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Current AffairsDrastic change to affect Czech taxation
Next year people in the Czech Republic will pay more to have their hair
cut, to have their shoes repaired and to make a telephone call. These are
just a few consequences of the biggest change in Czech taxation during the
last ten years.
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Current AffairsCentral European heads of state meet in Salzburg
The Austrian city of Salzburg has never seen anything quite like it. This
week presidents from no less than 17 Central and Eastern European
countries converged on the city, bringing the ancient city centre to a
complete standstill, much to the bemusement of locals and tourists alike.
The presidents were continuing a tradition of meetings that began ten
years ago in this same city on the initiative of Austrian President Thomas
Klestil. As expected, the talks did not see anything new on the key
questions of Europe's future, but as David Vaughan reports from Salzburg,
it was an opportunity for the presidents to exchange ideas on the identity
of a continent desperate to patch up recent divisions.
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Current AffairsSlovakia votes "yes" for EU
Slovakia's citizens voted last Friday and Saturday for entry into the
European Union in a dramatic referendum. On Saturday there were fears that
the fifty per cent turnout required for the referendum to be valid would
not be met. But in the end, fifty two per cent of Slovaks did vote - and
ninety two per cent of them were in favour of EU membership.
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Current AffairsWhere is Europe going?
On Thursday a Forum 2000 Foundation event was held in Prague's historic
Municipal House on the topic "Quo vadis Europa?" - Latin for
"Where are you going, Europe?" As you can gather from the title,
the participants - who included former Czech president Vaclav Havel and
intellectuals from all over the Continent - were there to discuss the
future of Europe.
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Current AffairsUnanswered questions: Czech Roma and the European Union referendum
Racism, discrimination in schools, unemployment, decrepit living conditions
- Roma have enough problems in the Czech Republic. Now, less than a month
before Czech citizens voice their opinions in a referendum concerning
their country's membership in the European Union, once again the Romany
minority feels left out. That's the way well-known Roma activist Ondrej
Gina sees it, as he spoke out about the absence of a special campaign
targeted to help the Czech Romany population understand what the
referendum is all about.
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Press ReviewPress Review
The suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which over thirty people
died, and the anonymous blackmailer threatening to poison hospital food
make the front-page headlines in all of the main papers today. A mix of
photographs are also featured ranging from US Secretary of State Colin
Powell in Riyadh to a man in a medieval costume at a demonstration against
pension reform in Paris.
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Press ReviewPress Review
The government's trip to Brno features heavily on the front pages today -
Pravo shows Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and cabinet colleague Zdenek
Skromach helping themselves to traditional Moravian cakes and glasses of
wine in the town square, while Mlada Fronta Dnes features a rather
intimate photo of Interior Minister Stanislav Gross kissing a member of a
Moravian folk group. The government needs all the positive publicity it
can get: the widespread public finance reforms unveiled in Brno have been
criticised by both unions and right-wing economists.
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