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September 26th, 2007 | Current Issue

The accused
Political prisoners seek justice for brutality they allegedly suffered at the hands of Chamber of Deputies representative

Activist recalls hearing 'blows' and 'screaming' behind bars
Former prisoner sticks to claims, but doubts prosecution possible

VZP to slash 800 doctor contracts
Practitioners say insurer's bid to hike payments doesn't cover costs

EU issues Canada visa warning
Canadians could need travel visas if policy is not changed

Conference highlights transparency issues
Participants say media and public must help curb corruption

Court rules in favor of taxi drivers' right to hike fares
Ruling deregulates rates but City Hall sticks to current caps

Tourists, beetles threaten Šumava
Ministry, environmental association differ on strategy to protect national park

Leaving 'Footprints' for a cause
Dutch woman's pilgrimage aims to draw public eye to Tibetan political situation

Maps for blind part of city plan
Wheelchair routes are also in the works

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BRIEFS


SERBIA Two people were killed and 10 were injured after a bomb went off in a Kosovo shopping mall Sept. 24. Police say they do not know who set it off. The bombing comes days before Serbia and Albania are scheduled to meet in New York City to discuss possible independence for Kosovo, according to The Guardian.

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in Berlin Sept. 23 for a closed meeting regarding human rights issues, The International Herald Tribune reported. Authorities in China, one of Germany’s greatest trading partners, harshly criticized the meeting.
POLAND The Foreign Ministry will not allow the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the country’s October parliamentary elections, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesmen announced Sept. 22, according to the BBC. The OSCE voiced surprise over Poland’s claim that it does not need the OSCE’s supervision because it is a well-established democracy.
GERMANY The government agreed Sept. 19 to pay people who worked in Nazi-era Jewish ghettoes about $2,800 ($54,768 Kč) each in what a spokesman called “a humanitarian gesture,” according to Reuters. The compensation was one of the last outstanding claims from the era and about 50,000 people are eligible, the news agency reports.
ITALY Unknown abductors released two Italian soldiers kidnapped in western Afghanistan Sept. 24, the BBC reported. The soldiers were abducted a day earlier after driving through a police checkpoint in the Shindand district of the Herat province. Both severely injured soldiers are being treated at a NATO hospital.
FRANCE Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner agreed with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sept. 21 to step up pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear program. The diplomats met in Paris, less than a week after Kouchner mentioned the possibility of war with Iran and then retracted his statement, according to The New York Times.

EXTRADITED Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil confirmed the City Court’s verdict to extradite suspected terrorist Oussama Kassir to the United States, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported Sept. 25. Kassir, 31, is a Swedish man who was arrested in Prague during a layover on a Stockholm to Beirut flight in December 2005. U.S. authorities say he tried to build a training camp in Oregon.

CONSOLIDATE Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek announced Sept. 24 that the government will create a single office to handle payments of social benefits, child protection and services to the unemployed, according to ČTK. The office is expected to begin its work in January 2009.
SACKED President Václav Klaus dismissed Jan Kohout from the post of Czech ambassador to the European Union Sept. 19.  Klaus appointed Milena Vicenová, a former agriculture minister and most recently the general secretary at the Regional Development Ministry. Kohout’s term was due to expire in May but he will be replaced by the end of the year, according to ČTK.
ABUSE Two Czech men are facing prosecution for what might be the biggest child-abuse case in national history, according to a Sept. 25 report in the daily Pražský deník. The men allegedly sexually abused 28 boys during weekend programs for low-income families organized by the Little Prince association. Police claim the men photographed the abuse.
IMMIGRATION The Czech Statistical Office reported Sept. 20 that the number of foreigners in the Czech Republic is rising. In 2005, foreigners comprised 2.5 percent of the population; in mid-2007 that figure was 3.5 percent. The largest groups are Ukrainians and Slovaks, according to ČTK.
NABBED Czech authorities have detained three people, found five missing people and stopped 10 people declared persona non grata since the country was hooked into the Schengen Information System Sept. 1, ČTK reported Sept. 24. Law enforcement agencies have also requested information regarding documents, cars and weapons.
RESIGNATION  Education Minister Dana Kuchtová resigned Sept. 25, ČTK reported. She said the tension surrounding the ministry’s botched application for EU funds has hampered her ability to do her job.

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