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

Still watching you
Secret service reforms could increase surveillance of bank accounts, phone records and other personal data

Massive crowds protest radar
As May approaches, U.S. defense treaty signing looms large

Cities enforce public drinking ban
Alcohol-free zones could expand to Prague this summer

Support for Slovak media rights
A bill from Bratislava to amend press laws could limit editorial independence

Thousands flock to see crown jewels
5,000 daily visitors marvel at the rich history of prized national possessions

Power plants face insurance hike
Officials say increase is the result of politics and not safety concerns

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BRIEFS


Last Thursday, at the ceremonial unlocking of the Bohemian Crown Jewels, I had the humbling experience of standing a meter from the national treasures without anything in between, before they were placed in a glass security case. Not even the pushing and shoving mass of other journalists fighting for the best photo angle could mar the experience. The sight of the jewels — which radiate with history and beauty — could change even the starkest republican into a loyal royalist.

And I’m not the only one who feels that way.
“Whenever I see the original crown jewels, I feel honored to be in their presence,” Jiří Belda, the official caretaker of the jewels, told me that evening. Charged with cleaning and maintaining the ornaments since 1966, Belda has likely spent more time with them than any other person dead or alive, including ruling monarchs who could only use them on special occasions. “When we made a copy of the crown in 1967, we spent a year at the castle with daily access to the jewels,” he said, referring to replicas made for an international exhibition.
When the crown jewels are brought out for an exhibition, it’s Belda who cleans and inspects them, as he did before the jewels were put on the display last week.
“They are in perfect shape,” he said, “and I hope that they will remain so for a long time to come.”
They will continue to be in the best of hands for many years as Belda has already trained his successor to take care of the jewels once he retires. The job will stay in the family through his son. He is also a goldsmith and already helps his father with the jewels, and participated in creating a second copy of them in 1999.

EU The UN refugee agency advised European Union countries to stop sending asylum seekers to Greece, a development that amounts to a condemnation of the country’s treatment of such people. Greece called the agency’s criticism unfair, The New York Times reported April 21. The UN had been concerned for some time that asylum seekers faced “undue hardships” in Greece, often lacking legal aid and interpreters.

GERMANY Postal workers began holding warning strikes in cities such as Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg to increase pressure on Deutsche Post to raise wages, Reuters reported April 20. The work stoppages could mean that approximately 3 million letters would be undelivered. The trade union is calling on workers to support full-blown strike action in May.  
SPAIN Nine Finnish tourists were killed and at least 19 injured in a bus crash near the southern coastal resort of Benalmadena April 19. Torrential rain and strong winds had made driving conditions difficult, the BBC reported. The coach had collided with another vehicle, the driver of which was suspected of being drunk, and overturned on the highway.
UK Eight former detainees of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay filed lawsuits against the UK government and security services, accusing them of complicity in their illegal detention. The suits, which seek millions of pounds, accuse the MI5 security service, MI6 secret intelligence service and the attorney general of participating in the abduction, treatment and interrogation of the eight men, who had been detained in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gambia, the Associated Press reported April 20.
FRANCE A Paris court charged six Somalis with taking the crew of a French yacht hostage off the coast of Africa earlier this month. After the 30 hostages were released, the suspects were detained in an April 18 raid and flown to Paris, the BBC reported. Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed consented to the suspects being taken from the country.

VISAS The European Union and the Czech government reached an agreement April 18 allowing the Czech Republic to continue bilateral talks with the United States regarding visa waivers, Lidové noviny (LN) reported. EU interior ministers agreed to allow the European Commission to negotiate visa-free U.S. travel for all EU states. EU officials had previously criticized Czech-U.S. talks, concerned the deal might give too much access to the personal data of EU travelers.

NO-VOTE The April 20 nationwide congress of the Christian Democratic Party revealed deep-seated internal disputes, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported. Failing to elect a new leadership, the congress strayed from focusing on the party’s official program, instead fixating on the political atmosphere in the party and divisive issues.
CONFIDENCE The opposition Social Democrats plan to propose a parliamentary vote of confidence in the government coalition in early May, LN reported. A minimum of 50 deputy signatures are needed to enable the vote, which should not be a problem, as the Social Democratic Party alone has 71 members in Parliament.
CRASH Police finished investigating the large crash on the main east-west highway that took place in March, ČTK reported April 21. In total 231 cars were involved in the pile-up, three people had serious injuries and the total damage was 27.8 million Kč ($1.8 million). Speeding was determined to be the cause of the crash.
FLOODS Half of the north Moravian village of Nové Heřminovy near Bruntál will be underwater, when goverment plans are completed to build a dam to prevent extensive flooding similar to the one that afflicted the area in 1997. Homeowners should receive attractive compensation, according to Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovič in an April 21 ČTK report.

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