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September 8th, 2008
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April 9th, 2008 | Current Issue

Full speed ahead
Encouraged by summit talks, pro-radar leaders look to parliamentary approval

Chinese officials demand apology
Embassy says ministry support of Tibet could harm country relations

Funding cuts threaten theaters
A frustrated arts community starts petition, plans protest

NATO weighs eastward expansion
Czech officials participate in international dialogue at summit

Museum collections on the move
10 million artifacts must be relocated before restoration

Tourism numbers up, but problems persist
Effects of stronger crown and Schengen yet to be determined

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BRIEFS


FRANCE Protesters critical of Chinese rule in Tibet demonstrated in Paris April 7 against the torch relay ahead of the Beijing Olympics. About 3,000 police were on duty as an estimated 500 protesters assembled mainly near the Eiffel Tower, the BBC reported. For safety reasons, officials had to extinguish the torch and put it on a bus.

UK The trial of eight Britons accused of plotting to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners bound for North America began April 3 and could last up to eight months, the International Herald Tribune reported. The suspects were arrested in raids in London and Birmingham in August 2006, and are accused of plotting to use liquid explosives to bring down several planes simultaneously in midflight.
RUSSIA The country’s biggest party, the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, will invite Vladimir Putin to become its leader, the party’s chief said April 7. Such leadership would effectively give Putin control of Parliament, Reuters reported. Putin has said he will become prime minister after successor Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in May 7.
MONTENEGRO Incumbent Filip Vujanović won Montenegro’s first presidential elections since it separated from Serbia two years ago, the Associated Press reported. In a vote held April 6, Vujanović won 51.4 percent and pro-Serb challenger Andrija Mandić had 20.4 percent, an independent vote monitoring group revealed.
GERMANY As many as 30 German anti-terrorism police officers are believed to have provided training for their Libyan colleagues in 2006, the BBC reported April 6. Germany has denied media reports that the deal was signed by Gerhard Schröder. Elite police units are also distancing themselves from the situation, denying any official involvement.
UK Brian Cowen was confirmed April 5 as the new head of Northern Ireland’s leading Fianna Fail party, succeeding Bertie Ahern, who stepped down last week amid ongoing inquiries into his finances. Cowen had been expected to succeed Ahern for a long time, the BBC reported.
EU The use of mobile phones on planes flying in European airspace has been approved by the European Commission, the BBC reported April 7. The decision means mobiles could be used once a plane has reached an altitude of 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) or higher and the first services could be launched later this year.
FRANCE French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner said that the country has made contact with Somali pirates who seized a French yacht and its crew of about 30, the BBC reported April 6. He did not rule out the possibility of paying a ransom to free the crew. A military rescue operation will be attempted only if the safety of the crew can be guaranteed.
KOSOVO The United Nations war crimes tribunal in the Hague acquitted former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army Ramush Haradinaj of all charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity April 3. The surprise decision has the potential to inflame anti-Kosovar sentiment in Serbia, the IHT reported.
CYPRUS Ledra street in the divided capital of Cyprus reopened April 3 for the first time in 44 years, raising hopes for a new effort to unify the island, the Associated Press reported. The crossing was closed within hours, however, after an alleged violation of an agreement by the Turkish-Cypriot police.
UK Six months after Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlined a plan for sharp cuts in the remaining British forces in southern Iraq by this spring, his defense secretary announced that the reduction had been postponed, The New York Times reported April 2. Such a move will now be preceded by a review of the security situation in Basra.

ELECTION The Interior Ministry, together with the Czech Statistical Office, wants to prepare an electronic electoral system, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported April 7. The system should be ready by 2010 and could be used for the first time in 2014 if Parliament approves it.

HEALTH Health Minister Tomáš Julínek is looking to privatize health insurance companies. According to his planned reforms, the state would retain a majority only in VZP, the country’s largest health insurance company, ČTK reported April 7. Each family stands to gain 10,000 Kč ($622) from the privatization, according to Julínek.
ROMA On the occasion of International Roma Day April 8, several organizations have warned that anti-Gypsy feelings are growing in Czech society, according to ČTK. Prague-based charity group People in Need started a campaign against neo-Nazis in an attempt to warn against rising xenophobic tendencies.
PUNISHMENT An estimated three-fifths of the population is against the banning of domestic physical punishment for children, Lidové noviny reported April 8. A quarter of parents admit to punishing their kids every now and then. Human Rights Minister Džamila Stehlíková plans to ban physical punishment despite admitting to having used it on her own daughter.
TRANSPORT The Constitutional Court waived complaints by private transport company Student Agency against a law that allows member of Parliament to travel for free on public transport, ČTK reported April 5. However, the court went on to say that the benefit does not apply to private transport companies, for which such officials have to buy a ticket like everyone else.

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