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Current AffairsAmnesty International declares former president Vaclav Havel as Ambassador of Conscience
Former Czech president Vaclav Havel was awarded the first ever Ambassador
of Conscience award by the human rights organization Amnesty International
in the Irish capital, Dublin on Thursday night. The title for the award
was inspired by a poem written by the Irish Nobel Literature Laureate
Seamus Heaney to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Amnesty International
in 1986.
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Current AffairsHavel helps Belarus journalist
In the world press the plight of independent journalists in Belarus has
been largely ignored in recent years, but on Friday the former Czech
president Vaclav Havel offered a symbolic gesture of support to one
journalist struggling under the Lukashenko regime. Mr Havel received the
Hanno R. Ellenbogen award for his contribution to democracy in Central
Europe and decided to pass on the financial part of the award to Andrej
Dynko, editor-in-chief of the independent Belarussian political and
cultural weekly, Nasha Niva. It was an act of solidarity from Central
Europe's most celebrated former dissident. So what kind of difficulties
does a newspaper like Nasha Niva face in Lukashenko's Belarus? Just after
the ceremony David Vaughan caught up with Andrej Dynko.
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Current AffairsBridging global gaps: the key role of inter-religious dialogue
A meeting of representatives of World Religions took place on Sunday at
Prague's Obecni Dum, or Municipal House. Former Czech President Vaclav
Havel brought together prominent Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish and Christian
leaders including his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It was a follow-up to
a five-year series of Forum 2000 conferences that Mr Havel has arranged in
Prague since 1997. He opened the forum to discussion by reminding the
public of the importance of humility before the order of nature; our
political social landscape has entered a chase of consumption and we need
to think of the long term: those things that transcend us. The panelists
then gave insight into religion's place in a world of rapid globalization.
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Current AffairsVaclav Havel receives the Czech Republic's highest state honours
On Tuesday, Parliament presented former president Vaclav Havel with the
Czech Republic's highest honours, the Order of the White Lion, First
Class, and the Order of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, First Class, the latter
named after the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia. Speaking
after the ceremony, Mr Havel, one of the most important Czech figures of
the post-Communist era, said he regarded the awards as a tribute to the
values he had believed in all his life: democracy, freedom and human
rights.
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Current AffairsForum 2000: Bridging Global Gaps Conference held for seventh time
Former Czech president Vaclav Havel is well-known as a champion of human
rights, but he hasn't been resting on his laurels since stepping down as
president in January. From Wednesday to Friday this week, Mr Havel's
Office and the Forum 2000 Foundation are holding a conference at Prague's
Municipal House entitled "Bridging Global Gaps". Forum 2000
Foundation's Oldrich Cerny told Dita Asiedu more about the aim of this
week's conference:
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Press ReviewPress Review
One man dominates the front pages today - and that man is the former president Vaclav Havel - shown receiving the country's highest state distinctions. The papers have all noted the public snub to him by President Klaus who absented himself from the ceremony on what the papers call a very flimsy excuse. More
Press ReviewPress Review
Making the headlines today - news that former Communist official Karel
Hoffman has lost his appeal in court for his role in the 1968 Soviet-led
invasion, claims that the police routinely ignore traffic regulations, and
surprising reports that three-fifths of university students would be
willing to pay some of their tuition fees.
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MagazineMagazine
The former Czech President Vaclav Havel celebrated his 67th birthday on
October 5th - what was on the menu of his birthday dinner? A Czech farmer
explains why lamas make good watchdogs. And a police surveillance camera
is a great way to prevent theft -unless of course the camera itself gets
stolen. Find out more in this week's Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
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Press ReviewPress Review
The news that former president Vaclav Havel has failed to win this year's
Nobel Peace Prize came too late for Friday's papers of course - although
several commentators do ponder over Mr Havel's presidential career and
falling popularity at home. Also making headlines today - the current
president, Vaclav Klaus, invited by Ombudsman Otakar Motejl to explain his
recent scathing attack on the institution.
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