Czech Republic

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST/PRAGUE (BosNewsLife)-- Official results from the Czech Republic's general election indicate a left-leaning Social Democrats party narrowly won the country's general election. The Social Democrats received less votes than expected, prompting its leader to resign. Analysts say that despite the victory, the country appears headed to a center right government.

Listen to BosNewsLife News report via Voice of America CzechoslovakiaBosNewsLifeRadio By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife PRAGUE/BRATISLAVA/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Czechs and Slovaks have begun observing the 20th anniversary of the break up of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, amid concerns over economic differences.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife PRAGUE/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Pope Benedict XVI began a three day visit to the Czech Republic Saturday, September 26, with a call for the nation to rediscover its Christian roots. Forty years of communist rule in the country stifled religious activities and left the number of Catholics in decline and religious practice in general at historic lows.

Listen to BosNewsLife News via the Voice of America BosNewsLifeElection By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (BosNewsLife)-- Citizens in the Czech Republic are voting in the first direct presidential elections in their nation's 20-year history. Among the three favorite candidates is the man who wants to become Europe's first popularly elected Jewish head of state and one unusually colorful candidate

By BosNewsLife News Center BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- The Austrian and German chancellors and prime ministers of Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland have condemned the arrests of dissidents in Belarus and say they support a travel ban and freeze of assets of Belarus officials.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of people took to the streets of the Czech capital Prague on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the mass demonstrations that led to the collapse of communist rule in what was Czechoslovakia. But, the anniversary of the "Velvet Revolution" has been overshadowed by concerns over political tensions in the Czech Republic.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife WARSAW/PRAGUE/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Poland and the Czech Republic are reacting to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to scrap plans for a Europe-based missile defense system. Several officials in the region have warned that the move will improve Washington's relations with Moscow at the expense of other Eastern European allies.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife at BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest BUDAPEST/PRAGUE (BosNewsLife)-- The current European Union president, the Czech Republic, is under pressure to overcome failed talks with key former Soviet states on an energy deal. Negotiations on reducing Europe's dependency on Russian natural gas are one of several key challenges facing the Czech Republic's new government.