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July 4th, 2008
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January 23rd, 2008 | Current Issue

Kicking the habit
As more heroin users seek help, city treatment centers are filled to capacity

Švejnar conducts Western campaign
Local officials call such public electoral outreach 'nonsensical'

2007 warmest year on record
Report points to a worrisome 'above-normal' climate trend

U.S. official makes case for radar
In wake of Obering's visit, some politicians remain unconvinced

Local experts react to caged-bed fallout
The issue may be distracting attention from the big picture

Human trafficking campaign ends
Police investigate anonymous tips about women in trouble

City metro may revive turnstiles
High rate of freeloaders, inspector run-ins prompt interest in old ticket system

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BRIEFS


SPAIN The Civil Guard arrested 14 people, including 12 Pakistanis and 2 Indians, in Barcelona on suspicion of links with an Islamist terror network, the BBC reported Jan. 19. Authorities also seized potential bomb-making material. The raids coincided with the beginning of an eight-day European visit by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

EU European Union officials plan to propose this week an overhaul of the carbon emissions trading system, the International Herald Tribune (IHT) reported Jan. 20. The new system would require more European factories to pay for pollution, and seeks to reduce the oversupply of permits. Lobbying from energy-intensive industries could present obstacles to the legislation’s approval.
SERBIA Results indicate that nationalist Tomislav Nikolić won the first round of Serbia’s presidential elections with about 39 percent of the vote, according to a Jan. 21 BBC report. The run-off against the more pro-EU candidate and current President Boris Tadić will take place Feb. 3. One of the main issues facing the new president will be Kosovo’s expected declaration of independence.
TURKEY Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly criticized the ban on headscarves in public buildings, the IHT reported Jan. 20. One of the country’s highest courts, the Council of State, supports the ban, and issued a warning against the loosening of the restriction in universities, citing the concern that such allowances could spread to other public places.  
RUSSIA Chief of Staff Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky has said Moscow is ready to use force, including the pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons, in order to defend itself. He pointed to potential threats to Russia from international terrorism, the BBC reported Jan 19. The general went on to say there are currently no planned attacks.
ITALY Tens of thousands of Romans turned out at the Vatican Jan. 20 to support Pope Benedict after protests led him to cancel an appearance at Rome’s top University La Sapienza earlier in the week, according to Reuters. The protesters had been demonstrating against the Pope’s antiquated views on science.
SPAIN According to a group of Spanish scientists, the level of the Mediterranean Sea has risen between 2.5 and 10 millimeters each year since the 1990s, the BBC reported Jan. 19. The continuation of such a rate could have dire consequences for low-lying coastal areas. If a half-meter increase occurred, the results could be “catastrophic.” The study also noted that sea temperatures had risen significantly.
SCOTLAND The Scottish government wants to ask the United States to lift a ban on haggis imports, the BBC reported Jan. 20. Imports of Scotland’s iconic dish, which contains ingredients such as sheep lungs, were banned by the United States in 1989 after the BSE scare. Haggis producers view the U.S. market as very lucrative, and the UK Food Standards Agency said it considers the product safe.
SLOVENIA Prime Minister Janez Janša is accused of censoring the media and forcing opposition papers out of business, reported The New York Times Jan. 21. As a young journalist in the 1980s, Jansa played a key role in supporting Slovenia’s pro-democracy movement and opposing the communist government with his articles.

RALLY A couple hundred neo-Nazis demonstrated on Palackého náměstí Jan. 19 to criticize the state of freedom of speech in the Czech Republic, according to Aktualne.cz. A march was originally planned in Plzeň, west Bohemia, on a date that coincided with the 66th anniversary of the first Jewish deportation to concentration camps but was banned by that city’s mayor. The Prague gathering lasted less than an hour and was well patrolled by police.

REGISTER In an attempt to expose maltreatment of children, the government is considering a proposal to require parents to register their children with a pediatrician immediately after birth, beginning in 2009, Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported Jan. 21. Failure to do so would result in the denial of birth allowances and other social benefits.
SURVEILLANCE Interior Minister Ivan Langer said Jan. 21 the number of wiretappings in the country decreased 30 percent in 2007, according to a ČTK report. The police used wiretaps 7,846 times last year, Langer said. The government has submitted a bill to Parliament that would further limit the use of wiretapping.
REFORM The country will have two secret services instead of the current four under proposed reforms being prepared by the Cabinet, Aktualne.cz reported Jan. 22. Instead of being subordinate to the Interior or Defense ministries, they will report directly to the government. Under the proposal, military and civilian intelligence services will merge.
HAVEL Former President Václav Havel will likely spend two weeks in a hospital because of an irregular heartbeat and bronchitis, ČTK reported Jan. 21. Havel, 71, was taken to the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague Jan. 19 and will undergo heart and lung checkups in part to determine if a pacemaker is needed.
FOREIGNERS A record number of foreign workers were registered in the Czech Republic in 2007, according to a Jan. 21 ČTK report. The year saw about 240,000 registered, or 55,200 more than were here the previous year. About 101,000 of them were from Slovakia, 61,500 from Ukraine and 23,650 from Poland.
UNHAPPY A new STEM poll reveals that only 2 percent of Czechs said they were happy in 2007, according to a Jan. 18 ČTK report. About 27 percent said they mostly felt fear, anguish and uncertainty; 24 percent said they felt fatigue. However, 37 percent reported satisfaction and 14 percent felt calm.

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