Copyright (c) 2009 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Friday, November 27th, 2009
By: Sarah Borufka
* The Czech EU commissioner Stefan Fule has been officially confirmed
to receive EU enlargement portfolio.
* Four Czech research projects will receive more than 2 billion crowns
in EU funds.
* Swine flu vaccine distribution largely completed
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Czech EU commissioner Stefan Fule will be in charge of EU enlargement
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The president of the European Commission Jose Barosso confirmed on
Friday that the Czech EU commissioner Stefan Fule has received the EU
enlargement portfolio. Aside from evaluating applications for EU
membership, Mr. Fule will also be responsible for relations to neighbor
states of the EU that are not in line for joining. During the five-year
term that Mr. Fule will serve, Croatia is expected to join the European
Union. Mr. Fule still has to be officially confirmed in this position
by the EU member states and the EU parliament. He replaces Vladimir
Spidla, the former Czech EU commissioner, who was in charge of social
affairs.
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Ministry of Education announces recipients of EU Research and
Development funds
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The Ministry of Education announced Friday that four Czech research
projects will receive 2.4 billion crowns from the budget of the EU
operational program for research and development. The recipients are
technical universities in Liberec and Brno, as well as the Academy of
Sciences and the Veterinary Research Institute. The highest subsidy of
800 million crowns will go to the Technical University in Liberec,
which will use the funds to create a state-of-the-art research center
for nanotechnology. The Technical University in Brno received over 700
million crowns to build the NETME Center, a place where new
technologies will be researched and developed. Another four billion
crowns are yet to be distributed amongst further applicants.
In related news, in a list of the most successful new member countries
that have applied for EU funds between 2004 and 2007, the Czech
Republic placed fourth.
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Distribution of swine flu vaccines has been completed
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Friday morning, almost all of the 95,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine that
the Czech Republic was given were distributed to physicians and
vaccination centers across the nation. Almost 90 percent of all
physicians and 133 vaccination centers now have the substance in stock.
Full-scale vaccination can begin next week and some doctors were able
to start on Friday already. The head of the Czech Immunology Society
Roman Prymula said on Thursday that swine flu caused more health
complications and resulted in more deaths than the seasonal flu. Three
regions of the Czech Republic have now reached the threshold of an
epidemic and eight Czechs have died of the disease so far.
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Social Democrats leader Jiri Paroubek criticizes Minister of Finance
Eduard Janota
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Leader of the Social Democrats party Jiri Paroubek said on Friday that
Minister of Finance Eduard Janota had addressed the inadequately high
bonuses given to former managers of the Czech airline CSA too late. Mr.
Paroubek said he nonetheless appreciated Mr. Janota's effort to
investigate bonuses given to managers of companies that the state owns
stock in, such as Prague Airport or the Czech energy company CEZ. After
news that 15 former managers of the Czech airline CSA would receive
about 120 million Czech crowns in bonuses, Minister of Finance Eduard
Janota said Thursday that he considered the bonuses inappropriately
high and that he will wage a large-scale investigation into bonuses
received by managers of other semi state-owned companies, starting next
week.
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Former Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer expresses interest in post
of to Civic Democrat leader but not prime minister
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Former Interior Minister and member of the Civic Democrats Party Ivan
Langer said in an interview with the Czech daily newspaper Lidove
noviny on Friday that he is considering to run for the post of Civic
Democrats leader, but wasn't interested in becoming the party's
candidate for prime minister. Some members of the party have suggested
a new, two-fold model of party leadership. The post of party leader,
under the new model, would not entail running for the post of prime
minister. Mr. Langer argued that when Mirek Topolanek was prime
minister, he was too busy with the executive and with the Czech EU
presidency to find time for his own party and suggested this new model
could help prevent such problems in the future.
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192 foreigners apply for voluntary return program
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On Friday, in the second phase of a project that offers foreigners
living in the Czech Republic free air fare and an 8000 crown support
fee to return home, almost 200 have volunteered to return to their
native country. The program assisting foreigners who have lost their
job due to the financial crisis was initiated to lower the risk of
crime related to unemployment in foreign residents. During the
project's first phase, almost 2000 foreigners took advantage of the
offer. In both phases, residents from Mongolia were the ethnic group
that took advantage of the offer the most.
