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November 22nd, 2008
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May 14th, 2008 | Current Issue

Radar strike
Prague activists stage hunger protest against planned U.S. base

Czechs send aid to Burma crisis
Groups find other means of distribution after efforts thwarted

Muslims address film controversy
Screening of Fitna seeks to dispel its anti-Islamic message

National Guard recruits soldiers
Officials wary that paramilitary group could become a threat

Activists rally to legalize cannabis
Protesters seek further leniency as Parliament debates possession laws

Bold monument derides bureaucracy
Zlín businessman expresses frustrations with gov't through art

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BRIEFS


SERBIA President Boris Tadić’s pro-European Union bloc claimed victory in Serbia’s early elections with almost 40 percent of the vote, the BBC reported May 12. However, he may need the support of at least one nationalist party for a majority government. Analysts warn the formation of the new government could take up to three months.

FRANCE After a weekend of tragic alcohol-related road accidents, the French government wants to make breathalyzer tests obligatory in pubs open past midnight, the BBC reported May 12. Breathalyzers should be available by the summer that would allow guests to check their condition upon leaving.
ITALY The country’s new Interior Minister wants to re-impose border controls for travellers from the passport-free Schengen zone in order to reduce crime and immigration, Reuters reported May 11. The decree would be among the first approved by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s new conservative government. It is aimed mainly against Romanian immigrants and East European Roma.
EU The European Union’s consumer commissioner said she will punish airlines that fail to improve their online booking Web sites within one year, after an EU study found that one-third of European consumers are being misled or cheated when purchasing flights online. Many airlines had already failed to change their Web sites following a warning that resulted from a 2007 investigation, the BBC reported May 9.
TURKEY At least 19 Kurdish rebels were killed in Turkish air strikes in the southeast of the country, the Turkish military announced May 10. The raids, which took place in the Hakkari region bordering Iraq and Iran, were a response to a May 9 attack by the PKK rebel group in which two Turkish soldiers were killed.

INJURED A soldier who suffered light wounds in a rocket attack in Basra, Iraq, was transported to the Military Hospital in Prague May 12, where he will undergo treatment, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported. The soldier’s arm was struck by shrapnel from a rocket that hit near the international military base at Basra airport, guarded by the Czech contingent.

SPOKESMAN A former aide of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek will assume duties as President Václav Klaus’ new spokesman June 1, ČTK reported May 7. The new spokesman, Radim Ochvat, will replace Petr Hájek, who will become deputy head of the Presidential Office.
INSPECTION Neither U.S. nor Czech officials expect observers from Russia to be permanently present at the planned radar base on the Brdy military grounds, Deputy Defense Minister Martin Barták said on Czech Television May 11. However, inspection visits would be possible if Russia shows interest and Prague gives its consent.
PRESSURED State Attorney Zlatuše Andělová told a court May 12 that pressure had been exerted on her in “nonstandard” meetings between judges during last year’s investigation of Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek, who was cleared of corruption charges earlier this year, ČTK reported. In particular, she described three meetings with the Supreme Court deputy chairman and an aide to Topolánek.
CHURCH The Young Christian Democrats want to link the bill on church-state property settlements with a vote of confidence in the government, the party’s leaders announced May 12. If passed, the bill would allow for the return to the church one-third of the property confiscated during communism, along with 83 billion Kč in compensation, according to ČTK.

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