Copyright (c) 2009 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Saturday, October 31st, 2009
By: Jan Velinger
* The Czech press has reported that Prime Minister Jan Fischer may
nominate former industry and trade minister Vladimir Dlouhy for the
post of European commissioner.
* The White House has published a statement by US President Barack
Obama, made earlier this week in connection with the 91st anniversary
of the founding of Czechoslovakia.
* A new internet poll has suggested that a majority of Czechs are not
satisfied with the work of their police.
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Daily: Fischer considering Dlouhy for European commissioner
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Saturday's edition of the Czech daily Lidove noviny has reported that
Prime Minister Jan Fischer is considering nominating the former
minister for industry and trade Vladimir Dlouhy for the post of Czech
EU commissioner. Mr Dlouhy, who currently works for Goldman Sachs
Europe, and was a central figure in 1990s Czech politics, featured most
recently in the government's now defunct economic advisory committee
NERV. Lidove noviny writes that as a nominee Mr Dlouhy would likely get
backing from several of the country's parliamentary parties, including
the Civic Democrats, Top 09, and the Communists.
The paper adds that the Social Democrats were not necessarily against-
although that party would like to see current commissioner Vladimir
Spidla continue in a new term. The Christian Democrats and the Greens,
meanwhile, are reportedly not in favour. Prime Minister Jan Fischer,
heading a caretaker government, had pressed the two largest parties,
the Civic and Social Democrats, to agree on a joint-candidate, which
they have failed to do; he said on Friday that the nomination of a
candidate could be no longer be put off.
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US president congratulates Czechs on 91st anniversary
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The White House on Friday published a statement issued earlier in the
week by US President Barack Obama, congratulating the Czechs on 91
years of statehood. October 28 is a national holiday in the Czech
Republic, commemorating the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918. The
Czechs and Slovaks then split in 1993. In the brief statement issued on
Wednesday, a traditional diplomatic gesture, the US president called
the Czech Republic "a close ally and vital partner", sharing "a history
in the struggle for freedom and democracy". Mr Obama has spoken on
other occasions about Czech-US ties, including in a key address in the
Czech capital earlier this year, where he outlined the need for a world
free of nuclear weapons.
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Internet poll suggests majority of Czechs dissatisfied with police
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A new poll conducted by the SANEP internet polling agency has suggested
that more than 50 percent of Czechs are dissatisfied with the work of
the country's police. Citing the report, the Czech news agency said
that 52 percent of respondents replied in the negative when asked if
the country's police fulfilled the obligation to serve and protect. 59
percent said they had not been helped by officers in cases, while 36
percent said the opposite. More than 10,000 people between the ages of
18 and 69 took part in the internet poll, which was conducted over nine
days.
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The Guardian: top EU leaders incensed over Tory leader's letter to
Czech president
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The British newspaper The Guardian has reported that European leaders
including Germany's Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy
were "incensed" over a letter the head of the British Conservative
Party David Cameron sent to Czech President Vaclav Klaus. The move,
taken in September, was seen as a clear attempt to delay and help
scupper the EU's Lisbon treaty. The criticism by the EU leaders, the
daily reported, came to a head at the EU summit in Brussels.
The Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Friday he would raise no
further conditions for the treaty's ratification, after the EU granted
the Czech Republic an opt-out on the treaty's Charter of Fundamental
Rights. The move means Mr Klaus could sign after the Czech
Constitutional Court issues a ruling on a final complaint next week.
The British Conservative Party itself is now moving away from earlier
plans to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, The Guardian reported.
The Czech Republic is the only country remaining to ratify the
document, which reforms the running of the 27-member bloc.
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Social Democrats to push for more "narrow" opt-out if the party wins
the next election
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In related news, the Social Democrats have said they will push for a
"narrowing" of the Czech Republic's opt-out to the Charter of
Fundamental Rights if they win the general election next year. On
Friday, party leader Jiri Paroubek slammed the government for agreeing
to the opt-out, saying the agreement should have applied only to the
country's Benes decrees. The historic decrees sanctioned the expulsion
of ethnic Germans from Czech soil after World War II, and allowed for
the confiscation of property. The government said on Friday that the
opt-out, pursued by the country's president to block property rights
claims by Sudeten Germans, would not put Czechs at a disadvantage. The
government also stressed that anything other than a general wording in
the concession to the Czech Republic would have buried the Lisbon
treaty.
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Legendary Semafor theatre celebrates 50th birthday
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The legendary Czech theatre Semafor celebrated its 50th birthday in
style on Friday evening with a gala concert featuring Semafor songs and
hits. On hand were stars associated with the theatre such as Eva
Pilarova, Pavlina Filipovska and Karel Stedry. The two-hour event was
hosted by two of Semafor's most well-known entertainers, Jitka
Molavcova and Jiri Suchy. Over the course of the evening, they and
other Semafor members paid tribute to the famous theatre and remembered
departed members such as Waldemar Matuska, who died earlier this year.
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Lily Allen performs in Czech capital
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Young British pop star Lily Allen took to the stage for some 1,500
people at a Prague club on Friday, performing songs from her second
album It's Not Me, It's You, as well as from her debut. The performance
lasted for a little more than an hour, CTK reported, and included the
hits Not Fair and The Fear. Earlier this year, The Fear topped the
charts in the Czech Republic for several weeks.
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Motorcyclist transported to hospital after crash on D2 highway
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The D2 highway in the direction from Brno to Bratislava was blocked for
two hours on Saturday following a crash involving a 30-year-old
motorcyclist and an automobile driver. The motorcyclist suffered
serious head injuries in the accident and lost consciousness. He was
transported to hospital, suspected of suffering internal bleeding.
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NHL action: Sykora back in line-up for Wild
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Czech hockey forward Petr Sykora has proven his worth back in the
line-up for the Minnesota Wild. Sykora, who sat out the Wild's last
game, scored once on Friday and earned one assist to help his team
defeat the New York Rangers by a score of 3:2.
In other NHL action, Tomas Fleischmann scored two goals for Washington
in a losing effort against the New York Islanders, who won 4:3 in
overtime.
The Florida Panthers' Rostislav Olesz scored the only goal in the
shoot-out on Friday between the Panthers and Dallas, giving Florida a
6:5 win.
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Weather
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Mostly cloudy conditions, with a chance of a few sunny periods, are
expected on Sunday. Daytime temperatures should reach highs between 6
and 8 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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Magazine
Magazine 10.31.2009
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The Czech EU presidency has left a sweet legacy, just married -
newlywed at 99, and -is that you Vaclav? What's going on in
Spooksville? Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/121721
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all rights reserved. http://www.radio.cz, E-mail: cr@radio.cz
The notion of defending Afghanistan's cities and leaving its rural areas to be overrun by the Taliban is gaining some traction in Washington as a substitute for a surge of U.S. troops across the country. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected soon to announce a change in strategy. But the defending the city approach is a strategy that echoes the Soviet Union's failed military occupation of the country, and efforts to scale up the Afghan military hold the country's best hopes for long-term security. 
