Munich recognized as the most beautiful city in the world
The London-based monthly magazine Monocle, which covers world events, business, and culture, has published a ranking of the most aesthetically appealing cities in the world, and Munich took first place. Second place for beauty and elegance goes to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. Third is Zurich, Switzerland. The top ten most beautiful cities in the world also include Honolulu, Madrid, Tokyo, Sydney, Stockholm, and Helsinki.
Poland opens borders for Ukrainian workers
Since July 5, 2007, Ukrainians have been able to work in Poland without a special permit, provided that the Polish employer registers their desire to hire them. According to Minister of Labor and Social Policy Anna Kalata, the condition for employing foreigners in Poland for up to three months within a six-month period is a declaration by the Polish employer of their plans to hire a foreigner, registered at the county labor office.
The minister noted that this became possible thanks to the expansion of a regulation issued last year, which solely concerned employment in agriculture. Now Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Russians can work in all sectors of the Polish economy without a special permit, she added. This decision will benefit construction companies preparing for the Euro 2012 championship.
According to a study by the statistical bureau EUROSTAT, Slovakia has the worst unemployment rate in the EU, with 10.8% of citizens registered as unemployed in May. Over the same period, the rate in Poland was 10.5%. As reported earlier, in mid-June Poland announced its intention to attract hundreds of thousands of Indian construction workers to build the necessary infrastructure for the 2012 European Football Championship.
Meanwhile, business representatives are skeptical about the government's latest steps toward liberalizing the Polish labor market. Although since last year Ukrainians have also been allowed to work in agriculture for three months without a special permit, for the second season they are not rushing to take advantage of this opportunity. This restraint on the part of Ukrainian workers is explained, not least, by the construction boom in Ukraine itself, as well as queues at Polish consulates and the low wages offered to them in Poland.
European Commission proposes to abolish payment for visa intermediary services
The European Commission has prepared amendments to the Common Consular Instructions. Countries that use intermediary companies for visa issuance are proposed to negotiate with them in such a way that it does not lead to an overall increase in the cost of entry documents for citizens of third countries.
This was stated by Franco Frattini, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for justice, freedom, and security. "The proposals, in particular, note that when outsourcing companies are involved, the total fees charged to citizens for consular services for processing applications and for the services of the intermediary company should not exceed the fee amount set in Appendix 12, that is, the total fee should not exceed €35," he said. According to him, this issue is currently being discussed in the EU Council and the European Parliament. The Vice-President of the European Commission noted that the new proposals were developed to improve the organization of visa issuance, taking into account the EU's intention to move to the collection of biometric data when issuing visas.
Migrants force Microsoft to open office in Canada
American company Microsoft has announced its intention to open an office in Canada that will not be subject to the strict US immigration laws limiting the ability to hire foreign employees, reports Canadian publication The Globe and Mail.
Company spokesman Mark Simen said the company recruits the best specialists, most of whom come from abroad. According to him, US laws impose quotas and other restrictions on foreign personnel, so Canada will have the opportunity to attract the world's most valuable software development specialists.
The company's office will open in Vancouver, just a three-hour drive from Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington. It will employ 300 people from around the world, but over time the staff could increase to a thousand. Currently, Canada is the third largest source of talent for Microsoft outside the US. It trails only Japan and India in the number of citizens hired by the company.
Afghanistan bans smoking in public places
Afghan authorities approved a proposal by the National Environmental Protection Agency to ban smoking in public places.
Initially, it was planned to ban smoking in restaurants, hotels, and cinemas as well. However, the final version of the law only prohibits smoking in government institutions, universities, schools, and hospitals. Thus, smoking tourists have nothing to worry about for now, unless they plan to visit a school or university.
The flow of tourists to this country is gradually increasing. The authorities aim to restore Afghanistan's popularity among travelers — before the start of military actions (the April coup), about 2 million foreign tourists visited annually.
In Poland, a "safety phone" is available for tourists
The telephone line will operate until the end of the summer tourist season, and is designed to help guests in various unforeseen situations (operators can be contacted, for example, in case of an accident or lost documents). The service specialists, who can be reached by calling 0-800-200-300 or 608-599-999 from a mobile phone, are fluent in English, German, and Russian.
The "Safety Phone" has been launched in Poland annually since 2002 at the beginning of the summer season. It is a joint project of the General Police Headquarters, the Ministry of Economy, and the Polish Tourist Organization. Currently, the information line operates from 10:00 to 22:00 from July to September. However, there are plans to extend its operating period so that it functions year-round and around the clock.
Cambridge head urges not to teach fools for money
The reputation of British universities as world leaders in higher education could be lost within 10 years. According to The Daily Telegraph, this forecast was made by the Vice-Chancellor (actual head) of Cambridge University, Professor Alison Richard.
In her opinion, the threat to universities is the desire to improve funding by enrolling larger numbers of poorly prepared students. Richard shared her concerns with members of Parliament, speaking out against the current government plans, which set the goal of providing higher education to half of Britons aged 18 to 30 by 2010.
The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge also noted that the intention to attract more foreign students who are willing to pay large sums for education could negatively affect its quality. She stressed the need to overcome the temptation to prioritize quantity over quality of students. Richard called for investment in university education from both the state and private sponsors. She noted that students should represent all social classes so that Cambridge does not become "a boarding school for the rich."
Cambridge and Oxford rank second and third respectively in the world university rankings, behind only Harvard in the United States. In total, there are 29 British universities among the world's top 200.
Cambridge University, founded in 1209, has about 25,500 students. The university's Chancellor is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - husband of Queen Elizabeth II. The endowment fund for Cambridge University, including all its colleges, amounted to £4.1 billion in 2006.
UK does not check immigrants against Interpol databases
The UK does not check immigrants against Interpol databases, which contain information on suspects of terrorist activity and stolen passports, reports Thisislondon citing the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald Noble.
According to him, 2.5 million foreigners enter the country each month, but over the same period British authorities make only 50 inquiries to Interpol, which, in Noble's opinion, allows terrorists to enter the UK without much difficulty. The Interpol chief noted that currently 17 countries submit requests to the international agency for vetting visa applicants. For example, Switzerland sends 300,000 inquiries per month.
Recall, the issue of tightening migration policy was raised once again after a series of failed terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow, when a group of terrorists from Arab countries and India, mostly working as doctors in local clinics, planned to detonate pre-rigged cars.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed to study the proposal by leader of the British Conservatives David Cameron to create a new agency - the border police, and also called for strengthening cooperation with other countries on counter-terrorism issues.