Copyright (c) 2008 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
By: Dominik Jun
* The Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg calls Russia's
invasion of Georgia a violation of international law.
* The company which was responsible for the maintenance of the bridge
near the city of Ostrava which collapsed on the 8th August, leading to
a major train accident, is to pay out compensation to the victims.
* In a stark reversal, the Czech crown has flipped to being the second
fastest weakening currency in the world.
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Czech foreign minister attends emergency NATO summit
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The Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has called the Russian
invasion of Georgia a violation of international law. The comments came
as he attended an emergency summit of NATO foreign ministers in
Brussels designed to address the current crisis in Georgia. The Czech
Foreign Minister also pledged to persuade the Czech government to
provide 150 million crowns in aid for Georgia. The US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice also attended the summit, pressing European
countries to adopt a tougher line against Russia. One proposed measure
was freezing the six-year-old NATO-Russia Council, which unites 27
governments for discussions about issues such as international security
and counter-terrorism. However, members at today's meeting pulled in
various directions - with some favouring a tougher line, while others
urging caution against "knee-jerk" reactions. The Czech Republic is
believed to favour a tougher line against Russia. Following the
meeting, Condoleezza Rice is set to visit Warsaw to sign a
missile-defence agreement with that country - a move which Russia
believes is a deliberate provocation.
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Company "responsible" for fallen bridge to compensate train crash
victims
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The company which was responsible for the maintenance of the bridge
near the city of Ostrava which collapsed on the 8th August, leading to
a major train accident, is to pay out compensation to the victims. The
compensation will total 250,000 crowns to the families of the seven
victims as well as smaller amounts to those that were injured in the
crash. A similar compensation package was announced by Czech Railways
last week, while another company involved in reconstructing the bridge
- Bogel & Krysl - is also set to announce its own compensation package.
The current moves by the company Dopravni stavby Ostrava are not viewed
as an admission of direct liability. Meanwhile, two Bogel & Krysl
engineers accused of responsibility for the accident have denied the
charges.
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Czech currency tumbles
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For the last six months, the Czech crown has topped lists of the
world's fastest strengthening currencies. Now, in a stark reversal, the
Czech crown has flipped to being the second fastest weakening currency
in the world - second only to the currency of Zimbabwe, according to
new data from the Czech National Bank. In late July, the Czech crown
reached a peak against the Euro trading at less than 23 crowns to 1
Euro, amidst increasing concerns that the strong currency was beginning
to damage the country's economy. Since that time, the currency has
fallen to around 24.30. However, analysts still note that the Czech
currency is relatively strong, and the recent sharp fall has only
lessened this slightly - further strong falls are not forecast for the
remainder of the year.
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Russian media praises Czech president
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The Czech president Vaclav Klaus has won widespread praise from the
Russian media for his recent controversial comments that "Russia was
not the aggressor and Georgia is not the victim" in the conflict over
South Ossetia. In comments made by the Russian station NTV, Klaus
received applause for rejecting a so-called "black-and-white view of
the world" and also for rejecting the positions of allies such as
Poland and Ukraine which have been harshly critical of Russia. This is
not the first time that the Czech president has caused controversy.
Previous comments critical about the role of NGOs or the existence of
man-made climate change have been disavowed by successive Czech
governments.
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Czech NGO complains to EU about Austrian logging
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The Czech environmental NGO Hnuti Duha has made a formal complaint to
the European Commission about Austrian logging practices on the
southern Czech border. The organization believes that the Sumava region
has been severely damaged by Austrian logging their side of the state
boundary. The NGO has complained that the Austrian land-owners in the
area, a company called Schlagl have created vast swathes of bare land
both in Austria as well as in neighbouring Germany that literally
directly frame the Czech border. While the Czech side is a protected
national park, much of the land south of the border is not protected.
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The world's most famous stamp to appear in Prague
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The "Blue Mauritius" an ultra-rare two-penny stamp from the mid 19th
century is to be displayed in Prague in September, according to the
Czech Post Office. The exhibition will form part of "Praga 2008" which
will showcase stamps from around the former British Empire. The entire
collection is currently insured at around one billion Czech crowns.
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Body of missing Czech tourist recovered in Slovak mountains
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Rescuers operating in the High Tatra mountains in Slovakia have
recovered the body of a 63-year-old Czech man missing in the area since
last week. The man went missing during a hike; police were alerted
after he failed to make contact with his spouse. This led to an
intensive six day search, which was concluded today. Rescuers believe
that the man died as a result of a fall. More than 100 rescuers were
involved in the search effort.
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Prague police officer held on suspicion of rape of minor
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A police officer in Prague has been arrested on suspicion of raping a
minor, according to the Czech Interior Ministry. The as yet unnamed
officer was arrested on Monday and is believed to have committed at
least one rape of a minor. If convicted the man could be jailed for
between five to twelve years.
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Majority of Czechs have not forgiven Russia for 1968 invasion
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A newly released survey from the STEM polling agency suggests that most
Czechs have not forgiven Russia for invading their country in August
1968. The invasion by Warsaw Pact forces was undertaken under the
mantra of helping a brotherly nation, although the actual aims were to
suppress growing democratic tendencies in the former Czechoslovakia.
The findings of this latest survey suggest that 64% have not forgiven
Russia for their "assistance". The Czech Republic will mark the formal
40 year anniversary of the invasion on Thursday.
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Police search for mother who abandoned baby
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Prague police are seeking to locate a mother who abandoned her baby at
a boarding house last week. Newly released CCTV pictures from a nearby
parking lot appear to show the woman carrying the baby in a bag. The
abandoned baby boy was found last week and is said to be in good health.
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Weather:
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Mostly clear skies and hot temperatures of around 28 degrees Celsius
are predicted. However, Wednesday is set to see a sharp change with
rain and far cooler temperatures of around 21 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Current Affairs
Photographer of Soviet-led invasion remembers events 40 years on
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It was 40 years ago this Thursday that Warsaw-Pact troops invaded the
former Czechoslovakia, putting an end to the hope and reform of the
so-called 'Prague Spring'. All this week, Radio Prague will be
commemorating the invasion by broadcasting the testimonies of those who
were there. For today's programme, Rosie Johnston spoke to Libor
Hajsky, a junior photographer at the Czech Press Agency on August 21,
1968 - the day that Soviet tanks rolled into Prague.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107374
Current Affairs
Czechs reflect on Russia's growing influence at launch of new exhibition
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Several of Josef Koudelka's 1968 photos are being shown at the Manes
gallery, by the River Vltava, in a new exhibition entitled 1945 -
Liberation, 1968 - Occupation. Two rooms of iconic black and white
photographs show two very different sets of images: the Red Army
greeted with smiles and flowers in May 1945, and Russian soldiers
berated by angry crowds in August 1968. So how do the people looking at
these images feel about today's Russia, especially in the light of the
current situation in Georgia?
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107373
Current Affairs
Czech drivers testing RDS-TMC info system
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Congestion, road reconstruction and blocked roads due to accidents can
turn a car journey into a nightmare. But now things may be looking up
for Czech drivers. The RDS-TMC info system, available in most European
states, is finally being launched in the Czech Republic.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107372
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