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05/30/2008
A Prague court has ruled that the finance ministry must pay 800,000 crowns in compensation to the Independents and European Democrats for subsidies the ministry failed to pay out after the European Democrats earned mandates in local elections in 2002. Following the parties’ success in the elections they were entitled to an annual state subsidy of 250,000 crowns for each mandate gained. But Bohuslav Sobotka, then finance minister, and his successor Vlastimil Tlustý, both maintained that the subsidies could onlz go to a party or a coalition of parties, not an association comprising a political party and independent candidates. The defence lawyer for the European Democrats and Independents has maintained on the basis of the law the compensation could come directly from the former ministers’ pockets.
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05/30/2008
A unique survey released by the Czech Statistical Office on Friday has suggested that people with some kind of health disability make up 10 percent of the Czech population (around 1 million people). The study took into account random reports from 548 general practitioners and paediatricians. The authors processed information about more than ten thousand patients in making their estimate. Of 1.15 million people suffering a disability 52 percent are men, 48, women. 72 percent, the survey found, were not professionally active, while 79 percent lived off their pension.
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05/30/2008
The leader of the opposition Social Democrats Jiří Paroubek met with architect Jan Kaplický on Friday to express support for his avant garde design for the new national library, a building originally planned for Prague’s Letná Plain nicknamed “the Octopus” or “the Blob”. The project came to a standstill after objections were voiced by City Hall, including the mayor, and disputes emerged over funding as well as zoning on the original property. On Friday, Mr Paroubek said that if his party were in government the building would receive the 3 to 4 billion crowns needed for its construction. The topic of the national library is now likely to become a heated ahead of the next elections. The head of the national library, Vlastimil Ježek, will reportedly also meet with Mr Paroubek to try and drum up new support for the stalled project.
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05/30/2008
A new private news and current affairs station, Z1, will launch digital broadcasting this Sunday. Its programme will be available in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and Pilsen for the time being. The new station will feature well-known Czech journalists such as Veronika Sedláčková and the former head of Czech Radio’s Radiožurnál (Radio Journal) Barbora Tachecí. Heads at Z1, which is funded by investors J&T, have acknowledged the aim of trying to capture 3 percent of the market, a goal which some media experts see as long-term and difficult to achieve. Charles University specialist Milan Šmíd has suggested the station will be successful even with less, providing it is able to break through as a serious news source.
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05/30/2008
The Czech Republic’s national football team defeated Scotland 3:1 in a friendly in Prague on Friday evening. The game was the last for the squad before the European Championship, Euro 2008, kicks off on June 7. The Czechs’ Libor Sionko opened the scoring in the 59th minute. His goal was followed by a goal by Kadlec 6 minutes from time. Scotland got one back on a goal by Clarkson, but Sionko then added a 2nd goal. The Czech Republic will play the opening match at Euro 2008 against co-hosts Switzerland.
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05/29/2008
A special police centre is to be established in the Czech Republic to protect the country against terrorism. Police president Oldřich Martinů told the daily Právo on Thursday that he was in talks with the Czech Interior Ministry about the exact form that the new police department would take. The newspaper writes that Interior Minister Ivan Langer made the decision to found such a centre in response to the US lifting visa-requirements for Czech citizens traveling to the States. The centre is expected to open this summer, and will be fully staffed by the end of this year. It will function as the central point of contact for all foreign partners in the fight against terrorism, says Právo.
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05/29/2008
The Czech Constitutional Court has started its assessment of the Lisbon Treaty, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said on Wednesday. The deputy prime minister said that he expected the court to make its final decision on the constitutionality of the treaty by this autumn. According to Mr Vondra, the Czech government supports the Lisbon Treaty, which sets down a new framework for the European Union and the way it is run. But, he said, the cabinet is not ruling out the possibility that the treaty will not be ratified by the end of the year. All EU member states must ratify the treaty for it to take effect. According to factions within the government, the Czech Republic’s delayed ratification of the treaty could lead to it being viewed as a ‘problem-state’ by other EU members.
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05/29/2008
A meeting of Prague councilors was disrupted on Thursday when artists, unhappy with the way that culture is funded in the Czech capital, stormed Prague City Hall. The protest marks the end of a week of events titled ‘Dny neklidu’ (‘The Days of Unrest’), during which hundreds of artists demonstrated against what they considered to be flaws in the current arts’ funding system. Protesters were particularly unhappy with the way Prague’s theatres are funded, and the blanket ticket subsidies currently in place. In light of today’s upheaval at City Hall, councilors said that they were unwilling to change their stance on culture funding.
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05/29/2008
Head of the Greens Martin Bursík has said that his party has drafted plans for a referendum which would allow Czechs to decide on how their president should be elected. Currently the president is elected indirectly – by lawmakers in the Czech Senate and Lower House. According to Mr Bursík, the majority of lawmakers favour switching to direct presidential election, which would leave the decision up to the electorate. Mr Bursík said, however, that up until now, parliamentarians have been unable to agree on how to switch from indirect to direct presidential elections. He said that he was raising the issue now so that something could potentially be done before the end of the government’s term in office in 2010.
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05/29/2008
Czech scriptwriter and film director Ivan Passer will chair the main jury at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year, it was announced on Thursday. A spokesperson for the festival said that both Petr Zelenka’s film The Karamazovs, and Michaela Pavlatová’s Children of the Night would be representing the Czech Republic in the feature-film competition. The competition jury will also include British actress Brenda Blethyn, Isreali film-maker Ari Folman and US producer Ted Hope.
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