SOLDIERS - The Cabinet approved a plan to raise military spending next year by 200 million Kc ($8.2 million) to 1.5 billion Kc. One hundred new Czech peacekeepers will join 400 soldiers stationed in Kosovo, and troops will remain in Iraq and Afghanistan. Parliament has scheduled a debate on the defense budget for this fall.

SOCCER - Thieves robbed the locker room of Belgian soccer team Anderlecht during a game against Slavia Praha in Prague Aug. 24. Five players had personal items stolen. Anderlecht won the Champions League match 2–0, but the Belgian coach skipped the press conference after the robbery came to his attention.

DIPLOMACY - Prime Minister Jirí Paroubek has announced that he will visit Iraq, the Balkans, Asia and Latin America during the final 10 months of his current term. His trips will likely include Kosovo, where where Czech troops serve as peacekeepers, and Iraq, where Czech troops train policemen.

BAILED - Hamid bin Abdal Sani, step-cousin to the Qatari emir, has posted bail after authorities there charged him with sexually abusing underage Czech girls. Sani, arrested and convicted in Prague, flew home Aug. 24 in a legal victory for Justice Minister Pavel Nemec, who sought to extradite him. Nemec has now threatened to fire Chief State Prosecutor Marie Benesová.

FOREIGNERS - The Cabinet approved a bill to cut the minimum time that a foreigner must live in the Czech Republic before qualifying for a permanent residency permit from 10 to five years. The bill would also reduce the waiting time for visas for foreigners engaged in business here.