INTERNATIONAL ROUNDUP

Russia Plans to Boost Tourism By Granting Visas More Readily

Russia plans to offer a reasonably priced three-day tourist visa to travelers in an effort to boost tourism. Currently Russian visa regulations are extremely strict and visas can cost up to several hundred dollars while taking weeks to process. The new visa is a significant departure from the Cold War – Soviet era where is when travel in and out of Russia was near impossible. The new visa is meant to target Germans and Finns visiting St. Petersburg.

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UN Urges Legal Framework To Protect Immigrants

Discussing a variety of issues at the Immigration and Human Rights Forum in Mexico City, UN officials declared a need to create a legal framework to protect the rights of immigrants. UN officials went on to say that now is the time for research to turn into action. The UN would like to see mechanisms for the protection of immigrants’ human rights and tough penalties for violators.

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Ecuadorean Smuggling Ring Broken 

Spanish authorities have detained seven members of a smuggling ring, alleged to have smuggled over one hundred illegal Ecuadoreans into Spain. The cost for the illegal immigrants was about 00. The smuggling ring allegedly has ties in Boston and San Francisco among other places.