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July 25th, 2008
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July 23rd, 2008 | Archives

Supply lines
Is the Czech Republic too dependent on Russian oil?

Canada threatens travel strictures
Move spurred by increase of Czechs seeking refugee status

Parking garages slated for center
Prague 3 locals angered over planned lots in their district

U.S. passport theft increases
Embassy vexed as other countries cite a decline in incidents

Radio Wave loses out on analog
Industry regulators say the station was illegal, but not everyone agrees

Charles Bridge repairs criticized
The 200 million Kč project continues stone by stone

ČR prepares for presidency
Preparations for EU leadership take on public awareness issue

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BRIEFS


UK Two more defendants accused of plotting to detonate liquid explosives aboard trans-Atlantic jets have pleaded guilty to lesser charges in London, the Associated Press reported July 21. Arafat Waheed Khan, 27, and Waheed Zaman, 24, admitted Monday to “conspiring to commit a public nuisance.” The pair deny conspiring to kill thousands of people by smuggling liquid explosives onto jets bound from London to North America. Six other British Muslims are still on trial for the alleged plot.

TURKEY Three German climbers taken hostage by the Kurdish armed rebel group PKK have been freed and are in the hands of the Turkish government, the BBC reported July 20. The PKK had vowed not to release them unless Germany renounced its crackdown on the group, defined as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. However, the group was forced to abandon the hostages when pursued by the Turkish Army.
SPAIN Four bombs exploded in northern Spain July 20 — including one outside a bank — causing damage but no injuries, the Associated Press reported. An unknown caller contacted authorities and warned about the explosives, saying he was speaking on behalf of Basque separatists. The Spanish Interior Ministry said the first bomb detonated without warning around 5 a.m. outside a bank in the northern town of Getxo, damaging a cash dispenser and windows.
EU The European Commission plans to block almost $1 billion in funds for Bulgaria as a penalty for failing to tackle corruption and organized crime, the BBC reported July 18. A prepared report concludes that Bulgaria has to make the commitment to cleanse its administration and ensure that the support it receives is not siphoned off by corrupt officials, operating together with organized crime.
AUSTRIA Authorities have ordered a new round of medical and psychiatric tests to determine whether a suspected Nazi is healthy enough to be extradited to Croatia to stand trial for alleged atrocities, the Associated Press reported July 19. The public prosecutor’s office said a fresh evaluation of 95-year-old Milivoj Asner will clarify concerns about his health. Critics contend Austria is sheltering Asner from Croatia, which wants to try him for World War II-era crimes.

EUTHANASIA Independant Senator Václava Domšová proposed a bill that would legalize euthanasia, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported July 21. Human Rights and Minorities Minister Džamila Stehlíková said she considered the bill unfortunate. If passed, the bill would allow long-suffering patients to choose a “dignified death.”

APOLOGY Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek wants an apology from the U.S. detective agency Kroll, which named him during its audit of Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek, the online server iDnes.cz reported July 22. Kalousek denies involvement with Čunek, who lobbied for a weapons manufacturer during the ’90s while Kalousek worked at the Defense Ministry.
DETAINED An Indian court refused to release two Czech entomologists detained in northeastern India over unauthorized insect collecting in June, ČTK reported July 21. Czech consul in New Delhi Jan Kreuter said the scientists are being used as bait by striking locals. A Nepalese minority wants more independence from the central government and welcomes the media attention the scientists have attracted.
ENLARGEMENT Extending the Nice Treaty to include an addendum would make it possible to admit Croatia to the European Union, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said after meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra, ČTK reported July 21. He said France’s effort to link enlargement to the Lisbon Treaty is just a pressure tactic.
TAXES Topolánek said the Czech Republic will give in to the United States on the issue of VAT with regards to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the daily Právo reported July 22. In return, Topolánek expects the U.S. to offer a range of offset programs. He said that the treaty could be signed in a matter of weeks.
REINFORCEMENTS A Czech military Airbus A-319 had to return to Prague after Turkmen authorities denied it flight over Turkmenistan July 18, reported ČTK. The reinforcements left again for Afghanistan the next day after Turkmen authorities issued a permit in writing.
DOGS Police started investigating the slaughtering of dogs for meat in the Cheb vicinity, ČTK reported. The head of a dog as well as other animal remains and freezers full of meat were found in an old barn July 20. A young Vietnamese man is suspected of killing the animals.

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