Ukraine: remittances home are no small deal

Thursday, 12 August 2010 07:56

Source: Financial Times
by Anora Mahmudova

The few hundred dollars Ukrainian migrant workers send from Russia and Europe back home each month add up when multiplied by the more than a million migrant workers. After a dip in the flow of remittances in 2009, caused by the global recession, the World Bank projects a modest 2-3 per cent rebound in 2010.

The $5bn in remittances that Ukrainian migrant workers send home every year is not something to sneeze at, not least when one contemplates the massive cuts Kiev has had to take in recent months to secure a $15bn aid package from the IMF.

Read more: Ukraine: remittances home are no small deal

With few local jobs, more Cambodians focused on migration

Thursday, 12 August 2010 07:46

Source: Monsters & Critics
By: Robert Carmichael

Phnom Penh ­ Cambodians have changed their approach to labour migration, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM). These days an increasing number are using it as a way to improve their livelihoods rather than as a short-term coping strategy.

The IOM says this finding, contained in a new report, means the clock is ticking for Phnom Penh to change its current view of migration as a convenient way to absorb the 300,000 people a year entering the stagnant local job market.

Read more: With few local jobs, more Cambodians focused on migration

Pakistan: Rupee hits all-time low of 85.78

Tuesday, 03 August 2010 13:05

Source: The News International

Aggressive buying of dollars by importers and corporate clients resulted in the rupee value to close down at an all-time low of 85.78 against the dollar on Monday, dealers said.

“The lack of inflows in terms of home remittances and export receipts and aggressive buying of importers and corporate clients for payments jacked up the dollar to an all-time high against the local currency,” said M Mustufa Jan, Head of Forex Research at KASB Securities Pvt Limited.

Read more: Pakistan: Rupee hits all-time low of 85.78

In the fight over Arizona's immigration law, everybody loses

Sunday, 01 August 2010 11:48

Source: Washington Post (Editorial)
By Roberto Suro

Arizona's immigration law was never going to solve the problem of illegal immigration. That is not its purpose. Instead it is an invitation to a shootout in which there will be no winners. It is more of a provocation than an attempt to enact policy, and as a protest against Washington's failure to fix a broken immigration system, it resonates.

A preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton on Wednesday halted several major parts of the law, but it really did nothing more than set the terms for more litigation. A tortured path to the U.S. Supreme Court seems likely, though even the nine justices won't be able to settle the heart of the matter. If Arizona ultimately wins in court, states could end up obliged to fashion their own immigration controls. If the federal government wins, President Obama could find himself running for reelection on a devilish issue he has done his best to avoid.

Read more: In the fight over Arizona's immigration law, everybody loses

Australia: Population puzzle divides experts

Sunday, 01 August 2010 11:39

Source: Sydney Morning Herald
By: STEPHANIE PEATLING

SUSTAINABILITY and population have become buzzwords of this year's campaign but experts are divided on the merits of any halt to the numbers of people living in Australia.

Labor, the Coalition and the Greens all have reviews of population policy as part of their election platforms.

Neither Labor nor the Greens are willing to talk about the size of possible cuts to immigration while the Coalition has said it would reduce the annual migration intake within three years from 277,000 to 170,000.

Read more: Australia: Population puzzle divides experts

UK: Leading Square Mile financiers label coalition's immigration cap 'a disaster'

Sunday, 01 August 2010 11:14

Source: Guardian.co.uk
By: Jill Treanor

Coalition proposals to limit the number of non-EU citizens UK firms can employ have angered City bosses

Leading City employers are furious about the limits being imposed by the government on the number of non-EU citizens they are able to employ and are urging a dramatic rethink of the government's policy.

The financial district prides itself on its cosmopolitan workforce and is concerned that the quotas on migrants being set by the coalition will make it impossible for them to keep operating effectively.

Read more: UK: Leading Square Mile financiers label coalition's immigration cap 'a disaster'