I never wavered in my opinion that I was dealing with the person who was in the maximum control of events in Kosovo.”The accused sat back and smiled as Mr Walker told the court: “The meetings were dominated by him [Milosevic] all four of them.”Mr Walker’s evidence is central to the prosecution, which must prove that Mr Milosevic had personal responsibility for Serbian atrocities in Kosovo.Yesterday’s evidence came amid reports of a setback for the tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte. The trial of Slobodan Milosevic reached a crucial juncture yesterday when the United Nations war crimes tribunal was told the former Yugoslav president had personal knowledge of a Serbian massacre.
In a development that focused attention on Serb war crimes in Kosovo, William Walker, the US diplomat who led an international observer mission in Kosovo, said he believed Mr Milosevic had known of Serbian atrocities against ethnic Albanians in the province in 1999.Mr Walker, who met Mr Milosevic in the 1990s, said that the Yugoslav president’s “knowledge was in many respects quite detailed. Mr Kostunica also called for strikes and protests.All 45 deputies of the Democratic Party of Serbia handed in their parliamentary identity cards in protest at a decision by the rest of Serbia’s ruling coalition to replace 21 of them and give seats to rival parties after they were dismissed for poor attendance.Milan Milutinovic, the Serbian President, a former Milosevic aide, has been indicted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague (AP). Yugoslavia was gripped by its biggest political crisis since Slobodan Milosevic was ousted two years ago when the current President’s party quit the Serbian parliament.
Legislators from the party of Vojislav Kostunica, the Yugoslav President, walked out of yesterday’s assembly session, which he declared was a sham. Praguers are hoping this new campaign will be more successful – and the threats against Mr Zajicek show it is making the dishonest drivers squeal..

The council says it is planning to introduce an SMS service to allow passengers to check the correct price of their taxi ride over their mobile phone.Drivers managed to scupper the city authorities’ last effort to rein them in, a few years ago. The identification numbers of drivers found overcharging are being published on the council’s website, and the city transport department is levying heavy fines. Taxis frequently overcharge Czechs as well, and many Praguers call cars from reputable taxi companies on their mobile phones rather than flag down a taxi in the street.Now the city council has ordered undercover inspectors to make spot checks on taxis day and night. Things can become nasty if you refuse to pay.Mr Zajicek has said the crackdown is essential because the taxi drivers are damaging Prague’s reputation as a tourist destination.The dishonest drivers seem to control the taxi ranks in prime tourist areas such as Wenceslas Square – but not only the tourists are suffering. Many taxis are fitted with a device called a turbo, which allows the driver to alter the speed of the meter as he drives – meaning even if you insist the driver puts the meter on, you can still be overcharged. Last month, the police arrested one driver who was sending threatening e-mails to the city council from his home computer.The drivers are incensed at what is a long-overdue crackdown by the council, and Mr Zajicek has been singled out because he is seen as the main force behind the new campaign.Anyone who has visited Prague is likely to have been overcharged for a taxi The drivers have elevated overcharging to an art form. Prague’s gangsterish taxi drivers are notorious for massively overcharging and then threatening or intimidating those who refuse to pay.

Zdenek Zajicek has asked for police bodyguards for himself, his wife and children, because, he says, some of the city’s taxi drivers have started threatening him.
It is not a matter to be taken lightly. A Prague city councillor has demanded police protection – from taxi drivers. Patients should be offered a range of remedies and the benefits of no-blame solutions ought to be considered.. “The way many trusts mishandle the tension between the complaints and claims procedures means patients can too easily and too quickly find themselves in a position where they seek legal remedies,” the MPs say.The Department of Health is expected to announce the results of a review of clinical negligence later this year.But the MPs say the most immediate requirement is to reduce the number of errors.