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August 29th, 2008
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August 15th, 2007 | Current Issue

Welcome waive
Czechs may soon travel visa-free, but officials say it's not enough

Bém says Prague prepared for floods
Concrete barriers, levees cost city 3.5 billion Kč

Accidents rise amid bicycle boom
Calls for better paths intensify as cyclist fatalities increase

Watchdog to monitor hate speech
Grant to go toward scanning Web sites for racist online activity

End of Čunek case raises more questions
Corruption investigation mired by politics

ČR funds Malaysian health scheme
Mobile clinics serve refugees living without basic needs or rights

Signs point visitors to fairer fares
But some say changes are not enough to fix reputation of taxi drivers who cheat

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BRIEFS


REFORM The Chamber of Deputies initiated the second reading of the public finance reform bill Aug. 14. To push the bill past the Social Democratic-led opposition, the Cabinet needs a unanimous vote from the Civic Democratic-led government coalition as well as the approval of independent deputies Miloš Melčák and Michal Pohanka. For details, see page A8.

ACCUSED Police Aug. 8 formally accused two members of a group of scaremongering after they placed an image of a mushroom cloud on Czech Television. The group, Ztohoven, hacked into the program Panorama June 17 and broadcast an image of a mushroom cloud. A third member of the group is expected to be charged, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported.
RADAR U.S. experts went to the Brdy military grounds, approximately 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Prague, Aug. 13 to research the site’s suitability to host the proposed U.S. radar. The approximately 30 experts are expected to stay one week and will focus on studying the site’s geographical conditions, infrastructure and transport affordability, according to ČTK.
HEALTH CARE The Cabinet approved Aug. 13 Health Minister Tomáš Julínek’s plan to reform the healthcare system. The lower house of Parliament began debating the plan Aug. 14. Both the Senate and president must approve the plan before it becomes law. The sweeping changes would take effect in 2009.
SHUTTERED Czech embassies will close in Singapore, Uruguay and Zimbabwe, along with consulates in Bonn, Germany; Cape Town, South Africa; Katowice, Poland; and Milan, Italy; the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Aug. 14.  The steps have been taken in reaction to the Czech Republic’s EU membership, ČTK reported.

POLAND Parliament’s shaky governing coalition came to an end Aug. 13, as President Lech Kaczyński dismissed four Cabinet ministers, the Associated Press reported. Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński said elections could be held in October, two years ahead of schedule. The pro-business Civic Platform, the main opposition party, currently leads in polls.

GERMANY Archivists found a document showing East German border guards had a “license to kill” people, including children, attempting to flee. The unsigned 1973 order provides the first written proof the Stasi had expected guards to kill any attempted defectors, The New York Times reported. Former East German leaders have repeatedly denied issuing shoot-to-kill orders.
UK Government officials admitted Aug. 13 that meeting the European Union target of generating 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 will not be possible. A government report leaked to The Guardian newspaper estimated the United Kingdom will reach just 9 percent by 2020. Environmentalists have called for an overhaul in policy.
MALTA A cruise ship rescued 13 people Aug. 10 and took them to Malta after their boat capsized, The Times of Malta reported. The survivors, African migrants, were detained by immigration police while rescuers searched for 10 to 15 others. The ship spotted another boat, carrying more than 200 people, that later landed in Lampedusa, Italy.
RUSSIA An explosion derailed 12 passenger train cars Aug. 13, wounding several people and stopping service between Moscow and St. Petersburg just north of the capital city, according to a Reuters report. A railway official said that tracks were ruptured by a bomb, though there was no indication by press time as to who may have planted it.
HUNGARY Officials said Aug. 10 that remains of a U.S. airman shot down during World War II had been recovered. The 63-year-old remains of Staff Sgt. Martin F. Troy were found in the plane wreckage, which had been left unexcavated in a rural area, according to the Associated Press. Troy’s remains will be returned to the States.
FRANCE Police discovered an arms cache Aug. 13 in a garage hired by a suspected member of the Basque separatist group ETA, the BBC reported. The garage, in Biarritz, contained two bombs, three pistols, 150 detonators and up to 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of explosives. Spanish police said the group was preparing to carry out a bombing. ETA ended a ceasefire in June.

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