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Czech company Thomas CZ will no longer deal in arms
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The company Thomas CZ, one of the leading arms manufacturers in the
Czech Republic, stated in its yearly report published on Friday that it
will no longer deal in arms. Jiri Tomes, a member of the company's
board said that while Thomas CZ had made profit of 52 million crowns in
2007, it had lost 6 million crowns in 2008. The company will now focus
on the sale of agricultural and automotive technologies.
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Radegast can use the protected designation of origin "Czech Beer"
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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority announced Friday
that the brewery Radegast had passed its inspection and is now entitled
to call itself a "Czech Beer," a name that is protected and requires a
certain standard of quality. Other brands that are allowed to call
their brews a "Czech Beer" are Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus and
Velkopopovicky Kozel. The European Union introduced protected
designations of origin for agricultural and food products in 1993 to
help consumers discern quality products more easily. In the Czech
Republic, the protected status of beer has added to the regard and
success of the product abroad, says Jirii Marecek, spokesman of the
brewers' association Prazdroj Pilsen.
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Czech company Thomas CZ will no longer deal in arms
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The company Thomas CZ, one of the leading arms manufacturers in the
Czech Republic, stated in its yearly report published on Friday that it
will no longer deal in arms. Jiri Tomes, a member of the company's
board said that while Thomas CZ had made profit of 52 million crowns in
2007, it had lost 6 million crowns in 2008. The company will now focus
on the sale of agricultural and automotive technologies.
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Two Christmas markets kick off holiday season in Czech capital
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This weekend, two Christmas markets will open in the center of Prague.
Starting Saturday, visitors can browse hand-made goods and traditional
Czech Christmas fare at the Christmas market on Prague's Old Town
square that boasts some one hundred booths and will feature live music
from around the world. On Sunday, a smaller and more modern market in
the Czech capital's center will open its gates to visitors at the
bottom of Wenceslas Square. Throughout the city, a number of other
Christmas markets will be held starting in late November and early
December.
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Prague police catch escaped ram
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Police caught a ram that was running wild on one of Prague's busiest
streets on Friday. "We chased the animal into a parking garage, where a
helpful local assisted us in catching it," spokesman of the Prague
police Jan Cihak told the news agency CTK. The owner of the ram called
the police and informed them that the animal had escaped. After the
owner got news that the animal had been caught, he came to pick up the
escaped ram.
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Weather
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This weekend, conditions are expected to remain mostly clear, with
daytime highs of 11 degrees Celsius and night temperatures around 4
degrees Celsius
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Business News
Business News 11.27.2009
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In business news this week: electricity prices for households will go
down in 2010; banks come to the rescue of the troubled lottery giant
Sazka; DHL will move its IT data centre to Prague; Prague's Ruzyne
airport launches self check-in kiosks; and : paying taxes in Czech
Republic is more difficult than in most of the EU.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122644
Current Affairs
Luxury items fair features diamonds, performance cars, top interior
design
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In the Czech Republic there is no other fair like it: mmotion, now in
its fifth year, highlighting luxury items, everything from diamonds to
interior design to performance cars. Over four days, the fair is first
open to invited guests - and then to members of the general public to
view the best technology and design that money can buy.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122642
Current Affairs
Local version of MTV to arrive in Czech Republic this Sunday
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This Sunday, the Czech Republic will see the arrival of MTV Czech, a
local version of the worldwide music network MTV. The channel will be
operated by the international company CME. Its directors are confident
MTV Czech will quickly become the most watched channel for viewers aged
15 through 24.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122641
Current Affairs
Swine flu perceived as bigger threat than previously thought
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The H1N1 virus continues to spread through the Czech Republic with
three regions now battling an epidemic. The Czech health authorities
reported on Thursday that the death toll had risen to 8, with close to
800 cases registered. It has also become clear that the swine flu is a
more serious threat than previously thought.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122640
Arts
New book collects posters that helped shape 1989's Velvet Revolution
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Exactly 20 years ago, during the Velvet Revolution, the country was
flooded with posters, both home-produced and professionally printed,
calling for change. They bore slogans like Free Elections, Teacher You
Don't Have to Lie to Us Anymore, and Havel to the Castle. Now many of
those posters have been gathered in a fascinating new book.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122627
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