Copyright (c) 2010 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha)
News Saturday, March 6th, 2010
By: Daniela Lazarova
* Prime Minister Jan Fischer has demanded an apology from trade union
leader Jaromir Dusek for making homophobic statements in the media.
* Milos Zeman has been elected chairman of the newly established
Citizens' Rights Party.
* Czechs are marking the 160th anniversary of the birth of
Czechoslovakia's first president T.G. Masaryk.
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PM slams trade union leader for homophobia
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Prime Minister Jan Fisher has demanded an apology from transport unions
leader Jaromir Dusek over an interview in which he said that Czech
Railways was run by a clique of homosexuals. In an interview for
Saturday's Lidove Noviny, Dusek alleged that homosexuals had a tight
grip on decision-making and had people both in the cabinet and the
office of the government. The interview provoked an angry reaction from
Prime Minister Jan Fischer who described Mr. Dusek's views as primitive
and small-minded. He accused the trade union leader of homophobia and
intolerance and said that if he failed to apologize he would not be
considered a future partner for negotiation.
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Milos Zeman elected chairman of Citizens' Rights Party
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Milos Zeman has been elected chairman of the newly established
Citizens' Rights Party. His election, at the party's weekend
conference, comes as no surprise since the party was established around
the former Social Democrat prime minister as an alternative for
dissatisfied left-wing voters. Mr. Zeman, who put the Social Democrats
on the Czech political map, served as prime minister between 1998 and
2002, retiring a year later after he lost a bid for the presidency to
the current head of state Vaclav Klaus. He was increasingly critical of
the Social Democrats in later years and officially left the party in
2007. Some of his former allies have left the Social Democrats to join
his Citizens' Rights Party. The newly elected chairman is expected to
set the course and mastermind the party's election strategy in the
upcoming general elections.
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Czechs mark Masaryk anniversary
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Czechs are marking the 160th anniversary of the birth of
Czechoslovakia's co-founder and first president T.G. Masaryk. On
Saturday a crowd of several hundred people attended a commemorative
ceremony at his graveside in Lany cemetery and later in the day a
bronze equestrian statue of the country's first president was unveiled
outside the T.G. Masaryk Museum in Lany. Masaryk's birthplace Hodonin,
in south Moravia, is planning a whole day of events to celebrate the
anniversary on Sunday. Earlier this week an exhibition dedicated to
Masaryk's life and work opened at Prague Castle.
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Czech Lion Awards due to be announced on Saturday
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Six films are in the running for the 17th annual Czech Lion Awards due
to be announced on Saturday evening. Among the nominees selected by the
Czech film and Television Academy are Three seasons in Hell directed by
Tomas Masin, Protector directed by Marek Najbrt and Jan Hrebejk's
Kawasaki's Rose. The film academy has already selected actress Jana
Brejchova for the prize given for lifelong-contribution to Czech
cinematography. The Czech equivalent of the Oscars will take place at
Prague's Lucerna ballroom.
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Fresh snow complicating traffic around the country
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A night of heavy snow resulted in a pile up involving thirty cars on
the R1 motorway near the town of Mlada Boleslav early on Saturday, in
which six people were injured. Ten to fifteen centimeters of fresh snow
fell around the Czech Republic overnight with more heavy snow lowering
visibility in the course of the day. The police report a heightened
number of accidents in all regions. A Polish mother driving two
children crashed on an icy road near Jihlava late on Friday. One of the
children was killed on impact, the mother and surviving child are both
in critical condition in hospital. The police have warned drivers to
slow down and exercise caution.
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Environment minister calls for coordinated effort against air-pollution
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Environment Minister Jan Dusik says that a coordinated effort is needed
to improve the quality of the air in the heavily industrialized city of
Ostrava and its surroundings. The minister, who visited the region in
February, has drafted a long-term strategy for improvement based on
cooperation between the ministries of environment, transport, industry
and local development. The government is to debate the proposal on
Monday.
People living in Ostrava and nearby towns and villages are frequently
exposed to a high concentration of harmful substances in the air far
exceeding permitted levels. Studies show that the inhabitants of this
region are more prone to asthma and allergies than the rest of the
population.
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Far-right party wants international observers at general elections
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The far-right Workers Social Justice Party has said it will make a
request for international observers to be present at the upcoming
general elections. The party, boosted by members of the former Workers'
party, banned for spreading racism and orchestrating violence in a
landmark court ruling in February, is planning to run candidates and
says it fears the elections may not be fair and that votes for the
far-right will be secretly discarded. The Interior Ministry which was
successful in its bid to get the far-right Workers Party outlawed, says
it is watching the Workers Social Justice Party carefully and will not
hesitate to take similar action if it breaches the law.
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Gang of pickpockets get exceptional sentences
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A Prague court has served exceptionally high two-to-three year
sentences to a gang of highly organized Romanian nationals who
pick-pocketed in the vicinity of Prague Castle. The gang all came from
the same village in Romania and operated successfully in Prague for
several years before the police had enough evidence to file charges.
Their victims were mainly unsuspecting tourists. The police presented a
vast amount of evidence against them in court, including phone
conversations where they spoke openly about their activities and
undercover policemen who had been posted around Prague Castle.
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Karvina takes action against excessive noise pollution
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The Moravian town of Karvina is taking unprecedented action against
noise pollution after receiving numerous complaints from the town's
inhabitants. The town's council has approved a set of regulations
according to which discos, pubs and restaurants located in the city
centre or in the close vicinity of housing estates will have to keep
down noise levels after 10pm. The new regulations will come into force
as of March 17, and more officers will be out on the streets to enforce
them. Repeat offenders could be fined up to 200,000 crowns.
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Driver killed after skid sends him into lake
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A twenty-five-year old driver died early on Saturday morning when his
car went into a skid on an icy road that sent it flying into a lake by
the roadside. His chances of survival diminished when the ice cracked
under the weight of the car and it was submerged by the icy water.
Firemen and emergency crews found the young man still strapped in his
seat.
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Weather
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The weekend is expected to be partly cloudy to overcast with snow in
places and day temperatures between 0 and minus 4 degrees Celsius.
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Articles posted on www.radio.cz today
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SoundCzech
That pub of ours
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Hello and welcome to SoundCzech, which this week will give you lots of
the language you need to know when doing one of the things that Czechs
like most: drinking beer. Czechs drink more beer than any nation in the
world so there are a lot of words you need to know, beginning with
"hospoda", as sung in the folk song "Ta nase hospoda", or "That Pub of
Ours":
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/125698
Magazine
Magazine 3.6.2010
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Speed skater Martina Sablikova gets a hero's welcome home. Where do
Czechs go on their first date -and who pays the bill? And, a Czech
sculptor and woodcarver makes personalized chairs. Find out more in
Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/125697
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