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November 22nd, 2008
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June 25th, 2008 | Current Issue

The charged issue of Tasers
Czech law enforcement's use of the controversial device brings an international debate home

Unions strike across country
Demonstrators draw support and criticism on Prague streets

Details of shocking abuse emerge
Mother of tortured boys admits guilt on stand

Kosovo autonomy dispute rages
Serbians view Czech recognition as a 'betrayal' of history

Iowa floods hit Czech/Slovak museum
Thousands of heritage artifacts salvaged, many others beyond repair

Cowboy culture takes root in ČR
Czechs take on the Wild West in weekend shooting events

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BRIEFS


FRANCE French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in Israel on the first official state visit there in 12 years, the BBC reported June 22. He has called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Such a state would be in the best interests of Israelis as well as Palestinians, he said. Sarkozy’s admiration for Israel is in contrast to the position of his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who was considered pro-Arab

ITALY A corruption trial against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and David Mills, a British lawyer, will proceed next month despite Mr. Berlusconi’s attempts to have it stopped by accusing the court of bias, The New York Times reported June 21. Mr. Berlusconi, who recently began a third term in office, is accused of paying Mills $600,000 in 1997 to withhold incriminating details of his business dealings. Both men deny wrongdoing.
EU The European Commission wants to unify air traffic control in the EU, the International Herald Tribune reported June 22. Air traffic in the congested skies is expected to double by 2020 and it is currently controlled by 60 centers. By contrast, the United States manages double that number of flights for a similar cost from only 20 control centers. The new system should be operational by 2012.
SCOTLAND Smokers in the poorest areas of Scotland are being offered £150 worth of groceries by the health service if they quit smoking, the BBC reported June 21. A breath test proves at the end of the 12-week program if they gave up the habit and successful participants are given credit on an electronic card, which cannot be used to buy cigarettes or alcohol. A similar project is also used to encourage pregnant women to quit smoking.
MACEDONIA A journalist charged with the rape and murder of two elderly women after he reported on the crimes for his newspaper was found dead in custody June 23, the BBC reported. Also under investigation for a third murder, the journalist, Vlado Teneski, got the attention of authorities by including unpublicized details of the murders in his reports. He committed suicide by submerging his head in a bucket of water.
ITALY Life sentences for 16 members of one of the most violent mafia clans in Naples were upheld by and Italian appeals court June 19, the BBC reported. The original trial of the members of the Camorra clan was among the biggest in Italian history, lasting seven years.
FRANCE In a move lauded as “transformational” in the countries’ relations, Algeria and France signed an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation during French Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s visit to Algiers June 21, the BBC reported. Opposed by the North African branch of the militant group al-Qaida, the deal ensures future collaboration on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

TRAFFIC Due to ongoing construction of internal city roads, Letná Park will close to car traffic June 30, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported. Traffic will be diverted to surrounding streets, because a hole needs to be dug to aid in the construction of the tunnel beneath Letná. The restriction will be in place until January 2009.

LISBON After seriously questioning the Lisbon Treaty’s future on the first day of the EU summit June 19, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek made a highly qualified statement that the Czech Republic might ratify it, ČTK reported. The Czech Republic is one of eight countries that has not yet ratified the treaty, which failed to win the support of Irish voters in a mid-June referendum.
DEFECTION Petr Wolf defected from the Social Democrats (ČSSD) June 22. According to daily Právo, bribes from the ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS) are behind the MP’s decision. On top of that, ODS has at least another 10 to 15 Social Democratic MPs who they can bribe or blackmail if they need to, said former ČSSD aide Miroslav Šlouf.
CIA The Czech Republic took part in the secret transport of suspected terrorists organized by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, according to a June 23 Amnesty International report. While no aircraft landed here while carrying a prisoner, Czech airports were used as launch pads and stopover points for planes that had dropped off or were en route to picking up prisoners in other countries.
PARAMILITARY The two-member patrol of the National Guard, a paramilitary unit of the rightist National Party, stood outside a Karlovy Vary elementary school June 24 to allegedly protect students against attacks by Roma children, ČTK reported. The patrols are a reaction to recent muggings of schoolchildren by gangs comprising Roma and other children.

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