Coalition

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic's three-party coalition government appeared to be heading toward collapse after a junior partner said it would quit. The Liberal Democrats announced the move Thursday shortly after Prime Minister Petr Necas fired Karolina Peake from the post of defense minister, just eight days after she was appointed. Necas said the main reason for him to dismiss Peake was "clearly a loss of confidence. " Peake chairs the centrist Liberal Democrats, the smallest member of the three-party coalition government.

The solution for avoiding school closings and continued, painful budget cuts in the Philadelphia School District? A coalition of community and student groups and the city teachers' union says it has found it: Focus on improving instruction. Ditch the School Reform Commission. Shift the way schools think about safety and discipline. Halt charter school growth. And, most important, force Harrisburg to fund the Philadelphia School District equitably, making up billions in aid that would fix a broken school system, the advocates said.

The Community College of Philadelphia's faculty union has called on the college to sever ties with the Marcellus Shale Coalition after the industry trade group pledged $15,000 to the school's new Energy Training Center. The Faculty and Staff Federation's governing council approved a resolution Tuesday opposing the college's association with the industry group after the college announced last month it was establishing a center to prepare students for energy jobs, including some related to the state's shale-gas boom.

THE BROAD STREET Community Coalition has formed to address concerns about developer Bart Blatstein's proposed Provence Casino, but leaders say they're not taking a stand for or against the project. "We are really concerned about traffic, parking, security and safety issues for the community," said Kevin Greenberg, a lawyer who represents the group. "Our goal is to work with the developer to identify and address those issues. " Blatstein has applied for a license to build a casino and resort inside the former Daily News / Inquirer building on Broad Street at Callowhill.

BRUSSELS - The newly formed Syrian opposition coalition received backing from the European Union on Monday in a significant vote of confidence for a movement struggling to prove its credibility and gain the trust of the country's factions. EU foreign ministers stopped short of offering official diplomatic recognition because that can only be decided by each member country individually. But the endorsement of the coalition as a legitimate voice for Syria's people represents a major step forward in the West's acceptance of the group.

A Philadelphia nonprofit with ties to State Rep. Dwight Evans mismanaged $1.5 million in state grants since 2006, raising questions about how the money was obtained and spent, according to a confidential state audit. At Evans' direction, the Urban Affairs Coalition put a Philadelphia pastor and his aide on its payroll, the auditors found, then used taxpayer funds to pay them $365,000 for work that auditors said they could not verify. The grants included $1 million that went to renovate a nursing home run by Leland Beloff, a former Philadelphia city councilman who was convicted in an extortion scheme in 1987 with mob boss Nicodemo Scarfo.

THE SEQUEL is never as entertaining or surprising as the original. And so President Obama - who dazzled the nation four years ago - earned a second term Tuesday by grinding out a solid, workmanlike victory on the ground, turning out just enough of his 21st-century coalition of black and Latino voters, young adults and educated professionals in enough key states to turn back Republican Mitt Romney. Crowds in Obama's hometown of Chicago and in New York's Times Square erupted in a flag-waving celebration and danced to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" at roughly 11:15 p.m., when the major TV networks called the hard-fought race for the president.

DEVELOPER BART Blatstein is to unveil plans Wednesday for what he's calling a "world-class resort and casino complex" at the site of the former Daily News and Inquirer offices on North Broad Street. A spokesman said Blatstein's Tower Investments will present architectural renderings for the proposed casino complex Wednesday night at Tendenza at the Piazza, on 2nd Street near Poplar. Not everyone in the area near the building at Broad and Callowhill streets is ready to pop the champagne.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A NATO air strike in eastern Afghanistan killed a senior commander of the Pakistani Taliban who had close ties with al-Qaeda, dealing a blow to the militants who operate on both sides of the countries' porous border. Mullah Dadullah was killed Friday in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, across the border from the Pakistani tribal area of Bajur, the military alliance said. He was the Pakistani Taliban leader in Bajur, and NATO said Saturday that Dadullah also was responsible for the movement of fighters and weapons across the frontier and attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Citing frustration with the Boston Consulting Group's recommendations for overhauling the troubled Philadelphia School District, a coalition of students, teachers, and community members said Thursday it would develop its own grassroots plan for transforming city schools. "As a youth leader, I come here today to tell you there are other options," said Kiara Garcia, a sophomore at Kensington CAPA High School. "After years of being ignored, we are here to say, we will develop a plan that works for our district.