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03/18/2007
Prague Mayor Pavel Bem - an avid mountaineer - is making final preparations before he and a team of fellow climbers depart for Mt. Everest next week. They leave next Saturday for Tibet. Mr Bem and five others on the team will attempt to ascend Mount Everest along its northern face, with the final ascent planned for sometime between May 5th and 15th. According to the mayor, the team will try to reach the top without relying on bottled oxygen, although members will have the gear along. During the mayor's absence, his office will be run by Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blazek.
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03/18/2007
A 26-year old Czech ski alpinist (ski mountaineer) fell fifty metres in Slovakia's Tatra Mountains on Sunday, suffering serious injuries to her spine and pelvis. The skier lost her balance on a cliff edge when buffeted by strong winds. Poor weather conditions prevented rescue crews from making use of an emergency helicopter. Mountain rescue service members set out to recover the injured woman on foot. They were met by the woman's compatriots carrying her on a makeshift stretcher. She is now being treated in hospital.
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03/18/2007
Singers Matej Ruppert and Anna K. triumphed at the annual Andel (Angel) awards on Saturday evening given to the country's best musicians by the country's Academy of Popular Music. The pop group Krystof was voted band of the year, and also recognised for best song and best Pop & Dance album. Composer Karel Svoboda, who took his life earlier this year, was inducted "in memoriam" into the Music Hall of Fame. The award was picked up by his son Petr and his wife Vendula.
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03/18/2007
Czech singer Karel Gott has won the overall TyTy award for most popular TV personality, awarded yearly in the Czech Republic. The awards ceremony was televised in the Czech Republic on Saturday night. Mr Gott also triumphed in the best male singer category, while Lucie Bila won in the best female singer category. In other categories: Miroslav Donutil and Daniela Sinkorova were chosen as the country's most popular actors. The annual TyTy awards are voted on by TV viewers themselves.
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03/18/2007
Czech forward Jaromir Jagr helped his team the New York Rangers crush the Boston Bruins in ice hockey action in the NHL on Saturday. Jagr picked up three assists in the game while fellow Czechs Petr Prucha and Michal Rozsival picked up goals apiece in the 7-0 win. The Rangers have edged into the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference. In other NHL action the Caroline Hurricanes' Josef Vasicek picked up a goal and two assists in his team's 7-2 victory over New Jersey. Also, Tomas Plekanec helped his Montreal Canadiens edge Toronto 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out. The Canadiens are one of five "Original Six" teams currently struggling for a play-off spot.
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03/17/2007
According to the Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek is going to present a proposal to the government introducing a flat income tax rate of 15 percent as part of planned reforms. He is expected to put forward the proposal in two weeks time. The rate is lower than was previously expected. Currently the amount of income tax one pays in the Czech Republic depends on one's overall yearly earnings and those are rated along a four-point scale. Mlada Fronta Dnes points out that the new rate, if approved, will most benefit those earning incomes upwards of 35,000 crowns per month. At the same time, the finance ministry has said that under the proposal it will raise tax allowances. If the government backs the plan and it finds backing in the Lower House of Parliament, the changes could come into effect in 2008.
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03/17/2007
The European Social Democrats - including representatives from the Czech Republic and Poland - have rejected the idea of US anti-missile defence bases being deployed on Czech and Polish territory. The representatives met on Friday. Martin Hasek - the head of the Social Democratic party's deputies' group in the Czech Republic made clear that such a proposal would only be acceptable within a NATO framework. The US has formally requested both Poland and the Czech Republic to host missile and radar bases on their territory, part of a system aimed at preventing potential missile attacks by rogue states.
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03/17/2007
In related news, the village of Trokavec near Brdy, central Bohemia (the region slated for the possible US radar base) has held a local referendum on the issue. The village of one hundred inhabitants began voting on Saturday morning, with 90 percent having cast their ballot by two in the afternoon. All indications are that most residents voted "against". In the referendum locals were asked to vote either "for" or "against" town representatives trying to block the US proposal. Neighbouring villages in the area are also expected to hold their own referenda on the issue in the coming weeks.
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03/17/2007
On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again warned against the placement of US bases in central Europe as part of a broader US defence shield. He said that the project would have a negative impact on relations between Russia and NATO. It is widely expected that the proposed US shield will be the main issue for discussion at the NATO-Russia Council meeting set for next month.
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03/17/2007
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and his Slovak counterpart Jan Kubis agreed in Prague on Friday to jointly continue efforts to obtain visa-free admission for Czech and Slovak citizens visiting the United States. The US still has to take several steps towards changing its visa regime that could result in the lifting of entry visas for Czechs and Slovaks, Mr Schwarzenberg said. Earlier this week, US senators approved the proposal; now the legislation will be debated in the House of Representatives.
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