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December 4th, 2008
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August 8th, 2007 | Current Issue

Nato's new man
Jiří Šedivý speaks candidly about his prestigious new post, NATO and the missile-defense shield

Russia unveils missile system
Official says upgraded defense a response to U.S. activities

Ministry to reform auto inspections
Influx of old cars and buses makes for perilous roadways

Plans to aid broken families
Current system 'insufficient'; officials propose changes to send children back home

Online check-in rising at Ruzyně
But software troubles slow kiosk installation

Volunteers bare all for art event
Jan Saudek pushes the envelope with a nude shoot

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BRIEFS


UK The European Commission banned live animal exports from the United Kingdom Aug. 4 after foot-and-mouth disease was discovered on a farm in Guildford. The following day, inspectors found that the same strain of the disease was being used at a nearby laboratory in an attempt to create a vaccine, The New York Times reported.

GEORGIA Officials say Russian fighter jets dropped a missile near the village of Tsitelubani Aug. 6, raising tensions between the two countries, the BBC reported. The rocket, which reportedly landed in the backyard of a local resident, did not explode. Russian officials have denied the claim.
GERMANY Two ducks found dead northeast of Munich tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu Aug. 4. The outbreaks are likely related to those reported earlier in the Czech Republic, a German veterinarian said in an Aug. 4 Reuters report. More than 30 countries have reported outbreaks in the past year, including 13 European nations.
UK The man who set himself on fire after crashing an SUV into Glasgow Airport died Aug. 2, Reuters reported. Indian national Kafeel Ahmed, 27, had been comatose at Glasgow Royal Infirmary since the June 30 attack, linked to car bombs found in London days before. Ahmed was not questioned and charged but was named by police as a co-conspirator in a plot to cause explosions.
FRANCE President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a $400 million (8.2 billion Kč) arms deal with Libya Aug. 3, the BBC reported. The arms agreement is the first between Libya and a Western country since the EU lifted a ban in 2004. The news has fueled controversy over whether the deal was made as part of a package to secure the release of Bulgarian detainees freed July 24 after eight years in prison.

TURKEY The armed forces dismissed 23 officers Aug. 4, some on the grounds that they participated in pro-Islamist activities, The New York Times reported. The army considers itself a guardian of secular tradition and in recent years has fired dozens of men suspected of Islamic militancy, according to the report.

FRANCE Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, the leader of France’s Catholics for 24 years, died in Paris Aug. 5 at age 80.  Lustiger, who was born Jewish in Poland, converted to Catholicism as a boy. He was a close adviser to Pope John Paul II. He stepped down as archbishop of Paris in 2005.
RUSSIA Scientists planted a titanium copy of the Russian flag in the seabed at the North Pole Aug. 2 in a government attempt to lay claim to the land, which is thought to be rich in oil and minerals. The claim has no legal standing, according to The New York Times. Five countries have territory in the Arctic Circle.

VISAS President George W. Bush signed changes to the visa-waiver program into law Aug. 3. A U.S. Embassy press release called the move “good news,” but stressed that work remains to be done in both countries before the Czech Republic can meet the law’s requirements. The visa-waiver program allows citizens of U.S. allied countries to travel to the U.S. visa-free for stays less than 90 days.

CRASH Seven people were seriously injured after an Austrian tour bus overturned in south Bohemia Aug. 3, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported. Another 16 people sustained minor injuries. Witnesses said the bus was being overtaken by a car, swerved to avoid another oncoming car, and fell down a slope and flipped. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
EUTHANASIA Authorities registered the first case of a Czech citizen undergoing euthanasia at a Swiss clinic, Mladá fronta Dnes reported Aug. 2. One other Czech has since died at the clinic Dignitas, while several others are on waiting lists. An SC&C poll conducted in July showed 64 percent of Czechs would legalize doctor-assisted suicide.
HOTSPOT A UK government report shows visiting Brits require a “disproportionate” amount of consular assistance here, the BBC reported Aug. 2. Brits lose their passports, go to the hospital and get arrested here more than in other, more popular places. Other “trouble hotspots” include Spain, Greece, India and Thailand.
ČUNEK State Attorney Arif Salichov has dropped charges against Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek, Lidovky.cz reported Aug. 6. Čunek, chairman of the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), was accused of accepting a bribe worth half a million crowns from a private company when he was mayor of Vsetín, east Moravia. The scandal has caused turmoil within the government for months, prompting a no-confidence vote in June.
ROBOTICS Surgeons at Na Homolce hospital in Prague completed the country’s first fully robotic heart surgery, Czech Television reported Aug. 1. The team of doctors did not have to open the chest cavity, but instead made three cuts where the robot’s arms entered the body. Robot-assisted surgery has been used at the hospital since 2005.

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