Eastern Europe opposes increase in Schengen visa prices
The foreign ministers of a number of Eastern European countries spoke out against the plan to double the cost of Schengen visas. At a meeting of the EU Council on Foreign Affairs, representatives of Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and Estonia voiced opposition to the European Commission's plan to raise the cost of a tourist Schengen visa from €35 to €60 to compensate for the transition to a visa system with biometric data.
“€60 is an excessive price for a European visa for citizens of countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus,” said a representative of the Polish delegation. The foreign ministers of the Eastern European states are ready to support the project only if exceptions are made for certain categories of citizens, primarily for students and scientists.
Let us recall that the European Commission proposed to raise the cost of visas from January 1, 2007. France is actively advocating this, while the Netherlands has proposed considering the possibility of introducing preferential visa prices for countries that have signed readmission agreements with the EU - the acceptance of their citizens deported from the European Union.
According to experts, a possible increase in the cost of Schengen visas will affect Russian citizens to the least extent. Currently, the Russian Federation and the European Union are conducting active negotiations on simplifying the visa regime, which, in particular, provides for a reduction in visa costs for certain categories of citizens.
World Cup will affect summer tours to Germany
From June 9 to July 9, the FIFA World Cup will be held in Germany, which will attract an increased influx of fans from all over the world – up to 3.5 million people. According to tour operators, this may change the course of regular sightseeing tours in this direction.
In particular, problems may arise with regular air transportation during the championship. Fans are already actively booking tickets, so as the event approaches, only the most expensive seats will naturally remain on sale. A shortage can be avoided if airlines add additional flights for the summer dates.
Unlike Portugal, which experienced a shortage of flights during the European Cup, Germany has several airports that accept aircraft from abroad. And since the matches will be held in different cities – Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dresden - not all flights are peak flights. Moreover, some tour operators believe it is possible to do without regular air transportation: there are always other options, they believe. There are budget airlines and charter flights. Companies are ready to operate special charters for the peak season for their sightseeing programs.
In addition, price increases are expected for accommodation, as well as for local ground transport and sightseeing services on match days. Therefore, tour operators, in order to avoid higher prices for their own packages, will have to adjust the schedule of their programs so as not to take excursions to where the next game is being held. However, they are no strangers to looking for “windows” between events that attract increased crowds, because Germany is an exhibition country where something is happening almost all the time.
At the same time, in the upcoming World Cup, experts also see advantages for the travel services market: the varied movements of numerous groups of football fans across the country gives tour operators the opportunity to examine the pros and cons of potentially new tourist routes.
Spanish hoteliers will not evict hardened smokers
The Commonwealth of Spanish hoteliers has decided to seek changes to the law banning smoking in hotels. Hotel owners intend to boycott the new law. They believe that the ban should not apply to hotels. In addition, no one wants to evict smoking guests from the hotel.
Until now, each hotel owner solved this problem independently. For example, in Madrid, hoteliers managed to obtain permission from local authorities to smoke not only in the hotels themselves, but also in hotel restaurants, provided that the area of the premises where smoking is allowed is at least 100 square meters.
Let us recall that the new law came into force in Spain on January 1, 2006. According to it, smoking is prohibited in workplaces, as well as in restaurants, bars, and hotels. The draft law caused discontent among most of the country's population. Residents of Spain have recently begun to smoke more, despite the tightened fight against nicotine. According to data from the Institute of Statistics, in the last nine months of 2005, about 71 billion cigarettes were sold in Spain, more than 86 packs per Spaniard, which is 1.65% more than in the same period last year. Cigarette consumption increased mainly in the Basque Country - by 8.1%, in Navarre - by 7.93%, and in Catalonia - by 5.28%, while in Madrid it decreased by 2.4%.
Women in Britain are paid less than men
British women receive lower salaries than their male compatriots. This is the conclusion reached by members of the Commission on Women's Employment established by Tony Blair. The study found that the gender pay gap in Britain is 17%. This is a kind of European record. The report titled “Create a Fair Future” explains the reasons for this state of affairs.
One of the reasons is that women caring for children often agree to part-time work or less qualified work. In addition, many women do low-paid work. They most often become social workers or go into cleaning.
Moreover, as British Member of the European Parliament Godfrey Bloom asserts, women suffer from hidden discrimination: “Heads of small businesses often say that it is better to wait and hire a woman whose children have already grown up,” says the parliamentarian.
The report says that ending such segregation could bring Britain's economy about $23 billion. Commission chair Margaret Prosser called the situation outrageous. "Many women day after day do work below their skill level," she said.
Prosser and her colleagues urge the government to provide more support to women and improve the level of vocational training. Commission members also insist that it is necessary to encourage girls' interest in "unfashionable" but in-demand specialties on the labor market. The report also speaks of the wider dissemination of vocational education.
However, representatives of British trade unions called such initiatives a half-measure. They insist on the need to review wage levels at British enterprises to ensure that women are not underpaid.
Derek Simpson, general secretary of the engineering workers' union (AMICUS), argues that without mandatory audits of employers, women "will have to wait until Judgment Day for fair remuneration for their work."
Obesity is a greater threat to the US than terrorism
Excess weight is becoming a greater threat to US security than terrorism, according to Richard Carmona, head of the US federal health service. Speaking at the University of South Carolina, he called obesity among the American population "internal terrorism."
According to him, "without taking proper measures, the scale of this problem will leave behind the consequences of September 11 and any other terrorist attacks." Over the past 40 years, the number of overweight Americans has tripled. Many related health problems have begun to appear already in childhood. Carmona stressed that in this situation, the US armed forces will soon not have a sufficient number of people fit for military service.
Based on reports from news agencies.