Copyright (c) 2009 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Saturday, November 28th, 2009
By: Jan Richter
* Senator Karel Schwarzenberg has been elected the chair of the new
political party TOP 09.
* Another officer of the Czech Army has been suspended for wearing Nazi
symbols.
* Thousands of people have marked the 204th anniversary of the Battle
of Austerlitz.
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Senator Karel Schwarzenberg elected chair of TOP 09
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Senator and former foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg was elected the
chairman of the new Czech political party TOP 09 at its constituent
conference in Prague on Saturday. Delegates also elected other members
of party leadership. MP, former finance minister and one the party's
founders Miroslav Kalousek was elected the 1st deputy chair.
The party, which defines itself as conservative, pro-European and
anti-populist, was founded in June this year as a right-wing split from
the Christian Democrats. It has since become quite popular in the Czech
Republic. Polls repeatedly showed it could become the third strongest
party in the Chamber of Deputies after the next general election
scheduled for May, 2010.
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Army suspends officer for wearing Nazi symbols
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Another officer of the Czech Army has been suspended for wearing Nazi
symbols. The Czech news agency CTK reported that Military Police
detained the officer at an anti-aircraft brigade in Strakonice, south
Bohemia, on Thursday. The soldier was immediately suspended, and will
be charged with supporting movements to suppress human rights and
freedoms, an army spokesman said.
The Czech Army launched thorough checks earlier this month to curb
extremism in the ranks of the army. The measure was prompted by the
case of two soldiers from the Czech army contingent in Afghanistan who
wore Nazi symbols on their helmets.
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Thousands mark anniversary of Austerlitz
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Around 9,000 people marked the 204th anniversary of the Battle of
Austerlitz in Slavkov, south Moravia, on Saturday. Some 800 volunteers
took part in the re-enactment of the 1805 battle in which Napoleon
defeated the armies of Russian Tzar Alexander I and Austrian Emperor
Franz I.
Also known as the Battle of Three Emperors, it was one of Napoleon's
greatest victories. It occurred just south of Brno, near the town of
Slavkov, known as Austerlitz in German, on December 2, 1805.
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American tourist damages Charles Bridge statue
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An American tourist damaged a statue on Prague's Charles Bridge, one of
the city's most significant monuments, in the early hours of Saturday,
the news website idnes.cz reported. The man, around 30 years of age,
broke off a sabre of an 18th century Baroque statue. The police
detained the US national just minutes after the incident. If charged
with misdemeanour, the man will face up to a year in prison.
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Brno art fair sees potential record-setting deal
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An interested buyer reserved the 1947 abstract painting Prisme by
Frantisek Kupka at an art fair in Brno on Saturday, the news agency CTK
reported. If finalized, the 39 million crown, or 2.2 million US dollar
deal will set a new record in the Czech art market.
Prisme, an abstract painting by the Czech modernist painter Frantisek
Kupka, was previously owned by a gallery in Japan that sold it to a
Czech collector. The standing Czech auction record of 22.1 million
crowns, or nearly 1.3 million US dollars, was set in 2007 when Kupka's
painting Elevation was sold at an auction in Prague.
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Two Christmas markets kick off holiday season in Prague
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A Christmas market opened in the centre of Prague on Saturday. Visitors
can browse hand-made goods and traditional Czech Christmas fare at the
market in Prague's Old Town square that boasts some 100 stands and
features live music from around the world. On Sunday, a smaller and
more modern market in downtown Prague 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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Cyclo-cross Stybar wins World Cup event in Belgium
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Czech rider Zdenek Stybar won the fourth round of the UCI cyclo-cross
World Cup in Koksijde, Belgium on Saturday. The Telenet Fidea rider was
in a group of five coming to the finishing line, and unleashed a
perfectly timed sprint to claim the win over Belgium's Sven Nys and
Klaas Vantornout, who came in second and third, respectively. For
Stybar, this was his first World Cup victory in two years; he currently
ranks second in the UCI chart.
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Press: Russia's KHL eyes Czech coach Ruzicka
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Several clubs of the Kontinetal Hockey League eye Vladimir Ruzicka, the
coach of the Czech national hockey team and Salvia Prague, the Czech
daily Sport reported on Saturday. Mr Ruzicka, who won gold as player
the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, led the Czech team to the world
title in 2005. His contract at Slavia expires this year. According to
Sport, the clubs that are interested in the Czech coach include SKA
Saint Petersburg, AK Bars Kazan and Dynamo Moscow.
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Meteorologists warn of strong winds
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Meteorologists issued a warning on Saturday against strong winds that
should hit the eastern part of the country over the weekend and at the
star of next week. They said that the regions of Pardubice, Zlin and
Ostrava could see winds of up to 100 km/hour. Meteorologist asked
people to take extreme caution and avoid trees and older buildings as
their roofs could be ripped off.
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Weather
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The weekend should be overcast with some sunny spells. Occasional rain
is excepted at places, with highest day temperatures ranging between 5
and 9 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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SoundCzech
Have a peacock!
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Welcome to a fresh edition of Radio Prague's SoundCzech, one of our
most popular series, in which you can learn interesting Czech phrases
while listening to music. Today's song is "Kdyz se kouri konopi", or
Smoking Cannabis, with lyrics by the head of Czech Pen Club, poet Jiri
Dedecek. The tune, performed by Vladimir Misik and his band Etc.,
appeared on their 2004 album, Umlkly stroje, or Machines Fell Silent.
The phrase to listen for is "dat si pava", or have a drag.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122660
Magazine
Magazine 11.28.2009
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The Zizkov TV tower in Prague is rated the second ugliest construction
in the world! Why do CSA planes have two different logos? And, a bishop
gets booed as he blesses a "stolen" statue. Find out more in Magazine
with Daniela Lazarova.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122659
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