Canada: visa-free privilege to be withdrawn from Hungarian tourists?

The federal government of Canada is considering withdrawing from Hungarian tourists the privilege to enter Canada without a temporary resident visa. The plan to require visas from Hungarian tourists follows a similar move made by Ottawa a few months ago to impose visa requirements on tourists from Mexico and the Czech Republic. The stringent measure was made to curb abuse of Canada's asylum system.

Source: eTurboNews; find article here>>.

"Enlargement of the Schengen area to be completed: border controls to be lifted at airports on 30 March"

As stated today by the EU Press Room, "On 21 December 2007, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia became part of the Schengen area. On Sunday 30 March 2008 at 0:00, the enlargement process will be completed by lifting air border controls between these countries and with the 15 states that were already part of the Schengen system.
Vice-President of the European Commission, Jacques Barrot declared: 'The dismantling of air border controls is the final step toward completion of a unique and historical achievement: 24 countries of the EU have no internal borders. The Commission pays tribute to those Member States that have put in place state of the art security systems and special 'Schengen terminals' at their airports. The enlargement of the Schengen area demonstrates the EU's commitment to facilitating legitimate travelling within and into the EU whilst at the same time improving the security of Europe's external borders'."

This Press Release is available in full text.

"VAT: Commission takes steps against 8 Member States as regards the application of the travel agents' scheme"

As just stated by the EU Press Room, "The European Commission has formally requested Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Italy, Finland, Greece and the Czech Republic to amend their legislation with regard to the application of the special VAT 'margin' scheme for travel agents. The request is in the form of a reasoned opinion which is the second stage of the infringement proceedings provided for in Article 226 of the Treaty. If these Member States fail to comply with the reasoned opinion within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Communities."

This Press Release is available in full text.

Czech airline takes legal action against U.S. tuberculosis patient

The Czech state run airline CSA said Thursday it was taking legal action against an American tuberculosis patient who set off an international health scare. CSA spokeswoman Daniela Hupakova said the airline filed a criminal complaint on May 31 on suspicion of spreading an infectious disease. In the Czech Republic, the charges carry a maximum three-year prison term.

Source: www.pr-inside.com. Read full article here.

World Tourism Forum presents solutions for peace and sustainable development in Oslo and Prague

The results of the first three years of the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development’s existence were presented at the General Meeting of the International Academy for Quality (IAQ), held during the 51st European Organisation for Quality Congress in Prague (Czech Republic) on May 22 and 23. The conference was organized by the European Organisation for Quality (EOQ) and its key theme was “Competitiveness through Excellence – Challenge for Europe.”

More information at www.desti-nations.net.

Child Porn Trial in Atlanta: Sex Tourism charges dropped

A Gainesville anesthesiologist who vehemently proclaimed his innocence in jailhouse interviews went on trial this Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta on child pornography charges. In April 2004, his arrest at New York's JFK airport was heralded by federal prosecutors as a major case in the battle against so-called "sex tourism." He was indicted under a new law that allowed U.S. citizens to be prosecuted for sex crimes against children committed in other countries. Prosecutors believed the anesthesiologist traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, and Prague, Czech Republic, to have sex with young boys.
But the government through a series of revised indictments dropped the sex tourism and molestation charges, replacing them with child pornography charges.

Read the full story in Gainesville Times here.