Copyright (c) 2008 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Thursday, November 27th, 2008
By: Dominik Jun
* The Czech Senate has approved government-sponsored legislation to
locate a US anti-missile radar base in the Czech Republic.
* Lively discussions are reportedly underway with regards to the
creation of a new Eurosceptic political party.
* The details of a private conversation between the French president
and the Czech prime minister have been published in a Czech magazine.
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Senate approves radar plans
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The Czech Senate has approved government-sponsored legislation to
locate a US anti-missile radar base in the Czech Republic. 49 out of 81
present senators approved the plans - an outcome, which was largely
expected. All Social Democrat and Communist senators voted against the
base, but were not joined by any members from other parties. A
last-minute Social Democrat attempt to postpone the vote was also
unsuccessful. Despite this step, an upcoming and as yet unscheduled
vote in the Lower House is likely to be far more contentious, with the
opposition parties requiring only one stray MP for the legislation to
fail. The government has already signed an agreement with the US
government with regards to the base, but cannot go forward without
parliamentary approval. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that
most Czechs are against the American radar base, which would be part of
a global anti-missile defence shield.
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New pro-Klaus Eurosceptic party may be on horizon
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Lively discussions are underway with regards to the creation of a new
Eurosceptic political party, reports the daily Lidove Noviny. According
to the paper, the new party could be ready to field candidates in
elections to the European Parliament next June. The party would
reportedly be comprised of allies and supporters of the Czech president
Vaclav Klaus, and would be called Libertas.cz. This name would
effectively make the party a wing of the Irish lobby group of the same
name that campaigned successfully for a "no" vote in a referendum in
June on whether to accept the Lisbon Treaty. The Civic Democrat-led
Czech government supports the treaty and would like to see it passed
during its upcoming EU presidency. Speaking to Lidove Noviny, the Civic
Democrat leader and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek conceded that
the formation of such a party - essentially a Civic Democrat splinter
faction, was inevitable. The Civic Democrats were formed by President
Klaus, who is the party's honorary chairman.
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Sarkozy-Topolanek meeting details leaked
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The details of a private conversation between French President Nicolas
Sarkozy and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek have been published in
the Czech magazine Reflex. Among the more controversial statements
contained in the conversation is one in which Mr Sarkozy laments that
he is "...alone against all Arabs. To have them on the phone? They are
terrible, I swear." Mr Sarkozy was referring specifically to a request
for the Czech Republic to relinquish its automatic control of the
French-founded Union for the Mediterranean, which Mr Sarkozy initiated
in July 2008. The pact unites EU members with other Mediterranean
countries, including those in Africa - EU president countries
automatically assume control - something which President Sarkozy wanted
to persuade the Czech Prime Minister to do. On Wednesday, Mr Topolanek
heeded this request, acknowledging the French-centred role in this
grouping. The leak is likely to prove embarrassing to the Czech
government.
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Al-Jazeera report examines Czech Roma plight
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A television report by the international news channel Al-Jazeera has
cast a critical eye over the experiences of many Roma in the Czech
Republic. In a report on its English-language network that lasted for
more than three minutes, the area of Beroun, just west of Prague, came
under the spotlight. The report alleged that Roma children with no
discernible handicaps were nonetheless being sent to so-called special
schools, and that this practice was undertaken to ensure the continued
segregation of whites and Roma. The report concluded by reflecting that
education was the likeliest and strongest path out of poverty for many
Roma. An Education Ministry representative was interviewed in the
report and conceded that there were problems - he pointed to a bill
being prepared by the government to address the issue school
segregation, but conceded that attitudes in the government often
reflect those found among the non-Roma Czech public.
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Czechs to help with Vietnam with war-era cleanup
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The Czech Republic has announced that it will help Vietnam clean up
poisonous dioxins in the country left over from the era of the Vietnam
War. According to the Czech Development Agency, Czech specialists will
begin by taking and analyzing samples in areas thought to be affected,
and will later participate in a cleanup operation. The scientists are
set to work in a region called Phu Cat, the site of a former US base
where the notorious chemical Agent Orange - a leaf defoliating
substance us by the US that caused serious side-effects in humans - was
stored. Around 17,000 people in the area are thought to suffer health
problems as a result of Agent Orange. Czech specialists have already
been working in the country for three years on similar projects, and
the latest announcement marks an affirmation of the positive relations
that have been developed as a result of this work. The work will in
part be carried out by private contractors - a tender has just been
issued by the Czech Development Agency.
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Rise in lung cancer among women
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The Czech Republic has seen a three-fold increase in lung cancer cases
among women over the last ten years according to new data. The figures
published in the Czech daily Pravo suggest that while ten years ago,
there were ten cases for every 100,000 women, today that figure has
risen to thirty. Men, on the other hand, have seen a slight decline in
lung cancer cases, from 101 cases per 100,000 ten years ago, to 78
today. The causes for the growth in these cases, is given as increased
smoking by women, as well as other lifestyle factors including alcohol
consumption, diet, environment and stress. There are currently around
6200 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the Czech Republic each year,
with around eighty percent of those not surviving treatment.
