Czech Republic

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Czech Government Falls on Eve of Obama Visit

Collapse endangers plans for missile defense installation

(Newser) - The Czech prime minister announced his resignation last night after his government lost a confidence vote in parliament, reports the New York Times. The ouster of Mirek Topolanek comes at an awkward moment: Not only do the Czechs hold the rotating EU presidency, but Barack Obama is scheduled to visit...

As Potent Sex Trade Fizzles, Czechs Look to Legalize

Czech Republic, hotbed of sex tourism, sees numbers drop

(Newser) - In the Czech Republic, prostitution is somewhere between legal and illegal—which has made Prague one of the biggest sex tourism hotspots in Europe. But a global recession, coupled with a strong local currency, has led to a sharp drop in the world's oldest profession. The hotel industry is so...

Czech Author Slams Claim He Aided Reds

Kundera denies turning in secret agent to Communists

(Newser) - Czech author Milan Kundera emerged from media isolation today to denounce a story that he betrayed a Cold War agent to the Communists, the Guardian reports. A historian says that in 1950, Kundera ratted on a Czech deserter hired by Western intelligence; the man served 14 years of mostly hard...

Bush Watches US Top Czechs in Basketball

Taurasi layup sparks surge to 97-57 victory

(Newser) - With President Bush and the first family looking on, the United States women's basketball team began its quest for a fourth-straight gold medal with a rout of the Czech Republic. Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half to lead the US to the 97-57 victory...

Russia Bristles at Landmark US-Czech Deal

Moscow threatens military action against anti-missile system

(Newser) - Russia today blasted a landmark deal between the US and Czech Republic with rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War. After Czech officials agreed to let the US use its territory for a missile-defense system, Moscow threatened military retaliation, Reuters reports. The Kremlin views the deployment of the system in former...

Cannibal Family Ate Boy's Flesh
 Cannibal Family Ate Boy's Flesh 

Cannibal Family Ate Boy's Flesh

Cult skinned 7-year-old alive

(Newser) - A family of Czech cannibals is on trial for hacking off pieces of a 7-year-old boy who survived the ghoulish abuse, the Sun reports. The horror unraveled last year when a neighbor’s baby monitor picked up images of the chained-up boy meant to be seen by the boy's mother.

Vivaldi Opera Revived 278 Years Later

Czech musician tracks down long-lost work in Germany

(Newser) - A long-lost opera by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi has resurfaced nearly 280 years after its Prague premiere, BBC reports. Argippo, a tale of love and deception set in an Indian maharaja’s court, was first performed in 1730 but vanished soon after, leaving only a libretto. But that was enough...

Navratilova 'Defects' Again From 'Worse' Bush Regime

Tennis champ regains her Czech citizenship

(Newser) - Thirty years after defecting to the US, at the height of the Cold War, tennis ace Martina Navratilova has regained her Czech citizenship, the Independent reports. The racket star became a US citizen in 1981. She plans to retain her US citizenship as well but she had some harsh criticism...

Eastern Europe: Charm for Less
Eastern Europe: Charm for Less
TRAVEL

Eastern Europe: Charm for Less

Prague, Poland among adventurous destinations for thrifty travelers

(Newser) - The ever-pricier euro is sending determined travelers east, past the Eiffel Tower, to overlooked treasures like Prague's Old Town Square. Check out cheaper, Eastern European must-sees as recommended by Forbes:
  1. Peterhof State Museum-Reserve, St. Petersburg, Russia: These palaces and 18th-century gardens rival those of Versailles.
  2. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Plitvice
...

Putin Defies Critics in Last Bow
Putin Defies Critics in Last Bow

Putin Defies Critics in Last Bow

Russian leader underlines post-presidency designs on power, spars with West

(Newser) - Today may have been Vladimir Putin’s final press conference as Russia's president, but he made it clear he won’t be going far, the New York Times reports. Putin said he would remain a force in the Kremlin, as “there’s enough power to go 'round,” Bloomberg...

Meth Use Spreading in Europe
Meth Use Spreading in Europe

Meth Use Spreading in Europe

Boom in Czech labs has UN officials fearing US-style epidemic

(Newser) - Methamphetamine use appears to be on the rise across Central Europe, following an explosion in the number of small home meth labs in the Czech Republic. Czech authorities have raided 416 methamphetamine labs this year—up from 19 in 2000, reports the New York Times. UN officials worry that the...

Protesters Thwart Neo-Nazi Rally in Prague

'I don't like these idiots with their shaved heads,' says one

(Newser) - Neo-Nazis marching on the anniversary of the infamous 1938 Nazi pogrom Kristallnacht ran into a wall of more than 1,000 counter-protesters bearing the Star of David in Prague's old Jewish quarter yesterday, the BBC reports. Czech police had earlier detained some of the skinheads, members of the Young Nationalist...

Putin Vows to Boost Production of Military Aircraft

Plan could include new nuclear bombers

(Newser) - Russian Premier Vladimir Putin has announced ambitious new plans to revive Russia's military aircraft production, which could include new nuclear bombers for "strategic deterrence," according to a US aide. Appearing at the largest air show in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, Putin vowed to make...

Putin Wants in on Missile Shield
Putin Wants in on Missile Shield

Putin Wants in on Missile Shield

Russian premier pushes plan for joint anti-missile defense system in lieu of bases in Poland, Czech Reppublic

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin yesterday pushed his proposal for cooperating with the US on a joint missile defense system, part of which would be built on Russian soil, the Washington Post reports. The offer, first broached in Germany last month,  was welcomed by President Bush as he and the Russian premier ...

Missile Defense Founders on Bush Missteps

Poles and Czechs underappreciated, Congress stiffens

(Newser) - President Bush is looking for support for his missile shield in all the wrong places, the LA Times reports. While he dallies with president Putin, an increasingly underwhelmed Congress is readying to pull the plug. Meanwhile, Poland and the Czech Republic—the designated missile-defense bases—are increasingly skeptical of American...

Bush Tries to Calm Russian Fury Over Missile Shield

'The Cold War is over,' says the president

(Newser) - Russia has nothing to fear from a US missile shield in Eastern Europe, President Bush insisted in a speech in the Czech Republic today aimed at smoothing Vladimir Putin's ruffled feathers en route to the G8 summit. The Russian president threatened over the weekend to aim nuclear warheads at Europe...

US and Russia Lock Horns over Kosovo, Missile Shield

Cold War fault lines rumble at prelim G-8 summit

(Newser) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US counterpart Condi Rice butted heads during a sit-down with G-8 foreign ministers yesterday, over US plans to grant Kosovo independence and build a missile defense shield in the region. The entire group endorsed freeing Kosovo from Serbian control, the Washington Post reports, except...

Drug-Resistant TB Patient Flies Commercial

Carrier crossed Atlantic twice, putting passengers at risk

(Newser) - A man infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis boarded two transatlantic flights in two weeks, CNN reports, putting his fellow passengers at risk. Planes are equipped with air filters that should catch the rod-shaped TB bacili, but the CDC recommends anyone on Air France 385, from Atlanta to Paris May 12, or...

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