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05/27/2008
Two Czechs who went on a hunger strike on May 14th in protest against the Czech government’s acceptance of hosting a US radar on Czech territory are reported to be having health problems but have resolved not to let-up in their protest. Jan Bednář and Jan Tamáš want a public referendum on the issue and claim that the government has no right to decide against the will of its citizens. Opinion polls suggest that the majority of Czechs are opposed to the idea of a US radar on Czech soil, and even more so to the idea of foreign troops and observers which would be a part of it. The protesters say they will continue in their hunger strike until politicians heed the voice of the people.
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05/27/2008
Emotions are running high in the Green Party of the Czech governing coalition, with some party members demanding an extraordinary conference which would confirm the mandate of party leader Martin Bursík. Mr. Bursík has come under fire in recent weeks for what his critics call his authoritative style of leadership. This weekend Mr. Bursik further angered the Greens by coming out in strong defense of the planned US radar base on Czech territory, although he is aware that many party members are vehemently against it. The deputy chairwoman of the Green Party Dana Kuchtová on Tuesday urged her party colleagues not to put the party’s performance in the autumn regional and Senate elections at risk by forcing an extraordinary conference at this time.
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05/27/2008
Milan Šošovička, the head of the anti-corruption police in Olomouc, who collected evidence for filing corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek, has left his post, the daily Pravo reports, indicating that the police chief’s departure was not voluntary. The paper also notes that Mr Šošovička is the fifth detective to leave the anti-corruption police in connection with Jiří Čunek’s case. The media are also speculating about similar purges in the judiciary. Deputy Prime Minister Jiří Čunek was suspected of having taken a two million crown bribe when he was the mayor of Vsetín in 2002 but the charges against him were dropped for lack of evidence.
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05/26/2008
The head of the international section of the Czech Green Party Jiří Čáslavka has added fuel to the fire with regards to questions about party leader Martin Bursík’s style of leadership. In an open letter to Mr Bursík, Mr Čáslavka accused the Green party leader of seeking to remain in the governing coalition at all costs and at the expense of the party. He also stated his belief that Mr Bursík was labeling as enemies those within his party that have a different view from his own. The comments represent an escalation of infighting within the party, which remains divided over the acceptance of the proposed US radar base, and was also shaken earlier this year by the re-election of President Klaus, whom the party strongly opposed.
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05/26/2008
The Interior Ministry has disseminated proposed legislation to football clubs around the country that would enable them to access a central database of Czech football hooligans. The government is hoping that by the next football season, which begins in August, the proposed database will be up and running. The move represents attempts by the government to address hooliganism in the country in which additional security cameras and other security measures at stadiums are also being considered.
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05/26/2008
Newly released police figures have revealed that the country has just experienced one of its worst weeks for traffic accidents for some time. The figures reveal more than 3000 accidents, 506 injuries and 25 fatalities occurred last week. Estimated financial costs are about 153 million crowns. Last Tuesday proved to be a peak for fatalities with eight people killed in a single day. The accidents are in part attributed to wet weather, with more consistently prevalent factors such as speeding and alcohol also playing a role. The country is known for its relatively high levels of traffic accidents and fatalities compared to the EU average.
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05/26/2008
The north-western Czech border town of Cheb has signed a deal with a German NGO for it to create a cemetery housing German soldiers who died during WWII. Around 4000 soldiers could ultimately be buried at the site – the remains of the German soldiers have been exhumed across the country as part of an initiative paid for by the NGO. It has also pledged to pay 24.6 million crowns to help repair the current cemetery at Cheb. The deal is seen as helping to strengthen ties between Germany and the Czech Republic, for whom the issue of WWII remains a sore point.
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05/26/2008
A new poll by the Median agency suggests that 12.8% of Czechs have tried illegal drugs. The figures also revealed that men tended to be more inclined towards this activity with 16.1% of men to 10.2% of women revealing drug use. In terms of age groups, of 20-29 year-olds, 20.1% said “yes”, while 18.6 of 12-18 year-olds answered “yes”.
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05/26/2008
The Czech Advertising Standard’s Authority has ruled that an advert for the liquor Fernet is unethical because it features actors who are younger than 25. Under the voluntary rules, alcohol must not be promoted by those who are or who look younger than 25. The Authority has no teeth to enforce its rulings, but it is expected that the advert will be withdrawn.
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05/26/2008
High petrol prices in the Czech Republic are leading to increased speculation that bus operators will increase their fares. ČSAD, one of the leading operators in the country has so far played down such concerns insisting that it will continue to monitor the situation. Other companies such as Student Agency have openly speculated about possible fare rises.
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