The Communist Youth Organization (KSM) has filed a formal complaint against the Interior Ministry for dissolving the group in October, KSM representatives said Nov. 20. The ministry has said it banned the far-left group because it spoke of abolishing private ownership. The KSM says the ministry has suppressed its right to freedom of expression.

NUCLEAR

The Austrian Parliament unanimously agreed Nov. 17 to pressure the government to file an international complaint against the Czech Republic, which officially brought its Temelín nuclear plant online recently. The controversial facility in south Bohemia is 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) from the border and Austrian lawmakers say needed safety improvements have not been made at the facility.

THEFT

The Czech Republic has the highest shoplifting rate in the European Union, the British Center for Retail Research said Nov. 20. Thefts in Czech shops rose 1 percent between June 2004 and June 2005, with losses equaling about 13 billion Kč, or 1.42 percent of total sales. Customers were the most common perpetrators, the center said. Slovakia came in second.

JAILS

The Czech penal system is preparing an amendment that would force more prisoners to work while serving jail time, Prison Service director Luděk Kula said Nov. 16. The goal is to increase the number of jobs so that 60 percent of the country's 19,000 prisoners are working by next June, he said.

BUSTED

Border police have broken up a smuggling ring that moved illegal cigarettes made in the Czech Republic to Germany, police said Nov. 16. The joint crackdown began this spring and included 800 Czech police and customs officers. In total, 400 metric tons (441 short tons) of tobacco and 29 million cigarettes were seized. The cigarettes exceeded the limits of tar and carbon monoxide allowed in the EU, police said.

ELECTION