New York is the safest city for tourists in the US
According to an FBI crime report for last year, New York is the safest of the 25 largest US cities in terms of crimes per 100,000 people. The overall crime rate in New York, according to the FBI, fell by 5.3% in 2006 compared to 2005. The number of violent crimes in New York decreased by 4.6% compared to 2005. Property crimes in the city also dropped by about 6%, while nationwide this figure fell by only 2.9%.
Travel to Europe will require fingerprinting
In 2009, a new visa system for the European Union will come into effect, requiring those wishing to visit EU countries to provide fingerprints, Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
"The largest category of illegal immigrants in Italy are those who received a short-term visa but then never left. To solve such problems, new visas with fingerprints will be introduced, which even those who come for a short time will have to provide," he said.
The new visas are expected to provide greater control over citizens of non-EU countries visiting the European Union and also solve the problem of illegal immigration. According to public opinion polls, nearly 8% of Italians named illegal immigration as one of the most serious problems.
Turkey introduces visa-free regime with Turkic-speaking countries
The Turkish government has unilaterally abolished the visa regime with a number of Turkic-speaking countries, reports Turkish publication Today's Zaman. The corresponding decree was published in the Turkish Official Gazette on July 29.
The decree applies to citizens of Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. However, it will only apply to those who arrive in Turkey for a period of less than 30 days.
The intention to expand the list of countries with which Turkey has a visa-free regime was announced at the end of July by the country's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. According to him, a corresponding agreement had been reached earlier at a meeting of ambassadors of Central Asian states in Turkey. A similar regime already applies to citizens of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, as well as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
UK needs electronic verification of citizens
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in the UK parliament the upcoming introduction of comprehensive measures that form the basis of a new British government strategy to curb terrorism. From March 2008, British authorities will issue only visas containing biometric data.
This rule will apply to all those wishing to obtain documents to stay in the United Kingdom. Foreigners living in the UK for at least six months must obtain biometric identity cards by the end of 2008. In addition, Brown said that from 2009, the United Kingdom will begin issuing biometric identity cards to British citizens.
The head of government also said that by the end of this year, some 4,000 foreigners serving prison sentences in the UK are likely to be deported. The Prime Minister announced that a single border agency will be created in the UK to strengthen border control, merging immigration and customs personnel.
Earlier, Interpol chief Ronald Noble criticized the UK for insufficient cooperation in creating a common database of stolen passports that could be used by terrorists.
Czechs cannot decide on language courses for foreign citizens
The Czech cabinet has not agreed on funding language courses for foreigners. The Ministry of Education proposed two options. The first involved self-payment for Czech language lessons, and the second relied on 100% financial assistance from the state budget.
The Prime Minister proposed developing an additional option where the Czech state would subsidize only the Czech language exam, which foreigners will need to obtain permanent residence. Deputies are currently discussing this. It is expected that 28,000 people will be able to meet the conditions for obtaining permanent residence in 2008. This number of foreigners is expected to increase each year.
Spain will grant citizenship to grandchildren of immigrants
Spain will grant citizenship to grandchildren of immigrants who were forced to leave the country during the dictatorship of General Franco for political or economic reasons, reported Spain's National Radio (RNE) citing the country's prime minister.
"Tens of thousands of grandchildren of Spanish immigrants around the world will soon be able to obtain Spanish citizenship," said Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero at a meeting with representatives of the Spanish diaspora in Mexico, where the prime minister is on an official visit. He also noted that "the Spanish parliament will soon pass a law already approved by the government allowing citizenship to be granted not only to children but also to grandchildren of immigrants. This step will require tremendous efforts from the government, as only in Mexico up to 60,000 people may be eligible for citizenship."
It is believed that during the rule of General Francisco Franco (1939-1975), who came to power after a military uprising and civil war (1936-1939), up to 2 million people left the country for political and economic reasons. After the dictator's death and the restoration of democracy in Spain, citizenship was returned to immigrants and their children.
The conservative parliamentary opposition, represented by the People's Party, accuses Rodríguez Zapatero, the grandson of a Republican military doctor executed by Francoists, of seeking "to please the descendants of immigrants at the expense of other Spaniards." Spanish citizenship will allow not only the grandchildren of immigrants to return unhindered to their historical homeland, but also, while remaining abroad, to receive various social benefits and pensions from Spain if necessary.
UK still refuses to adopt euro
The UK still does not intend to join the eurozone, said Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown. "At present we are not planning any major new review of this issue or joining the euro," Brown said at his first major press conference as head of the British government.
It was Brown, serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) of the UK, who in 2003 ruled that on a number of parameters the United Kingdom's entry into the euro currency zone was premature. Consideration of the issue was postponed for at least several years. "We made a difficult decision on the euro, but it was based on the fact that neither Britain nor Western Europe would have benefited at that time from our joining the eurozone," the prime minister recalled.
People in new EU countries work longer than other Europeans
Residents of the 12 new EU member states work 2.5 weeks more than Europeans in the 15 old EU countries.
According to the findings of a report by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Estonians have the least time off in Europe — 26 days a year. They are followed by Latvians (27 days), Hungarians (28 days) and Irish (29 days).
The leader in providing the highest number of days off (including public holidays and vacation) in Europe is Sweden. Citizens of this country have 42 days off per year. In Germany, workers are entitled to 40 days of rest, in Italy — 39 days, and in Denmark and Luxembourg — 38 days.