World Hockey Austria
US Department Of State Post Report
Shipping is a major economic activity. Nine percent of the world’s commercial shipping is Greek-owned, making the Greek commercial fleet the largest in the world. As of May 2003, the Greek flag flies on 929 ships with a total gross registered tonnage of 34.7 million tons. Another 2,426 ships of a total gross registered tonnage of 69.1 million tons are controlled by Greek shipping interests. ... The central part of Thessaloniki was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1917 using a design drawn by the French architect Hebrard. During World War II the Germans occupied the city for nearly 4 years, until their withdrawal in October 1944. More than 50,000 members of the city's vibrant Jewish community perished during the Holocaust. Since the war, and particularly in the last 30 years, the city has expanded rapidly, its population rising from 380,000 in 1961 to 871,500 in 1981. Thessaloniki's character changed during this time from that of a prosperous provincial city to a booming, modern metropolis with all the urban problems that plague the world's large cities. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Dry cleaning services are uneven, although American personnel assigned to Leipzig have found several that are satisfactory. Hairdressers are generally very good. Most repair services are more than adequate. To assist newcomers, the Consulate General maintains a list of service providers used and recommended by post personnel. Religious ActivitiesLast Updated: 4/22/2004 2:32 PM Regular Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Russian Orthodox, and Jewish religious services are offered in German by various congregations in Leipzig. A British pastor offers English-language services at the Anglican Church in Leipzig on a regular basis. EducationLast Updated: 4/22/200 ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Since World War II, France has been transformed from a largely agrarian economy with modest mineral resources and small, fragmented industrial sectors into a diversified, integrated, and sophisticated industrial power. Still a large agricultural producer, France also has become a major industrial producer and exporter as well. France is the ninth‑largest trading partner of the United States worldwide in terms of two‑way trade, and the third largest in Europe (after the United Kingdom and Germany). The United States and France share many trade similarities, in particular their status as the world’s top 2 exporting countries in 3 key sectors: defense products, agricultural goods, and services. Franco‑American trade is also remarkable for its symmetry, as the majority of the top 15 export products are the same each way. Nonetheless, France’s major partners are within the European Union. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
The following are among the major intergovernmental organizations headquartered in Geneva: International Labor Organization (ILO); World Health Organization (WHO); International Telecommunications Union (ITU); World Meteorological Organization (WMO); World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); U.N. Economic Commission for Europe (ECE); World Trade Organization (WTO); Human Rights Commission (HRC); U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); and Intergovernmental Organization for Migration (IOM). ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Diplomatic personnel can travel freely throughout Ukraine. Careful advance preparation is still necessary to ensure proper coordination of train, plane, and hotel reservations. Domestic rail and air services are relatively good. Tourist facilities and accommodations are limited outside major cities. SecurityLast Updated: 6/26/2003 5:32 AM As in any large Western city, pickpockets, simple muggers, and purse-snatchers operate in Kiev. American visitors and residents should take the same precautions against street crime that they would in any large American or foreign city. Property crimes include car vandalism and theft and residential and office burglaries. Violent property crimes, including carjackings and armed residential ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
When you are assigned to Denmark you will be coming to the oldest kingdom still in existence in the world, with kings and queens who have reigned over a thousand years. It is located in northern Europe, bordering Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It is the only Scandinavian country connected to the European mainland (the southern border of the Jutland Peninsula meets with Germany). The Kingdom of Denmark also includes the north Atlantic autonomous territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Most of the country is a peninsula, and the rest consists of about 400 islands. Of these, only 60 are inhabited and accessible by car, via bridges or ferries. One of the world’s longest bridges opened in 2000, linking Denmark and Sweden over the Oresund Sound. The bridge has consolidated Denmark’s strategic role as a gateway for access to Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Baltic Region. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Soccer, known as “fotbal”, is the most popular spectator sport. Czechs have always placed well in international soccer tournaments. Hockey is also extremely popular in the Czech Republic, and the Czech National Hockey Team is currently ranked 2nd in the world. Other spectator events include horseracing, such as the famous steeplechase at Pardubice, tennis, basketball, softball, and ice hockey. Occasionally, American athletes participate in international competitions, and some exhibition teams visit Prague. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Following World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina was awarded to Serbia by the Treaty of Versailles, and became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The kingdom was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. During World War II (1939–1945), Germany and Italy occupied Yugoslavia. Croatia briefly became an independent state aligned with Germany, and exercised general control over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most of Sarajevo’s Jewish community, formerly the second largest ethnic group in the city, perished in concentration camps. After the war, a Communist government organized Yugoslavia as a Federal State. Bosnia and Herzegovina became one of the six republics of Yugoslavia, as did Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
After World War II, a number of basic research institutes were established in Slovenia: physics, chemistry, electromechanical, and others. The Physics Institute, named after Jozef Stefan, has become one of Slovenia's premier research institutes with approximately 550 scientists. Its founder and first director, physicist Anton Peterlin, went abroad in 1960 and became one of the top scientists in the field of large molecules and polymerization. The Stefan Institute keeps abreast of the world's main developmental trends in at least 10 fields. As such, it is a natural venue for scientific and environmental programming, conducting all nuclear and environmental research in Slovenia. It is also actively involved in international exchange. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Since 1998 Slovakia’s once troubled economy has been transformed into an economic success story that leads the region in economic growth. In its “Doing Business in a 2005” report, the World Bank named Slovakia as the world’s top reformer in improving its investment climate over the last year, allowing it to join the top 20 economies in the world for ease of doing business. The country’s low-cost yet skilled labor force, low taxes (19% flat tax rate for individuals and corporations plus no taxes on dividends), liberal labor code, reformed pension and healthcare systems, privatized banking and corporate sectors and favorable geographic location have helped it become one of Europe’s favorite investment markets. However, regional disparities remain and western Slovakia is far more prosperous and developed than the eastern portion of the country. Since the election of Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda’s coalition government in 1998, cumulative foreign direct investment has increases ... [Read More]
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