Wine cannot be carried in hand luggage in Bulgaria
Bulgarian customs authorities have sent a complaint to the Russian Consulate General in Varna about Russian tour operators, who, according to customs officials, do not properly inform their clients about hand luggage requirements at local airports. Specifically, about the ban on bringing liquids purchased outside the transit zone onto the aircraft. Let us recall that for EU countries, including Bulgaria, these rules came into effect on January 1, 2007.
Russian tourists often try to bring alcoholic beverages on board the aircraft, which leads to conflicts with airport security. With the start of the tourist season, such conflicts have noticeably increased and cause serious delays in flight departures.
Russian tour operators, however, stated that they sufficiently inform tourists about the procedure for taking wine out of the country. But often tourists simply do not pay attention to the rules. Moreover, many confuse the concepts of "European Union" and "Schengen area countries." They claim that Bulgaria has not yet joined the Schengen zone, so they do not intend to comply with the requirements adopted in the Schengen area, writes Turinfo.
US intensifies fight against illegal immigrants
American businesses caught using illegal immigrant labor face criminal prosecution and large fines. This was announced by the Bush administration.
Under the new rules, employers are given 90 days to prove that their employees are in the US legally, or to fire them. US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called this measure "a vigorous step." However, he added that it is only "a half-measure" because Congress did not pass an immigration reform bill in June.
Let us recall that senators voted against the bill, thus delaying decisive action until the 2008 presidential election. The bill provided ways for 12 million illegal immigrants to apply for US citizenship. Opponents of the reform said the bill was tantamount to amnesty for lawbreakers.
According to Chertoff, there is still hope that the law will eventually come into force. "But until Congress acts, we will take vigorous measures on our own," he said. The innovation, he claims, gives employers "clear directives," but they cannot be considered "an ideal tool." Employers who do not comply with the new rules will have to pay fines of up to $12,500 per violation and possibly face criminal prosecution.
Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez believes that such initiatives alone will not eliminate illegal immigration. "We don't have enough workers. Congress will sooner or later have to pass a comprehensive immigration law," he said.
According to correspondents, the new rules could seriously affect US industries such as agriculture, construction, and the leisure industry, which rely most heavily on illegal immigrant labor.
Migrants' contribution to Russia's economy exceeds $50 billion
Migrants' contribution to Russia's gross domestic product is at least $50 billion per year, Interfax reports, citing the Federal Migration Service. In total, migrants earn $20 billion per year. In 2006, they took $10 billion in cash out of Russia.
About two-thirds of their income immigrants send home. For example, Georgian migrants send home an amount equal to 20% of Georgia's GDP. In 2007, Russia's GDP will be about 33 trillion rubles ($1.3 trillion). Thus, migrants' contribution to the country's economy exceeds 3.8%.
Earlier it was reported that the largest number of workers in Russia are from China - 210,000. The number of labor migrants from Ukraine is 120,000 people.
Minsk to help ethnic Belarusians return to their homeland
Belarus may adopt a law on compatriots abroad, providing financial assistance to those wishing to move to the country for permanent residence. This was stated by Alexei Begun, First Deputy Head of the Department for Citizenship and Migration of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"The law on compatriots abroad will comprehensively regulate relations between the state and citizens of Belarusian nationality living outside the republic, and also specify benefits and measures of state support for them," Interfax quotes Begun.
The draft law stipulates the possibility of financial assistance to migrants, granting them preferential loans for the purchase and construction of housing, as well as financial assistance for integration into society, the official said. In addition, it is planned to exempt migrants from paying state fees when applying for permanent residence in Belarus. According to Begun, in 1989, about 2.5 million ethnic Belarusians lived outside the BSSR.
Smoking ban in public places comes into force in Denmark
On August 15, a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places came into force in Denmark, reports the Associated Press.
Initially, the law was planned to take effect on April 1, 2007, but authorities decided to give bar owners more time to prepare. The law allows smoking in specially designated rooms and at an employee's workplace if it is isolated from others. Smoking is also not prohibited in bars with an area of less than 40 square meters.
According to statistics, in a country with a population of 5.4 million, one in four people suffer from so-called "passive smoking." Passive smoking causes the death of at least 150 and hospitalization of more than a thousand Danes annually.
As of today, the ban on smoking in public places is in effect in, among others, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
British students know English worse than foreigners
British students know English worse than their classmates who came to the UK from other countries. This conclusion, as reported by The Daily Mail, was reached by Bernard Lamb, a lecturer at Imperial College London.
Lamb analyzed the written work of senior students at his institution and found that the best command of English was demonstrated not by British students, for whom it is their native language, but by students from Brunei and Singapore. The work of foreign students contains significantly fewer spelling and punctuation errors, and they less frequently misuse words.
Imperial College London is among the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, and only British students who have achieved the highest scores in English on their final school exams can enroll. According to the author of the study, gaps in English knowledge are demonstrated not only by students who have lived their entire lives in the UK, but also by foreigners who grew up in the country. "Students graduate from British schools without basic knowledge of grammar and punctuation," Lamb believes.
In the upcoming issue of the Royal Scientific Society's journal - Quest - Lamb intends to publish a list of the most typical errors he found in his students' written work. In this way, he aims to draw the attention of the British government to the situation in the school education system.