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Copyright (c) 2008 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
By: Dominik Jun
* The Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek, has given his support to
proposals to outlaw far-right Workers' Party.
* A team of Czech scientists have announced the discovery of a
substance which causes the apparent self-destruction of cancer cells.
* Prague Mayor Pavel Bem has slipped from his long-standing position as
the county's most trusted politician, suggests a new opinion poll.
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Prime Minister supports outlawing Workers' Party
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The Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek, has given his support to
proposals to outlaw far-right Workers' Party. The proposal was drafted
by Interior Minister Ivan Langer at the start of this month, but has
been given extra impetus by an incident on Monday, in which around 1000
riot police clashed with an estimated 500 protesters from the Workers'
Party protesting at a largely Roma housing estate in Litvinov, northern
Bohemia. Sixteen people were injured during the incident, in which
police used water canons and other measures to break up the
demonstration purportedly held to oppose positive discrimination
towards Roma. In an interview following the incident, Mr Topolanek
stated that the perpetrators must be severely punished, and also added
his backing to the proposed law. Before the Workers' Party is outlawed,
the legislation must be assessed by various government departments and
approved by the Supreme Administrative Court.
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Czech scientists in cancer breakthrough
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A team of Czech scientists have announced the discovery of a substance
which causes the apparent self-destruction of cancer cells. The
scientists working in the Czech Science Academy's Molecular Genetics
Institute, along with colleagues in Prague Institute of Chemical
Technology and the First Medical Faculty of Charles University, stated
that the method involves using lasers directed at cancer cells that
have been injected with photosynthetic chemicals. Numerous tests were
carried out on laboratory mice and also tissue cultures, with the
results proving to be effective; the results have been published in
several medical journals. The scientists have announced that this
method could hail a significant step forward in the treatment of cancer.
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Bem slips from top place of favourite politicians
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Prague Mayor Pavel Bem has slipped from his long-standing position as
the county's most trusted politician, suggests a new opinion poll by
the STEM agency. The Social Democrats first deputy chairman Bohuslav
Sobotka came first in the survey. Mr Bem had led STEM's polls for about
a year, but his recently announced leadership challenge against Civic
Democrat head Mirek Topolanek is viewed as the most likely reason for
the slip down to third place, below Foreign Minister Karel
Schwarzenberg, who is in second place. Mr Sobotka is viewed favourably
by 55 percent of respondents in the new poll, while Mr Bem enjoys 47
percent support. Other top political figures are also listed, with
Social Democrat head Jiri Paroubek enjoying 46 percent support and his
Civic Democrat counterpart Mr Topolanek 21 percent support.
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Transparency International finds low levels of corruption in university
admission system
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Levels of corruption during the admittance process in Czech
universities are low, according to a study by Transparency
International. The corruption watchdog group conducted a survey of 4370
students, of which most did not reveal involvement in corrupt practices
to secure a place in Czech universities. However, the report suggests
that many have indirect or hearsay experience with such practices. The
report also found that many Czech students are unaware as to their
rights during the university admissions process. However, Transparency
International has warned that this survey is by no means definitive as
the largest number of respondents came from law faculties. Instead, TI
notes, the survey is designed to open up a discussion about the often
heard allegations that some schools indulge in nepotism and even
bribery during the admissions process.
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Palestinian Minister expresses hope that Czech EU presidency will
contribute to peace efforts
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The Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki has stated that he
hopes that the Czech presidency of the EU, coupled with a new
administration in the US, will help move forward the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The comments came as the Minister
visited with the Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg in Prague.
The Czech Foreign Minister also added that the Czech Republic hopes to
use its good relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians to move
forward the peace-process, which envisions a so-called "two-state
solution".
