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December 17th, 2008 | Archives

Joining forces
Czech leaders aid in Brussels' attempt to rescue Lisbon Treaty despite domestic delays

U.S. stalls plans for missile base
Congresswoman questions accuracy of Polish interceptors

Czechs divided on human rights
Minority issues rank low in Amnesty International poll

Euro Watch: Czechs unnerve EU media

Czechs open school in Himalayas
Engineer's project brings education to secluded village in self-sufficient building

What the Lisbon Treaty means for EU states
Unifying document divides Europe with relegation of power, oversight to Brussels

Top four key Lisbon arguments
Debate on the treaty centers on a few general issues

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BRIEFS


GREECE Protesters hurled eggs at police outside an Athens court Dec. 15 and rallies were planned later in the day in the second week of anti-government protests since the Dec. 6 police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, Reuters reported. Some 50 demonstrators confronted police outside the courthouse, where a hearing took place for dozens of people arrested during Greece’s worst riots in decades. Further protests have been planned for the rest of the week.

RUSSIA Russian warships will visit Cuba for the first time since the Soviet era, the Associated Press reported. The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and two support ships that have been on a lengthy visit to Latin America will arrive in Havana Dec. 19 for a five-day stay, Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said. It will be the first visit by Russian warships to the communist-led island since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
SERBIA Police searched houses outside Belgrade Dec. 12 as part of efforts to find former military commander Ratko Mladić, the BBC reported. The search took place in Arandjelovac, a small town 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital. Rasim Ljajić, head of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, said police were checking the home of a suspected member of Mladić’s support network.
IRELAND European Affairs Minister Dick Roche, 61, was caught up in an armed robbery Dec. 15 at a golf resort hotel after finishing a morning swim, the AP reported. Police said Roche and other staff and guests were not injured during the raid on the Marriott Hotel & Country Club at Druids Glen. Roche is the government’s lead spokesman on Ireland’s future in the European Union.
GERMANY Authorities have released two men suspected in the Dec. 13 stabbing of Passau police chief Alois Mannichl, 52, when DNA samples did not match, AP reported. Police officials say Mannichl was stabbed by a member of a local skinhead group. Mannichl underwent emergency surgery and is now stable. No further details on the suspects have been released.
AUSTRIA Actor Daniel Hövels, 30, collapsed on stage at Vienna’s Burgtheater after cutting his throat with what was supposed to be a blunt knife, AP reported Dec. 11. Hoevels was rushed to the hospital with a wound that missed his main artery, but recovered after treatment and was due to appear on stage the following night. Local police are investigating whether the incident was a deliberate attack.
ITALY Police divers in Rome searched the Tiber River Dec. 13 for Irish tourist Vincent Thomas Wall, 27, who fell in while watching the waters rise from days of heavy rain that have thrashed much of the country, AP reported. The storms have claimed at least four lives and prompted the capital to declare a state of emergency. Mayor Gianni Alemanno said Dec. 13 that the situation appeared under control.
SWEDEN The Data Inspection Board is investigating a Web site that publishes the names of convicted sex offenders for potential breach of privacy, AP reported Dec. 14. Board lawyer Jonas Agnvall said the board had been receiving complaints about the site. The Web site has been running since October and posts addresses, court documents, dates of birth and photos of convicted rapists. The site’s owners were not available for comment.

ATTACK The military base in Kandahar, home to a number of Czech troops, was the target of a missile attack Dec. 15, Novinky.cz reported. There were two blasts near the base but no serious injuries. At present, there are 415 Czech troops in Afghanistan, but the Senate supports a plan to increase the number to 745 in 2009. The Chamber of Deputies is slated to vote on the issue Dec. 17.

HOLIDAY Mayor Pavel Bém told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) he will spend his two-week Christmas holiday in the mountains Dec. 15, but sources say he will take part in an expedition to Antarctica, which costs around $600,000. At the annual Christmas Day distribution of fish soup on Old Town Square, Bém will be replaced by his deputies, his wife and two teenage sons. A keen mountaineer, Bém climbed Mount Everest in 2007.
AWARD Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg received a Grand Cross, a German state decoration, from his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier Dec. 15 in appreciation of his contribution to Czech-German relations, the Czech News Agency reported. This is the first time the award has been bestowed on a Czech citizen. Steinmeier praised Schwarzenberg’s efforts at overcoming the division of Europe.

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