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December 4th, 2008
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July 25th, 2007 | Current Issue

Clearing the air
Compensation sought from the American who brought deadly tuberculosis into his fellow passengers' lives

Study: Underage drinking pervasive
Experts say advertising campaigns contribute to permissive attitudes

Prison castrations raise concern
Government defends surgery for serious sex offenders

EC raises flap over bird protection
Expert says 'time is running out' for endangered avians

Custody bill aims to protect kids
Kidnapping cases show a vague interpretation of international law

Filmmakers to spotlight Legions' history
Documentary part of bid to raise awareness of forgotten fighters

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BRIEFS


RUSSIA Russian prosecutors fought back July 23, accusing the United Kingdom of playing a political game with its recent expulsion of four Russian diplomats, Reuters reported. The UK said the expulsion was in retaliation for Russia’s refusal to extradite a suspect wanted in the poisoning death of Russian exile Alexander Litvinenko in London. On July 19, Russia responded by expelling four UK diplomats.

BULGARIA Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor arrived in Sofia July 24 after spending more than eight years in a Libyan jail, convicted of infecting more than 400 children with HIV, a charge they denied. Under a deal with the European Union, Libya commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment July 17, paving their return home under a prisoner exchange deal, Reuters reported. Bulgaria’s president has pardoned them.
TURKEY The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK), which has Islamist roots, boosted its parliamentary power in elections July 22, receiving about 47 percent of votes, according to unofficial results. The opposition had warned a strengthened AK could derail Turkey’s secular government. The results of the vote give the AK 341 seats in the 550-seat Parliament.
SERBIA A measure proposing Kosovo’s independence was withdrawn July 20 from the United Nations Security Council after Russia vowed to veto the plan, The New York Times reported. A six-nation panel, including Russia, will meet separate from the council to further discuss the contentious issue. Kosovo, a province of Serbia, has been under UN administration since 1999.
ITALY Police arrested an imam and two aides suspected of training children in guerrilla combat and bomb-making, The New York Times reported July 23. Imam Korchi el-Mostapha, of a mosque in Perugia, had been under investigation for two years. Police said up to 60 types of chemicals and files on weapons training and explosives were found in his home.
DENMARK The secret airlift to Denmark of some 200 Iraqi civilians with ties to the Danish Army is complete, the Danish government said July 20. In the group were interpreters, other Army employees and their families, who would have been targeted by insurgent violence if left behind, the Defense Ministry said. Denmark is scheduled to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq next month.
ROMANIA Officials declared a state of emergency July 23 after the death toll from a weeklong heat wave rose to 18, Reuters reported. As temperatures continued to hover above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), the government banned outdoor work during peak hours of sun. In the region, Greece and Bulgaria have also taken measures to prevent a health crisis.
FRANCE At least 26 Polish Catholic pilgrims were killed July 22 when their bus plunged off a mountain road while returning from a holy site in the French Alps, the Associated Press reported. Forty-three pilgrims died in a crash at the same site in 1973, and another 29 in 1975. The Polish bus did not have the special permit needed to travel the steep road, AP reported.
MALTA Two people drowned and one went missing after a boat carrying 29 North African migrants was intercepted by a Maltese Army patrol in Mediterranean waters July 22, AP reported. The migrants’ boat capsized when its occupants rushed to one side in an attempt to flee their sinking vessel.
UNITED KINGDOM Thousands of homes have lost electricity and water supplies as floods reach crisis levels in England, BBC News reported June 23. The Environment Agency has said this magnitude of flooding had never been seen before. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would set up a review of the crisis to assess drainage and provide funding for emergency work.

DISCRIMINATION Retirement pensions of women are on average one-fifth lower than men’s, according to Czech Social Security Administration data released July 23. Women earn one-quarter less than men overall because many work in professions with lower salaries. Women in the same positions as male counterparts, meanwhile, often earn less.

MURDER Police have detained a 29-year-old man suspected of killing his girlfriend and cutting her corpse into pieces, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported July 20. Children in Ústí nad Labem, north Bohemia, discovered the woman’s head in a bush near their school July 7. Other parts were allegedly found in the man’s freezer. If convicted, he could face 15 years in prison.
DEFAMATION Detectives in Ostrava, north Moravia, are investigating controversial statements made by senator Liana Janáčková on suspicion they violated laws against the defamation of ethnic groups, ČTK reported July 20. Janáčková called herself a racist and said she disagreed with the integration of Roma, or Gypsies. She has apologized but said she will not resign from her post as deputy chairwoman of the Senate human rights committee.
EVACUATION Rescuers evacuated about 1,000 people from a public pool in Karvina, north Moravia, after sulphuric acid and chlorine leaked into the water, ČTK reported July 22. Maintenance workers had poured chlorine into a tank with the acid, causing a chemical reaction. One employee was hospitalized after inhaling the fumes.
EU The Cabinet wants to replace the Czech ambassador to the European Union, Lidove noviny reported July 24. Deputy PM Alexandr Vondra said officials have already agreed on a replacement for Jan Kohout, who would leave Brussels before his term expires in May 2008. Vondra cited the upcoming 2009 Czech presidency of the EU as reason for the change.
RESCUE Two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters rescued two Czech hikers in the Himalayas, the Hindu reported July 24. Jerry Kudma and Daniel Miller were trekking in the Nun-Kun mountains when one of them slipped and injured his spine. They were airlifted to Leh, India, for medical treatment.

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