A sexual controversy has shaken up the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, following allegations that Prague Bishop Karel Bican demanded sex from a man he met through a prison chaplain in 2003. Bican helped the 27-year-old man, Lukáš Borecký, get back on his feet after he was released from prison and asked for sexual favors in return. The church has asked Bican to resign.

ACCUSED

A woman who stands accused of accepting bribes from senior citizens seeking placement in retirement homes could face up to eight years in jail, according to a Jan. 9 report in Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD). Zdena Pekermanová collected some 500,000 Kč ($24,000) from 128 people. In return she promised to pass on the bribes to top managers at retirement homes.

HEPATITIS

As many as 10,000 drug addicts could have contracted hepatitis without knowing it and pose a threat to their partners and families, according to a Jan. 8 MfD report. Part of the problem is that anti-drug centers have not been offering hepatitis test to drug addicts for more than a year because the test distributor doesn't have the necessary license to operate in the Czech Republic.

MURDERS

The number of murders and attempted murders in the Czech Republic rose from 184 in 2005 to 234 in 2006, according to police. The two most written about cases last year were the murder of businessman František Mrázek and the hospital killings by nurse Petr Zelenka.

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