Canadian Prime Minister defends immigrants
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose government two months ago required Muslim women wearing the full niqab to show their faces before voting, dismissed the idea of a crisis over immigrants who do not want to adopt the Canadian way of life.
"Despite the disputes in Quebec and some disagreements during the election campaign in Ontario, I primarily think that immigrants come to this country to belong to it," Harper said in an interview. "I also think that the Canadian approach to this issue, which for lack of a more precise term can be described as a combination of integration and assimilation, is correct."
Harper disagrees with Quebec politicians who demand that every newly arrived immigrant commit to observing "basic Quebec values." "I know it is a popular opinion that immigrants arriving here must change to fit the country. I think that in most cases that is what happens," Harper said. "But the fact is that our country also changes under the influence of new immigrants and new cultures, and it seems to me that this is a successful model. If you look at other countries of the world in terms of immigration and cultural integration, compared to them, Canada is as successful as any of them."
According to the prime minister, as reported by Winnipeg.ru, there is no cultural tension in the country, but a process of healthy integration and assimilation is underway.
Jewish immigration to Israel hits low
Jewish immigration to Israel in 2007 reached its lowest level in 20 years, The Jerusalem Post writes, citing data from the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption of Israel.
According to the publication, fewer than 19,700 immigrants arrived in the country in the past year—6% fewer than in 2006. The number of repatriates from former Soviet Union countries dropped most sharply, by 15%. Minister of Immigration and Absorption of Israel Yaakov Edri expressed concern over the decline in immigration and stated that the ministry would make every possible effort to change the situation.
As Lenta.ru notes, the highest level of Jewish immigration to Israel occurred between 1989 and 1991, when over 400,000 people arrived in the country. Since then, the number of repatriates has gradually declined.
Netherlands to toughen exam for immigrants
Starting March 15, 2008, the rules of the exam that those wishing to immigrate to the Netherlands take in their home country will be tightened.
The language test is intended to ensure that immigrants from non-EU countries already have a certain level of knowledge of the Dutch language before entering the Netherlands. As RUS.nl reports, it became clear this year that the exam requirements were too low, causing candidates to pass the exam too easily. This prompted the tightening of exam requirements.
U.S. population increased by nearly 3 million
In 2007, the population of the United States increased by 2,842,103 people, reaching 303,146,284 residents by January 1, 2008. Compared to 2007 figures, the number of Americans increased by 0.9%.
In January of this year, a baby will be born in the U.S. every eight seconds, and Americans will pass away at a rate of once every 11 seconds. Additionally, every half minute, the U.S. will gain one more migrant. Thus, as Lenta.ru notes, the average population increase in the U.S. in January will be one person every 13 seconds.
Poles taken out of UK on private planes
Polish law enforcement agencies send a private plane to Great Britain every month to bring back Poles wanted for various crimes, The Daily Mail writes.
As the publication notes, the number of extradition requests from Polish police to their British counterparts has increased 17-fold over the past two years. From December 2006, 257 such requests were sent to Scotland Yard, 70% more than from any other country. Lithuania is second with 76 requests.
According to the newspaper, the first plane for detained Poles in the UK left London in October with 20 suspects on board, and the November flight took 17 wanted criminals to Poland. One of the investigators of Scotland Yard's Extradition Unit, Paul Fuller, told The Daily Mail that this practice is currently only applied with Polish colleagues. "Of course, it would be difficult for us to expel each individually. Now, every month, the Poles provide a private plane that comes to the UK and takes them away in bulk," said Paul Fuller.
Fuller explained that both sides benefit, as British police do not have to keep people at the airport every day, and Polish colleagues do not have to pay for plane tickets for escorts and the detainees themselves.
As Lenta.ru reports, since Poland joined the European Union, at least 600,000 citizens of that country have come to the UK. Scotland Yard notes that the increase in the number of extraditions to Poland is partly a result of the effective use of the European Arrest Warrant agreement.
Exotic countries dangerous for tropical diseases
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases published a report on how frequently residents of countries in temperate climates contract tropical diseases. The cases examined were mainly those caused by various kinds of parasites.
According to the study results, from 1997 to 2004 the majority of those infected were immigrants from hot countries, reports Washington ProFile. However, 9% of infection cases were among tourists who visited the exotic south. Another 6% each were businessmen and scientists, and in 16% of cases, missionaries and volunteers working in these areas fell ill.
The most dangerous countries posing a risk of contracting tropical diseases were named Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in Africa, Guyana in South America, India and Sri Lanka in Asia, Haiti in the Caribbean. And very few cases of infection were recorded in Oceania and Central America.
It is worth noting that among all these mentioned countries, the most visited by tourists are India and Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, when going on vacation to any country with an unfamiliar climate, food and water, tourists should not forget about safety measures, including basic sanitation.
British military bases in Cyprus to switch to euro
British military bases on the island of Cyprus will switch to the euro from January 2008. This was reported by AFP.
Currently, British military bases are located in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two territories in Cyprus. They employ about 10,000 Cypriots, who also use restaurants and entertainment centers on the bases, so the command decided that switching the military bases to the euro would be a logical decision.
Recall that in 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union. From January 2008, Cyprus will abandon its currency (the Cypriot pound) and switch to the euro. At the same time, as Travel.ru reports, the UK itself, despite having joined the European Union many years ago, has still not adopted the euro and does not intend to do so.
Increased flow of Russians seeking asylum in Poland
In the second half of 2007, the number of applications for asylum in Poland increased by 70%, mainly due to citizens of the Russian Federation, the UN News Centre reported, citing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The main flow of those wishing to move to Poland are residents of the Russian Caucasus - Chechnya and Ingushetia, said William Spindler, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner's Office. Only from July to November 2007, 3,555 applications for asylum were filed in Poland. According to Spindler, this surge is not due to a worsening situation inside Russia, but to Poland's entry into the Schengen zone and fears that border procedures would be tightened as a result.
Poland became one of nine Eastern European countries that joined the Schengen Agreement on December 21, 2007. The list also includes Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Estonia.