform»
Hong Kong: from colony to world center
Hong Kong means «fragrant harbor». Once various spices and incenses were exported from here. Hong Kong adjoins the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and borders the special economic zone of Shenzhen. It is divided into three parts: Hong Kong Island itself, the Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. For many centuries, this rocky island off the Chinese coast served as a haven for pearl divers, fishermen, pirates, and smugglers. In 1841, Hong Kong was colonized by England. Then Chinese from Guangdong province flocked to the island. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong came under the jurisdiction of China. Its small territory (just over 1,000 sq. m) with a population of 6.6 million people became a Special Administrative Region of the PRC. The capitalist economic system has been preserved for 50 years. Hong Kong remains a leading global financial and trade center.
Almost half of the planet's residents have a negative attitude toward immigrants
According to Gallup International, which published data from an international study on immigration issues, almost half of the world's population (47%) believe that immigration has a negative impact on life in their country. However, almost the same number of respondents (43%) view this phenomenon positively. 10% of those surveyed found it difficult to answer.
In total, according to «Interfax», 50,000 people from 65 countries were surveyed in this study, whose opinions represent the views of more than 1.3 billion of the world's population.
The largest share of negative responses was found in the Middle East - 67% of the population believe that immigration has a negative impact on life in their country, while 26% hold the opposite opinion. Second place in the share of negative assessments is occupied by Eastern and Central Europe - 61% negative and 22% positive.
In Western Europe and Latin America, about half of respondents have a negative attitude toward immigration to their country – 50% and 53%, respectively, versus 37% and 36% positive responses, respectively. In the Pacific region and North America, just over half of the population views immigration positively (56% and 54%, respectively).
The largest share of positive assessments of migration processes was recorded by sociologists in African countries (63%), but nevertheless, one-third of the population in this region has a negative attitude toward it.
According to one of the main theories explaining the reasons for intolerant attitudes toward immigration, it is linked to possible fears of citizens losing their jobs. However, the results of the Voice of the People study do not confirm this version - no significant differences were found between the opinions of employed respondents (44% view immigration positively), non-working (45%), and unemployed (45%) populations.
New York ranked 7th in the list of cities attractive to tourists
According to a survey conducted by Anholt-GMI City Brands Index among 17,502 people, New York ranked only seventh in attractiveness in the list of 30 major world cities.
Respondents were asked to choose the most attractive city in six categories, which included assessment of job opportunities, education, lifestyle, and even the degree of friendliness of local residents, reports «Novoye Russkoye Slovo». Sydney took first place in hospitality, and in the top ten cities where it is easier to find a job, London leads, followed by Paris, Sydney, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, and Berlin. New York ranked 28th in hospitality and 26th in cleanliness. The least attractive cities were named Moscow, Johannesburg, Cairo, Mumbai, and Lagos.
Interestingly, when asked what events respondents associate with the city's name, many answered that New York is associated with the tragedy of 9/11, Berlin with the fall of the Wall, Rome with the election of a new Pope, and London and Madrid with recent terrorist attacks.
Czech Republic may introduce a transition period
If the old members of the European Union do not open their labor markets to Czech citizens, the Czech Republic will seriously consider introducing so-called transition periods with respect to Bulgaria and Romania. This was announced to journalists by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zdenek Skromach.
Romania and Bulgaria are to join the EU in 2007. If citizens from the new states cannot move freely across the EU in search of work, then due to the highest standard of living among the current newcomer countries, the Czech Republic and Slovenia could become target countries for labor migration. The Czech Republic will be forced to protect its labor market.
UN asks Indonesia to name all islands
The United Nations has asked Indonesia to give names to all its islands. This was stated by the country's Minister of Fisheries and Marine Affairs, Freddy Numberi.
The minister noted that, according to official data, the largest archipelago in the world currently has about 17,500 islands, of which only 7,870 have names.
The program of officially «baptizing» all the rest is planned to be completed by 2007 and to inform the UN of the new names, Numberi added. According to him, this will be of great importance for preventing disputes over ownership of islands, which in the past have more than once flared up between Indonesia and its neighbors – Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
As reported by RIA Novosti, various sources cite different figures regarding the number of islands in the largest archipelago in the world - usually from 17 to 18 thousand. This is explained not only by the vast extent of Indonesia, but also by the fact that some of them either sink to the bottom or reappear on the sea surface.
The USA is fencing itself off from Mexico
The US House of Representatives approved by a majority vote an amendment to the bill providing for the construction of fences on certain sections of the border with Mexico.
The amendment was supported by 260 congressmen, with 159 against. It authorizes the construction of "special security fences with lighting and video surveillance systems along the southwestern border in order to improve operational control." The fence is intended for sectors where the greatest number of fatalities among illegal immigrants and cases of drug smuggling are recorded. As is known, a large number of immigrants die attempting to cross the border with the US.
The bill also contains a requirement for the US Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the possibility of using physical barriers on the border with Canada. The bill under discussion in the lower house is aimed at toughening the fight against illegal immigration.
The Finnish government intends to ban smoking in restaurants
The Finnish government proposes to ban smoking in restaurants and introduce criminal liability for the purchase of sexual services. As reported by the press service of the Finnish Ministry of Justice, the day before the government approved two bills that are expected to be submitted to parliament as early as next week.
In accordance with the first bill, the purchase of sexual services is to be made a criminal offense punishable by a fine or up to six months in prison. Until now, Finland criminally prosecuted those engaged in prostitution and procuring, while clients creating demand, as a rule, went unpunished. The new bill is designed to rectify the situation.
According to the second bill, it is proposed to completely ban smoking in restaurants. Each restaurant owner may, at his discretion, equip a special closed room for smoking, into which food or drinks cannot be ordered, or ban smoking in the restaurant premises altogether. As stated in the bill, the aim is to protect the health of not only non-smoking visitors but also restaurant staff.
"The division of restaurants into smoking and non-smoking zones practiced so far has not yielded the desired result, since smoke still spreads throughout the premises, and about a third of waiters have to spend on average more than four hours in a zone where smoking is permitted," the press release says. The law is expected to come into force in June 2007.
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