Smoking to Be Banned in Beijing Taxis
In taxis operating in Beijing, smoking has been completely banned from October 1. The measure applies to both drivers and passengers. Violators will be fined, but the amount of the penalty is not yet known. According to city officials, this innovation should be an important contribution to holding the "tobacco-free" Olympics next year. Beijing authorities will introduce a ban on smoking in public places during the Games, including sports facilities, hotels and restaurants that will serve foreign guests. In addition, the sale of cigarettes near sports and training facilities will be prohibited.
Germans' Earnings Fall to 1986 Level
According to the Ministry of Labor, in 2006 the average earnings of German citizens fell to a record low in 20 years. At the same time, the gross salary increased by 48%. This was reported by the newspaper Bild, citing statistical data from the Ministry of Labor.
Twenty years ago, the annual income of a working German after all taxes and contributions was the equivalent of €15,785. In 2006, the average German citizen earned slightly more — €15,845. At the same time, the average gross salary increased by 48%: from €22,333 in 1986 to €33,105 in 2006.
Director of the Institute for Labor and Economics (IAW) Rudolf Hickel explains the decline in real income by the increase in taxes and social contributions. In 1986, the average amount of taxes and contributions was €5,607; 20 years later — €9,291. Another reason for the reduction in net wages is inflation. For example, from 2001 to 2006, average earnings increased by 4.1%, while consumer prices rose by 7.1%.
Discrimination in Hiring to Be Banned in Russia
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and Rostrud are developing a mechanism that will allow banning the publication of job advertisements specifying age, gender, place of residence and citizenship, as they are "discriminatory" in nature against certain applicants.
The fight against labor discrimination in Russian companies will begin this year. FAS and Rostrud intend to inform employers about the illegality of publishing such advertisements in the media, and in some cases fine them from 40,000 to 500,000 rubles for violating the advertising law.
According to analysts, 44% of job advertisements in Russia and about 60% in Moscow are discriminatory. Most often, advertisements contain unlawful requirements for age (44%), employee gender (29%), work experience (19%).
Roaming Becomes Cheaper in EU Countries
The cost of mobile calls for customers of EU mobile operators who are in other EU countries has decreased. This happened due to the entry into force of new European Commission rules that set upper price limits for calls.
The cost of a minute of an outgoing call while in the EU roaming zone cannot exceed €0.49, and an incoming call — €0.24. For some users, the new rates will be more than twice as low as before. These rates will be valid for one year, after which they will be reduced over another two years to €0.43 per minute for outgoing calls and €0.19 per minute for incoming calls. After three years, the rules will expire if the European Commission believes that without mandatory upper limits, prices will go up. The European Commission hopes that by then healthy competition among operators will develop at roaming rates below the limits.
The new rules do not apply to the cost of text messages and mobile Internet access. The European Commission calls these rates high and believes that mobile operators will voluntarily reduce them.
Number of Indigenous Britons in Schools Declines
The number of ethnic minority pupils in primary schools in the UK has increased over the past year from 20.6% to 22%, writes The Telegraph. These data are given in a report from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
According to the Department, almost all schoolchildren in rural areas are white. However, in 29 urban education districts, British children are in the minority. This situation can be observed in London, as well as in several other cities, notably Birmingham and Leicester. In some London primary schools, only one in ten pupils is a white Briton.
In addition, according to the report, the number of students whose native language is not English has increased from 7% to 13.5% over the past year. This situation makes it difficult for teachers and contributes to the segregation of students by language. In this regard, the government has obliged schools to take measures to unite different groups of students.
World's Busiest Air Routes Named
OAG has published a list of the world's busiest air routes. The leader is the Madrid-Barcelona route — 971 flights per week (139 flights per day). On the São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro route, 894 flights are operated per week, Seoul-Jeju — 858, Melbourne-Sydney — 851. The following are: Cape Town-Johannesburg, Delhi-Mumbai (Bombay), Tokyo-Sapporo, Jakarta-Surabaya, Honolulu-Kahului, Tokyo-Fukuoka. On all these routes, the number of daily flights in each direction is 45 or more.
As expected, almost all busy routes are domestic. The leader among international routes is the Taipei-Hong Kong line (about 595 flights). However, this result is somewhat artificial: due to the ban on direct flights between China and Taiwan, travel via Hong Kong is the main route of communication. Next is the London-Amsterdam line (approximately 350 flights).
In Russia, the busiest route is Moscow-St. Petersburg (500 flights per week).