Copyright (c) 2008 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Saturday, November 29th, 2008
By: Dominik Jun
* The now almost-certain departure of President Vaclav Klaus from the
Civic Democrats has led to both speculation and recriminations about
the future of the party.
* The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has arrived in Prague
for the first time since 2006.
* A top-secret new anti-terrorist centre in Prague is reportedly close
to completion.
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Expected Klaus departure from Civic Democrats opens wounds in party
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The now almost-certain departure of President Vaclav Klaus from the
Civic Democrats has led to both speculation and recriminations about
the future of the party. The news comes just one week before the party
is set to hold its annual congress; Prague Mayor Pavel Bem is hoping to
topple and replace PM Mirek Topolanek as party leader. Reacting to the
news of Mr Klaus's expected departure as the honorary head of the
party, Mr Topolanek stated that he was unsurprised by the president's
apparent decision, but also warned that his party needed "crisis
management" or it risked losing the trust of the electorate. Meanwhile,
Mr Klaus accused the Prime Minister of being friendlier with the EU
than with his own citizens. The Czech president is now viewed as
unlikely to attend the party's congress, which some interpret as a blow
to the chances of the pro-Klaus mayor Pavel Bem, who recent polls
suggest is struggling to rally enough support to topple party leader
Mirek Topolanek during an impending leadership challenge.
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Dalai Lama arrives in Prague
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The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has arrived in Prague for
the first time since 2006. The brief visit includes meetings with
Tibetan representatives as well as a lecture on issues relating to the
theme of understanding, which is being held at the Prague Congress
Centre on Sunday. The Dalai Lama has been a frequent visitor to Prague
over the years as well as a regular guest of former president Vaclav
Havel's annual Forum 2000 conference. However, ill-health forced the
Buddhist leader to miss this year's meeting. After visiting Prague, the
Dalai Lama is expected to visit the European parliament as well as meet
with the French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The Czech Republic remains a
steadfast supporter of the "Tibetan cause," which has often caused
tensions with China.
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Czech anti-terror centre nears completion
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A top-secret new anti-terrorist centre in Prague is close to
completion, according to a report from the Czech daily Pravo. The
centre, which is due to begin functioning next year, is reportedly
housed within the Czech police's anti-organised crime unit building in
southern Prague, while details surrounding much of its operations are
being kept secret. The creation of such a centre was a key stipulation
by the United States, in negotiations for eliminating Visa requirements
for Czech citizens entering the US. According to a police spokesperson,
the centre will focus on collecting, collating and analysing
intelligence relating to suspected terrorist activities. The Czech
Interior Ministry has added that the new centre will be fully under
Czech civilian jurisdiction and will closely co-operate with the
existing Czech security apparatus.
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Roma groups seeks ousting of Minister for Minorities and Human Rights
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A number of Roma representatives from around the country have agreed to
call for the ousting of Dzamila Stehlikova, the Czech Republic's
Minister for Minorities and Human Rights. The Roma representatives
included the noted deputy chairman of the government's Council for
Romany Issues Ivan Vesely. The reasons behind the call are said to be
Ms Stehlikova's alleged poor handling of an ongoing situation in the
town of Litvinov, north-west of Prague, where far-right groups have
marched on Roma housing estates, purportedly calling for a restoration
of law and order, but according to Roma, simply terrorising the
residents. During the latest event organised by the far-right Workers'
Party in Litvinov, about 1000 riot policemen clashed with some 500
far-right radicals, in an incident that was described as some the worst
of its kind seen in the Czech Republic for many years. Ms Stehlikova
has dismissed the calls, stating that in her view, the time is not
right to be apportioning blame.
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Czech petrol falls to 2005 prices
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Czech petrol has fallen to its lowest price in three and a half years,
according to a new survey. The average price of a litre of Czech petrol
is now 24.9 crowns, and has fallen in price by almost one crown in just
the last week. According to analysts, the low prices could last for a
number of months, while opinions differ on whether prices could still
continue to drop further. The cause for the fall in Czech petrol prices
is attributed to the world-wide fall in prices spurred by the global
economic slowdown.
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Steel company announces layoffs
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The largest Czech steelmaker ArcelorMittal Ostrava has announced that
due to reduced demand, the company is preparing to initiate a series of
layoffs. The company did not reveal any figures. ArcelorMittal Ostrava
employs around 10,300 people across the Czech Republic, with more than
7000 employed in the city of Ostrava. The company has blamed the global
economic downturn for the layoffs.
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Ski season begins in Czech Republic
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Large numbers of skiers are expected to head for the Czech mountains
during the weekend, as the country begins its skiing season. Snow has
reached many of the key resorts in the country including the Spindleruv
Mlyn resort in the Krkonose Mountains. Friday saw many resorts open
their skiing facilities for the first time this season, and many are
expecting visitors not just from the Czech Republic, but from
neighbouring Poland and Germany as well.
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Christmas markets open in Prague
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Traditional Christmas-time market stalls have opened up for the first
time this season. The most prominent stalls in Prague's Old Town Square
have become a permanent seasonal fixture, selling anything from mulled
wine, to honey liquor as well as numerous nick-nacks for tourists.
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Weather:
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Thick cloud cover exists across most of the Czech Republic, with biting
cold temperatures of around 3 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are
expected to fall to sub-zero in the ensuing days.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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SoundCzech
A bear's service
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Hello and welcome to another edition of SoundCzech, Radio Prague's
Czech language course, helping you learn new idioms and key phrases
through song lyrics. Today we're listening to a song by Hana Hegerova -
the Czech queen of chanson sometimes referred to as this country's
answer to Edith Piaf. The tune is called 'Potmesily host' (which you
could translate as 'the wily guest') and the phrase to listen out for
comes nearly halfway through the song. It goes "slouzi sluzbu medvedi":
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/110797
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