Following the introduction of new regulations requiring visas for citizens from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, Polish border guards say traffic at crossings on Poland's eastern border dropped between 70 and 90 percent. Officials said one section of the border that usually draws some 8,000 people was crossed by only 700 people on the first day of the implementation of visa requirements. Border Guard spokesmen said the citizens of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine simply don't have visas yet, but they are likely to get them in the near future.

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A report titled Women's Health Surveillance Report, funded by Health Canada and the Canadian Population Health Initiative, finds a decline in the health of women who immigrate to Canada; getting worse the longer they stay. Immigrant women drink less alcohol and smoke less, but they tend to take on the habits of the majority the longer they stay in Canada. The report is available online at http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_29_E&cw_topic=29

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair has decided to support a plan to require national identity cards, shifting from his earlier position that the cards would not be particularly useful in guarding against increased security threats. Under Home Secretary David Blunkett’s proposal, British residents would not be compelled to carry an ID card at all times but would have to present it within a few days if requested. Holders of a passport or driving license would not be obligated to have a separate identity card. Cabinet members Gordon Brown and Jack Straw have opposed the measure, while Health Secretary John Reid and Education Secretary Charles Clarke have backed Blunkett's plan. Addressing critics of the plan who warn of government encroachment on basic freedom, Blair said the cards would actually help protect civil liberties.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for a new border-protection strategy that replaces the policy of guarding the entire country with border troops with a new plan that would concentrate resources in strategic areas where Russia's national security is threatened. Putin named international terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration as the threats, saying that, among them, terrorism was the only one that required a military line of defense. Therefore, the military element of border-protection forces will be reduced. Russia has a total of more than 61 kilometers of borders.

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Australian Prime Minister John Howard reshuffled eight key cabinet positions last week, replacing Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock with Senator Amanda Vanstone. Ruddock's reputation has been tarnished recently by a cash-for-visas scandal. More information on this story is available online at: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7423513%5E28737,00.html