Ukrainians await simplified Schengen
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko said that from January 1, 2008, Ukrainian citizens will receive visas to Schengen Agreement member states under simplified procedures.
"From January 1, a new visa issuance regime for Ukrainian citizens comes into effect; we have achieved that from the beginning of 2008 Ukrainians will receive visas to Schengen Area countries under a simplified procedure," he told journalists at a briefing, reports Interfax-Ukraine.
The minister emphasized that an agreement had been reached with the European side that Ukraine would monitor the implementation of this agreement on the European side and would draw interim conclusions after three months. "If we see that certain Schengen Area countries are not fulfilling their obligations properly, we will react accordingly, up to measures that I would rather not mention now, but they will be adequate measures," he stressed.
Recall that visas to Schengen Area countries for Ukrainian citizens will cost €35 from January 1, 2008.
Schengen expansion increased blacklist
The list of nearly 700,000 people banned from entering the Schengen Area was joined by blacklists from states that recently joined the Schengen Agreement. Among them is a list from Estonia consisting of more than 2,000 people, according to a press release from the Estonian Foreign Ministry.
According to the Estonian foreign ministry, from now on, persons banned from entering Estonia will not be able to enter any Schengen Area country. Conversely, those banned from entering Schengen Agreement countries will not be able to enter Estonia from December 21. As reported by RIA Novosti, as of December 21, there were 2,093 people on Estonia's blacklist.
The register of entry refusals for Estonia has been kept since 1993. This list is compiled jointly by the police, security police, border guard, and citizenship and migration department. Grounds for entry bans include criminal liability, activities related to extremist and racist organizations, a real threat to public safety or personal security, and other reasons.
British refuse to deport foreigners
The UK Border and Immigration Authority has refused to deport foreign criminals whose prison sentences are less than one year, writes The Telegraph.
This decision was made because the deportation process is too expensive. According to the UK Ministry of Justice, foreigners who have committed serious crimes will be deported first. Minor criminals will be offered a reward of £1,500 if they agree to leave the country voluntarily.
Note that the decision of the Border and Immigration Authority contradicts the position of the country's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said in September that foreigners who commit a crime have no right to remain in the UK. "Any foreigner caught selling drugs or using a weapon is subject to deportation from the country," Brown said.
As reported by Lenta.ru, there are currently more than 7,500 foreigners in British prisons, of whom about 1,000 are serving sentences of less than 12 months. The attempt to speed up deportation of criminals is due to a shortage of space in British prisons. It was planned that by the end of 2007, about 4,000 inmates would be sent home.
UK airports expect strikes
The largest British airports may be paralyzed by strikes early next year. The airport workers' union announced plans to hold 24-hour strikes on Mondays, January 7 and 14, and if their demands are not met, to stop work for two days on January 17 and 18.
The union's discontent is caused by changes in pension schemes introduced by the airport management company BAA, reports Travel.ru. BAA operates seven of the country's largest airports, through which the bulk of British air traffic passes - London's Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick, as well as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton airports.
Earlier, the strike was planned for holiday dates, but eventually the unions decided not to cause transport chaos at Christmas and New Year. Most international flights from the UK will be affected. There is still a possibility that the strike will be cancelled.
London named world's capital
The British newspaper The Independent published a list of the 60 most important cities in the world. According to the publication, the world's main city turned out to be London. The top five cities on the planet also include New York, Paris, Tokyo and Chicago. Beirut rounds out the list.
The publication identified the most important cities in terms of "economic development and cultural significance." When scoring, 14 factors were considered (methodology described on The Independent's website). In particular, total population was taken into account: for each million, the city received an additional point. Also taken into account were the total number of flights from all airports in the city per week, total stock market volume, the number of restaurants with cuisines other than national (listed in Time Out guides), the length of metro lines, the number of attractions (according to the Michelin Green Guide) and the headquarters of large corporations (according to Forbes list).
A city received two additional points if it is currently a capital (and one point if it was a capital in the past). Settlements got one point for each symphony orchestra they have and for each instance of hosting the Olympic Games. According to Lenta.ru, two more factors were the number of guidebooks dedicated to the city and the number of city websites recognized by UNESCO. Also important was the frequency of mentions in Google and in The Independent itself.
French citizens will be able to get a divorce through a notary instead of a court
The French government plans in 2008 to simplify family law, under which citizens could only divorce in court, and allow divorces to be processed through a notary, according to French media.
A divorce can be arranged very quickly, avoiding lengthy court proceedings, if both spouses have no financial claims against each other. Notaries in France have broad powers. They are the only ones in the country who have the exclusive right to control any financial transaction - from buying a house to selling a large block of shares. As a rule, a notary in France receives from 7% to 15% of the value of any transaction.
The legislative reform will also help the French save on court costs and lawyer fees, notes RIA Novosti. The only ones who will suffer from the reform are lawyers, who will lose a significant part of their earnings, according to media. The current French divorce law requires citizens wishing to dissolve a marriage to necessarily use the services of lawyers, who have been receiving significant income from divorce proceedings for many decades.
If the spouses have financial disputes or a child is the subject of contention, they will not be able to avoid consulting lawyers.
France to Ban Hookah Smoking
The law banning smoking in France, which will come into force on January 1, 2008, may affect not only catering establishments but also popular hookah lounges. Owners of 'shisha bars' are outraged: only smokers come to them, and thus the smoke cannot bother anyone.
Nevertheless, within a few weeks, hookah lounges must be remodeled in accordance with the ban: a special smoking zone must be allocated, which cannot occupy more than one fifth of the entire establishment.
Protesting are not only owners of Arab bars but also 'tobacco cafes,' where visitors come specifically to drink coffee and try fine tobacco varieties. But the government remains adamant: it rejected a proposal to lift the ban on establishments selling tobacco and cafes smaller than 100 square meters. According to Travel.ru, it is not certain that the French will welcome the law: as is well known, France is the most smoking European country.
Lunar Plots Increase in Price
Lunar plots rose in price by 40% in 2007, according to Reuters. Over the past decade, the cost of 'parcels' of lunar surface has constantly changed.
From 1997 to 2001, the figures grew; in 2002 and 2003 they decreased slightly; and in 2005 they went up again, reaching their historical maximum – about $15 per hectare. Then 'lunar fields' began to fall again. By 2007, their value had dropped by 56% and stood at about $6.5 per hectare.
Analysts claim that there is a connection between the value of lunar surface and U.S. real estate prices. The situation with plots on the moon leads the state of affairs on Earth by about 12 months. This suggests that housing prices in the U.S. will reach a minimum by the beginning of 2008 and start rising again by the end.
According to Lenta.ru citing Reuters, the majority of lunar real estate does not belong to Americans at all. Most plots were bought by Germans, Swedes, Britons, and Poles.