EXTREMISTS Islamic extremists plotted the kidnapping of dozens of Jews in Prague, according to an Oct. 6 report in the daily Mladá fronta Dnes. The information came from an unidentified source claiming to have close ties to intelligence services here. The country has been on terror alert since Sept. 23, with armed police guarding dozens of buildings. The government hasn't released any details regarding the alert.

COMPUTERS Czechs still lag behind most other Europeans when it comes to using computers and the Internet, but they are quickly catching up, according to the Czech Statistical Office. Some 36 percent of Czech households now own a computer, a 50 percent increase from 2003. The European Union average is 48 percent.

GANG A Prague court sentenced crime boss David Berdych to seven years behind bars Oct. 5 for a number of charges, including counterfeiting and blackmail. Berdych, 32, the leader of the so-called Berdych gang, is among 36 people — including several police officers — currently on trial for kidnapping, robbing and murdering rich businessmen.

NAMES The President's Office is accusing the weekly Týden of intentionally publishing false information Oct. 2 stating that President Václav Klaus intends to award a medal Oct. 28 to his own spokesman Petr Hájek. But the Petr Hájek in question is actually a mathematician who happened to have the same name. Týden wrote Oct. 9 that the source of this erroneous information was Klaus' secretary, Ladislav Jakl.

GOVERNMENT Neither the Social Democrats (ČSSD) nor the Civic Democrats (ODS) could form a government without the support of the communists, according to ČSSD Deputy Chairman Zdeněk Škromach. Following the ODS-led Cabinet's failure to win a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies Oct. 3, The party now seeks to form an administrative government that would include more independents.

CAMPAIGN Small political parties are complaining that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to campaign financing, as they mount a final push in the runup to local and Senate elections Oct. 20–21. Parties such as the European Democrats (SNK-ED) say big parties like the ČSSD and ODS have the means to post ads in places off limits to other parties.

WAR At an Oct. 9 press conference, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said he has decided to wage war against North Korea. but immediately added that his statement was just a joke. "Our stance is the same as that of all other European Union countries," he said. "We cannot agree with North Korea's [nuclear] tests."