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November 22nd, 2008
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October 1st, 2008 | Current Issue

Voices from the darkness
Local Pakistanis unite in fallout of Islamabad blast that killed dozens

Officer convicted in knife death
Cop gets 10 years for stabbing American Michael Murray

Pundits mull new judicial reforms
Law seeks to stem corruption, augment outdated system

Panel promotes foreign adoption
Conference helps underprivileged kids find homes abroad

Ring road project divides Prague officials
Highway extension plans pit ministry, mayors against city

Locals protest metro station closure
Petitioners criticize plans to close Národní třída for 16 months

City Hall takes axe to youth nature program
Budget cuts limit access to traditional outdoor school trips

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BRIEFS


AUSTRIA Austria’s two far-right parties have hailed the results of snap general elections, which saw their support doubling since the 2006 poll, the BBC reported Sept. 29. The Freedom Party and the Alliance for the Future of Austria took nearly 29 percent of the vote. However, experts expect a grand coalition between the mainstream Social Democrats and People’s Party to block the extremists’ rise to power.

GEORGIA An EU mission to monitor the ceasefire in Georgia is fully deployed, and has met Russian forces to discuss their pullback from positions deep inside the Caucasus country, a senior EU official told Reuters Sept. 29. Under a deal brokered by France after August’s Russia-Georgia war, Russian forces are due to withdraw from two “security zones” adjacent breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Oct. 10.
EU A group of European tourists and their Egyptian guides who were kidnapped 10 days ago by gunmen have been freed, the BBC reported Sept. 29. Italian officials confirmed that the hostages — five Italians, five Germans, a Romanian and their guides — were freed in an operation involving Sudanese troops, and that half of the kidnappers were killed. No ransom was paid. The group has now arrived at a military base in the capital, Cairo.
BELARUS Parliamentary polls in Belarus, in which the opposition failed to win a seat, “fell short” of international standards, the BBC reported Sept. 29. However, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said there were “minor improvements” during the Sept. 28 elections. According to OSCE monitors, the vote was well conducted. However, monitors were denied full access to more than one-third of the polling stations for the count, and found several cases of deliberate falsification of results at other locations.
FRANCE An inmate in a French prison has been shot dead by a sniper from outside the jail, the BBC reported Sept. 29.  The gunned-down prisoner was about to be questioned in a murder case, and had links to organized crime. Another prisoner was injured in the shooting. The suspected gunman was arrested shortly afterward. According to officials, this is the first time in France that a prisoner has been killed from outside the jail.
RUSSIA Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wants to develop a civilian nuclear power program with Russia’s help, the BBC reported Sept. 29. Mr. Chavez emphasized that he wanted nuclear power only for peaceful ends, citing energy and medical purposes. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to consider nuclear cooperation with Venezuela last week. Such a move would likely increase U.S. concerns, experts said.
ITALY A billion-euro bailout of Italian airline Alitalia has won the support of the last two unions who had been opposing the deal, the BBC reported Sept. 29. The support for the rescue package could help clear the way for a relaunch of Italy’s flag carrier.
RUSSIA The European Union expects Russia to supply it with helicopters for its Chad peace mission despite its dispute with Moscow over Georgia, Reuters reported Sept. 29. A chronic shortage of available helicopters forced the European Union last year to delay by months a security mission to protect refugees in eastern Chad and Central African Republic.

SPIES Military counterintelligence has noticed a growing interest by foreign agents in the planned U.S. radar base, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported Sept. 29. This comfirms a civilian counterintelligence report from last week, in which BIS warned against Russian agents, who are allegedly trying to incite public and political opinion against the radar base.

FACTION Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has resurrected the idea of creating a conservative faction within the European Parliament merging his Civic Democratic Party with the British Conservative Party, iDnes.cz reported Sept. 29. He announced these plans at the British party conference in Birmingham. According to Topolánek, the new faction could be established after the 2009 European elections, and would give the parties more room to criticize the European Union.
TRAFFIC A Transportation Ministry campaign aims to decrease the number of road deaths, ČTK reported Sept. 29. It is the most expensive safety campaign so far, and includes TV spots with simulations of crashes. The campaign will run through 2010. This year, 650 road deaths were recorded as of August.
OUTVOTED The ruling coalition was outvoted on crucial legislative decisions during “Black Friday” in Parliament, daily Mladá fronta Dnes reported Sept. 29. The opposition, together with coalition rebels, passed a bill in its first reading canceling health fees for retirees and children under 18. A bill lowering the fuels tax was also passed in its first reading.
THEFT Česká pošta postal service apprehended two workers who over several years stole cash from letters, ČTK reported Sept. 26. The two men confessed to opening letters sent to Slovakia, in which workers mailed their wages home. The two men stole more than 250,000 Kč ($15,000). According to officials, the incident damages the service’s reputation, as this is the second such case this year.

TIBET The Green Party has once again outraged the Chinese government by displaying the Tibetan flag in Parliament during a visit by a Chinese delegation, ČTK reported Sept. 25. The group of Chinese MPs immediately left the Parliament building and expressed their shock at such behavior. Other Czech MPs from all political parties have also criticized the display as unnecessary and have distanced themselves from it.

TICKETS After introducing SMS tickets and the new prepaid Opencard service, the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) has opened an e-shop for long-term coupons, online news server Aktuálně.cz reported Sept. 29. Through these new services, the company aims to cut down on lines that form at the end of each month at counters selling the coupons. DPP also extended its offer for a free Opencard and a 10 percent discount on next year’s fees until the end of October.
PITTSBURGH The original Pittsburgh Agreement has arrived in the Czech Republic for the first time since 1918, when it was signed by Czechoslovak emigrants in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh, paving the road for the creation of Czechoslovakia, ČTK reported Sept. 29. The document will be on display in the Senate until Oct. 28 as part of the exhibition “On the road to independence.” It will then return to the Historical Center in Pittsburgh.
HOUSING The Social Democratic Party has hired a lawyer to help 100,000 people living in flats formerly owned by Ostrava mining company OKD to gain ownership of the apartments, daily Hospodářské noviny reported Sept. 30. The move, approved by party leadership, comes only a few days before the Senate and regional elections. However, party officials claim that it is not part of their election campaign.
GRAVES Archaeologists have discovered a Bronze Age burial mound in Písek, south Bohemia, ČTK reported Sept. 30. While such graves are not uncommon, the discovery is unique due to its location in the historical center of the town. Archaeologists say the area may have been a large necropolis 3,500 years ago, giving way to a medieval town. Písek officials now want to conserve the area and make it accessible for tourists.

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