Insight Central Europe News
Poland recalls ambassador from Belarus as Polish Association comes under pressure
Poland recalled its ambassador from Belarus on Thursday, after police in the ex-Soviet republic seized the offices of the 20,000-member Association of Poles. Belarus, led by authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko, has been increasing pressure on the Association, resulting in a series of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats by both states. Warsaw describes Belarusian pressure on the Polish group as a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, the European Union has called on Belarus to respect the rights of the country's estimated 400,000 ethnic Poles.
Poland to keep military contingent in Iraq, says Prime Minister Belka
On a visit to Baghdad on Tuesday, Poland's prime minister, Marek Belka said his country was determined to keep its military contingent of around 1,400 troops in Iraq. He said in the future Polish soldiers might focus on training missions, once stability returns to the war-torn country. Poland has the third largest contingent in the United States-led coalition in Iraq.
Slovak police arrest man trying to sell explosive material
Police in Slovakia have arrested a man trying to sell six kilogrammes of military explosive. A police spokesperson said the man wanted over 9,000 US dollars for the material, which was of a very high quality. He was actively looking for a buyer and would have sold the explosives to anybody, said the police.
Prague's Wenceslas Square to undergo radical reshaping
The authorities in the Czech capital Prague have announced a tender for plans to radically reshape the city's main thoroughfare, Wenceslas Square. Councillors say it needs to improve in terms of layout and transport, and want to ban the parking of cars on the square. They also want to see wider pavements, more benches and less stands, said a spokesperson. Architects must submit their proposals by the end of November, though the project to remodel Wenceslas Square is unlikely to be completed before 2010.
Son of alleged Nazi war criminal wanted in Hungary produces tape
The son of an alleged Nazi war criminal wanted by the Hungarian government for extradition from Australia has produced a tape recording he says proves his father is innocent. Charles Zentia, who is 83, is accused of torturing and murdering a Jewish teenager in Budapest in 1944. Son Ernie Steiner says the man could not have committed the crime because it happened a day after he fled the city to escape the advancing Russians. Mr Steiner said he recorded his father telling this story as part of a family history project a decade ago, years before the allegations were made.
Slovak football team Artmedia achieve famous victory over Glasgow Celtic
The Slovak football club Artmedia Bratislava scored a famous victory on Wednesday, when they beat Glasgow Celtic 5:0 in Bratislava in a qualifying game for the Champions League. Artmedia's coach Vladimir Weiss said his team had believed they could beat Celtic, but he was still surprised by the manner of the victory.
