Copyright (c) 2009 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Saturday, November 21st, 2009
By: Christian Falvey
* Civic Democrats holding a party convention have voted to keep Mirek
Topolanek on as chairman.
* A Czech soldier in Kosovo is in stable condition after being shot,
possibly by a member of the same contingent.
* Former constitutional judge and one of the authors of the Czech
constitution, Vojtech Cepl, has died at the age of 71.
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Topolanek soundly defeats in-party opposition to his chairmanship
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Members of the Civic Democratic Party have voted against holding a vote
of confidence on chairman Mirek Topolanek at the party's 20th
conference. In-party opponents of the chairman and former prime
minister were soundly defeated in the vote by a margin of almost three
to one. A vote to cast secret ballots was also rejected. Mr Topolanek
faced heavy criticism from speakers at the convention, among other
things for resigning his parliamentary mandate in September to protest
a failed vote to dissolve Parliament for early elections. In an
hour-long opening speech, the party chairman emphasised his view that a
change of leadership would mean sure victory for the party's main
rivals, the Social Democrats, in elections scheduled for mid-2010. He
also promised that he would step down as party chairman should the
Civic Democrats lose that election.
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Klaus warns extremists may take up issues that Civic Democrats abandon
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In a letter to the convention, President Vaclav Klaus called upon the
Civic Democrats and other right-wing parties to offer more topics for
voters who would otherwise pay more attention to extremist groups. Mr
Klaus, who is currently in Peru, wrote that he sees primary threats in
the welfare state, rampant infringements on privacy, the emergence of
new, left-wing parties focusing on environmental issues and constraints
imposed by the EU. Should the party neglect these issues, he warned,
people will vent their frustration through other, potentially extremist
groups.
President Klaus founded the Civic Democratic Party in 1991. He resigned
his membership and his seat as honorary chairman last year, saying he
found it difficult to identify with the party's centrist shift.
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Czech soldier shot in Kosovo, fellow soldier suspected
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A Czech soldier of the 15th contingent on duty in Kosovo was shot on
Saturday, possibly by a member of the same contingent. The 26-year-old
soldier was rushed to an American military hospital where he was
operated on and his condition is now stabilised. Defence ministry
spokesman Andrej Cirtek says there are serious suspicions that the
soldier was shot by one of his comrades. The spokesmen noted that the
contingent in question has proven to be problematic on other occasions.
The ministry, he said, is mounting an investigation, and the wounded
soldier will be brought home the moment his health allows.
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Constitutional co-author Vojtech Cepl dies at 71
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Former constitutional judge and one of the authors of the Czech
constitution, Vojtech Cepl, has died at the age of 71. The
Constitutional Court announced the death on Saturday. Judge Eliska
Wagnerova, who made the announcement, praised her colleague's tireless
promotion of the rule of law, which he felt was as important as
democracy itself. As court's most visible member, she said, Judge Cepl
had helped ingrain the institution of constitutional justice in Czech
society.
Vojtech Cepl was born in Prague in 1938 and was educated at Charles
University, Oxford and the University of Michigan. From 1969 until 1993
he was a professor at Charles University and sat on the Constitutional
Court from 1993 until 2003.
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Fire at Prague-Ruzyne causes cancellations and delays
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Traffic at Prague's Ruzyne Airport came to a halt on Saturday for more
than five hours due to an electrical fire in the control tower. No one
was injured. The airport was unable to say how many passengers were
affected as ten flights were cancelled and 17 were diverted. The fire
began early Saturday morning in auxiliary power cables and did not
apparently affect traffic control systems. Tower dispatchers returned
to work later in the morning, however the airport has said that flights
will continue to be delayed throughout the day. Prague-Ruzyne is the
Czech Republic's primary international airport and one of the busiest
hubs in Central Europe with an average 34,000 passengers a day.
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Chief hygiene officer expects full-blown swine flu epidemic in early
December
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The Czech Republic's chief hygiene officer, Michael Vit, says the
country is on the verge of a swine flu epidemic, which he expects at
the beginning of December. With more than 2000 infections per 100,000
population, the regions of Karlovy Vary, Moravo-Silesia and Zlin are
already considered to have an epidemic underway. The Ministry of Heath
has announced that swine flu vaccine has been distributed and
vaccinations can be given immediately.
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Travel agencies reach agreement with Ministry of Finance on publication
of prices
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Representatives of the Association of Czech Travel Agencies have
reached an agreement with the Ministry of Finance on the interpretation
of an amendment to the "prices act", which took effect November 18.
According to the agreement, travel agencies will provide final prices
for package holidays in their promotional literature, rather than an
enumeration of separate expenses.
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Poll: support for Lisbon was up in last month before presidential
endorsement
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A poll conducted by the agency CVVM suggests that support for the
Lisbon treaty increased to 43% in the month before its final
ratification by President Vaclav Klaus in early November. According to
the poll, one fourth of Czechs believe the treaty is beneficial to the
Czech Republic while some 20% believe the opposite. A third of
respondents said that the treaty would have no effect on the country's
position in the European Union. 64% of people complained of a lack of
information about the treaty and a similar number said that they had
very little or no interest in the issue. The Czech Republic delayed
EU-wide ratification of the reform treaty during October as eurosceptic
politicians in the country made last-ditch efforts to challenge its
constitutionality.
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Sablikova takes gold at speed skating World Cup
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Speed skater Martina Sablikova has won the gold medal in the 5000m
event at the World Cup in Hamar, Norway. The 22-year-old Czech managed
to get a two-second lead at the outset held it to finish nearly three
seconds ahead of her closest opponent, German Stephanie Beckert.
Sablikova, who has won the last three world championships, came in four
and a half seconds behind her own world record.
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Weather
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Conditions over the weekend are expected to be mostly cloudy with highs
of 10o to 14o Celsius and scattered showers on Sunday.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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SoundCzech
If you're afraid, don't go into the forest
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Welcome to SoundCzech - our Czech language series in which you can
learn Czech phrases and idioms through song lyrics. In today's edition,
we'll hear a song by the popular Czech rock group, Lucie. The phrase to
look out for is Kdo se boji, nesmi do lesa, which translates literally
as, if you're afraid, don't go into the forest.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122437
Magazine
Magazine 11.21.2009
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A Czech talk-show host sets a new record: a non-stop 40 hour talk-show.
Czech photographer Vaclav Silha snaps an alligator in big trouble and
chefs prepare to compete in the art of making dumplings. Find out more
in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122436
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