Portugal will issue passports to children of our migrant workers
The Portuguese parliament approved amendments to migration legislation allowing children of migrant workers to obtain passports if at least one of their parents legally resides and works in the country for at least five years, reports Deutsche Welle. According to official data, more than 100,000 Ukrainian migrant workers live in Portugal. //Interfax-Ukraine
Western Union reduced fees for money transfers
The American company Western Union has reduced fees for money transfers to Ukraine from the Czech Republic, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Greece. This was announced by acting head of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMC) Yuri Kravchenko.
Fees for transfers from the Czech Republic of $100 decreased by 2.3 times (from 14% to 6% of the transfer amount), for $200 – by 2.3 times (from 10.5% to 4.5%), for $300 – by 1.8 times (from 9% to 5%); from Poland: for $100 – by 2.2 times (from 13.1% to 6%), for $200 – by 2.3 times (from 10.5% to 4.6%), for $300 – by 1.7 times (from 8.7% to 5.1%); from Kazakhstan: for $100 – by 2.2 times (from 13% to 6%), for $200 – by 2.2 times (from 10% to 4.5%), for $300 – by 1.7 times (from 8% to 4.7%); from Greece: for €100 – by 3.1 times (from 15.3% to 5%), for €200 – by 1.9 times (from 9.9% to 5%), for €300 – by 1.6 times (from 7.8% to 5%).
As Yuri Kravchenko noted, the American company notified the AMC of its intention to reduce fees for money transfers from Israel in the second quarter of the current year. He also recalled that in 2004 the company complied with the AMC's recommendations and reduced fees for money transfers of $100 from Russia by 2.2 times. Since April 1, 2005, fees for money transfers from Portugal, Spain, and Italy have also been reduced.
Regional vice president of Western Union Kurt Marx, who attended the press conference, said that Ukraine is a promising market and the company plans to work there for a long time. Let us recall that the company's share of the international money transfer market in Ukraine today is more than 50%. In 2004, at the start of the AMC's investigation, it was about 80%. //Interfax-Ukraine
A program for Ukrainians may appear on an Italian TV channel
Igor Ostash, head of the Verkhovna Rada deputy group on interparliamentary relations with Italy, visited the province of Naples, where he discussed with the management of Italian TV channel 8 the possibility of creating a special program for Ukrainians.
According to the Rada's information department, an appeal has been sent to the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Pier Ferdinando Casini. The Ukrainian deputy, in cooperation with local women's organizations La Strada and Winrock International, initiated the creation of a direct hotline for Ukrainian migrants and discussed issues of their rights with a number of officials.
To date, about 320,000 Ukrainians are officially registered in Italy. //Interfax-Ukraine
In Kyiv, the activities of an underground passport office have been suppressed
The Kyiv department of the Security Service of Ukraine has suppressed the activities of an underground passport office specializing in forging visas to European Union countries. According to the USBU press center in Kyiv, the suspects charged from €2,500 to €5,000 for services to arrange fake foreign passports and European visas.
The organizer of this peculiar business was a 30-year-old resident of the capital. The identities of several of her accomplices are being established. The group rented an apartment in the Podil district of Kyiv, where residents of other regions could stay before receiving fake documents.
According to law enforcement, some clients of the underground passport office were not only denied entry to the EU but were declared "personae non gratae" there after fake documents were found in their passports. A criminal case has been opened under Article 332 - "Organization of illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine by prior conspiracy." The organizer of illegal migration has been detained, and an investigation is underway. //Interfax-Ukraine
Air France to open additional flight to Paris
French airline Air France will open an additional Paris–Kyiv–Paris flight in the coming months. This was announced by Paul Rolle, director of the French Office of Tourism and Congresses of Paris, at a press conference in Kyiv.
Currently, Air France operates one flight per week from Kyiv to the French capital, and another is operated by Ukraine International Airlines. Rolle believes the new flight should help increase the number of Ukrainian tourists planning to visit the French capital in 2006-2007.
Paul Rolle also reported that about 60,000 Ukrainian citizens visited Paris last year. He expressed hope that this number will grow by 20% in 2006-2007. According to him, "if Ukraine and the EU have decided to strengthen their relations, this should contribute to an increase in the flow of Ukrainian tourists to one of the largest countries in Europe – France." //UNIAN
Germany banned shooting down planes seized by terrorists
The German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has overturned the "Aviation Security Act," adopted in June 2004. It allowed the Bundeswehr air defense to shoot down civilian aircraft hijacked by suicide terrorists in order to prevent terrorist attacks like those that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001. In other words, to sacrifice passengers in a hopeless situation in the air to save potential victims on the ground.
Now the plaintiffs, human rights activists, considered that such a 'balance' of choice - life for life - is a violation of the constitutional right to life. The court explained that permission to shoot down airplanes even in such extreme cases contradicts the restriction imposed by the constitution on the use of the military in Germany's internal affairs. The Basic Law allows for an exception only in natural disasters, but even then the Bundeswehr is not entitled to use weapons.
The court's decision essentially cancels the plans of those politicians who are in favor of ensuring security for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Germany, three months from now, by means of the Bundeswehr. The most ardent proponent of this is Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, and the most vocal opponent is Defense Minister Franz-Josef Jung. With the heightened threat of terrorist attacks, ruling and opposition politicians in Germany are considering whether to change the constitution to protect the championship. //Vremya Novostei
Australia ranks second in the number of shark attacks
The University of Florida conducted a study to identify the most dangerous places in terms of shark attacks on humans. It was found that Australia ranks second after the United States in this indicator. Last year, sharks attacked 12 people.
The last time a shark attacked a person was on the coast of Queensland. An 18-year-old youth was bitten on the leg while standing in water less than 30 centimeters deep. Before that, a shark attack on a human was recorded in Adelaide in August of last year, when a 23-year-old resident died near the shore.
Australian authorities are warning daily of possible new shark attacks, as an accumulation of sharks has been spotted along the coast. //Gazeta.Ru
Britons banned from smoking in public places
A law introducing a complete ban on smoking in public places, including offices, restaurants and pubs, was passed by the House of Commons of the British Parliament, the Bloomberg agency reports. In the vote, 453 deputies voted 'for' and 125 'against'.
According to experts, pub profits could fall by an average of 8%, which accordingly would reduce tax revenues from these very popular establishments in Britain. In addition, sales of tobacco products are expected to decline, which would reduce budget tax revenues by approximately another 972 million pounds sterling.
The government believes that this measure will reduce mortality from smoking-related diseases, which in Britain claim about 114,000 lives annually. Furthermore, according to supporters of the law, thanks to such strict smoking restrictions, budget healthcare spending will decrease by 3.8 billion pounds sterling, which will more than compensate for the losses from lower tax revenues.
Many pub owners disagree with the government's assessment of the law's consequences. They believe that many pubs, especially small ones, will become unprofitable due to an outflow of customers and will have to be closed. They expect that the smoking ban will primarily irritate regular patrons, those who enjoy drinking beer and smoking a cigarette in the pub after work, who provide the largest share of profits.
Today, a total of about 919,000 people work in pubs, and the total revenue of these establishments is almost 18 billion pounds sterling a year. Pubs consider themselves a bastion of a tradition that goes back four centuries. Smoking in British taverns began as far back as the time of Queen Elizabeth I and the creation of the British Empire, when the famous Sir Walter Raleigh first began shipping Virginian tobacco to Britain.
Based on materials from news agencies.