Visiting Rome may soon come at a cost
The authorities in Rome are considering charging tourists for staying in the city. The amount of the "tribute" is being seriously discussed: a tourist staying in a one-star hotel would be charged €1 per day, while a tourist in a five-star hotel would be charged €5 per day. It is expected that Rome could thus receive an additional €30 million from tourists wishing to admire the city's attractions. However, subjects of so-called "social tourism" – students and pensioners – would be exempt from paying this tax.
UK visa online
The British Embassy in Ukraine will start accepting visa applications online from October 1. British Ambassador to Ukraine Timothy Barrow told journalists about this. "The main advantage of this system is that there is no need to queue at the embassy, and everyone will have the opportunity to choose a convenient time and date for an interview," he said.
Ukraine will become the 41st country to introduce such a system. The visa application procedure will be as follows. Fill out an application form on the embassy website: www.britishembassy.gov.uk\/Ukraine, after which the applicant will receive confirmation of receipt and a registration number via email. Then the applicant can schedule an interview at a convenient time. Subsequently, at the appointed time, the applicant must come to the embassy for the interview, pay the visa fee, undergo the interview, and receive a decision.
As reported by the embassy, during a transitional period, hand-filled forms will also be accepted, but preference will still be given to applications submitted online.
European Commission bans liquids on board aircraft
The European Commission has decided to reduce the list of liquid substances allowed in hand luggage on board passenger aircraft, according to AFP. This was announced by European Commissioner for Transport Jacques Barrot. According to him, this security measure was taken in response to a recent attempt by terrorists to carry out a series of explosions on board transatlantic airliners departing from British airports.
Earlier, a number of British airlines and airports had introduced restrictions on carrying liquids, including alcoholic beverages and perfumes, in hand luggage. Recall that on August 10, 2006, British security services managed to neutralize a group of terrorists planning to blow up 20 passenger aircraft using liquid explosives, the components of which they intended to carry on board in hand luggage.
Spain to legalize immigrants injured at work
Spanish authorities intend to grant residence permits and work permits to all illegal immigrants who suffer workplace injuries due to employer negligence. "An immigrant who is a victim of safety violations by the employer, regardless of the severity of the injury, will receive documents for legal residence and work in Spain as compensation," said a statement citing prosecutor for occupational injuries Juan Manuel de Oña.
It also notes that "according to statistics, among illegal immigrants, typically employed in heavy construction work, the rate of occupational injuries is particularly high." The prosecutor intends to soon make public a list of 257 enterprises where safety rules are most often violated, and also "improve the system of fines for violators," the attorney general's office statement emphasizes.
De Oña welcomed the initiative of the Madrid municipality to create a special police brigade of 60 agents to identify cases of occupational injuries.
Spain holds a sad first place in the European Union for the number of workplace injuries. In 2005, more than 1,400 workers died here. According to statistics, this year occupational injuries have increased by another 5%.
Despite the mass legalization campaign for foreign workers carried out in the spring of 2005, according to non-governmental humanitarian organizations, more than a million illegal immigrants work in Spain today, mainly from Latin America, North Africa, and Eastern Europe.
In Russia, every fourth legal migrant is a citizen of the PRC
There are about one million legal migrants in Russia, and almost every fourth of them is a Chinese citizen, said the director of the Federal Migration Service of Russia, Konstantin Romodanovsky, on the sidelines of the UN headquarters.
"This year, Chinese citizens have taken first place among legal migrants, pushing out Ukrainians. By the end of the year, there will be about one million legal migrants in total; last year there were 702,000, and the year before that, 300,000. You see the dynamics," Romodanovsky said while speaking with journalists.
Romodanovsky presented Russia's viewpoint on migration processes at a two-day UN forum dedicated to reducing the negative consequences of migration. "Labor migrants in Russia are mainly employed in construction, services, and agriculture," said the head of the migration service. The number of illegal migrants, according to his estimate, is about 10 million people.
Russia has been changing its approaches to labor migration in recent years, seeking to legalize this process and tighten punishment for traffickers organizing illegal human trafficking, the Russian official noted. "I am not a supporter of indiscriminate expulsion of migrants, which costs our state $800-1,000 per person. Migrants create material benefits for Russia, that is undeniable, but they must follow the laws of the Russian Federation," Romodanovsky said.
Australian unemployed called to tourism sector
The Australian authorities have solved the problem of labor shortages in tourism at the expense of the country's unemployed population. Funds have already been allocated to attract unemployed people from all regions of the country into the tourism service sector.
According to the Australian Tourist Commission, the greatest labor shortages are felt in Western Australia and North Queensland. According to experts, it is very difficult to attract workers to the wild and remote areas of the country, and a new government program will help solve this problem. The Australian Tourist Commission also invites workers from other countries. 'The tourism industry is a service sector that involves extensive use of manual labor,' the commission emphasizes. Currently, more than 500,000 people are employed in the Australian tourism industry.
Beer has become more expensive at the German Oktoberfest
The famous beer festival Oktoberfest, which opened on September 16 in Munich, will hit the pockets of its participants harder than last year. Beer at the festival has become more expensive compared to 2005: at last year's festival, a liter of beer cost from €6.80 to €7.25, and this year it will cost from €6.95 to €7.50. Water and juices have also become more expensive.
This year, the festival, which will last 18 days, has created non-smoking zones. Also, an amusement park for children has been opened so that their parents can enjoy the festival atmosphere without interference. However, the main thing at Oktoberfest is the 14 traditional huge tents with barrels of the most famous types of Bavarian beer. The unbreakable rule of Oktoberfest states: 'Only Munich beer from the most worthy and proven breweries, meeting the quality requirements of the Munich Standard of 1487 and the German Standard of 1906, may be served at the festival.'