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Shadow Health Minister seeks support of minor opposition parties to
abolish health fees
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Shadow Health Minister David Rath has called on Christian Democrat MPs
to vote for a Social Democrat proposal to abolish health fees. Mr Rath
has also stated that he intends to call on Green Party MPs to do the
same. Both the Greens and Christian Democrats are members of the
coalition government, which introduced the controversial health fees
early this year. The Social Democrats have long signalled their
opposition to the fees and recently attempted to introduce legislation
to abolish payments for minors and seniors. Concurrently, the Social
Democrats are seeking to abolish the fees in regional hospitals as they
put together local governments following their recent election
victories. At present, Czechs pay 30 crowns for a prescription, 60
crowns for a day in hospital and also 60 crowns to visit a doctor. The
government argues that the fees are essential to raise money and also
combat absenteeism.
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Member of Roma council warns of civil unrest
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A member of the government's Council for Roma Community Affairs (RZRK)
has warned that the country faces civil unrest if the government does
not address attitudes towards Roma with greater immediacy. Writing for
the Roma website Romea.cz, Cyril Koky warned the Prime Minister and
other members of the government that they are underestimating the
situation in the Czech Republic. The comments follow a recent clash
between the far-right Worker's Party, which marched on a Roma area in
northern Bohemia. He also called on the current Minister for Human
Rights and Ethnic Minorities Dzamila Stehlikova to resign.
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Cabinet approves series of proposals
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The government cabinet has agreed on a number of proposals, during a
meeting on Wednesday. Amongst these is allowing father's of newborn
children to be able to have one week's holiday. Other proposals include
the creation of an institute to help parents as well as laws designed
to make work hours more flexible. In a separate move, the cabinet also
approved three of four healthcare reform proposals put forward by
Helath Minister Tomas Julinek, with the most controversial part dealing
with health insurance being shelved. The proposals must all be approved
by the Czech Parliament, Senate and President before becoming law.
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Czech Greenpeace hires US scientist to oppose US radar plan
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Greenpeace Czech Republic has reportedly invited US scientist Theodore
Postol to challenge the effectiveness of the proposed US anti-missile
radar base to be located in the Brdy region of Bohemia. Mr Postol, who
is a professor of Science, Technology and International Security at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a prominent critic of US
missile defence programmes going back to the 1990s.
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Tesco workers threaten strike
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Unions representing workers of Tesco stores in the Czech Republic have
issued an ultimatum to the retail giant: address chronic understaffing
of face strikes. The ultimatum comes after intense negotiations between
union representatives and the retail giant. Tesco is accused of
understaffing its stores, particularly with Christmas approaching,
leaving its staff chronically overworked. Tesco has stated that it is
working to address the situation, hiring more help over the Christmas
period.
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Weather:
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Meteorologists are warning of strong winds and snowfall of up to 30 cm
in the highlands, with cold and cloudy weather hovering around freezing
point continuing across the country.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Current Affairs
Award for firm hoping to make banknote counterfeiting thing of past
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Among the prize winners at Tuesday's 2008 Ceska hlava (Czech Head)
science and technology awards was the company Optaglio, which has
created a system aimed at ending the counterfeiting of banknotes. It
involves embedding holograms similar to those you might find on credit
cards in cash, making notes far harder to copy - and fakes far more
obvious. I discussed the innovation with Optaglio's Libor Kotacka.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110458
Current Affairs
Awareness campaign takes aim at doctors' over-prescription of
antibiotics
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The European Union marked its first-ever European Antibiotic Awareness
Day on Tuesday, part of a campaign to tackle the over-prescription of
antibiotics. The Czech Republic, while not the worst offender, saw a
significant rise in the number of prescriptions in the 1990s. Now it is
trying to encourage patients to choose a good rest and tea when ill,
rather than appealing to their doctor for antibiotics.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110457
Current Affairs
Government suspends issuing long-term visas for Vietnamese citizens
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The Czech government has suspended the issuing of long-term visas for
Vietnamese nationals. The reason? The application process in Hanoi
seems to be controlled by criminal gangs. What's more, this move comes
just days after a new report suggested Vietnamese citizens here in the
Czech Republic were increasingly involved in organised crime.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110456
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