VISAS

The visa requirement for Czechs visiting the United States is expected to be lifted within the next two years, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra told reporters Nov. 12. He said he is optimistic that the Democratic victory in the U.S. midterm elections will help swing the issue.

EXPELLED

Two German men who pleaded guilty to having sex with Czech children were expelled from the country Nov. 10. Kurt Schmitz, 48, and Johann Reinhard Weise, 60, confessed to sexually abusing children in a van they parked in various areas of the Klatovy region of west Bohemia. The police investigation was aided by videos the two men had made, a spokesperson said. The men claimed they did not know the children were underage. The youngest victim was 7, police said.

CRASHED

Two separate traffic accidents several hours apart left 43 people injured on the evening of Nov. 12. In the first incident, a car struck 13 women walking on the side of the road 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) west of Prague. Nine of the women, North Korean nationals working at a sewing factory, were hospitalized in serious condition. Later that evening, 30 people were injured when their bus overturned on a highway in north Bohemia near the German border.

PRAISE

The Czech Republic is a model for successful European Union accession, Croatian President Stipe Mesiç said Nov. 13, after meeting with Czech President Václav Klaus in Prague. Czechs were able to accelerate EU membership while still protecting national interests, Mesiç said. Croatia has expressed its desire to join the EU in 2009.

BORDERS

The parliamentary heads of the Visegrád Four countries called on the European Commission (EC) Nov. 13 to expand the border-free Schengen zone next fall as scheduled. The EC has said the proposed two-year expansion delay stems from technical difficulties with its computer security system. However, some Visegrád politicians allege the exclusion of their countries is political in nature.

SPEEDY

A new rapid train connection between Prague and Bratislava will start running Dec. 10, Slovak media reported Nov. 13. The SC Slovenská strela (Slovak Missile) will take commuters between the two capitals in less than four hours, traveling at speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour.