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02/02/2010
The quality of cocaine sold in the Czech Republic has fallen considerably in the last couple of years, according to experts in the field. Jakub Frydrych of the police’s anti-drug centre told reporters that the drug was diluted both in its countries of origin and by dealers in the Czech Republic. Viktor Mravčík of the government’s drug monitoring agency said whereas cocaine seized two years ago was on average 60 percent pure, last year it was only 20 percent pure. Mr Mravčík said dealers often cut cocaine with Levamisole, a substance used to de-worm animals, or Lidocaine, which is found in local anaesthetics.
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02/02/2010
Prague Airport handled almost one million fewer passengers in 2009 than in the previous year, according to information posted on its website. Some 11.64 million passengers passed through the airport last year, a fall of 8 percent on 2008. The decrease has been blamed on the financial crisis. The first quarter of 2009 in particular saw a marked reduction in flights from Prague Airport, said a representative.
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02/02/2010
Musicians Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard kicked off a new European tour at Prague’s Lucerna Hall on Monday night. The Czech-Irish duo, who won an Academy Award for the song Falling Slowly in 2008, were promoting their new album Strict Joy; it was produced as part of a band project called the Swell Season that also features members of Hansard’s group The Frames. They are set to play in Brno on Tuesday night, before a series of dates around the continent. Markéta Irglová, who is 21, is the only Czech woman ever to have won an Oscar.
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02/02/2010
The Czech Society for Ornithology has named the cuckoo the Czech Bird of the Year 2010. There are an estimated 35,000 to 75,000 cuckoo pairs in the Czech Republic, but their numbers have been falling for reasons that are as yet unknown to ornithologists. The decision to honour the cuckoo was motivated by a decrease in numbers of the species, as well as the fact that 2010 is the European Year of Biodiversity.
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02/02/2010
The ice hockey clubs Sparta Prague and Zlín have been fined CZK 100,000 after mass fighting between their players during a game in the Czech Extraliga. Two Zlín players also received suspensions, as did one Sparta player. During Sunday’s match, which Zlín won 4:1, seven players from each side were sent off after a series of fights, with an Extraliga record of 439 penalty minutes imposed.
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02/01/2010
The government has approved a plan by the Ministry of Defence to boost the number of Czech troops serving in Afghanistan by 55. Fifteen of the additional soldiers will be involved in training the Afghan police, while the remainder will be helping to defend a Polish base with two Czech-made gunnery radars. The reinforcements were requested by the US and the ministry was originally considering sending a larger force and Czech combat aircraft. The Social Democratic Party is strongly opposed to any increase beyond the 535 soldiers currently approved by Parliament for service in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Martin Barták has said that the reinforcement may be compensated for by decreasing the Czech Republic’s force in Kosovo.
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02/01/2010
The municipal government of Karlovy Vary wants to keep the greater part of the West Bohemian town off the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. According to the town’s mayor Werner Hauptmann, UNESCO protection would cover such an extensive area as to jeopardise development projects. The town may now seek protection only for its specific historic structures. Karlovy Vary has already filed a joint application with the towns of Marianské Lázně and Františkové Lázně for the induction of a triangle of historic spa towns though, and renegotiating the proposal could greatly delay what would be the 13th World Heritage Site in the Czech Republic. The National Heritage Institute says it is concerned the new proposal is detrimental to relations with UNESCO and that it will ultimately be dealt with by foreign experts not involved in local interests.
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02/01/2010
Prague Castle’s famous Zlatá ulička, or Golden Lane, is to be closed for at least one year for its most extensive restoration ever. The busy tourist destination will be closed from March and work will focus primarily on the obsolete sewer system, which Prague Castle Administration says risks destabilising the entire street. Work will likely be slowed by the archaeological research that almost always accompanies excavating work in Prague’s historical areas. In this case, workers will be excavating some six meters and thereby giving archaeologists their first opportunity to carefully examine this part of Prague Castle. Zlatá ulička preserves the last remnants of the small residential buildings that were home to soldiers and goldsmiths until the mid-19th century.
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02/01/2010
Czech scientists at the Institute for Experimental Medicine have succeeded in healing chronic spinal chord injuries in rats. The team discovered that new nerve fibres could be generated by injecting hydrogel with stem cells into the injured area. The treatment resulted in the rats’ mobility being improved and the feeling returned to their hind legs within six months. The scientists now hope to be able to test the method on humans, who are often left immobilised by such injuries. The particular benefit of the discovery is that only a small number of patients are able to undergo other stem cell treatments within sufficient time of their injury. Clinical tests are expected to be run on the hydrogel within the year, after which time it can be tested on humans.
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02/01/2010
The Czech government on Monday agreed to instate mandatory swine flu vaccinations for certain individuals, leaving the decision on whether to do so to Chief Hygiene Officer Michael Vít. The Ministry of Health had proposed that 200,000 individuals – namely policemen, firemen and healthcare workers – be vaccinated in order to ensure the running of the state and received the approval of the National Security Council on Friday. Dr. Vít will put the proposal into effect based on statistics on acute respiratory illnesses, other forms of influenza and the monitoring of the State Health Institute. There are currently 1016 cases of swine flu per 100,000 people and there have been 95 deaths connected to the virus since October. Currently one-fourth of the vaccine stock purchased by the state has been used.
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