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Report: Obama not coming to Prague in April
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A report by the website Aktualne.cz suggests that US president-elect
Barack Obama will not visit the Czech Republic in April next year.
Previously, it had been suggested that the new president could be
persuaded to attend an EU summit in Prague, held as part of the Czech
Republic's EU presidency. Though no formal announcement was ever made,
some Czech politicians strongly suggested that the US president would
attend. According to Aktualne.cz, this option has now been rendered
moot, as then President Obama will be attending a G20 summit in London
held at the same time.
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Government approves medical insurance plan
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The Czech government has approved a contentious proposal for reforming
the system of health insurance in the Czech Republic. The proposals had
led to intense negotiations between the Civic Democrat Health Minister
Tomas Julinek and members of the minority coalition government, the
Green Party and the Christian Democrats. The new proposals contain
amendment requested by the Christian Democrats to clarify what is
deemed to be "above-standard" care.
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Prague Transit Authority again seeks to raise fares
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Less than a year after substantial fare rises on the Prague public
transit system, the authority that oversees Prague's network of Metros,
Trams and buses has announced that it will seek further fare increases.
The price hike has been requested because the Prague Transit Authority
is seeking to compensate for what it calls a smaller government budget.
However, the Prague mayor's office rejected this, stating that Czech
public transport has a budget comparable to or greater than many cities
around the world.
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Czechs improving in foreign languages
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A new study by the Eurydice organisation reveals that Czech children
are learning at least one foreign language at an age comparable to
their European counterparts. Czech children can volunteer to begin
learning a second language from the age of eight, but some start even
earlier, while it is only compulsory at the age of fourteen. However,
the report does highlight some contrasts in which the Czech Republic
does not do so well - for example, while Bulgarian or Danish children
spend around two-hundred hours a year on foreign languages, Czech
children only spend half that time. The Czech Republic also does not
rate well in the number of children choosing to study a second
language, according to the Eurydice report.
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Weather:
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Partially sunny skies prevail, but so do the continuing cold
temperatures of around 2 degrees Celsius. Temperatures should increase
slightly in the run up to the weekend.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Panorama
Photo exhibition of Czech mission in Afghanistan opens in Parliament
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The Czech Republic is going to increase the number of troops deployed
next year in Afghanistan, although Czech lawmakers are yet to approve
the Defence Ministry's plans for the Czech Provincial and
Reconstruction Team. To show what the army and civilian experts
actually do in the Afghan province of Logar, Defence Minister Vlasta
Parkanova has organized a new photo exhibition in the lobby of the
Czech Parliament's lower house.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110741
Current Affairs
Civic Institute's Roman Joch - Irish ratification remains key obstacle
to Lisbon
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Wednesday's ruling by the Constitutional Court that the European
Union's Lisbon Treaty does not violate the Czech constitution has been
welcomed and scorned from the two sides of the Lisbon debate. So what
next for Czech ratification and the treaty itself? Radio Prague spoke
to Roman Joch, director of the conservative think-tank the Civic
Institute.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110732
Current Affairs
Czechs to launch Agent Orange clean-up operation in Vietnam
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A team of Czech experts are currently in Vietnam to plan one of the
biggest clean-up operations in the Southeast Asian country's history.
The Czech Development Agency has been awarded millions of crowns by the
government to decontaminate some of the areas worst polluted by the
highly toxic herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Michal
Prochazka is from the development agency and overseeing the clean-up. I
spoke to him earlier today and asked first about the sort of problems
Agent Orange was causing in the north of the country where the Czech
team was based:
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110733
Current Affairs
Lisbon treaty faces further hurdles
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After the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that the Lisbon
treaty was in line with the Czech constitution, ratification of the key
document in the Czech Republic is arguably back on track. But even so,
ratifying the treaty may not be easy. Opponents who fear the document
erodes national sovereignty and cedes too much power to Brussels, have
indicated they will do everything in their power to stop it from being
passed. Supporters, meanwhile, would like to see the document ratified
as soon as possible, preferably before the Czech Republic takes up the
EU presidency on January 1.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110731
From the Archives
Transforming token integration into good faith: Martin Luther King
talks to Czechoslovak Radio
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"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal.'" The unforgettable words of Dr Martin
Luther King Jr., delivered on August 28 1963 on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. The speech, addressed to a crowd of
a quarter of a million, was a defining moment in the American civil
rights movement, and its echoes reached as far as communist Eastern
Europe. In Czechoslovakia the civil rights movement had already aroused
considerable interest, and not just because of the pleasure that the
regime took in pointing to America's shortcomings; Czechoslovak Radio's
correspondent in the United States, Karel Kyncl, had already
interviewed Dr King in March of that same year. Here is a short extract
from the interview, where Dr King has just been outlining the progress
made so far in ending segregation:
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110719
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