Cheap Holiday Cyprus

Latvia's flag consists of two horizontal, maroon bands of equal width, divided by a white stripe one-half the width. The national holiday is November 18, Independence Day. ...

Foreign investment in Latvia remains high, as both Western and Eastern investors are trying to establish a foothold in the new EU member state, as well as to take advantage of Latvia's stable macroeconomic environment, central location in the region, and cheap labor. Representing 7.1% of Latvia's total foreign direct investment, the U.S. FDI stock in Latvia stood at $184 million at the end of 2002. In the same year, U.S. goods and services accounted for 1.6% of Latvia's total imports, while exports to the United States accounted for 4.2% of Latvia's total exports. Latvia is a member of the World Trade Organization since 1999. Latvia and the United States have signed treaties on investment, trade, and intellectual property protection and avoidance of double taxation. ... [Read More]

Docs 286-316

In the absence of a serious crisis, the mood of UN Delegations will not be one of favoring an Emergency Session. Many of the delegates already have left New York for the summer holiday. Some of them plan to attend the Second Non-Aligned Conference in Cairo during the first week in October, which they regard as important as the UN, and they would be most reluctant to come back to New York before it ended. ...

5. My speech last week/2/ was designed as the first step in this deflationary and educational process. It was not intended to gain us any cheap and transient popularity that would lead later to disenchantment and that, meanwhile, could embarrass us on the Hill. As I had hoped, the speech was accepted by the less-developed countries for what it was--an honest statement of the realities. While we did not tell the less-developed countries what they wanted to hear, they seemed generally to accept the fact that we were being straightforward with them and that we intended to be helpful. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Roughly 20% of Israeli Jews are religious.  About 40% are defined as “traditional” and another 40% as “secular.”  Many of the middle group are quite traditional in their outlook, even though they do not strictly observe Jewish religious law.  Even most secular Jews observe certain Jewish traditions.  Judaism sets the rhythm and tone for the country, both for those who are religious and those who are not.  Holidays, for example, are determined by the Jewish rather than by the Julian calendar.  Shabbat (Saturday) is the day of rest.  Schools, factories, and government institutions are closed on that day, and on many Jewish religious holidays.  Furthermore, even most secular Israelis participate in some form of basic holiday observances and religious ceremonies, such as circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, and the shiva (mourning rituals). ... [Read More]

Europe and Central Asia

AlbaniaI. Summary Drug trafficking is a significant problem in Albania, which is a major transit country for heroin from Afghanistan and Turkey destined for markets throughout Europe. Organized crime groups use Albania as a transit point for drug and other types of smuggling due to the country’s strategic location, weak police and judicial systems, and porous borders. The most common illegal drugs are heroin, marijuana, and to a lesser extent, cocaine. Heroin is typically transported through the "Balkans Route" of Turkey-Bulgaria-Macedonia-Albania, and on to Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. Cocaine is smuggled from South America, via the United States, Italy, Spain, Greece or the Netherlands, and ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

In addition to the usual 10 U.S. holidays, the following local holidays are observed at the U.S. Mission to Doha: ...

 Local TransportationLast Updated:  7/31/2002 6:00 PM Private cars provide the only practical and dependable transportation in Doha. Taxis may be hailed at the airport, at the main hotels, or as they cruise the streets, but they have no telephone callout service and are poorly equipped (e.g., with no seatbelts or air-conditioning), and the drivers tend to speak only Arabic. They are more or less reliable, usually have functioning meters, and are relatively cheap. A more expensive alternative is a local limousine service, which more closely resembles taxi service in the U.S. "Limousines" are Lexus sedans and Chevy Caprices, driven by English-speaking drivers, and are equipped with air-conditioning, rear seatbelts, functioning meters, and telephone/radio dispatch equipment. Prices for ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Turkey observes both civil and religious holidays. Although dates for civil holidays are determined by the same calendar used in the U.S., religious holidays are set by the Muslim/Lunar calendar, resulting in observance on different days each year. Offices of the Government of Turkey are closed on all these days, and often also a day or two before or after the actual holiday. ...

Calls to the U.S. can be placed using AT&T, MCI, or Sprint phone cards. Calls to the U.S. are currently about $5.00 for the first minute and $1.59 every minute thereafter using AT&T, or about $1.70 a minute if placed directly through local PTT with no initial connection charge. Callback services are also available. Figures shown are based on weekday rates and, as in the U.S., weeknight and weekend rates are considerably cheaper. Calls to other countries besides the U.S. are cheaper using the local PTT rather than U.S. companies. InternetLast Updated:  10/1/2003 11:55 AM  ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

  Local HolidaysLast Updated:  7/13/2005 3:43 AM The following U.S. Government and local national holidays are observed (dates for 2005): New Year's Day   [Read More]

1996 Country Commercial Guides

U.S. Department of State West Bank and Gaza Commercial Guide Office of the Coordinator for Business Affairs COMMERCIAL GUIDE FOR WEST BANK AND GAZA FY 1996 Prepared by the American Embassy, Tel Aviv and American Consulate General, Jerusalem July 1995 Note to the Reader: This Country Commercial Guide (CCG) presents a comprehensive look at Israel's commercial environment through economic, political and market analyses. The CCG's were established by recommendation of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), a multi-agency task force, to consolidate various reporting documents prepared for the U.S. business community. Country Commercial Guides are prepared annually at U.S. Embassies through the combined efforts of several U.S. government agencies. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. ECONOMIC TRENDS AND OUTLOOK Major Trends a ... [Read More]

1996 Country Commercial Guides

U.S. Department of State Belgium Country Commercial Guide Office of the Coordinator for Business Affairs COUNTRY COMMERCIAL GUIDE FOR BELGIUM FY 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS: I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. ECONOMIC TRENDS AND OUTLOOK -Macroeconomic trends and outlook -Principal growth sectors -Budgetary priorities -Monetary policy -Privatization III. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT -Overview -U.S./Belgian relations IV. MARKETING U.S. PRODUCTS AND SERVICES -Entering the market -Distribution and sales channels -Use of agents and distributors -Watching for pitfalls -Pricing and selling factors -Getting help -Using a regional approach -Franchising -Distribution and coordination centers -Setting up an office -Protecting your product from IPR infringement -Need for l ... [Read More]

Crime - US Department of State

       This detailed article looks at the "shadowy contractors" who hook up illegal immigrants and arrange to get them jobs with service companies that offer cheap labor to corporate America. ...

Holiday Skippers Help Trade in People Smuggling ...

       Ireland also has a problem with the misuse of study visas. Hotels and catering businesses, to obtain cheap labor, register their non-European Union staff in colleges where they are supposedly learning English. The "students" pay the registration fee, which can be up to Euro 1,300 (about US $1538). Irish laws place no restrictions on the number of students that can enter the country to study. ... [Read More]