Holiday Apartment Cyprus
US Department Of State Post Report
Most apartments are quite comfortable. Floor plans may differ from those of typical American apartments. Nearly every apartment has one or more small balconies opening from living or dining areas or bedrooms. Most apartments have combined living and dining rooms. Some have fireplaces. Typically floors are marble or concrete covered with linoleum, tile, or parquet flooring. The Embassy provides employees with wall-to-wall carpeting for the bedrooms. Since many apartments have small rooms and limited closet and storage space, it is wise to leave in storage items you think you will not need at post. ... [Read More]
Belarus
In May and June, police broke up three prayer gatherings of the unregistered Hindu religious group "Light of Kaylasa" that were taking place in private apartments. In one incident, police forced the group's members to lie on the floor as they conducted a search of the apartment, which resulted in heavy damage. ... There were a number of acts of vandalism against religious groups during the year. In February, unknown vandals spray-painted anti-Muslim graffiti in downtown Minsk. In May and June, unknown assailants vandalized both Jewish and non-Jewish gravesites at three Gomel cemeteries. On August 25, unknown individuals broke into a private apartment and vandalized religious paraphernalia that belonged to the "Light of Kaylasa" which was using the apartment for religious services. On August 27, unknown vandals threw a Molotov cocktail on the front entrance of a Minsk synagogue. The attack resulted in minor damage to the entrance and no injuries. Throughout the year, unknown assailants also vandalized Holocaust memorials throughout the country, including the Yama Holocaust memorial in Minsk on May 26 and a new Holocaust memorial in Lida on October 13. ... [Read More]
Israel and the Occupied Territories
Israel 1 has no constitution; however, the law provides for freedom of worship, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom during the period covered by this report, and government policy continued to contribute to the generally free practice of religion; however, there were problems with regard to equal treatment of religious minorities. Relations among religious groups--between Jews and non-Jews, between Muslims and Christians, and among the different streams of Judaism--often were strained. Tensions between Israeli Jews and Arabs increased significantly after the start of the Intifada in October 2000. At that time, Israeli police killed 12 Israeli-Arab demonstrators, prompting a 3-year public inquiry and investigation, the results of which were still a matter ... [Read More]
Romania
A new Labor Code took effect on March 1. The Code was expected to be further refined in approximately 16 subsequent special laws. The Labor Code provides for a standard workweek of 40 hours or 5 days, with overtime paid for weekend or holiday work or work in excess of 40 hours, but not to exceed 48 hours, per week. The Code requires a 24-hour rest period in the workweek, although most workers received 2 days off per week. Paid holidays range from 18 to 24 working days annually, depending on the employee's length of service. The law requires employers to pay additional benefits and allowances to workers engaged in particularly dangerous or difficult occupations. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
HousingLast Updated: 7/8/2005 6:09 AM As in many urban areas, houses are rare in central Riga; all Embassy employees are housed in apartments. A fairly stable leasing pool has been established and most newcomers are placed in permanent housing as soon as they arrive. Riga has undergone and is continuing a restoration stage and most Embassy apartments are located in beautifully restored buildings, some with elevators. [Read More]
Romania
The Labor Code provides for a standard workweek of 40 hours or 5 days, with overtime to be paid for weekend or holiday work or work in excess of 40 hours. It also includes a requirement for a 24-hour rest period in the workweek, although most workers receive 2 days off per week. Paid holidays range from 18 to 24 days annually, depending on the employee's length of service. The law requires employers to pay additional benefits and allowances to workers engaged in particularly dangerous or difficult occupations. The Labor Code was scheduled to be revised in 2000; however, trade unions and business associations were not included in the drafting discussion, and no agreement could be reached on changes. New discussions, which included the unions and employers, commenced during the year; however, no new legislation was presented to Parliament by year's end. ... [Read More]
Belarus
In June United Civic Party Chairman Anatoly Lebedko, a vocal opponent of the Lukashenko regime, discovered a listening device connected to a telephone in his apartment. Independent analysts believe that the device was made and planted in the apartment by the security services. ... Security officials routinely raided and searched the apartments of opposition politicians, often without a warrant. For example, on April 19, police and KGB officers conducted an unlawful search of the apartment of Galina Yurina, an opposition activist, confiscated leaflets for an upcoming opposition-organized demonstration as well as personal items and detained Yurina for several hours. On August 23, Yurina was stopped by security officials, and leaflets advocating the boycott of parliamentary elections were seized from her car without a warrant. ... [Read More]
Israel and the occupied territories
(The Report on the occupied territories is appended at the end of this Report.)Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a multiparty system and free elections. There is no constitution; a series of "basic laws" provide for fundamental rights. The legislature, or Knesset, has the power to dissolve the Government and limit the authority of the executive branch. On January 28, elections for the Knesset were held. Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon was re-elected Prime Minister. The judiciary is independent. Since the Intifada began in September 2000, and during the year, Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza continued to perpetrate terrorist attacks against Israeli targets. Terrorist organizations such as the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Hizballah, Islamic Jihad in Palestine, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), among others, committed numerous acts of terrorism in Israel and th ... [Read More]
2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Romania
The law provides for a standard workweek of 40 hours or 5 days, with overtime paid for weekend or holiday work or work in excess of 40 hours, but not to exceed 48 hours per week. The code requires a 24-hour rest period in the workweek, although most workers received 2 days off per week. Paid holidays range from 18 to 24 working days annually, depending on the employee's length of service. The law requires employers to pay additional benefits and allowances to workers engaged in particularly dangerous or difficult occupations. ... [Read More]
2003
July 13, 2003: The Iraqi Governing Council held its first meeting in Baghdad. The Council had been formed by Civil Administrator Bremer and a seven-member "leadership council." Its 25 members comprised 13 Shi’ites, 5 Sunnis, 5 Kurds, 1 Christian, and 1 Turkmen. Two members were women. The Council’s first decision was to abolish holidays associated with Saddam Hussein’s rule and to declare April 9 a national holiday. ... January 5, 2003: British police arrested 6 suspects in London. After a search of an apartment above a pharmacy found traces of ricin, four of the suspects, all of whom held Algerian passports, faced terrorism and chemical weapons charges. ... [Read More]
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