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July 25th, 2008
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January 16th, 2008 | Current Issue

Losing out
Women with children are left behind by new public finance reforms

Events to honor historic protest
Public marks Jan. 16 anniversary of Jan Palach's suicide

Bizarre case of Libyan arms debt
Billions owed by Tripoli to Czech Republic are missing

Adjusting to Schengen life
Border crossings easier, but length-of-stay regulations still tricky

New committee seeks to fund artists
Some theaters stay afloat through private donations while awaiting city grants

Spiritual groups gain in popularity
Nontraditional faith gatherings take root among Czechs, expats

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BRIEFS


RUSSIA The Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned the British ambassador regarding two British Council offices that reopened Jan. 14, the BBC reported. The offices had been ordered shut last month in connection with the most recent clash over the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko. Russia is calling the re-openings a “provocation” and plans to refuse new visas to British Council staff.

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed, along with U.S. President George W. Bush, to recognize Kosovo after its expected declaration of independence, and is encouraging the rest of Europe to do likewise, The New York Times reported Jan. 11. The leaders believe the recognition of Kosovo would help to stabilize the western Balkans.
FRANCE During his visit to the Middle East, President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he would sign a nuclear cooperation accord with the United Arab Emirates, the International Herald Tribune reported Jan. 13. Such an accord in civilian nuclear activities, which is a first step to building a reactor, would be the third that France has recently signed with a Muslim country.
EU Milk and meat from cloned animals don’t seem to pose any special health risks to humans, according to a draft report by the European Food Safety Agency, the NYT reported Jan. 12. The finding was the first step toward the potential sale of food products from cloned livestock in the European Union.
VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict celebrated sections of Sunday’s Mass with his back to the congregation, a ritual that hasn’t been used in the decades since the Second Vatican Council allowed the celebrant to face worshipers, Reuters reported Jan. 13. The move is being seen as the Pope’s most recent nod to Church traditionalists.

ASYLUM Three Turkish refugees threatened Jan. 14 to commit suicide if the government does not speed up their asylum proceedings, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported. The Turks, who are between 21 and 23 years old, are currently housed in a refugee center in north Moravia. A total of 1,875 refugees applied for asylum in the country this year, the lowest since 1995.

KOSOVO The Czech Republic will streamline its stance on Kosovo’s expected declaration of independence in accordance with other EU countries, Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg announced Jan. 14 following a meeting with Hashim Thaci, his Kosovar counterpart. Thaci reiterated his plans to break away from Serbia “soon,” but did not specify a date.
RADAR The planned U.S. missile-defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic will be ineffective in protecting Europe or Asia against attacks by rogue states, U.S. expert Philip Coyle told Brdy-area mayors Jan. 14. Coyle said that if the radar base were built in Brdy, it would become a prime target for enemy attacks, according to ČTK.
CORRUPTION Police have reopened their investigation into the biofuels case in which six people, including high-ranking government officials, were accused of corruption, the daily Právo reported Jan. 14. The state attorney previously halted the prosecution in July for lack of evidence.
INSULTED Romany activists expressed indignation with Christian Democratic Party Chairman Jiří Čunek after he insulted their culture at the party’s Jan. 11 conference, ČTK reported. Čunek said traditional Romany family values violate the human rights charter because they cause the Roma to fall into poverty.  
FINED The Supreme Court faces a less than 9 million Kč fine from the tax office for filing belated investment reports, according to a Jan. 12 report by the online news server Nova.cz. The court, which was fined 40 million Kč for the same reason last year, now faces criticism from the Justice Ministry for withholding information regarding the fine.
MARCH Police are preparing for the expected arrival of hundreds of Czech and German neo-Nazis and possibly anarchists who are planning a march for “Freedom of Expression” through Plzeň Jan. 19, ČTK reported. Authorities have asked colleagues from Bavaria and Saxony for help. Many view the march as an affront to Holocaust victims.

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