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Countdown to EuropeIs Czech food safe?
In its assessment last November of the Czech Republic's preparedness for EU
membership, the European Commission (EC) stressed that Prague was still
lagging behind with regards to food safety and hygiene norms. Since then,
Czech food processing companies and restaurants have worked hard at
meeting EU requirements.
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Current AffairsParliament to discuss stiffer sentences for dog attacks amid latest killing
MPs are due to discuss new legislation in the next few weeks to deal with
the growing problem of dogs attacking humans. Under a bill to be submitted
to parliament, dog owners would face much stiffer punishments if their dog
kills or maims someone. The bill comes after the latest case in which a
man was apparently killed by three Staffordshire terriers.
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Current AffairsNational Network of Sanctuaries for Handicapped Animals saves the lost and cures the sick
As experts say, some migrating birds are nowadays too lazy to fly south for
the winter and others are not eager to return home. But for those who do
still follow the traditional ways, now is the time to fly home. But it is
not only the larks, peewits and thrushes that can now be seen again in the
Czech Republic. Joining them will be two young buzzards who are returning
to the wild after a winter absence.
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Current AffairsNGO Arnika launches Save the Trees campaign
The construction boom of recent years has proved to be a serious threat to
trees in many Czech towns and cities. Trees which have been part of the
landscape for decades and sometimes for over a century are disappearing
overnight. The NGO Arnika has now decided to help the public to put up a
fight for them - by launching a nation wide Save the Trees campaign.
Martin Skalsky of Arnika explains what it is all about:
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Current AffairsBirds of a feather: record number of northland geese wintering at Nove Mlyny reservoir
Mild weather and perfect conditions over the past few days have brought
renewed opportunity for professional and amateur bird-watchers in the
Czech Republic to observe an incredible sight: thousands of wild northern
geese that have been wintering at the extensive Nove Mlyny reservoir.
Found in the Breclav region in southern Moravia, the site has become a
traditional home away from home for geese from all over northern Europe
and northern Russia. An added attraction this year has been an increased
count of an amazing 34, 000 birds.
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Stepping OutVisiting Utopia - karaoke hits Prague at last!
Prague is pretty progressive on most things but until recently lacked a
venue providing a service long adored in other parts of the world -
karaoke - that sublime form of entertainment from Japan that brings out
the Elvis or Tiny Tim in all of us. Whether you have a voice that makes
listeners swoon, or raises the fur on the cat's back instead - in Prague
you have a place to go at last. It's called Utopie - Utopia in English -
and it is a bar located on the city's massive Charles Square, open from
dusk till dawn, 6 nights a week.
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Stepping OutGoing to Tramtarie - a children's indoor playground in the centre of town
Prague is a city with no shortage of bars, discos, and even cocktail
lounges but until now it may have been something of a problem to
"step out" if you had children. No more. A new venue has opened
in the city centre where you can meet with friends and take your little
ones all at the same time - a place called Teta Tramtarie - found almost
unexpectedly in busy Jungmannova Street. Tramtarie - which means something
like wonderland in English, is at once a café, a playground, a children's
bookstore - and even a children's theatre, frequented by parents with
kids, but still modish enough to be visited by artsy adolescent or
twenty-something crowds.
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Stepping OutDahab 'reloaded' - enter the Arabesque
There aren't many places in Prague where one could go to completely lose
oneself in a different culture - but there are a few. A sure bet is Dahab
- Prague's self-styled 'odpocivarna' or chill-out space - where you can
enter a world mixing countless Arabian influences in a thousand-and-one
different styles. The perfect place to spend an afternoon over a cup of
tea, a place to lounge with a favourite book, or to have lunch or dinner
with friends, eating authentic dishes from the Middle East, long studied
by Dahab's head chef. As you slip back onto the Afghan cushions you may
feel yourself slipping into another world. The menu reads 'Dahab Reloaded'
- a reference to the venue's new assortment of dishes.
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Current AffairsThe most significant trees in the Czech Republic
Only a few weeks ago a giant beech tree was voted the most beautiful tree
in the Czech Republic. The competition proved unexpectedly successful.
Almost thirty thousand people have voted for their favourite tree.
Evidently Czechs have a special relationship to their trees.
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Current AffairsDog licences in Prague to increase to help cover street-cleaning expenses
Visitors admiring the beauty of Prague's spires and the colourful facades
of its historic buildings are often in for an unpleasant surprise. Prague
residents learnt long ago that it's safest to walk around the city with
their eyes down. That's because the streets of the capital are often
littered with dog excrement, which the city authorities spend tens of
millions of crowns a year cleaning up. The money from dog licences is used
to clean up the dog mess, though it is not enough. The city council has
now proposed the licence fee be increased by fifty percent.
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